"Extreme" Couponing Tip – Clip and save every coupon!

I used to think that what I did as a couponer was “extreme” until I saw the show Extreme Couponing. Now, I find what I do to be more practical. But to someone who has never couponed before, what I do may look extreme.

So, if you want to be “extreme” like me, here’s one of my tips:

• Clip and save every coupon you get. Even on things you don’t think you’ll use. This is how “extreme couponers” get free products and overage or money-maker deals to apply to other purchases.

  I know, why, oh, why would you want to keep a coupon on something you would never use?? Ok, here is an example from CVS just last week. The picture isn’t great but it’s Biore Pore Strips, Biore facial cleanser, 2 bottles of Revlon nail polish and some cracker snack packs (the pitfalls of shopping with a toddler – must buy snacks!):

  Biore products $7.99 each and $5 ECBs when you buy 2

Revlon Nail Polish – $4.99 each and $4 ECBs on one (limit 2)

Cracker Snacks – $1.00

Quick match tells you that this is $26.96 worth of stuff. Did I pay $26.96 for it? Of course not!

Now, I am not one to paint my nails very often. Nail polish is not something I buy, especially bottles of $5 nail polish. So when the $2 off Revlon color cosmetic coupon came around, if I weren’t an extreme couponer, I would’ve thrown it away. Same thing with the Get a Free Biore Pore Strips when you buy a Biore product. The facial cleanser I will use. The pore strips? No, not something I would use, so I could’ve easily tossed that coupon.

BUT! I know better! Since the Revlon nail polish was $4.99 with $4 ECBs back, the $2 off coupon made it a money-maker! With the coupon, I paid $2.99 and got $4 back – twice! If I had thrown away those coupons because I was sure I would never use them, I would’ve through away $2.02!

And since I had a coupon to get the Biore strips for free I paid $7.99 for both items and got $5 back! Which means I only paid $2.99 for the cleanser that I will use.

Now, it gets even better when you figure in that I used previous ECBs to pay for the deal. I had $11 in ECBs to use. So after all coupons, I only spent $3.97 plus tax out-of-pocket. And at the end of my receipt I got $13.00 ECBs ($9.03 more than what I spent!) to use later on anything I want.

So those coupons that I thought I would never use made me $9.00 last week!

I hope this tip helps you in your extreme couponing quest! Stay tuned for more tips!

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See more on couponing at CVS.