Extreme Couponing in Canada

Target Coming =Big retail changes

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:11:50 PDT

I've been noticing something lately, have you? Prices are coming down and sales are getting better. In my opinion, these stores are striving to get your loyalty before Target opens up in Canada next year.

I read today that Loblaws, one of Canada's largest grocers, is cutting 700 management and administration jobs over the next few weeks. They are getting ready for the fight and making changes.

I'm sure that Walmart's ever expanding selection of grocery items is hurting the Canadian grocery chains. When you factor in that Walmart will price match AND pay overage it's a no brainer why a lot of people grocery shop there. I wonder if Target's coupon policy will be similar to Walmart?

Personally I'm not a huge fan of shopping at Walmart but.........if they have an item that is on sale and I have a coupon for it I just might stop by. One reason why I don't care to shop their is that once an item sells out they NEVER restock it until the sale is over. We'll see what happens when Target enters the ring!

Have you noticed all of the great coupons out lately? It's crazy! Here are some deals and money makers I've scored recently~
$1 Catelli Smart pasta + sale $1.29. WEBSAVER
$1 Mini Wheats and Raisin Bran +sale $1.99. WEBSAVER
$3 glad garbage bags + $5.50 sale (100's size) (From a trade I did)
$1 Carnation milk + 99cents sale =free + 1cent for me! BOOKLET
$1 WUB2 Alymer tomatoes+99 cent/can sale =50 cents per can INSERT
$2 Europes best grilled veg+ sale $1.97=free + 3 cents for me! INSERT
$1 WUB 2 dozen eggs + sale $1.99= $1.50 per dozen TEARPAD
75 cent Oasis Juice+ carton sale $1.99= $1.25 ORDERED FROM FACEBOOK
$1 POM juice =99 cent sale =free plus 1 cent for me! INSERT
$3 Special K granola+ sale $3.99=99 cents per box (From a Trade I did)
$1 Robin hood rolled oats+ sale $1.99= 99 cents per bag BOOKLET, COUPON ZONE
$3 Advil nighttime+ sale $3.99= 99 cents TEARPAD
$10 multibionta+ $10.49 sale= 49cents PRINTABLE, no longer available
$4 Listerine Samart Rinse +$4.99 sale=99 cents FROM BOTTLE PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED
$1 TresSemme+ 3.99 sale=$2.99 TEARPAD
Clariol hair colour B1G1 FREE! Sale $5.99= $3 per box after coupon! INSERT
Buy 1 get 1 free Pantene, H&S shampoo, Aussie, or herbal essences shampoo or candtioner up to $8.99! INSERT

Freebies from Facebook|Dempsters bread, Lunchmates plus fruit, Kinder Eggs, Clorox Stain remover spray
Free Kashi cereal or bars on Silk cartons

Have you noticed a change in your stores pricing or picked up any high value coupons lately?

New Season of Extreme Couponing May 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:01:37 PDT

That's right! I thought we had heard the end of this show but.....TLC Extreme Couponing will be back for a new season starting May 28 @ 10/9c

I'm really wondering if they will be focusing less on the hoarder aspect and more on the donating excess goods and basic how tos.

We'll see soon enough!

Coupons are just like Money!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:31:09 PST

Do you think coupons don't add up? As of Dec 20th I have saved $122.18!!
I have been asked a lot lately where I find all of my coupons. Here is a list of good places to look for coupons

P&G Brandsaver These are coupons for Proctor and Gamble products like Always, Gillette, Oil of Olay, Secret, Tide, Downy, Mr Clean, Crest, Febreeze, Charmin, Puffs, Cascade, Tampax, Cover Girl and more.

Brandsaver Coupons are also available as a newspaper insert(I think 4 times per year) To get extra copies you can ask friends and neighbors. You can also visit stores who carry newspapers the day after the coupons come to see if they have any newspapers left.

P&G Brandsampler A great places for samples. Register today and they will notify you when samples are available.

Save.ca These are coupons for various items. You will need to register your account. Then you can choose your coupons and they will mail them out to you. It usually takes about a week to get them and most are good for about 2 months.

Websaver Like Save.ca. Various coupons available.

GoCoupons.ca Usually a good place to find coupons for Royale paper products and yogurt.

