{Fabulous Finance} The Coupon Game

by Candis Jackson

Chances are you’ve caught at least one episode of the TLC hit TV series, Extreme Couponing. And chances are, if you’re anything like me, at the conclusion of the episode you’re a tad bewildered…better yet, stupefied. At first glance, it’s hard to believe a few stacks of coupons can bring a $700 tab all the way down to a measly 72 cents. It’s even harder to figure out how to do it yourself.

Let me preface this by stating, I am in no way an “extreme couponer”…..yet! I won’t claim that title until I can walk away from the register having saved at least 75% of my money and not a moment sooner! And for those of you who have had the opportunity of tuning in to an Extreme Couponing episode, you’ve seen how much time and effort each extreme couponer puts into their “haul,” so I suspect it will be some time before I am dubbed “extreme,” just by that standard alone!

With the state of the economy, who can blame anyone for wanting to save money? When it comes to couponing, many people fall somewhere in the middle. They want to save money on the items they use, but they don’t want to (and likely can’t) allocate 40 hours each week to prepare for a trip to the grocery store. They are an equal distance away from the person who refuses to use coupons and the person who won’t go into a store without a coupon (or two) for each item on their shopping list.

I have been trying to find “reasonable” ways to cut down on spending and couponing has quickly become my favorite method! However, my attention span will not allow me to spend more than 3 hours per week on couponing; so, I’ve come up with a quick guide for those of you who want to maximize your coupon savings & minimize the hassle.

~ Be sure you know the coupon policy for each store you frequent & have a copy of it with you (you’ll likely run into a cashier who’s never really dealt with coupons)
~Take your time…be sure you read the fine print in the sales papers and on the coupons. Also, be sure you are purchasing the correct items (if you grab the wrong item, chances are you’ll feel too guilty about going back to get the right item and holding up the line even more that you’ll likely end up settling for the wrong, coupon-ineligible, item)
~ NEVER purchase items simply because you have a coupon…you aren’t saving money if you’re wasting money on items you won’t use. ONLY purchase things you and your family use (a good idea is to make a list of most frequently used items).
~ Don’t give up…it may take a moment for you to checkout and you may need to go through several separate transactions to maximize your savings…stay the course and don’t feel bad about taking more time at checkout than usual!!!
~ Organize your list BEFORE going to the store…and organize all your items BEFORE checking out…it’ll make things go by faster and will help you keep track of your money!

As previously mentioned, I am not an extreme couponer by any stretch of the imagination. The above list is simply a compilation of tips I’ve found online and things I’ve learned over time. Just remember practice makes perfect – your first haul will not be as large as what you’ve seen on tv and it may not render a 90% savings…but keep at it. If Rome couldn’t be built in one day, remember the same principle applies when you’re playing the coupon game!

Good luck & have fun!

Candis Jackson blogs at TheTeenMommy.com.