Extreme Couponing
Everyone I know, including my family, is feeling the economic crunch these days. We have always been very frugal with our budget since I am a stay-at-home mom. As a result, I have learned many unique ways to save money. Our main money saving tool has been that we always shop sales and very seldom purchase anything full price.
Recently, I have seen those crazy couponing shows and have decided I need to learn their tricks of the trade. It seems unbelievable that someone can save as much money as they save just by using coupons.
So, I decided to dabble in couponing over the past month and just by implementing a minor amount of coupon clipping, I found I saved quite a bit of money. My daughter helped me with this endeavor and by doing so I found she was also learning some very valuable lessons. We comparison shopped for items that we needed immediately and also for items we would need in the future.
While we were out of town over the weekend, we visited and few outlet malls and shopping centers to look for bargains with the goal of only buying an item if it was at least fifty percent off the original price. We found some great buys, most of which were more than seventy percent off. My daughter actually put some things back so she could save the most cash. My savings has encouraged us to continue to explore the possibility of future coupon savings.
I have recently spoken with several friends who coupon, but at a much greater level, who have offered to teach us their skills. I have also been doing some online research and another friend told us about a class offered by her church. We are looking forward to a new year full of extreme savings. I’ll keep you informed about our progress and pass on tips as I collect them.
Has anyone tried extreme couponing? Any advice for a novice?
