Extreme couponing may not be all the rage the way it was during the recession, but it’s still popular and probably always will be. Saving money never goes out of style.
But doing serious couponing takes some serious work, silly as that sounds. There can be a lot of time involved and even quite a bit of strategy, if you’re going to really save money. So if you’re looking for ways to trim your costs, take a look at these secrets of extreme couponers.
[See: 7 Habits You Can Learn From Highly Successful Savers.]
Combine coupons and offers. Sure, that’s obvious, but it’s the linchpin to being successful at extreme couponing, and when you see how the serious coupon clippers do it, you start to realize just how important it is. For instance, Joni Holderman, a professional resume writer in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, says that last Thanksgiving she combined a $5 rebate with an in-store special ($5 off a $35 purchase) with a coupon for 25 cents off per pound for a Butterball turkey.
She says that she ended up with a 25-pound turkey that she paid 27 cents for. “Slightly over 1 cent per pound,” Holderman says.
In fact, combining coupons and offers is mainly what extreme couponing is, according to Joanie Demer, a Boise, Idaho, resident and co-founder and co-owner of the website TheKrazyCouponLady.com.
“Extreme couponing is simply stacking coupons with sale prices and rebates, then buying up to a six-month supply when items hit their lowest price point,” she says.
Check to see if a store accepts coupons. Again, this sounds like incredibly simplistic advice, but some stores that you wouldn’t think would accept coupons probably do, according to Amanda Oliver, a content marketing strategist in Boston. She says she has been a serious couponer since her law school days, which ended about five years ago.
“When you’re subsisting on student loans, you have to find ways to make that money stretch,” she says.
She cites discount stores as an example of the types of stores that accept coupons.
“I had no idea places like Dollar General, and especially Dollar Tree, where items are only $1, would accept coupons, but they do,” Oliver says.
[See: 11 Ways to Save Time and Money.]
Focus on one store at first. If you’re new to couponing and want to join the ranks of extreme couponers, start slowly, Demer suggests.
“When you first start couponing, it can be tempting to do all the coupon deals. For most people, that’s not the best approach,” she says. “I recommend choosing one store to start with, then focusing on mastering it before you broaden your circle.”
Demer recommends going to a chain like Target or a drugstore like Walgreens, Rite Aid or CVS.
“Each store is going to have particular quirks, secrets and best practices for success,” Demer says. “Instead of casting your net wide, go deep, then move on to other stores as you master each one.”
Print out a copy of the store’s coupons policies. Why is this important? Because if you’re going to do some coupon calisthenics, you may need them to convince the judges.
“Many managers and store associates either don’t know the latest policy or aren’t sure of it. By having a printout from the company’s website, you can back up any claims you have about stacking coupons or using certain coupons,” Oliver says.
Learn the store’s prices. Pay attention to what you’re paying — or what other people are paying, if you prefer. Otherwise, how do you know you’re getting a good deal?
“Knowing the difference between a good price, a really good price and a drop-everything-and-buy-a-six-month-supply price can make a huge difference in how much you save over the course of a year,” Demer says, adding that she recommends keeping a list of what various items are going for that you can circle back to.
Get to know the rare coupons. Another suggestion from Demer.
“Certain products, meat, dairy and fresh produce in particular rarely go on sale or have coupons. But don’t let that stop you from saving money on these items,” she says, citing several websites she recommends checking out: “Ibotta, BerryCart and Checkout51 are your best bets for coupons and rebates on meat, dairy and produce.”
Demer says you’ll also want to pay more attention to your Catalinas. It sounds like a fruit, but as many extreme couponers likely know, it’s the name for the coupons that are printed on your receipts.
“They can be a goldmine for rare coupons on meat and produce,” Demer says.
[See: How to Talk to Millennials About Money.]
Utilize the internet. Coupons are abundant on the internet, naturally, and so you’d do well to find some favorite websites and search for savings there. Oliver says that some of her favorites include:
— Hip2Save
— Southern Savers
— Couponing to Disney
— Deal Seeking Mom
— For The Mommas
— The Krazy Coupon Lady
— Money Saving Mom
— My Dallas Mommy
— Passion for Savings
Think deals and discounts, not just coupons. Brandon Carter is a Salt Lake City-based marketing manager at Access Development, a company that operates the largest private coupon networks in the country. He points out that you’re missing out if you just have the coupon mindset at the supermarket or drugstore.
“Think AAA, AARP, Allstate Motor Club, groups like that,” he says. “The takeaway here is to be sure to check the benefits of any groups you belong to.”
Companies like Access Development, Carter says, “negotiate better offers from merchants. … Because the merchants know their offer won’t get shared online or distributed all across the country, they’ll dangle a juicier deal.”
Maybe so. Regardless, Carter has a point. Whether you get 5, 25 or 30 percent off, it doesn’t ultimately matter whether it comes from a coupon or your auto club, your bank or, for that matter, rewards points on a credit card. Saving money is the ultimate goal. As long as it makes financial sense, extreme couponers pounce on the deal no matter what form it’s in.
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8 Secrets of Extreme Couponers originally appeared on usnews.com
