"Extreme Couponing" for the Real World

You may have seen the show Extreme Couponing where people walk into the grocery store and come out with 3 cart s, and a bill of only a few dollars.  I’ve seen a few episodes and could never understand how such a feat was pulled off. Well, after Kim Sidusky Butler visited Walker’s last week to talk about couponing, I found my answer. 

The show Extreme Couponing is not like real life couponing. I hate to burst your bubble but you are not going to walk out of a store with $1,500 worth of groceries and not pay a cent. Kim actually told us that most of the shows participants are actually committing coupon fraud. Photocopying coupons and not following the directions on the coupon are a few ways to commit coupon fraud that you may see on the show. Couponing fraud is a serious crime and can result in some pretty hefty fines and jail time. 

You can however get tons of practical items for free. Things like toothpaste and shampoo are easy to get for free. According to Kim, you shouldn’t have to ever pay for those kind of necessities again. If you combine a manufacturer’s coupon with a store sale and/or coupon you can get these items for free or a few cents. The idea is to stockpile these items so that you have plenty to get you through until the next sale comes around. 

Grab the coupons, but let others do the rest. You are most likely a busy person with a job, family, pets, and a social life. You don’t have time to clip tons of coupons and then figure out how to match them to store sales in order to get the best savings. Luckily, there are tons of places to get this kind of information! The main coupon inserts you will find are Red Plum, Smart Source, Proctor and Gamble, General Mills, and Pepsico. Most of these inserts come out a few times a month, but some only come out a few times a year. When you get the inserts write the date on them, and stuff them into a binder for easy organized storage. Then hit your couponing blog of choice to match the coupons to sales. These blogs tell you where, and when the coupon came out (i.e. Red Plum 1/12/14) and what store to hit for the biggest savings. All you need to do is go to that particular insert, cut out the coupon and hit the store! 

Check out these couponing blogs:

The Krazy Coupon Lady
A Thrifty Mom
We Use Coupons
Living Rich with Coupons

If you are first getting into couponing start out small. Make a few small transactions and get the feel for it. This will keep you from becoming frustrated and overwhelmed.  Over time you will get better, and rack up the savings. Kim has been couponing for about 2 ½ years, and has saved over $6,000 annually just by couponing. Think of all the things you could buy with the money you save!

If you are interested in learning more about couponing stay tuned for more classes at Walker’s with Kim Sidusky Butler!