If you are into coupon-based reality TV shows, you must have witnessed how couponers can save up to hundreds of dollar on their day to day purchases. In fact, I gave couponing a try after watching a reality TV show and it was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Let’s admit it! Even the richest of us would try to save money if they get a chance to. Once I started couponing I realized I can get an item for less than half of its actual price.
Before I got into couponing, I wasn’t sure if it was worth it. However, when I saved my first dollar, I realized how I have been missing out on one of the best money-saving opportunities of my life. If you think extreme couponing is something to be ashamed of, don’t!
According to a survey conducted by PMA Coupon Council, it was revealed that over 89% of the population uses coupons to shop for groceries, healthcare, skincare items, and household essentials. This survey suggests that an average couponer redeems at least one coupon a month. You would be surprised to learn that people who don’t even consider themselves couponers redeem at least one of more discount coupons a month.
Since it’s the spooky season, here I am buying some candies at a discounted price with the manufacturer’s coupon.
How much money can you save with couponing?
According to PMA Coupon Council, an average person can save up to seven percent on his grocery bills with coupons. It has been revealed that an average family can save anywhere between $5.20 to $9.60 a week with effective couponing. Over 97% of the primary shoppers redeem coupons at supermarkets to save considerably on their grocery purchases.
Coupon codes statistics have revealed, you only need to spend 10 minutes or less a week to clip coupons and organize them the right way. According to 46% of the couponers, spending only 10 minutes a week searching coupons and arranging them can save you a whopping $7 on your grocery bill.
Now that you know how much you can save with couponing, let me share some of the best couponing tips with you.
What inspired me to start couponing?
Let’s admit it! In a world where fuel prices are on the rise and everything is getting out of the reach of an average man, it is hard to save for the future. Being a mother of two, my expenses were spiraling out of control. I was in debt and desperately wanted to find a way to save some money for the rainy days. That’s when I heard about this reality TV show based on the concept of couponing.
I was surprised to see how much the participants were able to save by couponing the right way. I realized I can save a boatload of money if I learn the basics of couponing. I researched articles written by extreme couponers and how they plan to save big on their monthly purchases. I started clipping coupons, waited for a sale, and shopped a stockpile of items that I could get with the coupons I had. I saved a considerable percentage of paper goods, frozen entrees, boxed cereal, and toothpaste.
It didn’t take me long to learn the skill of couponing. It is safe to say that saving money through couponing took over my life. Now, my refrigerator is always full of food supplies. I don’t experience buyers’ remorse that stems from spending more than I wanted. And what’s even better? Now I manage to save a small amount every month.
How much I saved by extreme couponing for the first month?
Now that I had learned pretty much everything about couponing, it was time to put my knowledge into practice. I decided I would extreme coupon for a month and see how much can be saved if coupons are used the right way. Every week of the month, I searched for coupons and only bought the items I had a coupon for. I observed a significant reduction in my grocery bill each week.
Let me breakdown the entire month into weeks and share how much I saved with extreme couponing in a month.
Week 1:
The first week was all about putting my recently acquired couponing skills into action. I won’t lie I wasn’t sure if couponing would work out for me. I read every couponing article from different couponing websites like RetailMeNot and EMUCoupon.com. I realized that I need the Sunday newspaper to clip out coupons. I went out and buy 5 copies of the Sunday newspaper. The entire trip cost me $9 and 5 hours.
The next three days I spent gathering all I needed to extreme coupon. I was excited to get 2 bars of soap, a small tube of toothpaste, and a bottle of shampoo for free. Day seven was the shopping day. I was excited to have my hard work paid off. However, when I reached the cash counter to make payment for groceries, I realized the store was no longer doubling coupons. Let me admit! I have never been this frustrated my entire life. Nevertheless, I ended up paying $24.47 for groceries and saved $3.50.
Week 2:
Since I couldn’t save as much I had thought, I decided to give up on couponing. However, my husband encouraged me to carry on for at least a month. He convinced me to try again for another week. I decided that I would no longer buy from my local grocery store. I chose the drug store to shop for this week’s grocery as it had more coupons.
Also, I realized I don’t need to waste $9 over Sunday newspaper copies when I can use online coupons as well as coupons from coupon leaflets that my husband’s friend got him. Even in the second week, I couldn’t save much, just $2.25 off $21.32 of the grocery bill. This week it took me 10 hours to search for coupons online.
