I can relate to your history very much. I too started in college. I think that many of the people that take extreme couponing seriously are those that have been close to the edge. The economy all but ruined my business and I was getting terrified. Fortunately couponing helped me get a bit ahead, pay other bills etc. so I took it very seriously and I still do.
I enjoyed your post and this site, keep up the good work.

I’m brand new to couponing and I’m looking forward to learning more! Thank you for sharing your insights and I’m hoping you can help me figure something out. As an example lets take the case of the woman on TLC’s Extreme Couponing who bought 50+ bottles of mustard- did she have 50+ of the same coupons?? If I have a coupon for $1 off a product, I thought it meant $1 off a quantity of one??

Thanks in advance for sheding light on this :)

T

In the South the sales cycle is roughly 6 weeks, give or take a few. So, when you see the items you regularly eat/use hit their rock-bottom price (meaning, the lowest they will go in a sixe week period), buy up!! For example, when I see boneless, skinless chicken breast, or ground beef (both foods my kids will always eat) at my rock-bottom price (for me it is $2 a pound) then I buy roughly six weeks worth. For my family that would be about 12 pounds since I cook chicken about twice a week, and cook one pound at a time. I put one pound in the fridge, and the rest in the freezer, and I never have to pay $4 a pound for chicken. Lovely.

Make sense? If you can add some coupons into that, more power to you.

Of course produce, meat and dairy will take up the biggest portion of your budget, and you will pay more for those items than for processed food which is always on sale and almost always has coupons. It just is what it is.

Anyway. Seriously. Stop watching those extreme couponing shows, and start focusing on your area’s sales and stocking up (you generally don’t need more than a 6 week’s supply) when you see low prices. If you spend 30 minutes a week cruising the circular and making your list, and you regularly save 25% or more on your bill than you have just given yourself a super easy, instant raise.

@Windy City Woman – I don’t know myself, but it seems a loooooot of people are figuring it out. I’m not sure too if I even believe or care about this coupon fraud… cuz technically I’d fall int that group by using expired Bed Bath & Beyond coupons, right? haha… If stores are letting couponers use them differently than they should, seems like a change is needed in both sides.

Yes, when the young ladies were following behind me throughout the store, asking me questions about coupons and sales and my (just made and brand new) coupon binder… ROCK STAR!

When I gave them the diaper coupons I had in my binder (that I WILL not use – I was just going to be a coupon fairy and leave them by the diapers) because one of them was 8 months pregnant – but followed it up with “If you have the time, take these coupons to [insert other stores name here] because the diapers are on sale for xx.xx price and if you buy three packs (I had given her three $3 off coupons) the store will GIVE you a $5 gift card” – ROCK STAR!

When I scored my 5 8 quart kool aid mixes (have three kids over here!) for FREE? ROCK STAR!

Be honest, most of us eat some type of crap. We just do. And even if you don’t, the coupons and sales for personal hygeine and paper products can save you hundreds each year. HUNDREDS that you can spend on your non-crap diet! Or put into a savings account! Or pay off debt! Or go out drinking! Or – you get the picture!

It seriously only takes what? 20-30 minutes to clip the coupons from the paper and put them in the binder. (Which only took 10 mintutes to set up) When the grocer sales ads come out, it takes what? 10-15 minutes to look through them to see what deals they have for that week and to flip to that category and see if you have a coupon? When you are ALREADY at the store and see something at a good price that wasn’t advertised, it takes what, 30 seconds to flip your binder open and see if you happen to have a coupon?

Last grocery store visit I paid $70.01 for $300 retail price – but it was all on sale so on the receipt it reads I saved $86 and some change. But I did the calculations – had I bought the items NOT on sale, how much it would have cost. I didn’t have THAT many coupons – But I did buy what was on SALE – which was the majority of the savings.

The time it took for me to save $230? Maybe an hour during the week – MAYBE.

That hour is totally worth the savings for me.

I am just upset that I didn’t start sooner!