LifeMadeDelicious General Mills website. Click on the offers and perks section at the top.

LivingWell.ca A great site for medicinal coupons(Tylenol, Motrin, Nicorette ect) They also have great samples too. Sign up to receive updates.

RightAtHome.ca S.C. Johnson. They usually they have great printable coupons for things like Glade, Ziploc, Pledge, Windex, Raid, Off and more

You can also get great coupons from trades. A lot of money saving websites out there have a trade section.
How trading works-Say you have 5 coupons for cereal and it's a brand you don't eat. You can post that you have these to trade and in exchange would like coupons for Catelli whole wheat pasta and Activia yogurt.

Then you would contact or someone would contact you once you preview each others trade list and agree on which coupons to trade. Some people will also trade for postage stamps or bonus points like Optimum points from Shopper's Drug Mart.

Other places to look for coupons
Keep your eye open in stores. You can usually find several on the shelf. Sometimes coupons are attached right on the products themselves, but please don't remove these unless you are actually purchasing the product! My local Zehrs store also has a coupon board when you first come in that I always check out before shopping.

Train your kids to be "coupon hunters" It keeps them busy and they might see something you missed.

Facebook is quickly becoming a great place for coupons. I have scooped up a few free product coupons recently. When I see any new ones available I'll post them here.

If you are looking for a specific coupon go on the manufacturer's website. They may have a link for a printable coupon. You can also email companies and ask if they have any coupons available. I have found it more productive to actually write to the companies. Today I received 4 $1 off milk coupons and yesterday got 2 $3 coupons from J&J. Yes, It cost me a bit over a dollar for the stamps but I received $10 in coupons for things I will use.

High Value Printable Coupons

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:28:34 PDT

Johnson and Johnson Canada has jazzed up their printable coupon page on their Livingwell.ca site.

I absolutely love these high value printable coupons! They are great to match up with sales for a bit of Extreme Couponing Canadian style! I recently picked up the Listerine Whitening rinse on sale for $4.99 and used the $5 printable coupon from Livingwell and only paid the taxes!

Remember, if you register on the Livingwell site you will be eligible to receive Johnson and Johnson product samples. Samples from Livingwell.ca this year including Motrin, Tylenol, Band-aid, Splenda and Reactine.

Here is a list of the Canadian Printable Coupons currently available: (Ontario)

Save $2.00 on AVEENO^® Baby Eczema Care & AVEENO^® Eczema Care
Save $1.50 on any BAND-AID^® Brand Product (Excluding BAND-AID^® Brand Travel Pack)
SAVE $3.00 on BENYLIN^® All-In-One^® Cold & Flu
Save $2.00 on any BENYLIN^® Extra Strength Mucus & Phlegm (excl. BENYLIN^® Extra Strength Mucus & Phlegm 100ml)
Save $3.00 on any Children's TYLENOL^® or Infant's TYLENOL^® product
Save $5.00 on Extra Strength TYLENOL^® Body Pain Night (40ct)
Save $5.00 on LISTERINE^® WHITENING^TM Products*
Save $5.00 on NICORETTE^® ComboQuit^TM (7 Patches + 40ct Gum)
Save $5.00 on NICORETTE^® Extreme Chill^TM Gum (105ct)
Save $5.00 on NICORETTE^® Gum (105 count)
Save $5.00 on NICORETTE^® Gum Handy Pack (25ct or 100ct)
Save $5.00 on the NICORETTE^® Inhaler (42ct)
Save $5.00 on NICORETTE^® Mini Lozenges (22ct or 88ct)
Save $5.00 on NICORETTE^® MINT & CHERRY Lozenges (96ct)
Save $5.00 on NICORETTE^® Patch
Save $3.00 on TYLENOL^® Back Pain (18ct and 40ct)
Save $3.00 on any TYLENOL^® Complete Cough, Cold & Flu product
Save $4.00 on TYLENOL^® Ultra (20ct, 80ct and 120ct) at Shoppers Drug Mart^®
Save $2.00 on ZANTAC^® 75mg (30ct and 60ct) and 150mg (24ct and 50ct)
Save $2.00 off 4L bags or 2x2L cartons of LACTANTIA^® Lactose-Free LACTAID^® Milk
Save $10.00 on TYLENOL^® Back Pain (40 ct.)

