I have been trying to improve my couponing skills. I got a few tips from the extreme coupon shows but would like to know how people are getting items for free. My local stores only double coupons for $1.00 or less. And now most coupons are buy two items for $1.00 so the cost of using the coupon is really too high of an investment. I'd like some advise about how to either get better coupons or how to use them more wisely.
By Teressa Goebel from Akron, OH
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Remember the extreme shows of any type are a lot of "hype." I have often wondered exactly how many of the products that these people stock up on really get used. Or how much of each product they use in a week. I don't clip very many coupons because most of the time I can buy the store brand cheaper than I can buy the name brand, even with a coupon. I am fussy about some of the things that I buy, Puffs; toilet tissue I don't buy the big brand names, but I don't buy the cheapest either; dishwasher detergent I buy Cascade, that seems to work best for me; name brand soda. Almost every thing else I buy store brands.
There are so many variables that must be met for extreme couponing. We simply don't have access to them where I live either. No stores have membership cards, nor do they put out their own coupons. Only one store that has just moved in will double coupons, and they will only double up to $1.00, so if you have a .75 coupon, it'll go to $1.00. If the sale item is less than the coupon, they will not give a credit towards other groceries like they do on TV (eg: If ketchup is on sale for .80 and I have a .50 coupon, they'll double it only to $1.00 or the price of the item--in this case .80). They limit the number of sale items you can buy, it's never a high number like on TV.
You can also use coupons printed on the back of register tapes and store and manufacturer coupons at the same time. This may give you free items. I don't know what store will give you cash back at the register in return for using these though.
There is only my husband and I but we are still on a tight budget since I am laid off work right now. I saved 30 dollars with coupons last week. I only bought things we can use. I live very rural, and only have IGA and Walmart.
Walmart will let you take my IGA ad and give me that same price if on sale. I also will not be shopping as much this next few weeks as I bought the large amounts of T.P. and paper towels. I make my own laundry soap and it does a great job. Saves a lot. I use a the website Hart the Mart to help me shop Walmart. I look at all these sites and use it. You would be surprised at the deals. Also CVS is a great way. Get a card and use it. There are a lot of sites to help you learn to do this. I have never watched the TLC show.
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