Extreme Couponing: Secrets
For those of you who watch the show Extreme Couponing you may be left with many questions. This show really is an extreme version of couponing. Just like reality T.V a lot of it is simply for the "wow" factor. You can coupon in this way but it's not without a cost. Let me explain. Remember Desiree? She said she spends 60 hours a week on couponing. This really isn't realistic for most of us to dedicate that much time to couponing. My advice is start small. Like for example, what does your household use the most of? Do you go through tons of laundry soap? Make that your focus at first. Start by finding laundry soap coupons and matching them with sales. I like to wait for BOGO sales @ stores where you can use (2) coupons for BOGO transactions. Here's an example...
This week @ CVS Wisk laundry soap is on sale BOGO. I'm not sure the normal retail price @ CVS but let's say it's $5.99. I have (2) $2.00 off coupons that I use on (2)
BOGO sale 2/$5.99=
$5.99-$4.00 (remember we can use 2 coupons) total price $1.99/2 or $1 a bottle. Here's a copy of CVS's coupon policy http://couponsenseblog.com/cvs/cvs-coupon-policy
So what if you're thinking "2 bottles, that's not going to help me much!" Here's what you do to stock up. Go to a coupon clipping service online and order your coupons. They are usually around .05-.10 a piece. Well worth it even if the coupon is only a $1.00 coupon you are still saving 90-95% by buying and using that coupon and you can usually order as many as you need as long as they are in stock. I like to buy 10-20 if it's an item I want to stock up on. This is how the shoppers on Extreme Couponing likely have a bunch of the same coupon. Like for example the lady that bought 120 boxed of Cous Cous when she only buys like 6 Sunday papers. That made me laugh.
Here's a few tips for newbies that I learned along the way.
If you have a good coupon (i.e. high dollar coupon) chances are other people do to. If you get to the store only to find the shelf cleared get a reincheck if it's a sale item. This extends the sale and allows you to buy the item when it's in stock. Well worth it. Here's an example of how this can save you big time. A couple months ago I had $2.50 off any Excedrin (24 ct) coupons (20). There was a sale @ Rite Aid where they were $1.99. I got a reiecheck ( they only had 4 on the shelf) and was able to get all 20 a few weeks later also, I had coupon overage ($10) that I applied to other items.
Here are some tips
~ Shop at stores that price match to avoid unnecessary trips to several stores.
~ Watch weekly sales and match coupons to sales.
~ Stack store coupons with Manufacturer coupons to maximize savings.
~ Buy a minimum of 5 Sunday papers if there are good coupons. I like to check ou.t http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/that way I know what coupons to expect so I know how many to buy.
~ Use a coupon clipping service.
~ Take advantage of store rewards programs, CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens has these. The key to maximizing savings is to break into several transactions to roll register rewards and pay the minimum out of pocket.
~ Get a coupon binder and organize your coupons by catergories. I have (2) binders one for grocery coupons and one for everything else. It takes a while to get everything organized but once you do you will see what a time saver this is because you won't be searching everywhere for a certain coupon.
Remember it takes time to get really good at this. Practice makes perfect like anything else in life.
This week @ CVS Wisk laundry soap is on sale BOGO. I'm not sure the normal retail price @ CVS but let's say it's $5.99. I have (2) $2.00 off coupons that I use on (2)
BOGO sale 2/$5.99=
$5.99-$4.00 (remember we can use 2 coupons) total price $1.99/2 or $1 a bottle. Here's a copy of CVS's coupon policy http://couponsenseblog.com/cvs/cvs-coupon-policy
So what if you're thinking "2 bottles, that's not going to help me much!" Here's what you do to stock up. Go to a coupon clipping service online and order your coupons. They are usually around .05-.10 a piece. Well worth it even if the coupon is only a $1.00 coupon you are still saving 90-95% by buying and using that coupon and you can usually order as many as you need as long as they are in stock. I like to buy 10-20 if it's an item I want to stock up on. This is how the shoppers on Extreme Couponing likely have a bunch of the same coupon. Like for example the lady that bought 120 boxed of Cous Cous when she only buys like 6 Sunday papers. That made me laugh.
Here's a few tips for newbies that I learned along the way.
If you have a good coupon (i.e. high dollar coupon) chances are other people do to. If you get to the store only to find the shelf cleared get a reincheck if it's a sale item. This extends the sale and allows you to buy the item when it's in stock. Well worth it. Here's an example of how this can save you big time. A couple months ago I had $2.50 off any Excedrin (24 ct) coupons (20). There was a sale @ Rite Aid where they were $1.99. I got a reiecheck ( they only had 4 on the shelf) and was able to get all 20 a few weeks later also, I had coupon overage ($10) that I applied to other items.
Here are some tips
~ Shop at stores that price match to avoid unnecessary trips to several stores.
~ Watch weekly sales and match coupons to sales.
~ Stack store coupons with Manufacturer coupons to maximize savings.
~ Buy a minimum of 5 Sunday papers if there are good coupons. I like to check ou.t http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/that way I know what coupons to expect so I know how many to buy.
~ Use a coupon clipping service.
~ Take advantage of store rewards programs, CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens has these. The key to maximizing savings is to break into several transactions to roll register rewards and pay the minimum out of pocket.
~ Get a coupon binder and organize your coupons by catergories. I have (2) binders one for grocery coupons and one for everything else. It takes a while to get everything organized but once you do you will see what a time saver this is because you won't be searching everywhere for a certain coupon.
Remember it takes time to get really good at this. Practice makes perfect like anything else in life.
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