Extreme Couponing
Experts say the economy is doing better, but most of us are still feeling the pinch from job losses, pay cuts, and rising prices. And with the recent political upheavals and natural disasters, prices won’t be coming down any time soon. We bet you want to save money wherever you can. That’s why you’re here, right? Maybe you saw an advertisement for “Extreme Couponing” on TLC. Maybe you spotted someone in the store walk out with cartloads of groceries for pennies on the dollar. Maybe you heard someone mention the book Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey. Or maybe you’re already into extreme couponing and want a little help. In any case, we’re here for you.
Coupons are everywhere. You get them in the mail, in your newspaper, on your car. They print out along with your receipt at the grocery store. They’re even sent by e-mail and text message. Everyone knows that having a coupon will save you money. But very few consumers actually use them, and even fewer use them to their full potential.
That’s where extreme couponing comes in. Extreme couponing involves coordinating sales, double coupon days, manufacturers’ coupons, in-store coupons, stocking up, and more; and it’s possible to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars from your grocery budget every year. In recent years, extreme couponing has become increasingly popular. To someone who uses coupons only rarely, the potential savings sounds exciting– but doesn’t extreme couponing take a lot of work? And where do you start?
Heather Wheeler and Joanie Demer, the Krazy Coupon Ladies, are both young stay-at-home moms who are on a mission to spread the word about extreme couponing and to make it easier for both the extreme couponing novice and the grizzled veteran. We’ve appeared on national television and radio, even written a book, all with the goal of making extreme couponing a way of life for as many people as possible. If we did it, so can you!
Beginners (or “coupon virgins”) can check out the glossary of common extreme couponing lingo or the FAQ section before starting on the Krazy Coupon Lady’s 10-day step-by-step program to extreme couponing. This in-depth guide helps an extreme couponing beginner to know where to find coupons, learn how, where and when to use them, organize their coupons, and how to handle the trips to the grocery store. Once extreme couponing newbies have covered the basics, there are also a wide variety of in-depth articles on various subjects, such as digital coupons, stockpiling, and how to maximize buy-one-get-one (or BOGO) offers.
But tools for beginners are not the only things thekrazycouponlady.com has to offer. One of the main tenents of extreme couponing is matching coupons to sales, and Krazy Coupon Lady helps extreme couponers do just that. Our site tracks sales at major national retailers such as Target, Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS as well as many of the larger supermarket chains like Kroger, Safeway, and Albertson’s. We then match the sales to printed manufacturers’ coupons from Proctor and Gamble, Red Plum, and Smartsource; in-store coupons from weekly sales ads; even digital coupons and “Catalina” coupons (the ones that print out with your receipt at the grocery store). By taking the much of the legwork out of it, The Krazy Coupon Lady has made extreme couponing easily achievable for the average consumer– and yes, that means you!
Keeping track of sales and printed coupons isn’t the only thing thekrazycouponlady.com has to offer. We also maintain several databases, including one of digital coupons available to print at home, so you can stack coupon upon coupon for ultimate extreme couponing. Organized alphabetically, each entry tells you what the coupon is for (for instance, $.50 off one product) and is a link which takes you directly to the coupon. A similar list is kept for e-coupons, which are added to your frequent shopper card. Another part of the site tracks freebies– offers to get products for absolutely nothing. Non-grocery coupons (such as 20% off at a certain clothing store) are listed under “Retail Therapy”, lets you take your extreme couponing skills even further, saving you money on things you can’t find at the grocery store. And once you’ve redeemed your coupons for an awesome savings, you can take a picture and submit it to the Bragging Lounge, so the world can know how much you saved on your latest extreme couponing adventure.
So go ahead! Dig in! Take a good look around and get excited for what extreme couponing might be able to do for you and your family. If you never try extreme couponing, then you’ll never know how easy it can be to save. So give extreme couponing a try– we promise, you’ll be glad you did!