Extreme Couponing

I'm starting to watch sales ads more since watching those shows and I've even gotten DH to understand that saving a couple bucks here and there is better than paying full price all the time.

The biggest sale for DH on coupons is having to buy baby formula. Right now we're buying name-brand because we can get it for the same price by using a coupon and manufacturer's check. One is a coupon, the other is a check and both can be used on one item. We can get a 1.45lb container of Similac powder formula for the same price as the Parent's Choice container of formula from Walmart.

I also take advantage of online deals when I can convince DH that it's valuable. For example, we purchased 48 2 oz nurser bottles of baby formula for $10.09. I created a real account for myself and another for DH and bought two cases for the $10 price. My mom and MIL also ordered. We didn't create fake accounts, so it didn't go against their terms.

Having a baby has certainly opened DH's eyes to saving. Now if I can convince him to get the Sunday paper for the coupon inserts.. But I can't imagine the time and effort that goes into the extreme as shown on the show.

Originally Posted by Crazyforinfo

Purchase is an item.
Transaction is your total shopping trip.
If the coupon says one per purchase, you can buy 4 items and use 4 coupons. If it says one per transaction you would buy one item, use one coupon, pay and then repeat to get anymore items. Some stores make you leave and come back for more offers.

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Yes, sorry. I meant to put "transaction" or "customer".

Originally Posted by otto

I still say those "extreme coupon" people are hoarders. I still say most of them get their hoards cleaned up for the TV show. All those tidy selves and rows rows of items that will very likely never be used. I bet it doesn't look like that in real life. And what on earth is the point of having that much stuff? It's a sickness, IMO.

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Yes. I agree.

What I don't understand is that from what I've seen, some of them have been buying stuff that they don't even use (ie: antacid), just because they have a coupon for it and can get it FREE or get a cash credit.

I saw one guy who was using the FREE stuff he accumulated to make up personal grooming kits for soldiers. I thought that was wonderful!

However, all the others seem to be hoarders as you mention and just display the stuff they get as trophies.

I mean come on? Who can eat 300 boxes of cereal before it goes rancid? And do you really need to have 300 bottles of shampoo or deodorant? And do you really need to keep collecting more?

Also, from what I've seen most of those shopping trips involve buying things like paper towels, energy drinks, lotions etc. Where is the real food? Where is the dairy, fresh produce, breads, meats?

An episode that I watched yesterday showed a couple (no kids) who use their grocery savings to go on trips. The shopping trip they did saved them over $500.00 which was the extra amount they needed to have to finalize booking a cruise for the 2 of them. During the episode the only food I saw them buy were dozens of frozen convenience pizza-type snacks. And according to what they said, that shopping was the only one they would be doing for the next 2 months. Seriously?!

I'm not interested in doing "extreme couponing", but I am interested in learning how to get and use coupons so that I can save a little bit more on my grocery bills. I don't expect, nor want a stockpile of stuff that I'll never use.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Yes. I agree.

What I don't understand is that from what I've seen, some of them have been buying stuff that they don't even use (ie: antacid), just because they have a coupon for it and can get it FREE or get a cash credit.

I saw one guy who was using the FREE stuff he accumulated to make up personal grooming kits for soldiers. I thought that was wonderful!

However, all the others seem to be hoarders as you mention and just display the stuff they get as trophies.

I mean come on? Who can eat 300 boxes of cereal before it goes rancid? And do you really need to have 300 bottles of shampoo or deodorant? And do you really need to keep collecting more?

Also, from what I've seen most of those shopping trips involve buying things like paper towels, energy drinks, lotions etc. Where is the real food? Where is the dairy, fresh produce, breads, meats?

An episode that I watched yesterday showed a couple (no kids) who use their grocery savings to go on trips. The shopping trip they did saved them over $500.00 which was the extra amount they needed to have to finalize booking a cruise for the 2 of them. During the episode the only food I saw them buy were dozens of frozen convenience pizza-type snacks. And according to what they said, that shopping was the only one they would be doing for the next 2 months. Seriously?!

I'm not interested in doing "extreme couponing", but I am interested in learning how to get and use coupons so that I can save a little bit more on my grocery bills. I don't expect, nor want a stockpile of stuff that I'll never use.

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Many of them got excited to exceed limits and hoard a bunch of stuf fin one trip.

A few episodes ago some ladies did get meat and produce. Every now and then the stores run a deal spent $ and get $ for a future purchase. Sometimes its on stuff you don't need/want which you can get free after coupon and donate. Then use the $ for future purchase to pay for your meat and produce. ;-)

If I had done it correctly I would have had $24 in on your next order coupons. There was two deals that overlapped. Spend $20 on Nestle and get (4)$5 coupons for future trips and spend $12 on ice cream and get $4 off your next order. I was .08 but I Have nestle drumsticks to make DH happy for a few weeks, juice for my son (long shelf life) and ice cream for me! If I had gotten the $5 coupons I would have used them to cover our meat purchase.

