Extreme Couponing

[Vannah]

I may not be as extreme of a couponer as the people featured on TLC's popular TV series, but between digital and paper coupons, combined with Kroger's specials, I saved $32.94 on my last grocery shopping excursion.

Do I have any fellow coupon freaks here? Which websites do you like to use for printable/digital coupons? What is the most that you have saved on a shopping trip? Feel free to impart your wisdom upon me.

[BBWDeAnna]

Long been a coupon freak...currently have a 12x24 building on my property filled with stockpile coupon items estimated in the 10s of thousands od dollars..been couponing since 2010.

Biggest haul ever.. $1,829.93 for $160. The other close one was $1,149 for $0..yep..not a dime out of pocket and have the receipts to prove..that waas 2011..the companies and stores have sense adopted policies that limit that.

Latest hauls..target in bryant..$365.72 for $22.56.. krogers multiple different stores in the central arkansas area deals in the $200-$600 range for $5-50..

I frequently go to cvs..walgreens..kroger..target and walmart..and get $20-100 worth of stuff for $0 and cvs gives cash back equivalent in the form of store bucks..so more odten i leave places with reward programs having actually profited from the tra sanction in the form of store money

Contrary to some..its not ripping off stores or misuse of coupons..but i devote 20+hrs a week just to organizing and preparing..

We also donated over $7000 worth of food and supplies to our area childrens homes for runaway kids..orphanage..battered womens shelters etc

So to say i extreme coupon would br an understatement

[harpar12]

That is Couponing to the Extreme wow what did you get that was worth $1,149 for $0. Usually there would be a limit like limit 1 per person or per family on these free after rebate items. How did you do that?

[BBWDeAnna]

Like i said..this was 2011 time frame..and kroger changed there coupon rules...but it was a mix of groceries..sonic care tooth brushes..shampoos..soaps etc..

The trick was and sorta still is to do separate transactions which kroger now limits to 5 seperate transactions..and previously you could use unlimited coupons per item and per transaction..now there are limits.

To explain the complete details would be difficult in 1 post..but on that big transaction i had 7 buggies full....and used multiple manufacturers coupons..online coupons and store coupons along with any coupon .50 cents and below would double.. to bring it to $0

Even today..while the rule is 1 coupon per transaction..kroger allows 5 transactions..couple that with Catalinas krogers offers(store coupon)..u role the catalina from the first transaction into the second transaction and so on..you take a an item on sale for $1 and get 5 of them and use 5 .50cent off coupons makes it .50 cents each.. u..or $2.50 total..you have a $5 catalina from yesterdays 5th transaction on the same 5 items..u take that $5 coupon apply it to your total..and it will cover your 5 items plus tax...and the store owes you money still..they wont hand you cash back..so normally to not piss them off you make sure to have enough "overage" from other items to cover whatever is left from the $5 catalina and you have a $0 balance..5 items per transaction..times 5 transaction..u walk with 25 items all for $0 and thr 5th transaction gives you another $5 catalina to use tomorrow

Do that on a bigger scale and now you know how u can do it somewhat..there is a helluva lot more to it than that.

It has nothing to do with free after rebates etc....its "x" amount off coupons coupled with sales..coupled with online coupons coupled with store rewards is what leads to $0 balances..not all coupons cover the item..and this is a very kindergarten explanation.. but what happens is..the manufacturer or store puts things on sale..manufacturer puts coupons on that same week for that sale product..and thr store has a reward $$ to purchase that item on top of it..

Target will give you store giftcards back for purchases..cvs has ecb's or store money
.walgreens etc..walmart does not and can be more difficult to coupon at but not impossible

Kroger is 5 like coupons per transaction..and limit 5 transactions..so.. transaction #1 will have 5 shampoos..5 condioners..5 tide pods..5 cans of spaghetti sauce..5 bags of chips..5 of basically any sale item or normally priced item that the coupons you have will make very very cheap.. so you could have 200 items in #1 transaction...then do that times 5 transactions..thats 1000 items..for little to no money..sometimes just "tax"...especually if u get it down and have saved up your catalinas from previous days because your basic coupons got yiur iyems cheap..yiu save up catalinas and use them in chunks to bring bigger transactions down to $0

Anyone confused yet

[harpar12]

BBWDeAnna thanks for explaining,I agree that is really a complex Couponing my brain is still digesting it lol.

