Extreme couponing

Image by LZBone via Flickr

Extreme couponing is the latest craze to hit America – it’s so big it even has its own TV show. Yet here in the UK, relatively few shoppers are taking advantage of the discounts on offer.

Savvy shoppers in the US spend hours trawling newspapers and magazines for vouchers to use on their weekly shop and some ‘extreme couponers’ are so adept at the game they can reduce entire shopping bills down to zero.

Unfortunately, the savings to be made in the US aren’t quite matched by those on offer in the UK, but you shouldn’t let that deter you.

There are still bargains to be had and if you follow these steps you should be well on your way to reducing your weekly shopping bill:

1. Get online

In the UK, relatively few coupons are printed in newspapers and magazines. However, the internet is packed with websites and forums bursting with special offers and vouchers.

A few good places to start looking are: wowcher.co.uk, discountvouchers.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk.

2. Stockpile

Supermarket vouchers and offers generally have an expiry date, so it’s best to take advantage while you can.

Stockpile non-perishable items that are on offer, but make sure you do so within reason – you don’t want your bathroom taken over by a lifetime supply of toothpaste!

3. Use coupons on discounted products

One of the most popular techniques used by ‘extreme couponers’ is to find vouchers for products that are already discounted or part of a deal.

Using this technique you can significantly reduce the price of the item further and you can sometimes even get it for free.