EXTREME 🤘☠️🤘 Couponing

What is Extreme Couponing?

You might have seen or heard about the television show Extreme Couponing and wondered how in the world are those people buying $500 worth of stuff and only paying $20 for it? I wondered that myself a couple years ago and set out to figure out the interesting world of couponing. I will try provide a firsthand experience of my success so far and explain the basics of couponing that you can use right away! The game has changed in the recent years and for the better. Nowadays anyone can easily get started and most of the work is done for you; all you have to do is go and get the items!

The Basics

Coupons discount the item’s purchase price and there are two types, store and manufacturer. Manufacturer’s coupons are the most common and come directly from the company that is making the product. The store takes the coupon and sends it to the company for reimbursement, so the store doesn’t actually lose any money by giving you a discount. Store coupons, on the other hand, do cost the store money and the coupon itself is usually just the sale price. Most stores allow you to use a store and a manufacturer’s coupon for the same item. With that, let’s do a quick scenario. Suppose a tube of toothpaste is $5 and you use a $1 off coupon, then the final price is $4 for the toothpaste. However, if you wait for a sale then you can get it even cheaper. Let’s say the toothpaste happens to be on sale this week for $3. Now, instead of paying $4 for it, the toothpaste only costs you $2 after using the coupon and that itself is a pretty good deal. Combining coupons with sales is a great way to save money and score good deals, but there is more that can be done.

A Bit of History

Let’s step into the year 2011, the Wild West of couponing as I call it and also when the show first came out. Back then, the rules were very relaxed and grocery chains would allow coupons to double or even triple in value, which meant that a $1 off coupon could potentially be $2 or $3 off the purchase price. So if we buy the same $5 toothpaste, but wait until it’s on sale for $3, and then use the $1 off coupon, which after tripling is worth $3, then we get the toothpaste completely free! This method is how all those people on the show got so many items for cheap. They would use high dollar value coupons that would get doubled or tripled, which in many cases ended up with the store giving money back to the shopper. Using this strategy, the money owed to you can be applied to items that didn’t end up being free. Back then, the stores didn’t have strict limits on the number of coupons used per item or per transaction. This lead to buying 10 or 20 of the same item to increase the amount owed back and apply it to the rest of the items in the cart. Unfortunately, the majority of stores do not allow doubling or tripling anymore and there are policies in place limiting the number of identical coupons, usually to 4 or 5 per day per transaction. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get amazing deals anymore! Let’s see how it works in 2019.

Present Day Couponing

Nowadays, it is much more difficult to buy $500 worth of stuff in the same day and barely pay anything for it. However, this is not such a bad thing. People used to spend weeks collecting coupons and planning their shopping trip. Going to the store was a huge event and people would easily spend hours getting all the items and making sure everything was correct. An item that was out of stock or an error in their calculations could have wreaked havoc on their entire trip. These days, it’s all about quick and small shopping trips that accumulate over time. In just one month alone, my wife and I gathered $400 worth of stuff for only $41! I have a simple spreadsheet where I keep track of what I bought and how much the original price was compared to what I paid for it. So it’s still possible to get amazing deals and personally, I think going to the store once in a while is much easier than planning for a week and then spending hours there.

So now that we have some background, let’s really dive into modern day coupons! Technology has helped couponing in many ways. A lot of stores now have apps where you can clip coupons digitally and never have to worry about finding, collecting or looking through newspaper coupons. Some stores like CVS and Walgreens have additional rewards that you can take advantage of. Rebate apps like Ibotta or Checkout 51 help create even better deals and can be used on top of coupons. However, you don’t have to keep track of all the deals and coupons and apps, because there is a website that does everything for you.

The Krazy Coupon Lady

The only way I was able to coupon and get awesome deals was thanks to the lady who started thekrazycouponlady.com or KCL for short. The site has been in place for some years and it lists about 80 deals a day. The lady actually goes to the stores with her friend and gets the deals herself. The website is free and there is no registration required. Most of the deals on KCL are simply sales, but some of them end up being super cheap or in many cases free. KCL uses their own software that tracks deals for stores and matches them with available coupons, rewards and rebates. This means that all of the work is done for me. I just have to find a deal I like and add it to my list. KCL shows exactly what coupons you need to use, what rewards you will get, what rebates you need to apply for and the final price that you will pay. Sometimes you pay more out of pocket than the final price, but you will get a reward to use for next time or a rebate. 

