By now you may have seen or at least heard of TLC’s show “Extreme Couponing.” The show features regular, everyday people who compete to get hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of groceries for as cheap as possible using coupons.
The surprising success of the show has inspired many people to begin couponing on their own. Who wouldn’t love to get tons of food and household items for free, right? If you have ever thought you might like to give this a try yourself, there are some things to consider before you start.
First, it is important to realize that many, if not all the cases on the show are exaggerated to some degree; it is a reality show after all. it is not likely the average person will be able to get a thousand dollars worth of food for several pennies – at least not without facing some difficulty from the store. The show often has prearrangements with the store to allow contestants to buy large quantities of items or even clear shelves for the taping of the show – something the average shopper may not be allowed to do. In real life, there are often limits on how many items you can buy in most stores.
Another point that must be made is, even if you could get away with the things you see on the show, it is not likely you will encounter a cashier or a line of people behind you who will be cheering you on as you ring out such a large quantity of items.
With this in mind, it IS still possible to extreme coupon in real life even with limitations placed on customers by the stores. As long as you abide by the store’s rules and learn some things about the art of couponing, it is still possible to save at least 50 percent or more on your grocery bills.
Here are several tips to help you save even more on your next shopping trip:
Buy multiple copies of the Sunday paper Having several copies of th e same coupons will enable you to stock up on an item when it goes on sale for a price you like.
You may be thinking, “Why should I spend money on several newspapers just to save money on an item? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a coupon?”
The truth is, nine times out of ten, the price of the newspapers will make up for itself in one transaction. What this means is, a lot of times you can get an item for free or extremely cheap with a coupon. If you have multiple copies of the same coupon, you can buy several of an item to last you awhile so you do not have to pay full price the next time you need it. The total amount you save on those items will most likely end up being more than what you spent on the newspapers. This is why it is worth it to buy several copies. The “recommended” amount for extreme coupon beginners is 4 to 5 copies, or one for each member of your household.
To reduce your out-of-pocket costs even more, you could ask friends and family to help out by saving coupons or inserts for you that they don’t want, if they are willing to do so. You could also check out your local recycling facility, or buy them at your local dollar store – which typically only charges one dollar for the Sunday paper.
Decide how big of a stockpile is right for your household It’s important to realize you do not have to have a stockpile the size of the people you see on TV, unless of course, you want to. Sales usually have a cycle of three months, which means if an item is on sale this month, it will go on sale again in three months. This is a good rule of thumb for most grocery and drug stores. Therefore, you want to buy enough of an item to last your family three months until it goes on sale again.
There are exceptions to this though. Some items only go on sale for the lowest price once a year. Condiments such as ketchup and mustard occasionally go on sale throughout the year, but you will get them the cheapest in the summer months because this is when more people are buying them for grill-outs. Turkey, stuffing, and pies will be cheaper during the winter, especially around Thanksgiving.
Pay attention to whats in season or what holidays are approaching to get the best deals on those items.
Finally, consider the amount of space you have. If you have a limited amount of space in your home, you want to buy as many items as will keep your needs fulfilled while still allowing you enough room to live comfortably.
Realize just because you have a coupon for something, doesn’t mean you should use it. Couponing is all about saving money and providing more for your family. Therefore, it is important to remember that just because you have coupons, you don’t have to rush out to use them all right away. To save the most money, you want to wait until you see that the store has put an item on sale for a low price, then use your coupon combined with the sale to get it for an even lower price – or in the best case, free. if you use a coupon on a full priced item just for the sake of using it, you will end up spending more than you have to – and that defeats the purpose of using a coupon in the first place.
Combine manufacturer coupons with store coupons and store sales. Many stores put out their own coupons, whether it be online on the store’s website or in paper form. These coupons can be used in conjunction with a sale and often times with a manufacturer coupon as well. This is the ideal situation for getting the best price on something.
However, not every store allows this so you will want to check your store’s coupon policy or call ahead to make sure you can combine all the discounts.
Print out coupons from online Not all coupons can be found in the Sunday paper. Many companies put out coupons online. These are not to be confused with store coupons which are found on a store’s website. Online coupons are typically considered manufacturer coupons and can be found on that company’s website, or on a coupon database.
For example, if you have a favorite brand of orange juice you enjoy drinking, you can go to the website of the company who makes that particular juice and print off coupons directly from that company that may not have been printed in the Sunday newspaper. You can also check out coupon websites like www.coupons.com, which has hundreds of current coupons from different companies all in one place for you to print off. You will want to check with your local store to make sure they accept coupons printed off the internet, and if so, these coupons should be treated the same as a coupon you would get out of a newspaper insert, as it is considered a manufacturer coupon.
Let someone do the coupon and sale matching for you Since extreme couponing has gained popularity, many sites have popped up that match this week’s store sales to the coupons that are currently out. These sites let you know what you can get for cheap or free this week and at which store, without you having to figure it out yourself! Check out sites like www.krazycouponlady.com or www.weusecoupons.com.
So now you know a few basic things about extreme couponing. It may seem like a lot of work at first, but once you get the hang of it, you will see how easy and even fun saving money can be. As long as you put these tips in to practice and remember to follow the store rules, you will be stocking up on items more than ever before and keeping more of your money where it actually belongs – in your pocket.