I would highly recommend printing out or at least saving a copy of these coupons on your computer. Sometimes the coupons are removed from the website before the expiration date.

ExtremeCouponing-Canada.com

What the heck does this coupon mean?

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:43:16 PST

Coupon lingo-Yes, it's confusing! If you are looking to figure out what your coupons mean keep reading!

The following information is subject to each individual store/cashier's interpretation. Please inquire about your store's coupon policy so you can plan your shopping trips for maximum savings!

Question 1
I can't use a coupon for something that is on sale.

Answer: Yes you can!

Question #2
I have this coupon that says "can not be used with any other offer". Does that mean I can't use the coupon when the item is on sale?

Answer: The term" Can not be used with any other offer" means that you can only use one coupon and not "Stack" or use multiple coupons for each individual item.

Question #3
My coupon says " limit 1 per purchase". Does that mean if I purchase 3 items I can only use 1 coupon?

Answer:
No, 1 per purchase means that you can use 1 coupon per each item. Think of it this way. When you are purchasing several items each item is a "purchase" that all together make up your "transaction". Once again, this is subject to the store/cashier's interpretation.

Question #4
My Coupon says "Limit, 1 per transaction" or "One coupon per customer". What does that mean?

Answer: This means you can only use 1 coupon for your transaction.

ExtremeCouponing-Canada.com

Why you shouldn't be brand loyal

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:39:58 PDT

Brand Loyalty, for the most part dosen't apply to me except for ketchup and paper towels. I don't think I purchase these certain brands because I'm brand loyal, it's because I've tried other kinds and they just didn't cut the mustard.

If a new brand of ketchup or paper towels became available, as long as it was a comparable price and offered coupons I would give it a go.

One of the main goals in retail is to make the consumer(you and me) want to use only "their" product. They offer coupons, loyalty programs(more about this later) and make you feel that even if they increase the price of their goods you will still purchase it because you wouldn't even think about checking out another brand, no you wouldn't dare!

A couple years back I participated in a coffee loyalty reward program. If you purchased 6 cans of coffee (any size) you would get a coupon for a free can of coffee(any size). This was a more premium brand of coffee so you really need to be aware of your prices.

If the small 300gm can sells for $6 and you need 6 of them it will cost you $36, and you will get a coupon for a free can (I got the large one 1000g)

Example 1
$36 for 6 small cans(3600g total )+ 1 large free 1000g can=$36/4600gm=0.0078 cents per gram

Example 2
I purchased my 300gm cans on sale for $4.99 and I was lucky enough to have $1 coupons
$24 for 6 small cans(3600gm total) + 1 large free can(1000gm)= $24/4600gm=$0.0052cents per gram

Example 3
Popular main stream brand of coffee purchased on sale $4.99(1000g) = $0.0049 x 4600g= $22.54
(I really wish the large cans of coffee were $4.99 now!)

So as you can see, purchasing the coffee in Example 1 would have cost $36. Taking advantage of a coupon and sale matchup in example 2 cost me $24. Purchasing a popular common brand on sale saves the most, no receipts or forms required. Sometimes these rebates look good on paper but when you actually calculate it out it shows a different story.

If you are purchasing items for a rewards program ALWAYS keep your eye out for coupons and sales to make it worth your while!

If you are purchasing an item that you have a coupon for take a look at the store brand item beside it. Sometimes the store brand is cheaper then purchasing the brand name item with a coupon. Most store brands also offer a money back guarantee (with receipt)so if you don't like it bring it back.

Are there any goods you are brand loyal to?

ExtremeCouponing-Canada.com

How to Stockpile Like a Normal Person Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:58:45 PDT

Just what am I saying when I say,"Stockpile like a normal person?" If you haven't already, please read How to Stockpile like a Normal Person Part 1 and Part 2.

A lot of people are turned off when you say the word stockpile thanks to the TLC Extreme Couponing show. What I am saying is to:

Allow a set amount of space for your stock pile. If you don't you will be storing cereal in your bedroom and soap under your bed.
Get enough product to last 3-4 months. I promise you that it will go on sale again! Remember that coupons and sales come in cycles.
Even if it's free combining sales and coupons if it isn't something you are going to use either trade your coupons for ones you do need or get the free product and donate it. You don't want your allotted stockpile areas cluttered with things you don't need.