Rewards

Rewards from CVS or Walgreens are applied to your account and when there is another good deal you use the reward from the previous shopping trip to help pay for the new one. Many times the new deal will also earn you a reward; this is calling rolling rewards. I’ve gotten plenty of free snacks this way and in some cases I made money. My best moneymaker yet was was purchasing 4 packs of toothpaste for a $1 each (after coupons) and getting a $7 reward on top of that. My wife did the same thing and now we have 8 tubes of toothpaste and an extra $6 that we didn’t have before. Deals like this happen at least once or twice a month and I’ve seen them so many times now that I have to restrain myself from buying more toothpaste. I've purchased over 12 toothpastes now, which is more than enough for 2 people for a year. I really like the rewards, because they are essentially cash and can be used alongside coupons. However, they do expire usually a month after you receive it so you have to remember to spend it.

Rebates

Similar to rewards, rebates are another way to score amazing deals. Rebate apps like Ibotta, Checkout 51 and SavingStar have been gaining popularity in the last couple of years. They are simple to use and are outside of coupon restrictions or policies. Let’s say there is a $1 rebate on yogurt available on Ibotta. You would go in the app and add that rebate to your offers. Then purchase the item and take a picture of the receipt with your phone. Within a couple hours the rebate is credited to your account. It’s fairly easy and for some stores you don’t even need to take a picture of the receipt anymore, because you can link your CVS account, for example, and it will automatically see that you purchased the item. The upside of rebates is that it exists outside of coupons. All you have to prove is that you purchased the item. What coupons or rewards you used does not matter. The downside is that you have to collect enough rewards, usually $20, before you can cash out. I achieved this within 2 weeks using Ibotta and 3 weeks using Checkout 51, so it is definitely possible, but you won’t see the money right away.

How to Start

Essentially that’s all you need to know about couponing. There is a lot more you can read on the KCL website about the specifics of each store. Usually, when there is a deal on KCL, it will mention certain policies or limits of the deal. Depending on the effort you want to put in here are some ways to start:

I want to get the best deals possible - Great for families

-Visit thekrazycouponlady.com or download the KCL app

-Buy the Sunday newspaper for $1 at Dollar Tree every week

-Save the coupon booklets from newspapers and clip coupons when needed

-Download store apps like CVS, Walgreens, Target, Dollar General

-Download Ibotta and Checkout 51 rebate apps

-Print online coupons when needed

-Keep up with KCL deals everyday

*Sunday newspapers provide really good coupons on household items and popular brand names. If you have kids or pets, you should definitely get the newspaper. Dollar Tree has the best price, but you have to get there early. Ways to get the Sunday paper for free or cheap!

I want great deals without newspaper - No upfront costs

-Visit thekrazycouponlady.com or download the KCL app

-Download store apps like CVS, Walgreens, Target, Dollar General

-Download Ibotta and Checkout 51 rebate apps

-Print online coupons when needed

-Watch for KCL deals that don’t use newspaper coupons

I want good deals without the commitment - Perfect for beginners

-Visit thekrazycouponlady.com or download the KCL app

-Download store apps like CVS, Walgreens, Target, Dollar General

-Spend rewards on things you need right away, rather than waiting for another deal

-Watch for KCL deals that don’t use newspaper coupons or rebates

*Not using rebate apps allows you to easily stop at any time. You won’t lose out on any rebate rewards that you have earned.

I don’t want to spend any money - Get free stuff

-Visit thekrazycouponlady.com or download the KCL app

-Filter deals by Moneymaker, Freebies or Under $1

-Only get what is free or a moneymaker

Once the Pantry is Full

After about 3 months of couponing, I had enough items stocked up that I didn’t need to check KCL everyday. I even stopped buying the newspaper, because most of the deals that were interesting to me did not require it. Occasionally, I will check KCL when essentials like paper towels or toilet paper are starting to run low. It takes a little more time in the beginning, but once you get a hang of it it shouldn’t take much effort or time unless you want it to. My method has been to spend as little time as possible and I only buy things that I need and don’t chase every good deal. I’ve learned from my mistakes where I wasted an entire evening, because I drove across town to 4 different Dollar General stores for a free bathroom air freshener. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time, because I didn’t even need the air freshener.

This is my pantry as of now. Not included is all of the free yogurt and juice drinks that was in my fridge. There are 6 detergents, 2 Tide Pods, 4 hand soaps, 2 Ajax dish washing bottles, 9 packs of toothpaste and some razors and body wash. Everything you see in the picture cost a total of $19. Couponing has not only saved me money, but it also made me a better shopper. Rather than simply buying stuff, I check the store’s app to see if there are any sales or deals for similar products. I am no longer tied to the brand name and focus on the price instead. Now go out there and get some cheap stuff!

*I am not affiliated with any of the stores, apps or websites mentioned in this article.