My Extreme Couponing Hobby

From the second I wake up, I’m bogged down by wiping a stinky little butt, messy fingers, and making food (all the time, this little girl can EAT).

All for someone else.

As a stay at home mom, I needed a hobby, ASAP! I decided to dedicate my time with something that would not only benefit my family, but something for me to focus my (little bit of leftover) energy on: extreme couponing. I know what you’re thinking; it’s a little dorky. Let me start off by saying that show, “Extreme Couponing” isn’t all reality and you don’t have to be that crazy about it to enjoy it.

I’ve decided to start blogging about this because while Zach may support my decisions and love that I’m saving our family money, he doesn’t want to hear all of the ins and outs of couponing. I’m hoping I can help out other stay-at-home-moms who want to kick start couponing. Now, I’m still a beginner, but I’m hoping through this blog we can all learn from each other and become proficient.

Before you start, make sure you download the Cartwheel, Ibotta, and Fetch Rewards apps! You’re going to need them all later!

How I started couponing:

1. Until you become a “master couponer”, I suggest you pick just 1 store to focus on. Each store has their own set of rules when it comes to coupons. I choose Target as my store to start at.

2. There are 2 kind of Manufacturers Coupons: "per transaction" vs. "per purchase".

- “Per Transaction”: this means you can only get ONE of the item, PERIOD.

- “Per Purchase”: this means you have to have 1 coupon per 1 item. You can get as many as the store allows. Target allows you to use 4 of the same kind of coupons. So, if you have 4 coupons, you can get 4 items.

3. Print off Target’s coupon policy in case they give you any trouble at the register. It’s found easily on their site.

4. The best part about couponing is someone else has literally already done all of the work for you. Find another blog, I choose freestufffinder.com because she focuses a lot on Target. She ALREADY posts the weekly deals on there! The hard part is pretty much over!

5. Through her site, I click on “Stores”, and then I click on “Target”. A pink box that says “Target Weekly Matchup for Freebies & Deals This Week” will pop up. Click on that. MAGIC!

6. For your first run, try to focus on just one or two deals. I chose the following deal. My notes are in RED to help you understand the breakdown of things.

Now of course, there's a whole lot to couponing. Here's a few tips to help you get started.

Tip #1, start getting the Sunday paper EVERY SUNDAY for the inserts. I know it's sort of "old school", but you NEED these inserts. I buy 4 newspapers because I know I can use 4 of each coupon.

Tip #2, get ORGANIZED. I clip my coupons and organize them "by item". For example, I have a "Make-Up", "Baby", and "Household Products" categories.

Tip #3, scan EVERY RECEIPT through Fetch Rewards. You are guaranteed at least 25 points for each receipt. You can trade in the points for rewards such as gifts cards. It's an easy and quick way to just make some cash. Plus, you're already buying things anyway.