Is Extreme Couponing Possible Where You Live?

Haha, the stores around me get angry or suspicious if you even want to use ONE coupon, so I highly doubt anyone could do any "extreme" couponing. I once had a coupon for a free item, that I got mailed directly from the company itself and the cashier doubted it's validity. It even had a special shiny silver holographic strip on it, like the front of drives licenses! But the cashier still squinted and doubted it was real! She had to grab the assistant manager (who had no idea) and who then had to grab the store manager! Lol, all that for some free body wash! I still got it for free though. But yeah, using coupons where I live is EXTREMELY difficult.

I admire the people who do it though; in general those people are very sweet! Some of them, so I've heard, actually donate a lot of the product that they get when using extreme couponing methods. Also basically, extreme couponers have found a hole in the system, and I love that kind of stuff!

 

I notice a lot of my coupons restrict the use of other coupons or specials on a single product. I haven't gotten that much into couponing, though, so I can not say with confidence whether it is possible or not. I would love to partake in it, but it looks too complicated and time consuming. The times I have tried before felt like I wasted money on items I did not need at the time.

 

I like the idea of extreme couponing but I don't think it's as easy to implement it the same way that you see on TV. But at the same time, there's always going to be ways that you can get better at couponing and cutting your outflow of money. It may be a bit of work but it should pay in the long run.

 

Florida doesn't double coupons, but Publix stores have BOGO sales where you can use two coupons, so it is possible to extreme coupon here but it takes a lot more work and planning than other states.

 

It isn't the state that restricts coupons, it's the store. Every store has their own coupon policy. Pretty much every state out there has stores who will double coupons you just have to find them. For example ACSAPA said Florida doesn't double coupons, but Foodway, Food World, Harris Teeter, and Hitchcocks all double coupons. Of course I don't know what city you live in so you may not have any of those around where you live. It's A LOT easier to find places to be able to extreme coupon at if you live in an urban area than it is if you live in a rural area. I recently learned that 2 of the stores I used to go to when I lived in the suburbs doubled coupons they just don't all announce it.

Also, if you live in a rural area, even if the store you shop at has a coupon policy that allows it, a lot of times they will say they don't allow it, or don't even allow coupons, or act really suspicious. It's like you are trying to rob them or something, but in reality they don't lose any money for accepting coupons. Not only do they get that money back, they also usually get a processing bonus from the company who printed the coupon (usually under $.10 per coupon, but if 10 people go in and use a coupon that give $.07 processing bonus, then they are getting an $.70 from the company). Some cashiers just don't want to deal with coupons, but having been a cashier myself at one point all I can say to that is, it's your job. It's part of what you are paid to do.

If you only have little mom and pop stores in your area and you have been told they don't accept coupons then there's really nothing you can do, but if you have any larger chains, use a search engine to look up their coupon policy. For example if you have a Walmart you would go to somewhere like Google and type in "Walmart coupon policy" Everything you need to know will be right there, and then print it and bring it with you when you shop.

 

I don't live in the US so it is not possible for me at all. We don't get coupons to cut out here aside from a few in he newspapers and as far as I know the few that we are able To get cant be stacked. Also we don't have the big store promotions that we can combine with the coupons and it's why I often feel very jealous of the extreme couponers on tv because they are able to get so many groceries for just a few dollars.

 

I think only Western countries are the ones that offer such perks to their shoppers. In my country, the only coupons that I see are the discounts on the newspapers for supermarket items, and the discounts are measly.

 

Yeah, western countries are more "giving" in that way. I remember randomly watching a youtube clip of an extreme couponer and thinking, "I wish I could do that, I would save so much". A hypermarket here recently started doing coupons, but the discounts were at max 20% and you could only use one product coupon per receipt.

I do remember local mags having coupons when I was little, before I turned 6. My mom would use them but they were only for beauty products, not food.

 

I just moved to Maryland and tried to use a coupon from THE STORE that I was in and had trouble. UGH. I'm already worried about taking more than one coupon in a store. I thought moving to a more urban area would be better for couponing. Any coupon lovers out there from Maryland that want to chat, feel free!

 

Much as I would welcome the opportunity of being able to make savings this way - as I too am not in the US and where I live - we neither have coupons or stores that would be likely to accept them even if we did - the chances of being able to use one coupon let alone go to the extreme are pretty remote - especially as discounts of any kind are a rare thing here and particularly so when it comes to grocery stores.

 

This may also happen in large capital cities like this, particularly when those coupons are to be used in small to medium stores, and while they will certainly get their money back from the company printing the coupon, and sometimes from the main store operating a franchise chain, coupons might not be accepted and there is a reason why.

From my standpoint, it's all about ignorance! Store owners, managers o employees in charge don't know those coupons are legit, or if they know it, they are unsure on the process to get their money from the companies that print them, so that they prefer to avoid taking them.

 

I don't think it can be done in my area any more. At one time we could get really good savings by using double coupons but most of the stores here no longer double coupons and none will go over $1. If you can get a coupon and use it for a product that is on sale with a bogo you can get some serious savings.

 

I live in a smaller, more rural area. We do not have as many options close by as far as supermarkets and stores so the extreme couponing isn't as easy to accomplish due to that.
I try to use rebates at the stores I do shop at and just use what coupons and deals that I can.

 

Up here in Washington, non of the grocery stores I am aware of allow for double coupons. You can get lucky and find a manufacturer coupon and store coupon and use those together, but there are no double deals. I think the most you can get away with up here is like 70% discounts if you are lucky.

 

Absoultely not. I live ina rural area and they have a limited number of products available. Also, I don't think any of the stores in this area even offer double coupons. One of the stores near here used to offer double coupons but in shopping there I found they didn't have the products you needed to buy with coupons!

 

I know that Rite Aid and some of the grocery stores around here will sometimes give like $5 off coupons when you spend $20 or more and you can couple those with the coupons you get in the circulars or newspapers. Those are nice coupons to get because you can save a lot of money. QFC will also sometimes send coupons in the mail in which you can go in and get a couple of free products.

 

From my understanding, I don't really think people can do a lot of extreme couponing in Connecticut or at least in certain parts of it, but I do know that Shoprite and Stop & Shop allows doubling of manufacturing coupons, they have their own e-coupons, and I know that Shoprite now allows people to combine and/or stack e-coupons with manufacturing coupons. I could be wrong though since not all stores are the same, but this information is mentioned on each store's official website. To me, Shoprite is the best supermarket for using coupons.

 

As far as Arkansas goes, I don't think extreme couponing is possible. I think that's sad because I'd be the chick on that show who has like $400 worth of food and only getting it for like $20 or something of that sort. I remember once when I was in Hays (a grocery store here in the south just in case nobody knows what I'm talking about) and my mom had a few coupons. I remember the cashier literally rolling her eyes and not wanting to scan the coupons. Using coupons for eating out at restaurants are another story. My household is ALWAYS receiving coupons for places like Waffle House, Hardees, etc and I've never had a problem giving a restaurant here a coupon.