Welcome to our new forum! All existing NW Cryobank forum users will need to reset their passwords. Click forgot password and enter your email address to receive the link. Email us at info@nwcryobank.com with any questions.
NW Cryobank community boards and sibling connect groups will no longer be available after December 20th, 2023.
Options
Extreme Couponing?
Charmed
Posts: 205
I am watching that new show on TLC, and I know a few people in real life who do this. It is funny to me that they have stockpiles. I mean, who really needs 4,000 tubes of toothpaste even if it was cheap? A lot of times the things they buy and stockpile are things they don't even need too. The twins on this show bought like 20 bottles of heartburn medicine because it was cheap... I would use that hmmm... never. Is it really saving if the item is something that you don't need?
Anyone do this??? Got any tips?
Anyone do this??? Got any tips?
0
Comments
On a positive note, it is amazing that they can save so much money! I don't think in my state that stores double coupons which is one tools of the trade that helps to get the price down so low. I think extreme is a good word for what they do, most people can't or won't do it.
The show is definitely extreme...and I don't have 6 hours a day to commit. BUT, we have decided to try it on a very small level. We've always budgeted about $550 a month for groceries. However, we set that amount when we were living on the tip of cape cod and even the grocery store prices were inflated! Regardless...I'd love to get our grocery store budget down. There are so many other things I'd love to spend the money on.
I checked out the krazy coupon lady website and she does list tips on how to get started...but I still don't quite know where to begin. : )
I like the idea but they buy things, like pps said, that you may NEVER use. IF you're going to donate it...maybe then? But I don't know where they get all the newspaper inserts. And our local grocery stores do not double coupons.
I search for formula coupons and diaper coupons...those are the only ones that I really LOOK for. If I find other coupons for things/brands we use...I have no issue using coupons but I certainly don't have 6 hrs a day to put into couponing!
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
The biggest warning/tip I can give is this: it's not as easy as you think. I spend 2-3 hours with my coupons on Sunday and at least another hour or two on Wednesday when the grocery ads come out. That's not counting time spent at the the various grocery and drug stores. I've tried to teach some of my friends before, but you really have to be dedicated to it. It's like another job. Just like anything else I guess...it's not easy but it can really pay off.
The show is the ultimate extreme and if you listen they do say when they are getting ready to checkout that this is their biggest trip ever. That is because TLC would only tape them if it was that extreme, they wanted like beyond normal. The way they get it down to such low dollar amount is they buy things they don't use/need. For example if they have a coupon for $5.00 off diapers and the cost of diapers is $3.50, that is $1.50 overage. If going to a store allowing overages towards other things they can cut their bill down. So if they have 10 coupons and buy 10 packs of diapers that is a total of $15 in overages, which cuts the other things down that didn't have coupons or not as good of coupons. So if you do this with multiple things that have coupons for the overages you can really get your own bill down. But the trick is finding which store has them at lower prices to begin with to get the most out of your coupon. Not long ago there was a overage on formula because the coupon was for more than the formula cost. People ere buying it to get the overage on the rest of their bill then donating it. Big problem thou is it is all nice to do but when you clear shelves by doing that you are taking away from someone else that could not only use that same deal but also taking away some other moms food supply for her baby. (If that makes sense). Plus using stores that double coupons etc.
Good place to start to learn and see from others is www.afullcup.com and go to the forums. The forums have stores listed and what is on sale for those stores and how to match coupons for what is on sale. You can print alot of coupons online also by going to the other website krazycouponlady.com and then there is links to where to print coupons.
Good deals you can buy coupons on clipping websites or off ebay. Not long ago I did buy coupons for body wash on ebay because the body wash ended up being free with the coupon. So I did pay for the coupons upfront. I think I spent a total of $19 for all 50 coupons which saved me $150 on the body wash. So I was ahead $129 and have body wash for my family for a year or 2. But I don't normally buy them or in the excessive amount but this was a good deal.
If you have questions just ask.
Sometimes I do trips to the store for things only with coupons. For instance the other night I had to go to a store that was right by Target so I grabbed my coupons and only bought things that I had coupons for just to stock up on. In the end I paid $36 and saved $48.
Since Justin turned about 2 months old, I've never bought diapers unless there was both a sale and I had a coupon for the diapers. I go to babycheapskate.com every Sunday afternoon and read the post of the Top Diaper and Formula Deals of the Week. Not only does it tell me where to go to get the diapers, but how much they are (per diaper, based on size 3) after the sale, and where to go to print additional coupons. I love it when Rite Aid marks Huggies down to 5.99/bag and I have a $3.00 coupon I can print online. You can only print two coupons from one computer, but I teach in a computer lab, so I have unlimited computers at my disposal and am not opposed to asking for rainchecks!
Another thing I like to do is cut all the diaper, baby products, and formula coupons out of the circular and leave the ones I don't use on the shelf for others to use. Someone did that for me one time, and I've continued doing it for others. One time someone left five $3 Huggies coupons, and it really brightened my day!
What I was reading didn't make sense until I actually bought a news paper and had coupons to look at. There is a website that tells you what inserts should be in what papers (I found the link off KCL's website, it was one of her advertisment blogs, I think living rich with coupons or something like that). I clipped all the coupons that were in the inserts, not just the ones that I thought I would use. It's important to not be brand specific, somethings it's okay, but if you're too choosey about what brands you will use, then couponing won't really save you much money. I organized them all. I bought 2 packs of baseball card inserts from wal-mart, $5, each and I already had a 3 ring binder. KCL has a catagory list that I found helpful to sort my coupons. Once everything was sorted I started looking at the circulars. I like CVS, but also check Walgreens and for food I check Publix. KCL has a break down of all the items in the sales flyer to tell you what coupons you can use and where they're found. Once you see what's on sale you can match the items with coupons you have for maxium savings. Thats the key to big savings, shopping for items that are on sale and pairing the with coupons. For example this week walgreens has pampers diapers for 3.50 a pack if you have the right coupons and although I don't have an infant, I got similac formula for free at CVS. By buying before you need it while its on-sale you prevent yourself for paying retail.
I have only been doing this for a few weeks and on one of my first trips out I was able to get $34 dollars worth of product for less than .50 cents! I get my coupons for the newspapers, but there are websites that you can go to and have inserts mailed to your house, you can try local gas stations and ask them if you can have their extra inserts at the end of the night. It can be time consuming, but I enjoy doing it. It's fun to me to see what I can get for free or next to free and it's saving my family money!