I haven't seen the show, but I am fascinated by the idea. My friend's wife is so good with couponing that she donates a lot to homeless shelters and the like. I don't understand how she does it. I save a few dollars here and there, but there are limits at the store where I shop. They do have double and triple coupon days occasionally, but then the store is so crowded that I don't want to go in.

My mom was shopping the other day at a chain discount store and an elderly man in front of her had a coupon that was worth more than the item he was purchasing. The cashier would not let the man use the coupon at all because she told him that she would have to give him change back. Could the man have bought a stick of gum or something to bring up the price of his purchase and used the coupon?

Originally Posted by nurseangel

The cashier would not let the man use the coupon at all because she told him that she would have to give him change back. Could the man have bought a stick of gum or something to bring up the price of his purchase and used the coupon?

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Was that the only thing he was purchasing or did he have other items too? Not that it really matters because either way if he was buying an item where the coupon exceeded the value of the product and if the store's register didn't automatically cap out the coupon value to the maximum product price, he would get a cash back amount for the difference between the product price and the value of the coupon.

This is technically wrong because coupons specifically state on the back that that they have no cash value.

So if he were to buy a stick of gum, that still wouldn't work because the gum would be paid for from a credit value from the coupon, essentially a cash back but instead of cash, he would be getting an additional item...the gum.

Here in Canada where I live, if I was purchasing a bottle of Mr. Clean for $1.50, and happened to have a coupon for $1.00 off at a store that was going to double that coupons to $2.00, the cash register would cap out the coupon at $1.50 and I would get it free. I would not get a cash back amount of 50 cents because there is no cash value on coupons.

I suspect that this Extreme Couponing show is going to be responsible for a whole host of changes in the way stores take and process coupons. Basically a few (those that abuse the spirit of couponing) will be ruining it for many.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Was that the only thing he was purchasing or did he have other items too? Not that it really matters because either way if he was buying an item where the coupon exceeded the value of the product and if the store's register didn't automatically cap out the coupon value to the maximum product price, he would get a cash back amount for the difference between the product price and the value of the coupon.

This is technically wrong because coupons specifically state on the back that that they have no cash value.

So if he were to buy a stick of gum, that still wouldn't work because the gum would be paid for from a credit value from the coupon, essentially a cash back but instead of cash, he would be getting an additional item...the gum.

Here in Canada where I live, if I was purchasing a bottle of Mr. Clean for $1.50, and happened to have a coupon for $1.00 off at a store that was going to double that coupons to $2.00, the cash register would cap out the coupon at $1.50 and I would get it free. I would not get a cash back amount of 50 cents because there is no cash value on coupons.

I suspect that this Extreme Couponing show is going to be responsible for a whole host of changes in the way stores take and process coupons. Basically a few (those that abuse the spirit of couponing) will be ruining it for many.

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......

Originally Posted by nurseangel

My mom was shopping the other day at a chain discount store and an elderly man in front of her had a coupon that was worth more than the item he was purchasing. The cashier would not let the man use the coupon at all because she told him that she would have to give him change back. Could the man have bought a stick of gum or something to bring up the price of his purchase and used the coupon?

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If the register doesn't adjust the coupon value the cashiers should.

If you want to start sending me a message and I can help you.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Yes. I agree.

What I don't understand is that from what I've seen, some of them have been buying stuff that they don't even use (ie: antacid), just because they have a coupon for it and can get it FREE or get a cash credit.

I saw one guy who was using the FREE stuff he accumulated to make up personal grooming kits for soldiers. I thought that was wonderful!

However, all the others seem to be hoarders as you mention and just display the stuff they get as trophies.

I mean come on? Who can eat 300 boxes of cereal before it goes rancid? And do you really need to have 300 bottles of shampoo or deodorant? And do you really need to keep collecting more?

Also, from what I've seen most of those shopping trips involve buying things like paper towels, energy drinks, lotions etc. Where is the real food? Where is the dairy, fresh produce, breads, meats?

An episode that I watched yesterday showed a couple (no kids) who use their grocery savings to go on trips. The shopping trip they did saved them over $500.00 which was the extra amount they needed to have to finalize booking a cruise for the 2 of them. During the episode the only food I saw them buy were dozens of frozen convenience pizza-type snacks. And according to what they said, that shopping was the only one they would be doing for the next 2 months. Seriously?!

I'm not interested in doing "extreme couponing", but I am interested in learning how to get and use coupons so that I can save a little bit more on my grocery bills. I don't expect, nor want a stockpile of stuff that I'll never use.

