Extreme Couponing

There is a new show on TLC, EXTREME COUPONING! I have had some luck in the past with my coupon methods but these ladies (and gentlemen) truly inspire me. They can go into a store fill 3-4 grocery carts with about $600 worth of food and the spend $6-10 on average. I AM NOT THAT GOOD! However, I want to learn. I am planning on spending the next two weeks researching online how these people do this. There have to be tricks.

There is one gentleman on the show that hasnt paid for toilet paper or deodorant in years--he gets it 100% free. I don't know how but I intend to find out.

I have used a method in the past that I witnessed at Walmart. Another mom had a 3 ring binder full of baseball card protectors and each protector held a coupon (nine per page). The coupons were sorted by category. I use categories such as cleaning, medication, food, personal care, misc, etc.

The SUnday paper is a great place to start to get coupons but with one income and a shoe string budget I dont even subscribe to the paper. So I get most of my coupons online. Yes this too does carry an upfront cost of ink but you get that money back in grocery savings.

There is nothing more gratifying (well ok maybe some things) than saving $40, $60, $70 on your grocery bill. That I HAVE done. $600, not quite there yet.

But I am motivated!

I am organizing a coupon exchange at my Church (The Church at Tree Lake). I am placing a basket on a table by the nursery and filling it with coupons that I have printed or received but will not use. I am asking the congregation to do the same...this will increase our pool of available coupons. Also I am sure there are Sunday paper subscribers that do not use coupons at all--I am hoping they too will being in their's.

I have included some pics of my coupon binder. One trick I have learned on my own is to place a blank pice of paper between each baseball card protector so that each page does not blend in the pages behind it. This make it much easier to see which coupons you have. Also I fold my larger coupons in half so that they will fil in the alloted baseball card space. I make sure to have the product picture and saving amount facing up and the expiration date facing back. This makes it easy to know what you have but also to know when yu need to cull old coupons (about ever 3 months). Stay on top of those expiration dates!!!!

Hope this inspires some of you to join the couponing world! And if not---then pass along your coupons to MUAH! :)

If you too are a coupon diva then please comment and pass your tips along to me. Teach me, I want to learn!!!!