Granted, many thrifty shoppers use coupons. Most rejoice in $20 – $40 savings off their monthly bills. But, until the debut of a one hour show December 29, 2010 and the beginning of the series premiere on April 6, 2011 not to many people really knew the extent of the money they could save by using coupons… to the Extreme!
Extreme couponing is a system that combines the shopping list, the sales, store rewards and of course coupons. Extreme Couponing enthusiasts say “It’s like putting money in my pocket”, or, “I’m getting paid to carry the groceries out of the store.”
Extreme Couponing is an extreme shopping experience designed to save the family money. Extreme couponing is basically composed of using coupons as cash. Literally. The process is a complicated but highly effective system that begins with the coupon collection. It is then followed by printing, clipping, storing, planning and finally by the efficient distribution of the coupons. It’s the efficient distribution part of the whole process that reaps the rewards for the extreme shopper. $600 worth of groceries for $6.78 is nothing short of amazing.
Finding the massive amounts of coupons needed to save the most on their shopping bill may not seem like a complicated process. But, these coupon hunters have been known to go to the extreme to get those coupons. These methods may seem a little ‘out of control’ or even ‘over the top’ to many.
Here are some ways extreme couponers use to gather coupons:
*Buy 6-10 Sunday papers (or more)
*Dumpster Diving – for thrown away papers of course.
*Collecting papers from the driveways of foreclosed or abandoned properties
*Buying coupons – $60 worth of coupons can equal $100′s in savings
*Printing online coupons from several computers. (Some online coupon venders limit the amount of coupons printed per computer)
*Purchasing day old papers back from the distributers
These methods may seem a little ‘extreme’ but they results in BIG savings for the dedicated shopper.
Once the coupons are collected then the process of clipping begins. Imagine clipping thousands upon thousands of coupons! The next step is the sorting and filing process. The better the filing system the quicker and more efficient the whole technique works. Next is the ‘where to shop’ process. This process is when ‘calculated planning’ pays off and is composed of many factors. This step includes planning the shopping strategy around the shopping list, finding and comparing the sales, the in-store discounts, double or triple coupons, store reward cards, store policies, and of course the available coupons.
The process of matching the discount and sales items to the coupons is the major focus and key to a positive shopping out come. Saving up to 90% or more on your grocery bill takes time, organization and planning.