Click to expand...

Yep, I love this show ( I DVR it, as it's on late), but I've thought the same things myself. I also loved the guy who made the 1000 care packages for the toops, and the ministry student and his wife who give most of it away to charity. That makes sense to me. I think a smaller-scaled version of extreme couponing is a lot more rational. I also wondered what one does with "enough cake mix to supply their kids with a birthday cake for the next 15 years" (actual quote from a recent episode). I also dislike it when they clear the shelves--no law against, it as far as I know, but it seems greedy, especially when you don't need 150 bottles of asprin, and aren't giving them away for charity. I do a lot of couponing, but I always try to leave at least one product on the shelf for someone else--especially cat food and litter--cats are fussy about those brands they like.

Of course, if one of us was out of work, or we had a ton of kids, were on work disability, etc., I certainly could see doing extreme couponing, and it makes sense for those who are in that boat themselves.

I've often wondered if these people buy the stuff, then re-sell it? That could account fof having 300 boxes of cereal? Actually, I think it would be a great job for a stay-at-home mom. In other words, a group of people agree to buy, at a reduced price, the cereal from Coupon Mom. Coupon mom still makes a profit, but the others get the cereal cheaper. They also don't need to spend their time couponing, nor the time and gas to go to the store. I think it's legal--that's what capitalism is--and what businesses do (they just call that "wholesale").

What I do:

1. Plan meals around what's on sale at Giant. We usually only buy meat when it's BOGO (we have a freezer). I also coordinate my coupons with the sales. I recently got frozen beef/cheese tornadoes very cheaply. Giant had a deal where, if you bought 5 items from a group (tornadoes were one of the items in the group), you got an extra $3.00 off. They were on sale for $2.00 a box; I had 20 coupons to get .75 off a box. Giant also doubled 1 coupon. They normally are $2.69 a box. I got them for .50 a box! I just remove the boxes for my freezer, so I can get a lot in there. We love them, though they aren't exactly healthy. Great with the cream cheese I got for $1.00 a block (normally $1.60) the week before...which also freezes well. I usually make low-fat. low-sugar marbled cheesecake with them.

2. I "buy" coupons, in batches of 20, on eBay. Technically, you are paying for the time to clip & sort them, NOT the coupons. For things like cat litter and canned cat food, it's worth it to pay up to $3.00 (including postage) to get $20 off (really $17). I have 9 cats. If I had 9 kids, it'd be diaper coupons, I guess!

3. I used to print online coupons, but last year, when my PC crashed, I found that many of the viruses originated from those sites. Just be aware. Others have no problems, though.

4. Get others to save coupons for you. People at work often do this for me without me asking, since they know I've a lot of cats. We also leave them on the table in the staff room. I also get my weekly 40% off coupons for the fabric store, and 2 craft stores from staff who save them for me.

5. Yes, even I have succumbed to the extreme couponing thing I criticised earlier--I've taken free products that I didn't need, but I did give them to someone I knew could use them, or bought the product very cheaply, using a great coupon--too hard to resist a bargain!

6. In the USA, the Sunday newspapers usually have coupon inserts. If you need a LOT of a certain, very-good-bargain coupon, it may be worth buying the Sunday paper that week, or at least putting the word out to neighbors, co-workers, family, etc. THAT DAY, to save them for you. I say "that day" as, in my experience, many people get their trash ready on Monday, for Tuesday pick-up. Maybe you could have a standing order with these folks to keep them all of the time. Just make sure you pick them up when you say you will. Make it as easy as possible for them, and they'll keep doing it.

I haven't seen that Extreme show, but I definitely use coupons whenever I can. The store I shop at doubles coupons up to 50 cents, another one will do super double coupons up to 99 cents once in awhile. I try not to buy things I won't use even if its a good deal, and I don't find a lot of coupons for the things I do buy. I'll send for rebates too, but they don't seem to be offered as much as they were back in the 80s. I just got a free bag of Sweatscoop cat liter from sending in the coupons.

If I'm going to a store like Petsmart, I'll look on line for printable coupons, or if I'm shopping online I'll look for ecoupons. I don't go into the coupon sites or places like that.

I also use my store loyalty card and store credit card to get the points and get cash back. The loyalty card just sent me a bunch of coupons, including one for $25 off my next trip. The credit card periodically sends me checks that I can take to the grocery store and use like cash. Usually its around $40.

With the price of everything the way it is these days, I'll take whatever discount I can get!

Originally Posted by nurseangel

My mom was shopping the other day at a chain discount store and an elderly man in front of her had a coupon that was worth more than the item he was purchasing. The cashier would not let the man use the coupon at all because she told him that she would have to give him change back. Could the man have bought a stick of gum or something to bring up the price of his purchase and used the coupon?

