REAL Extreme Couponing

I have a confession. I am an Extreme Couponer. Ok, so I have been for the past 15 years. Long before it was a popular cultural phenom, I was teaching my friends and family how to save hundreds of dollars a month and get items for free by using coupons. I have been laughed at walking into a grocery store with my coupon box; sneered at by cashiers who think it is a waste of time (that still happens by the way), and pitied by people who thought that I must be poor since I use coupons. Now those same people are joining this movement in droves! Partly because of the economy and partly because of the television hype.

It isn't a bad thing, but because of unrealistic expectations it can be frustrating for everyone. Because of the amount of people attempting to get something for nothing, most stores have changed or “clarified” their coupon policies. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. The good: You know exactly what the store will and won't allow. The bad: Stores that used to Double and Triple are no longer doing so because now in this economy with the amount of people couponing, they loose too much money. Also manufacturers are lowering the dollar amounts on most coupons. So it now takes more coupons to get significant savings while stores are limiting the amount of coupons you can use in one transaction. Kind of a catch twenty-two. So my advise to everyone who wants to start couponing or who is frustrated by how 'little' you are saving with coupons? Breathe. And seriously, get smart about this new found hobby. It really does pay off.

Couponing isn't that hard, but it does take time and diligence, and there are many good blogs out there to teach you how to do it. You have to be consistent in clipping and somewhat consistent in shopping in order for it to work. One of the questions I hear most often is: "How can I get $1000 worth of groceries for pennies?". Is it possible? Yes, in some parts of the country and with a TON of planning. You might have to settle for saving an average of 40% - 60% on your bill instead. Does that mean you failed? NO! Not at all. It means that you are a smart shopper who is realistic about your resources. One thing couponing should not be is stressful. If you find yourself stressed, stop watching the hype on television, and work out your own budget.

There is a way that you can go to the store and not pay anything or walk out with money in hand. Wal-mart stores give an overage if the item you are buying is less than the value of the coupon. If you were to have 100 coupons for an item and you can talk your store manager into allowing all those purchases with those coupons (good luck), AND that is the only item you bought, then you have a shot. There are people who do this and they are able to pay for the rest of their groceries with the overage they receive. But I want to stress to you that this is not the norm, just not impossible. There are many factors involved in this type of Extreme Couponing. For example:

1. You have a Multi-Million dollar network asking for special concessions on your behalf to bend the stores coupon policy for a reality television show.

2. You have 100 relatives that buy a paper but don't coupon and mail all their inserts to you the day the paper comes out so you won't miss the sale. OR you have hundreds of extra dollars to spend on a clipping service or extra papers (then my question is, 'why are you couponing?').

3. Your store Manager is on your Christmas List. In other words, he really, really likes you and will order stock for you and let you use coupons to buy it all, give you a sweet cashier who doesn't mind punching in hundreds of coupons that don't scan right and gives you your own dedicated check-out line.

4. You live in a major metro area that has store competition. I say this because if you live in a small town with limited competition as I do, the reality is that your store can pretty much make up their own local policy that will go against the corporate policy. Good luck trying to get corporate to listen (I have tried).

5. Lastly, you can shop every week, making sure you hit every sale, even multiple stores and you are the most organized person in town. This last one may or may not be totally true, but for the most part organization is key to couponing and when you are as unorganized as I am it can be a challenge, just sayin'.

So, since most of us can't make sure that all of these factors are working for us, let us continue with couponing in the real world.

The reality is that you most likely get 2 or 3 papers and clip your coupons, put them in a binder or a box (if you are organized) and make a grocery list then off to the store you go. All of this is of course accomplished in the scads of free time you have. You probably have to time your shopping trip so that you hit the sale before the next weeks sales flyer comes out and the shelves are not emptied by other coupon shoppers. Not to mention if you have kids you need a babysitter, husband needs to be home or you have to go when the kids are in school (for those of you who take your kids, you have other challenges that just can't be addressed in the space provided me for this blog). With all that going on, when you do get your coupons clipped, organized and matched to your grocery list, then have added the freebies and overages, you can feel confident you have accomplished something amazing. Not just the fact that you have now fed your family with a lot less money, but you have managed to accumulate a stock pile that will come in handy at the end of the year when you are wanting money for Christmas presents, or if you are like me and have kids in college, the semester bill is due and the school has informed you that they want half the semester paid up front now (grrrr). These are the times when your family will appreciate what you have done for them; because now you can go to the grocery store and buy meat, produce and staples instead of “all that stuff you don't need right now” (as my husband has said numerous times). Being able to reach into the stockpile when you need to is where you see all your savings. That is the time the grocery bill goes down to next to nothing.

Well, there it is. The real reason to coupon. The stockpile. Even if you don't see a ton of savings at the register, you will see it when you need it most. Couponers have lived off their stockpiles for a myriad of reasons. Loss of a job, vacation, school bills, illness, and those are just a few reasons your stockpile would dwindle. The great thing is that once your significant other sees the savings in this way, you will have a partner to help you clip coupons once you start shopping again, trust me.

I recently went to the grocery store and just bought meat and some staples spending $50 on non-coupon items. My husband was shocked that I would do this because in his mind we still had to buy groceries later...I just spent half my weekly grocery budget! After I put the groceries away I simply looked at him and opened my stockpile cabinets (which by the way are in the 33 foot RV that we currently live in – a blog for another day) and said, “do you really need any more veggies, cereal, and snacks than what I have here?” The reaction was priceless. He had no idea that we had that much food stored away. Needless to say, the college bill will get paid and we can still eat while doing it (much to his stomach's relief).

Back to my original advice for you who are frustrated by couponing. Breathe. Take a deep breath, and start clipping and getting organized, cause Honey, Christmas Dinner is just around the corner and the price of Turkey just went up!

Some of my favorite bloggers for showing you how to coupon:

Coupon Diva's - These girls show you how and give you store match ups every week!

Budget Savvy Diva - Deals every hour on the hour, and the Adventures of Watson the Budget Savvy Kitty!

Enza's Bargains - Great deals, coupons and contests!

Couponista Queen - She is the Queen of her castle and of couponing!

Please don't forget to join all of these ladies on Facebook too for even more coupons and bargains!