I find the TLC Extreme Couponing show a bit ridiculous. Some of the items stockpiled just make me wonder what these people are thinking and make me realize that :

If my family combined goes through about 20 sticks of deodorant a year I DO NOT need 500. (which would last 25 years!) It will dry out and expire before we even made a dent in the pile. P&G offers buy 3 save $5 coupons for Secret deodorant and Buy 2 save $3 for old Spice deodorant usually 4X per year. If I purchase 6 deodorants 3 times per year on sale for $1.99 and use the coupon I will get them almost free and not take up a lot of precious space.
Just say no. Even if the item is a free food product and it is something not included in my families diet I will pass. Most Extreme Couponers on the show usually have carts full of sugary cereal, chocolate bars, instant noodles and white rice/pasta. (which is probably why a lot of them are over weight and so are their kids, so sad)
I HATE CLUTTER! Seriously, it stresses me out. We have the under the bed totes for off season clothes. If I put stockpiles under the bed where would the clothes go?
I just can not understand the whole body wash thing! A lot of Extreme Couponers (US & Canada) stockpile huge amounts of body wash. I paid $1.22 for 18 large bars of ivory soap and it takes up a very small amount of space. It will last a long time and will get us clean!

Do you stockpile? If you do, where do you keep it?

ExtremeCouponing-Canada.com

How to Stockpile like a Normal Person Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:01:57 PDT

In my first post, "How to Stockpile like a Normal Person" I showed you my downstairs stockpile shelving unit and pantry closet.

Today I'll be showing you my laundry shelf. Yes, I said shelf as in 1 shelf.

What's on the shelf and what I paid

I purchased the Sunlight a while ago. It was on sale buy 1 get 1 free. I paid $5.99 for both bottles and I had $2 coupons so I only paid $1 a bottle.

The Purex complete sheets and liquid soap was the best buy, FREE! Purex had a great promo going where you ordered a sample of their new Purex with Zout and it came with a $3 coupon. Purex has been on sale for $2.99 quite often.

The Gain was on sale for $3.99 and I had buy 2 save $5 coupons (no longer available) so it cost $1.49 each. I have 4 bottles and it will last me a long time. I only use about 1-2 Tbsp per load which I find is enough to soften the clothes.

The Bounce sheets I purchased at Zehrs. I was glad I had my coupons with me the day I found them marked down 50%! I paid under $4 for the large 120 sheet pack. I cut my Bounce sheets in 1/2 and find that it is enough to keep the Winter static in check.

If it was free would I buy more? No. My laundry shelf is full. I don't want to start hiding my stock pile around the house!

The Bathroom Shelf

I have a shelf in my downstairs bathroom closet for extras.

A few cans each of hairspray and mousse all purchased on sale with coupons.

The Gillette men's aftershave/face scrub was on sale for $2.99 and I had buy 2 save $5 coupons so they were only 50 cents each.

The shave gel was on sale and with my coupons it was free.

The Sensodyne was purchased with optimum points and coupons=Free.

The body wash was free. I purchased some old spice deodorant on sale for 1.99 and had a buy 2 save $3 coupon. Each deodorant cost me 50 cents and there was a in store promo where you purchased a deodorant and got the body wash free!

Frutis shampoo was on sale for $2.99 and I had $2 coupons so they cost 99cents.

The large 900ml bottles of Tresemme shampoo and conditioner were on sale for $2.99-$3.99 and I had $1 coupons. Each bottle cost $1.99-$2.99 which is great because these are huge bottles.

I have enough of these products to last several months so I won't be buying any of these items listed above until spring!

How to Stockpile like a Normal Person Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:03:59 PDT

Today is all about stockpiling. What is stockpiling? It's when you purchase a large quantity of items when they are on sale super cheap or you have dome some extreme couponing and got the items free or almost free.

If you have watched the TLC Extreme Couponing show you know what I'm talking about. On the show some people have enough food in their house they could live off of it for years. I WILL NOT store shampoo under my bed and cereal in my kid's closets; I just won't. I won't purchase items I won't use or need unlike TLC extreme couponers. Who needs hundreds of bags of cat treats but no cats, or shelves full of diapers but no kids? I only hope that after filming their episode they donated the items.