Week 3:
By now I had saved around $6 with coupons. I realized it isn’t bad for someone who has just got into couponing. This time I decided to buy groceries for dinner, something I hadn’t done in the past two weeks. I had stocked my bathroom and pantry using coupons. However, I hadn’t tried couponing for dinner groceries. I tried another store in the hope to save more than I had in the last two weeks.
I took out my meal plan for the week and head out to another grocery store. To my surprise, I found out the new store had better coupon policies. I was overjoyed and it felt that all of my hard work paid off. This store had a coupon doubling policy. I bought everything I needed to fill my refrigerator with. You won’t believe how much I saved. I saved a whopping $14 off $29 worth of food supplies.
Week 4:
Now I had found the store with the best coupon policies, I decided I no longer need to shop from my local grocery store or the drug store. It was thanksgiving the next week and we had invited our families over. I needed to buy dinner groceries to prepare meals to be served. I knew where to find my desired goods that too at the lowest price. So, I headed to my newly found store and stockpiled all needed for the holiday season. I had taken the relevant coupons along.
Since Thanksgiving was fast approaching, everything was already on sale. I redeemed my coupons at the cash counter and saved dollar $9 on my $20 grocery bill.
What did I save at the end of the month?
In the first month of extreme couponing, I got to save a whopping $28.75 off on a $94.79 grocery bill. This means I saved more than $7 each week which a lot for someone who has just started couponing.
What I have learned from extreme couponing for a month?
It takes you some time to learn the skill of extreme couponing. You may not be able to save much in the first few weeks. However, you don’t have to give up. Keep trying! Try different stores. Look for new couponing websites to avail coupons from. Don’t stick to your local grocery store if you aren’t saving much. Switch to a different option if you find better coupon policies.
Have a solid saving plan before you make your grocery store trip. Pick out coupons to be redeemed a night before grocery shopping. Make sure you have everything you need to cash your coupons on your grocery purchase.
Couponing tips that worked for me:
To achieve any goal in your life, you need a solid plan. Couponing is no exception. If you want to maximize your savings, you need to be prepared to make the most out of your savings coupons. The following are some of the couponing tips that worked for me. I hope they work for you as well.
- Don’t go for every coupon:
You don’t need to clip every coupon that offers you a percentage off an item. If it’s something that you wouldn’t normally buy, don’t waste your time and money over it, even if it is available for a couple of bucks off. Remember your motive behind couponing is to save more money. By splurging on useless things, you only add to your bill and kill the purpose of couponing.
- Keep your coupons somewhere convenient:
Storing your coupons in a handy location, whether it’s your purse or wallet saves you the hassle of going through your kitchen drawers when you are out to shop. Try to organize your coupons in a folder or keep them in your purse. You can also tuck them into your grocery bags.
- Use coupons during the sale season:
If you want to maximize your savings, wait for holidays like Christmas and thanksgiving. Utilize your coupons when your desired goods are on sale. This way you will be able to save even more on your annual purchases.
- Try digital coupons:
Digital coupons save you the hassle of clipping coupons and saving them in a folder. You can search through the internet to find the best websites that sell these coupons. You can get some paper coupons delivered to your doorstep by placing your order online. These will cost you a fraction of the amount you save with the coupon.
You can also subscribe to the manufacturers’ newsletter to receive exclusive digital coupons to redeem.
- Sign up for the grocery store’s loyalty program.
Every local grocery store introduces store loyalty programs to satisfy its customers to the core. They offer you a customer loyalty card. You earn amazing discounts when you present the loyalty card at the cash counter. Without your card, you won’t get your desired item at a sales price. You can maximize your savings by using a loyalty card and coupons together while you are out for groceries.
Wrapping up!
Couponing is one of the best techniques if you want to save some extra cash while your shop for groceries and household essentials. Over 89% of shoppers use coupons to save big on their purchases. You can save up to $7 every week if you coupon the right way. You can save the same amount if you coupon the right way. You may find it hard in the first couple of weeks. But in no time, you get to learn what it takes to be an extreme couponer. All you need to do is to keep trying.
You should always keep searching for better coupon policies. When you find them, switch the store you shop from. Keep an eye out for online coupons and avail every discount opportunity you come across. Follow the above-mentioned techniques to get into the habit of saving through coupons.