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I've never seen that happen. In fact, they'll tell you that if the coupon exceeds the amount of the product, you do NOT get any money back. I'm wondering if the cashier didn't know that, or if things are different in different states. To my knowledge I've never gotten cash back in excess of a purchase price. I think its a lot easier with the bar codes to keep that sorted out.

You can get meat and deli coupons on something called wine tags? I don't drink, but I've bought them (or paid for the time for people to find and clip the coupons ) on an online auction. They were pretty good, too, something like $3.00 the purchase of $10.00 worth of meat. I let them expire.

Being somewhat minimalist I do not like lots of bottles and boxes of products all over my home and filling my pantry full to the brim.
I do use coupons from time to time, but there are rarely coupons for the majority of things I buy like fresh fruits, vegetables, dry beans, wild caught fish, etc. We make a lot of things from scratch, so do not buy a lot of junk/snack items or convenience foods and avoid HFCS and excess salt/sugars/refined products.

Good News! Another board posted a Canadian coupon site. Has deals, coupons, freebies, store policies etc.

Enjoy
http://www.mrsjanuary.com/

Originally Posted by c1atsite

I think it's safe to say I do not understand the intracies of the show and the ladies' methods because the coupons I see (where I live and shop) offer very piddly discounts.

99% of the time I look at the coupon and chuckle because I'm underwhelmed by the savings offered. So I think: Why even bother?

I have no idea where these "coupon queens" are getting all these super awesome brag-a-licious coupons from.

IMO, stellar coupons worth bragging about are like the sasquatch/yeti, or maybe I feel that way because I don't actively seek them out.

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It's not the coupon itself that makes it a great deal, but rather combining the coupon with a great sale.

For example, I had a few Similac coupons and manufacturer's checks for $5 off ANY Similac product. This weekend, Babies R Us has all small-boxes of formula nursettes on sale for $5 (the nursettes are the 2oz, read-to-feed bottles). I got my limit (3) for free and my mother also got her limit. They are normally $7/box. So by combining the coupons with a great deal, I got $42 of product for free. That savings purchased a bouncer for my daughter.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Was that the only thing he was purchasing or did he have other items too? Not that it really matters because either way if he was buying an item where the coupon exceeded the value of the product and if the store's register didn't automatically cap out the coupon value to the maximum product price, he would get a cash back amount for the difference between the product price and the value of the coupon.

This is technically wrong because coupons specifically state on the back that that they have no cash value.

So if he were to buy a stick of gum, that still wouldn't work because the gum would be paid for from a credit value from the coupon, essentially a cash back but instead of cash, he would be getting an additional item...the gum.

Here in Canada where I live, if I was purchasing a bottle of Mr. Clean for $1.50, and happened to have a coupon for $1.00 off at a store that was going to double that coupons to $2.00, the cash register would cap out the coupon at $1.50 and I would get it free. I would not get a cash back amount of 50 cents because there is no cash value on coupons.

I suspect that this Extreme Couponing show is going to be responsible for a whole host of changes in the way stores take and process coupons. Basically a few (those that abuse the spirit of couponing) will be ruining it for many.

Click to expand...

Most coupons in the U.S. have a cash value (in some states it's required by law), but usually it's very low like 1/100th of a cent. If no cash value is stated on the coupon, it's redeemable for the value of the item.

I don't use coupons because, like you said, they are never for fresh foods. I like Groupon a lot, though.

I've tried but couldn't get into the coupon thingy. Every Thursday there is a local paper delivered to our building and it's full of flyers for all the stores in our surrounding area to show what's on sale that week. When I see items that I use on a regular basis, I stock up that week, for instance, this week butter was $3.00 per pound at our local supermarket so I bought 4. About every 4 weeks there will be a sale on Haagen Daas ice cream (only one I eat) so I stock up. Last week it was on sale for $2.99 per container versus the usual $7.69 per container so I bought 6 of them.

I went to Safeway today. With instore specials, my club card and coupons, I saved...... wait for it!







...... wait for it!















...... wait for it!















$63.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I've tried but couldn't get into the coupon thingy. Every Thursday there is a local paper delivered to our building and it's full of flyers for all the stores in our surrounding area to show what's on sale that week. When I see items that I use on a regular basis, I stock up that week, for instance, this week butter was $3.00 per pound at our local supermarket so I bought 4. About every 4 weeks there will be a sale on Haagen Daas ice cream (only one I eat) so I stock up. Last week it was on sale for $2.99 per container versus the usual $7.69 per container so I bought 6 of them.

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But you are doing it!

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I went to Safeway today. With instore specials, my club card and coupons, I saved...... wait for it!







...... wait for it!















...... wait for it!















$63.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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WTG! Doesn't it feel good!