Not-So-Extreme Couponing

If you've seen the Extreme Couponing series on TLC, you probably wonder how realistic the actual shopping trips are - sometimes these couponers end up with hundreds of dollars of groceries for under $10, or even for free! In my experience, those kinds of savings are nearly impossible without a lot of time and energy devoted to gathering, clipping, and sorting many coupons, as well as hours of research and planning. 

However, with minimal effort and time spent, you can easily cut a shopping order in half. I get three papers each Sunday, so I have three sets of circulars at my disposal. I save these together by date - in fact, Maggie's sharp eyes have spotted the stacks in some kitty pictures I posted on Facebook. I also save any coupns that come my way in magazines or inside product packaging, just in case.

There are tons of coupon websites that do all the research for you and post the deals, listed by store, as items go on sale or new coupons are released. The ones I find most useful are:

Couponing 101 and The Krazy Coupon Lady for national chains

Giant Eagle Deals and Saving in Akron for more localized information

Of course, there are a million others that you may find are better for you and your needs and geographic area. 

I've gotten many commonly used items for free - cat food, toothpaste, shampoo/hair care items, even skin care and cosmetic products. There's about 20 bottles of body wash as well as many toothpastes and deodorants  floating around in various cupboards throughout the house. These are items that will get used eventually and do not expire for many years. Of course, lots of store shelves are empty by the time I show up, but I have enough success to make it worthwhile and keep it fun too.

I check the websites once a day - it takes maybe 5 minutes, if that - and gather any coupons that look worthwhile. I live within 2 miles of just about every store you can imagine, so it's easy to stop by and pick up the best deals. Here's what I went shopping for tonight:

2 toothbrushes - these really should be replaced fairly often

Coffee - my mom likes a cup every now and then

Cranberry juice - also for my mom

Toilet bowl cleaner - I wanted to try the new Scrubbing Bubbles One Step kit and I had a high-value coupon

An all-purpose seasoning - I like these for finishing a dish before serving or on salads and in canned soups for an extra kick

...and some Breathe Right strips - I don't need these but with coupons, the store will pay me to take them, so why not?

Here is what I brought home:

And here is the receipt for the transaction:

As you can see, the total dropped from $21.59 (pre-tax) to $9.09 (pre-tax) or $10.09 after tax. It's like I paid full price for the Scrubbing Bubbles kit and everything was free. I had three coupons for $1.50 off Breathe Right strips (10 pack or smaller), and was lucky enough to find sample packs for 97 cents each. Walmart is one of the few stores to allow overages, meaning they honor the full amount of the coupon regardless if the price paid for the item is less. In this case, they paid me $1.59 to take the strips home. 

Bonus saving - My debit card (from a free account, by the way) gives me 1% back every month on any signature-required purchase. In this case, that's 10 cents. Not much, but because I use it almost exclusively for every payment, it comes to $30-40 dollars each month. Every little bit helps!

So while it's not always a million dollars worth of groceries for 42 cents, there are ways to coupon in a casual manner and save a little money each time. Don't throw those circulars away - try it and see for yourself!