Let's talk about Stockpiling for Normal People in Canada

Since sales run in cycles of every 3-4 months I try to stock as much as I will use until the next sale. I have a hall closet near my kitchen that we converted into a pantry and I refill it as needed from the stockpile.

I have a set amount of space to hold my excess items, 2 shelves in the downstairs bathroom closet, a shelving unit in my storage room and a shelf above my washer and dryer. I'm going to show you my stockpile areas, what's in it and approximately how much I spent on the items.

I know, I have a lot of toilet paper. Even if I did find a good sale on right now I wouldn't buy any, I have enough. Anyone who has a large family knows you go through a lot of toilet paper!

I paid $0.99-$1.99 for the cottonelle with this $3 Cottonelle printable coupon.

The Royale was $2.99 with sale and a $1 manufacturer coupon
Lifestyle cookies(for when we have diabetic visitors) 99 cents per box (old promo, B1G1Free)
Store brand beans $0.49 cents per can (sale - 20 cent on shelf coupon)
Campbell's soup 9 cents per can (sale 59 cents -buy 2 save $1 coupons) Some of this is going to the local Thanksgiving food drive this week
Tuna 89 cents
HVR dressing 99 cents with sale and coupon
Hunts tomato sauce 79 cents with sale and coupon
VH sauce 99 cents with sale and coupon
Ragu 74 cents on sale and old buy 3 get 1 free promo
Heinz beans 26 cents with sale and coupon (some for the food drive this week)
Aunt Jamima low sugar syrup and pancake mix Free with old mail in promo at Loblaws
Multibionta vitamins free with sale and this $10 printable coupon. Shoppers has these on for $9.99 often. I recently purchased some at Shopper's for $6.99 and the cashier took the whole $10 off for the coupon(they usually take off the $6.99 value)
Large bottles of Tylenol and Motrin- Tylenol Arthritis $3.99 with sale and $5 printable coupon, Motrin $1.99 with sale and $5 coupon(no longer available)
Softsoap 50 cents with sale and coupon from contacting manufacturer
Nice and easy foam free with old facebook promo, regular N&E $3.50 with sale and coupon
Large bag of Splenda Free with Walmart sale and coupon (no longer available)
Kraft PB $1.99
Secret Deodorant 32 cents each with sale and buy 3 save $5 coupon
Old Spice deodorant 25 cents with sale and buy 2 save $3 coupon
Ivory soap 18 large bar pack $1.22! Purchased on Clearence - an additional 50% off -50cent coupon
Razors free from Brandsampler samples and Old Facebook promo

In my Freezer -veggies and berries either grown myself or purchased direct from the farm, 1/4 of a naturally raised, hormone free cow which will last a year, $2.79 per pound. A bit of naturally raised, hormone free 1/2 hog left purchased at $1.29/lb. I will only need to purchase a bit of chicken and this will get us through the next year.

-Rice Krispies on sale + free juice on box
-Cheerios- Free with old promo from September
-Old el paso kits 99cents with sale and coupon + free salsa coupon on box
-Quaker low sugar oatmeal-Free with old Loblaws mail in promo
-Catelli pasta $1 box with sale and buy 2 save $1 coupon
-Swiffer kits free from Brandsampler
-Cottonelle wipes Free from old promo
-Royale facial tissue 6 pack $2.99 with sale and coupon or 50 cents per box
-Ziploc freezer bags Free (to store my home grown fruit and veggies) with sale and old SC Johnson Printable coupon
-Finish Dishwasher Soap Free with old printable coupon promo
-Caascade and Scott towels free when cashing in SDM Optimum points
-Mott's 100% fruit juice feezies $1.44 on clearance(was $4.49) good till next summer
-Low sodium triscuits $1.50 per box with sale and in store coupon

Next I'll show you my stockpiles in the downstairs bathroom and laundry room.

TLC Extreme Couponing Season 2

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:59:57 PDT

It's almost time for the second season of TLC Extreme Couponing to air. It will be on TLC, Wednesdays @ 10/9c starting Sepember 28. Before the new episodes air they are replaying season one starting at 3PM. Here's the lineup from TLC. Pass the popcorn.