[BBWDeAnna]

Haha..just a little insight into why i also suck dick for $$..after i do all that couponing..i gotta relax my brain and get the stress fucked out of me

But seriously it is like a job..we have 9 membere of our family that pick from our "store"..alot is donated..ALOT..and the rest of the stuff that wont ruin is stores for hard times..paper towel bundles..hugr packs of toilet paper..femine products and non perishable food items all go in the storage shed..#1 considering stores constantly change policy and #2 coupons have went down in value since even i began..you never know when it will end

Coupons have a negative stigma..but unless you say use 5 on 1 item...which is not allowed..its a win win..the manufacturer puts out coupons to encourage customers to try the product..the store that excepts the coupon gets reimbursed by the company to accept it plus a few cents..no one loses money as the profit is built in to the product produced

Originally Posted by harpar12

BBWDeAnna thanks for explaining,I agree that is really a complex Couponing my brain is still digesting it lol.

[bluffcityguy]

Originally Posted by BBWDeAnna

Anyone confused yet

I'm too ADD to be able to do the intricate mental calculations required to pull that off, though I stand in awe at your ability to do so.

I limit myself to loading the Kroger ecoupons to my frequent flyer card there, and I try to reflexively load the ones on items I tend to buy as a matter of course. So sure, I check the coupons I've loaded on my card and make a point of putting those items on my shopping list (especially when the ecoupon is about to expire in the next week), but I am also pleasantly surprised when I buy something I need anyway, and am going to buy regardless of any coupon or special price savings, and see an earlier loaded ecoupon applied to the purchase price. It's nice to see a $120 register tape get reduced to below $100 because of that.

Cheers,

bcg (satisfied by simple pleasures)

[BBWDeAnna]

Haha..bcg...YES!! i encourage everyone to use coupons...savings is savings after all..and as you said it doesnt take much effort to shave $20 bucks off a shopping trip..

[BK]

Originally Posted by BBWDeAnna

Kroger is 5 like coupons per transaction..and limit 5 transactions..so.. transaction #1 will have 5 shampoos..5 condioners..5 tide pods..5 cans of spaghetti sauce..5 bags of chips..5 of basically any sale item or normally priced item that the coupons you have will make very very cheap.. so you could have 200 items in #1 transaction...then do that times 5 transactions..thats 1000 items..for little to no money..sometimes just "tax"...especually if u get it down and have saved up your catalinas from previous days because your basic coupons got yiur iyems cheap..yiu save up catalinas and use them in chunks to bring bigger transactions down to $0

Anyone confused yet

And this is where I get lost on couponing. I have no desire to own 100s of bottle of shampoo, or 100s of deodorants which is always the type stuff I have seen bought with these types of transactions. Maybe I am naive but I watched a few of these shows and never thought to myself man I sure would love 200 frozen dollar crappy pizzas.

Stuff I buy and use are rarely if ever coupon-ed. Fresh veggies, meats, rarely. Hell, Im lucky to find 5 blue tagged items I want to get that 5 dollar discount. I once saved 40 dollars using coupons. I felt good about that

[BBWDeAnna]

Lmao...for me in a way it made since..8 "girls" on 5 acres...needing shampoos etc..

Also..it is just a matter of "see if i can do it" in search of the best deals type thing..that and it feels good to donate what i can Not use to those that can

Also consider this..any "overage" i.e lrts say the item is on sale for $1 and you have a $2off coupon..you are now ahead $1..times 5 items..thats $5..i apply that to my foods thats harder to coupon for and stuff we dont grow ..(we raise our own pigs for pasture pork year round and we have a large garden)..but..veggies we dont grow, meats we dont raise, milk,speciality non dairy milks for our lactose intolerant family etc

It all adds up in my master plan..and oddly i find enjoyment in it haha

[ScarletteC]

I got super excited at Kroger when they had the Tide pods on sale AND there was an ecoupon AND I had a $1 off receipt coupon for my next transaction. I was able to get 2 bags of Tide for less than I usually pay for the cheap stuff and our clothes are definitely less dingy. I have a largish family, a spreadsheet budget, and I stick pretty much to the same items so I know how much they are at each store, where the better deals are. Kroger usually has the better deals on some things when combining deals + coupons, added in with fuel points. I paid $1.79 for gas yesterday thanks to .30 off! When they did the back to school specials I stocked up for 3 months worth of lunches AND filled my tank for much much less than what I usually budget.

I do get the elderly neighbors Sunday coupons and go through them, but the problem is actually making a list & matching the coupons to the list/store. Any tips on that, especially for those of us that shop on autopilot????

