Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Discovering Extreme Couponing

So lately, I've been addicted to the TLC show "Extreme Couponing". The people featured on this show make couponing seem so easy and CHEAP. Thus, I've started researching this amazing new world of coupons.

My first testdrive into coupons was a total failure. I signed up for some coupons sites online - all of which were hoaxes. I received spam emails, spam text messages, spam phone calls and NO COUPONS! Obviously, this was a lot harder than I first thought.

Fortunately, around this same time I met Emiley. She lived in the apartment upstairs from us in Pocatello. She has been couponing for awhile now. She taught me some important lessons and showed me the right way to go about things.

The first thing I needed to do was subscribe to the local newspaper. I heard newspapers were a dying breed. I don't really know anybody who subscribes to the paper. My parents even canceled their subscription last year. But, Emiley told me that this was the best, easiest, and most fundamental way to getting decent coupons.

Sunday. Apparently, it's the most important day of the week if you coupon. It's when you get the Sunday newspaper. That's where the ads and coupons for the upcoming week are located.

And this was my second mistake. Apparently, when you get your coupon booklets you save them until there's a sale. I just thought "Sweet! Coupons! I'm going shopping!" Even though some might consider this a novice's mistake, I was excited because I still ended up saving about 30% on my groceries.

The next thing a extreme couponer will tell you is that you do some research online. Now, I've figured out that there are legit online coupons, you just have to know where to look. Blogsites like http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/ and http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/ are great places to begin your search into what the best buys are in the world of coupons. My friend Emiley told me that the latter website, Fabulessly Frugal, is based out of Boise, so it's especially useful for people who live close to there.

Those are some of the basics of what I've learned about couponing, with help from my friend Emiley.

Also, these videos on YouTube are extremely interesting and helpful for anybody else who might be interested in learning the ropes of the extreme coupon world.





2 comments:

Emily Jones said...

Ok, first off... who spells their name Emiley?

Second off... thanks for sharing the tips you have learned. I really am going to start extreme couponing one of these days and I will definitely come to you for advice when I do.

Dannon N. said...

Hey! I have been watching that show too. I collected a whole bunch of coupons, clipped them, organized them and then I lost my coupon folder at the store. Customer service didn't have it.
I bet one of those "extreme couponers" stole my folder -its the dirty side of extreme couponing they don't show on the show.