3:00 pm

(60 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Original 1 Hour Special
Extreme Couponing profiles four shopaholics who use coupons to save thousands of dollars and amass huge stockpiles of goods.These shoppers go to the extremes, dumpster diving for coupons and spending hours a day searching the internet for great deals.

4:00 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Desirae & Stephanie
Money-savvy Desirae is so thrifty, she doesn't even pay for newspapers: she gets all of her coupons from public recycling bins. Stephanie teaches her son to coupon before he goes off to college.

4:30 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Chris & Antoinette
Chris tries to get 700 donation items for $0. Single mother Antoinette coupons to take care of her mother and daughter.

5:00 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Chrystie & Treasure
Chrystie, a newcomer to couponing, has a stockpile that is slowly taking over every spare space in her small home. Meanwhile, Treasure started couponing to save the family business, but now has a stockpile worth over $35,000.

5:30 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Tai and Tarin & Nathan
Identical twins Tai and Tarin get birthday freebies. Nathan in Kentucky prepares 1,000 military care packages.

6:00 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
J'aime & Tiffany
Maryland based J'aime plans to use her coupons to get nearly $2000 worth of groceries for around her $100 budget. In Texas, Tiffany and her husband must rethink their couponing strategy when she finds out her grocery store couponing policy has changed.

6:30 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Amber & Amanda
Arizona's Amber Flores feeds her family of six on just $50 a week. Meanwhile in Ohio, Amanda tries to impress her grandmother by besting her own couponing haul record.

7:00 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Amber & Tammilee
Seattle mother of four Amber must bring all of her kids shopping when her babysitter is late. Meanwhile, extreme couponer Tammilee from Spokane saves up money to go on multiple vacations with her husband each year.

7:30 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Scott & Jen
Scott, from Long Island, NY, gears up for one last shopping trip before his wife Amy gives birth. Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Jen uses couponing to home school her twin six-year-olds.

8:00 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Missy & Amy
Florida mega-donator Missy plans to make over $50 using coupons. In Missouri, super-frugal Amy will plan to buy over $400 worth of groceries for under $10
.

8:30 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Joni & Angelique
Ohio's Joni supports her family of nine along with her charities through couponing. She tries to get $3,100 worth of groceries for less than $100. In Washington state, Angelique stays up all night planning for her shopping trip.

9:00 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Rebecca & Jessica
St. Louis couponer Rebecca will plan to fit all her food needs for her huge party into her monthly food budget of $50. Idaho super-mom Jessica will attempt to pull off 18 separate transactions to get over $600 worth of groceries.

9:30 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing
Kelly & Rebecca
In Georgia, Kelly is ready to show her best friend her stockpile and takes her along on a shopping spree to show off her couponing skills. In Idaho, stay-at-home Rebecca brings her skeptical husband along to try and spark some interest.

10:00 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing Season 2 New Episode
April & Carla
April runs her troop of seven kids with military discipline. They shop to feed 200 parishioners and their family for a month for under $100. Carla shops to feed 20 guests at her lake house and faces unexpected competition from her best friend Amanda.

10:30 pm

(30 minutes)

TLC Extreme Couponing Season 2 New Episode
Erin & Shavon
Erin only has $150 to feed 280 wedding guests at her little sister's wedding in upstate New York. In North Carolina, Shavon's grandma left her a treasure trove of coupons with no expiration dates.

TLC Extreme Couponing- What they are not telling you

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:09:05 PDT

Yes, we've all seen the show. I don't know about you but I have a lot of questions about things that just don't seem right.

One of my main beefs about the TLC Extreme Couponing show is that they don't factor in the price of the coupons, gas and time.

These Extreme Couponers get some of their coupons from friends and family but mostly from:

Coupon Clipping Services I checked some out and they sell their coupons on average for 8 to 20 cents per coupon. Let's say you are purchasing 100 coupons at 12 cents a piece you would pay 100x0.12= $12(+ shipping). That $12+ that they paid for the coupons is never calculated in the overall price of the goods. In this TLC Extreme Couponing video Amanda paid $70 for 1,000 coupons from a clipping service. This $70 should be added into the cost of the goods.
The Sunday Paper A lot of TLC Extreme Couponers have said that they purchase multiple papers for the coupon inserts. Since I'm in Canada I've searched around the net and found some US Sunday papers sell from $1.50-$3 each. Let's say an Extreme Couponer purchases 10 papers per week @ $1.50 each ($15), that's about 40 papers per month ($60)
Free Printable On-line Coupons- Yes, they are free to look at but not free to print! The cost of printer paper and ink is never spoken of. You can bet if they are printing off hundreds of coupons per month these costs add up. That's not even mentioning the expense couponers have to purchase 4 or 5 computers at home so they can print the allowed 2 coupons per computer multiple times.