[BBWDeAnna]

Instagram and facebook are your friends on putting coupons with deals

So as not to reveal my realworld info..when i get some time i will put down a list of places to check and join that takes some of the guesswork out of couponing

Originally Posted by ScarletteC

I got super excited at Kroger when they had the Tide pods on sale AND there was an ecoupon AND I had a $1 off receipt coupon for my next transaction. I was able to get 2 bags of Tide for less than I usually pay for the cheap stuff and our clothes are definitely less dingy. I have a largish family, a spreadsheet budget, and I stick pretty much to the same items so I know how much they are at each store, where the better deals are. Kroger usually has the better deals on some things when combining deals + coupons, added in with fuel points. I paid $1.79 for gas yesterday thanks to .30 off! When they did the back to school specials I stocked up for 3 months worth of lunches AND filled my tank for much much less than what I usually budget.

I do get the elderly neighbors Sunday coupons and go through them, but the problem is actually making a list & matching the coupons to the list/store. Any tips on that, especially for those of us that shop on autopilot????

[Vannah]

Originally Posted by BBWDeAnna

Long been a coupon freak...currently have a 12x24 building on my property filled with stockpile coupon items estimated in the 10s of thousands od dollars..been couponing since 2010.

Biggest haul ever.. $1,829.93 for $160. The other close one was $1,149 for $0..yep..not a dime out of pocket and have the receipts to prove..that waas 2011..the companies and stores have sense adopted policies that limit that.

Latest hauls..target in bryant..$365.72 for $22.56.. krogers multiple different stores in the central arkansas area deals in the $200-$600 range for $5-50..

I frequently go to cvs..walgreens..kroger..target and walmart..and get $20-100 worth of stuff for $0 and cvs gives cash back equivalent in the form of store bucks..so more odten i leave places with reward programs having actually profited from the tra sanction in the form of store money

Contrary to some..its not ripping off stores or misuse of coupons..but i devote 20+hrs a week just to organizing and preparing..

We also donated over $7000 worth of food and supplies to our area childrens homes for runaway kids..orphanage..battered womens shelters etc

So to say i extreme coupon would br an understatement

That is absolutely amazing! You could put any of those people on Extreme Couponing to shame.

I also love that you're able to use your coupon talents to help others.

[Vannah]

Originally Posted by ScarletteC

I got super excited at Kroger when they had the Tide pods on sale AND there was an ecoupon AND I had a $1 off receipt coupon for my next transaction. I was able to get 2 bags of Tide for less than I usually pay for the cheap stuff and our clothes are definitely less dingy. I have a largish family, a spreadsheet budget, and I stick pretty much to the same items so I know how much they are at each store, where the better deals are. Kroger usually has the better deals on some things when combining deals + coupons, added in with fuel points. I paid $1.79 for gas yesterday thanks to .30 off! When they did the back to school specials I stocked up for 3 months worth of lunches AND filled my tank for much much less than what I usually budget.

I do get the elderly neighbors Sunday coupons and go through them, but the problem is actually making a list & matching the coupons to the list/store. Any tips on that, especially for those of us that shop on autopilot????

I found a pretty good deal on a 16pack of Tide Pods at Walgreens for $2.95, if you're wanting to stock up.

I suggest checking out the app Flipp. It will have all the advertisement circulars from your local stores, that way you can match specials up with your coupons.

[cboat]

Originally Posted by BBWDeAnna

Haha..just a little insight into why i also suck dick for $$..after i do all that couponing..i gotta relax my brain and get the stress fucked out of me

But seriously it is like a job..we have 9 membere of our family that pick from our "store"..alot is donated..ALOT..and the rest of the stuff that wont ruin is stores for hard times..paper towel bundles..hugr packs of toilet paper..femine products and non perishable food items all go in the storage shed..#1 considering stores constantly change policy and #2 coupons have went down in value since even i began..you never know when it will end

Coupons have a negative stigma..but unless you say use 5 on 1 item...which is not allowed..its a win win..the manufacturer puts out coupons to encourage customers to try the product..the store that excepts the coupon gets reimbursed by the company to accept it plus a few cents..no one loses money as the profit is built in to the product produced

Actually someone does lose money. They are called the consumers. There is a cost incurred in the processing and discounts involved. These costs are all passed on to the consumer at the end of the line. There is no free lunch. Even the tooth picks and mints at your favorite dining establishment are paid for somewhere down the line. Nothing against cuponers except I hate to be stuck in check out lines behind them.