PITTSBURGH,None — Extreme couponing is a new concept at the grocery store. Will it bring you the ultimate savings, or will it pack your house with things you don't need? Target 11 Consumer Investigator Robin Taylor uncovers the secrets to this brand new trend.
It starts with buying dozens of newspapers, keeping in constant email contact with companies, even dumpster diving for coupons. Extreme couponing is tough to keep up with, but it has renewed interest in coupons.
We found a local mom who is saving big by clipping away. On Sunday, Maureen Messersmith buys six newspapers, one for each member of her family, and then gets to work.
"Sunday's the day I sit down in there on the floor or at the table and start cutting," said Messersmith as she showed us a basket full of coupons.
This Coraopolis mom spends the next couple hours clipping and filing. She's one of a growing group of super couponers saving hundreds of dollars a week.
"Wow, look how much you've saved in a year!" I said as I went over her grocery receipt from Giant Eagle. "I wanted to show you that, that's more than a mortgage payment," said Messersmith. She had saved $109 on her last shopping trip and $1,239 over the past year.
Extreme couponers have learned, to achieve extreme savings, you have to know how to combine coupons with special promotions and sales.
"This yellow thing here, it says $3 reward, so if I buy these items they're going to give me $3 back. Then I look to see if I have a coupon for that item," said Messersmith as she looked thru a sales circular from Rite Aid.
Maureen uses online databases like Hot Coupon World, Penny Pinching Mom, and Coupon Mom to search for the best deals.
The time spent is well worth it. She showed me a table full of everyday products that cost her one dollar or less.
"You got all these peanut butters for free?" I asked as I looked at a half-dozen jars of Skippy Peanut Butter.
Maureen hasn't paid more than a dime for toothpaste in years. A big box of cereal that would retail for $4 cost her 83-cents. She got boxes of Hamburger Helper for 50-cents and Palmolive dish soap for a quarter.
"I think I bought like 11 Reynolds wrap, which my husband thought was funny, but we're using them," said Messersmith.
Coupon experts like Teri Gault, the founder and CEO of TheGroceryGame.com, say extreme couponing can work in some cases, but don't over buy because product lines go on sale every few months.
"Sometimes for instance like toilet paper, which is a kind-of large item, if you see it on sale, you might want to get some extra because it might not come back there for about 10-12 weeks," said Gault.
Maureen loves shopping at Rite Aid and showed me why. Here she can stack coupons, which allows her to combine manufacturer's deals with store coupons. Plus Rite Aid has Up Rewards, which are coupons that print out on your receipt that will save you money on your next shopping trip.
The bill comes to 49-dollars without coupons and then we watched as the clerk put in the coupons and the total got smaller and smaller. In the end the bill was cut in half. And then it was as if the register was printing cash.
"Nine more dollars back," said Messersmith as she counted the Up Rewards on her cash register receipt, which is savings for next time.
There's no doubt it takes time to save a hundred dollars or more a week on groceries, but it certainly can be done. Maureen also gets tips on Facebook from sites like Money Saving Mom and Sisters Shopping On A Shoestring. And she plans to start writing a blog on how you too can save.
If you would like to try extreme couponing here are some of the websites you should check out.
LINK: Hot Coupon World LINK: Penny Pinchin Mom LINK: Coupon Mom LINK: The Grocery Game LINK: Money Saving Mom LINK: Sisters Shopping on a Shoe String
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