Extreme Couponer Amanda says that on Mondays she walks both the grocery stores and both pharmacies she shops at looking for deals and coupon matchups for 6 hours. (gas and time)Then she goes home and matches coupons to the deals she found and orders any others she needs. On top of this she most likely has spent several hours researching online and printing out coupons. She had 9 carts of goods and spent several hours at the store to complete the shop.

Remember the crap in her cart? 150 chocolate bars, hundreds of boxes of white pasta, a couple carts of sports drinks, 20 bottles of ketchup, lots of cookies and ramen noodles. She say's that she didn't have much time to get ready for the show and that's the Extreme Deals she could get the week of filming the show. That makes me think that TLC didn't care that most of the goods purchased were junky they just wanted to show extreme savings for the shock and awe. Well, it worked TLC.

You can look on Amanda's website. It says that she only shops like this 2-3 times per year. She now lives off her stockpile and only buys fresh items like fruits, veggies, dairy ect. The TLC Extreme Couponing show gives the impression that Extreme Couponers shop like this every week.

Nathan (aka Mr Coupon) from WeUseCoupons.com who was featured in the first 1 hour Extreme Couponing episode says that he dosen't shop like that every week.

What's your spin on this? Do you think the show should calculate the cost of coupon clipping services, paper, ink and newspapers in the end cost of the items?

Coupons- 3 Ways to Get Organized

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:09:54 PDT

When I first started couponing about 12 years ago I did not organize my coupons in any way whatsoever. If I found a good coupon I would cut it out and I might put it in my wallet, my purse or leave it on the counter so long that it ended up in the junk drawer.

This became a problem. When I would see the item I had a coupon for on sale I would get excited because I would be getting it cheaper with my coupon. Yeah, good luck finding that coupon when you need it. About 75% of the time I could not locate it and usually found it much later stuffed in a drawer and expired.

Photo:Staples.ca

The File Folder-I purchase a teeny tiny coupon holder to go in my purse. The problem was that it was so small coupons didn't fit properly and I had a hard time to get them out. I then upgraded to a cheque sized file folder and was happy with this method for several years. My file folder had several category slots and I would paper clip like coupons together. Example- In the dairy section I would have all the yogurt coupons clipped together and all the cheese coupons clipped together ect. This made it a bit easier to locate the coupons but did involve shuffling through them like a deck of cards if I spied a good in store deal and had to match up the coupon.

The Envelopes- This is a method I have never used. I think the file folder is a better option because it's plastic so it will be more durable and won't get destroyed if you put it in a wet shopping cart. If you are interested in trying out this method all you need are some envelopes and a pen. Each envelope will have it's own category. Categories I use are: Dairy, Paper, Meat, Frozen, Pantry, Cereals/Bars, Cleaners, Pet, Canned goods, Personal care, Dental, Household other(batteries ect)

Photo:Amazon.com

The Binder- I upgraded to the binder about 2 years ago due to having filled two cheque sized file folders. I purchased a zippered Case It binder that has some pockets and small file folder inside from Zellers. I then purchased some sports card holder pages and 4X6 photo holders pages to put my coupons in. This method makes me much more organized and the coupons are a lot easier to find. The only thing I don't like is lugging the thing around. Murphy's law- If I don't bring my binder shopping I will find awesome deals that will match up with coupons I have and will be mad at myself!

Here is a great video to check out. It shows Nathan Engles aka Mr Coupon from the original 1 hour TLC Extreme Couponing show. He is showing off his Mom's coupon binder which is almost identical to mine. Nathan has his own website called WeUseCoupons.com.

Coupons- 8 Places to Find Them

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:01:06 PDT

Photo:TLC

If you want to start saving, but not hoarding then you are in the right place. I'm going to teach you how to Extreme Coupon in Canada for normal people. Are you wondering where to start? Well, lets get some coupons. Lots of them!

