One of the hottest money-saving trends going right now is extreme couponing. In fact, there’s even a popular TV show by that name. When you watch that show, you see happy shoppers strolling their local store aisles confidently selecting items from the shelf that they know they can save money on because of their careful planning.
You may be curious about how to begin extreme couponing and get the kind of results you see these savvy shoppers experiencing. First thing you should understand about this activity is that this is a way of life. You need to be completely committed to couponing in order to be successful on this level. They make it look so easy on TV, but as you’ll see, anything that takes you to the extreme can also be filled with hidden pitfalls.
Not All Coupons Are Free
Many extreme couponers use coupon clipping services to increase their chances of saving more money. The clipping services are a third party between you and the manufacturer that created the coupon. While you can get these coupons for free, the clipping services charge a fee for the convenience of making coupons available to you. The average fee per coupon is $0.2 to $0.50.
If you choose to use clipping services, you’ll need to deduct these costs from the amount of your savings. A lack of planning can have you spending too much money to buy coupons that you’ll never use.
If you plan to print coupons from online sites like other extreme couponers, keep in mind that you’ll need to spring for extra printer ink for this as well. Some people even have more than one printer to handle all of their printed coupons.
Buying on Impulse
Stores arrange the items on each aisle in a certain way in order to make it tempting for you to buy items that you may or may not need. Stores and manufacturers make more money when they put up a “special sale” tag on an item. They cleverly know how to lure you into making an impulse buy.
It’s common to see Lashify discount code products advertised as being a fantastic bargain if you buy 2, 4 or 10 at a time. Extreme couponers especially love these types of deals. They often fill their carts with these multiple deal items and are totally stoked at the steal they are getting.
Except that the actual products may not be the healthiest choices for you or your family. They may also be something you just don’t really need. It’s easy to get swept up by the extreme savings so much that you end up spending money on stuff you ordinarily wouldn’t buy.
Spending Too Much Time on Coupons
Ask yourself how much time do you have on any given day to devote yourself to finding, collecting and organizing coupons. Extreme couponers spend huge amounts of time scouring the Internet and other sources for coupons on specific items. It’s not always easy to find a coupon for something you really want to buy, therefore, you may have to spend hours securing enough coupons that are relevant to your lifestyle.