Extreme Couponing?? - Kansas City,KS

www.krazycouponlady.com

I do it, and love it. I have a small family so my stockpile isnt as big as I would like it to be (no point in having 20 bottles of laundry detergent) . So sometimes I get bummed that I can't buy some of the deals, even though they are so great. I use the website from above because they do most of the leg work for you, you just use the coupons they tell you to and you get the same deals they do. I also don't buy some of the things (like hot dogs, or any other packaged meats, medicines I don't use etc) but for the things I do use, its a great tool.

Good luck!

I personally do not think that those people are saving money in the long run. I mean, who can eat 100 containers of yogurt before they expire in like 4 weeks. Or who will use 20 jars of mustard before they go bad?? I use coupons too but I try to use them when the item is on sale. Our stores do double coupons so that really saves money. I know there are lots of coupon websites but I really just use the ones that come in the paper. Also if you shop at the same store then they will give you coupons as well. I think the most important thing is to buy only what you need, avoid impulse purchases, combine sales and coupons, don't be a slave to brands and plan ahead. Like if deodorant is on sale for 88 cents when its normall 3 dollars then go ahead and buy 4 or 5. But 30? It it will be on sale again. Personally, I think some of it is set up for the show and really, for many of those people, it really is just organized hoarding.

HI there-

I posted the exact question about a month ago! One thing I have figured out is if you have stores that double coupons that really helps-we don't.

I have found some great blogs on BLOGHER - go there and then search for coupons or couponing. There are some great tips on how to coupon BETTER, but after reading a lot of things I've come to the conclusion that those people are extreme and unless you want to have 5 printers and dumpster dive, etc...the best you can do is just better. Shop when your items are on sale-and even better if you have a coupon for them. Go online to Target and get their online coupons to print out-etc.

My favorite post is one on how do you find the coupons YOU actually use.

Well the show has certainly caused a lot of hype. I used to extreme coupon about 20 years ago and it wasn't nearly what the show portrays. I could buy a shopping card full (rounded at the top) of groceries and pay about $20, which included my vegetables.

I would clip the coupons from the Sunday paper at about 5:00 a.m., then head to the double coupon store. You were not suppose to receive cash back or receive more than one item per household, unless the coupon specified a quantity. If I had the access to coupons that we have today, I would have really been dangerous!

Today they have discontinued the double coupons, so I am only able to save on an item on sale with the store flyer and a coupon. I can get it for a very low price, but not free.

I haven't personally watched the show but my 19 year old dtr does and she loves it. She has become obsessed in collecting coupons and using them like crazy. In fact she went grocery shopping last weekend for the first time using the coupons that she collected. She went to a store that doubles them as well. She ended up saving over $100. So it's doable (maybe not to the extreme as the show potrays) but it takes tons of time, patience, research to find where to go, when sales are on, etc.....I don't know about ya'll, but I personally don't have that kind of time. Wish I did but I don't. Could use the extra money though.....I'm trying to get my dtr to collect coupons for me and I'll go with her the next trip. We will see how it goes!!

I've been interested in couponing to save money, but sometimes I find that the coupons available are the ones I don't need. It would be nice of the extreme-coupon-ers can use their crazy talent to stock up the cupboards of homeless shelters.

The truth? I think it's all set up for the show. And after the start of that show, there hasn't been a store yet that I have called in my area (KCMO-howdy neighbor!), not a drugstore or a supermarket, that will 'allow' those kinds of deals. There are always catches: no double coupons, no coupons on sale items, restrictions, restrictions, restrictions!. And I really think that stores are hiring people to counter act what the coupon sites are doing! By that I mean, they are hiring people to find out what the manufactures are doing in the Sunday papers and then NOT putting those items on sale. Of course, if you really get into couponing, you save the coupons in a binder until they expire and just WAIT until you get to use them!

I'm really into couponing - I keep a binder full of coupons and typically save $30-$40 off my grocery bill, by combining in-store and manufacturer Q's. But, I do check some coupon blogs: Krazy coupon lady, howtoshopforfree.net, and coupon mom website.
I've begun stocking up if there is a really good deal at a store that I don't normally shop in (too expensive), for example a few months ago Stop n shop had buy 4 boxes of GM cereal, get $6 bucks back instantly and a coupon for free gallon of milk, so I went to the store 2 times that week and bought 12 boxes of GM cereals (with coupons I paid under 4 for 4 boxes of cereal and free gallon of milk-yippee). So, for almost 2 months I didn't need to buy cereal when doing my regular shopping.
Good luck! It is time consuming, but worth it when you get a good deal!

Where I live we can use coupons that can be stacked @ Dillons they double them upto a dollar Apple Market they are doubled upto I think a dollar,Kmart has double days were it can be doubled upto 2 dollars but they do have restrictions upto 5 coupons per order/perday.All the stores I shop @ I look for deals on sale or clearnace & if I have a coupon for it I will get it plus if it is a dollar off & the item is like .97 I get it free plus a little extra 3-4 cents towards the taxes I have never been told that I had a coupon limit nor could I not stack them manufactuer coupon,store coupon,peelie on the product.I have scored several items such as toothpaste,toothbrushes,floss,deodrant for men/men,shaving creams,hair products,food items or condiments for free or next to nothing,
I have been on the net the past few days now scouring it for deals & you know what I have found that Coupons.com are bracnched off with several almost all of the coupon sites I have went into to print coupons & since I have printed my 2 coupons per item I have reached my print limit.You can't get anymore.I do go & sign up for the products I use & get them through my email then print them off or they will mail them to me.The best sources are the ads,you can add match with Walmart & Target plus use coupons.Personally I do get a kick of what free items I have scored during the week it is stuff I can use & need or for my kids.Since i'm not a beloved 1 product person I can settle for anything but I still have my favs & will by those they just aren't "free"
Don't let this show fool ya it seems that this is the new hype to get coupons & get all your items for "free"they spend alot of time doing that & so do I just to get what I need/want.They also pay for their coupons called a clipping service how much I don't know they never say how much they pay for the service I did look into a website that shows what states have them & Kansas isn't one of them so I don't how reliable they are or expensive.Saving isn't impoosible they re there waitng to be grabbed but it takes lots of effort to search for them.Here is a few sites I use for printable coupons
www.coupons.com
www.frugalgirls.com
www.redplum.com
www.smatsource.com
www.dealspl.us
And remember you can always sign up for these to get them sent into your inbox it is filled with otehr things though so if you don't like alot of junk comign your way don't sign up,I just do a quick scan then delete.

The featured people, the show, and the grocery stores they film in basically break the rules/laws of couponing. THAT'S how they do it.

You can find normal people coupon tips on sites like couponmom.com and thegrocerygame.com. One of the most important things to realize is that coupons have different expiration dates. Just because it came in your Sunday paper doesn't mean it has to be used THAT week. You wait until it DOES go on sale.