Places to look in Canada for Coupons

Newspaper Coupon Inserts-Smart source, Redplum etc

You can find these coupon inserts about once a month in your local newspaper. Contact your local newspaper for information specific to your region about release dates.

Store Shelf Coupons and Product Displays

These are great places to look for coupons. Toonies for Tummies Canada campaign (Getting food to hungry kids) releases some great coupons. Booklets of the coupons are $2. I always purchase the booklet because it's a great cause and pick up any duplicate coupons I need from the store shelves. Look for this coupon release around Feb/2012 or so.

Facebook Coupons and Freebies

There have been Facebook coupon offers aplenty lately. Look to your favorite money saving site for updates on the latest Facebook freebies and coupons for Canada.

Contact companies directly for Coupons

Coupons are a bit harder to get lately when contacting companies directly. I think they are experiencing so many requests now that they can't keep up.

Trading-Trading coupons you don't use for coupons you will.

This is a great way to get duplicates of coupons you need and help out your friends and neighbors too. I don't buy diapers but I will trade diaper coupons with a friend in exchange for coupons I will use.

On Product Coupons

I have found some great coupons and mail in rebates on the actual products(physicians formula makeup, pickles, mustard, glade products)

Online Coupons

Check out the list of online Canadian coupon websites I have in the right sidebar. Actually, check them often for new coupons. Yes, sometimes there are issues with ordering coupons but it's worth a shot.

Follow your favourite company on twitter (and Facebook)

They will usually announce when new coupons, samples and freebies are available

Now get out there and clip some coupons!

Up next! How to efficiently organize your coupons.

Livingwell Canada Is a great source for free printable coupons in Canada. They are usually high value, great for extreme couponing!

Ordering Free On-Line Coupons in Canada-5 Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:49:53 PDT

If you live in Canada like me and you coupon you are familiar with coupon sites where you order your coupons on-line and they are mailed to you for free. These coupons are great but there are problems:

Sometimes they take forever to get. It's strange. You may get some coupons within a week of ordering but I have had it take 3 weeks
Sometimes you just don't get your coupons at all. Sad but true.
You REALLY need to be on top of things. I always check a few times a week for newly added coupons. If there is something I use and there is a coupon I order it right away and hope it goes on sale after I have received my coupons.
Websaver has a bad habit of making you order at least 3 coupons to process your order. The thing is sometimes they only have 6-8 coupons available. If you have not reached the reorder period for these coupons there many not be 3 coupons to order.
Save.ca-Get with it! Please start printing your coupons on pre-scored paper so we can put our scissors away!

Extreme Couponing in Canada?

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:11:11 PDT

Unless you are living under a rock you have either seen TLC Extreme Couponing on TV, read about it in the news or heard many people and cashiers talking about it.

To break it down, Extreme Couponing is matching coupons with sales and in store deals to pay pennies on the dollar for your goods. Now I know your saying, WHAT!?!?!?

TLC Extreme Couponing is filmed in the US. Stores in the US are aplenty (more population)and competition is fierce. All of these stores want YOUR money. The selection of items in these grocery stores is MASSIVE compared to Canada. All of these food companies want YOUR money too.

So what do these companies do to get your money? They offer great sales, in store reward cards, gift cards with purchase, coupons electronically loaded to your store card and a ton of coupons in the Sunday paper. Combine these sales with coupons and you can get pretty extreme.

Do you know what the problem is? I live in Canada. Yep, I do. I know you are wondering-Can you extreme coupon in Canada? First off there is no comparison between the Canadian and US versions of extreme couponing. We just don't have the massive amounts of coupons they do.

Can you stack coupons in Canada? No, we can't stack coupons. We can only use one coupon per item purchased. The only exception I know of is London Drugs which is not a Canada wide chain.

There is little grocery store competition here because we don't have as many grocery store chains. Other then Redplum coupon inserts and Smart Source coupon inserts we don't get a lot. We do have some online resources for coupons that I will list in the sidebar to the left that you can check out.

More to come about Extreme Couponing in Canada, how to get coupons, coupon organization and money saving tips!

Extreme Couponing in Canada (for normal people)