Meet the Couponers: Jennifer

06/09/2011

Jennifer
www.tipresource.com
My Family: Married to Mike for 21 years, 6-year-old twins and four cats (All the cats are from our time in Okinawa with the military, we adopted many strays; if a stray needs a home, it will find me.)

Q. How long have you been couponing?
I first started couponing 18 years ago.

Q. Why did you start couponing and how/when did it become "extreme"?
When we moved with the military to Okinawa Japan, I started couponing.  It was about 18 years ago and prices there were very high!  It was sticker shock.  I stopped for about seven years after we moved back to the US.  Three years ago, my twins were little and I would hunt around the internet while they napped.  Something sparked my interest couponing again and I began teaching myself how to find the deals and where to get deep savings in the states.  I gleaned little bits and pieces from hundreds of websites.  Over time, I realized groceries, health and beauty aids, cosmetics etc, could really be free.  From that moment on my interest has peaked and it never stopped.   It makes sense to stock up on items my family uses while prices are rock bottom.  It has taken me the last 18 months to find a flow of the sale cycles, what/when to buy and how much my family really uses each month.  It is different for every family.   For me, Extreme Couponing is Extreme savings on everything!  

Q. What do you do with most of your stockpile?
I have two hard rules for purchasing and stockpiling anything.  We either use it or donate it. That's it: no exceptions.   I often walk into a store, see items, and think, "I could get that for free, but I can't use it and I am not sure who to give it to, so I won't buy it."

   
Q. What are your top 5 tips for anyone who wants to get started in couponing?
1. Get multiple Sunday newspapers for the inserts and file inserts by month. I do not clip coupons unless I am using them on a current shopping trip.
2. Don't buy items your family will not consume or donate.
3. Watch the sales and stock up when a price is low enough for you. Remember sales roll around over and over.  If you miss one, there will be another sale coming soon.
5. If your family needs something, search the internet for a savings.  If you find one, great; if not, it's still okay to buy it!  

 
Q. What top things were you surprised to learn when you started couponing?
The most surprising thing to me about couponing is saving thousands of dollars a year on almost any item needed in a household. It takes a small amount of effort for anyone to save dramatically.

 
Q. What are your top 3 resources on the web?
Search engines.  Anything I want a coupon/discount for I simply search the internet. Of course my website -- Tipresource.com and Retailmenot.com

Comments

[Jenn Stone]

I am trying to find a program for a grocery list that I can download. I see couponers on the show with neat lists on their ipads and home computers they use to organize and stratigize for the shopping trip. Please help. Thanks-Jenn

[tasha]

can anyone tell me where do they get coupons for pop and juice i never see them in my coupons

[gina massengill]

show me how to get $.23 for pampers

[gina massengill]

How do i save for Tide for $5.99 and the cuopon is only $1.00 or $.50 Pampers even the store Have $3.00 store cuopon and i got $1,50 and the pampers cost for $9.97.I'm still paying $5.00 how do i get $.23 for pampers and Similac cuopon please help me how thank you

[alicia lopez]

i live in kerman ca is there any web site or anything that can teach me how to do the extreme couponing

[Sue]

If you want to learn more about couponing, I recommend http://www.TheFrugalBurgher.com

Here is a recent post showing you how to save big even if your local stores do not double coupons.

http://www.thefrugalburgher.com/2011/04/how-to-extreme-coupon-when-your-store.html

They offer printable coupons http://www.thefrugalburgher.com/p/printable-coupons.html

Common coupon Myth busters- http://www.thefrugalburgher.com/2011/04/extreme-couponers-are-ethical.html

Also GREAT Tips for beginners as well as "real life" shopping scenarios to show you how to cut your grocery bill in half. No, you don't have to be EXTREME to save your family money. You do need to stock up when items are on sale in conjunction with coupons. Check out a recent post laying it out in black and white.

http://www.thefrugalburgher.com/2011/04/building-your-stockpile-when-to-stock.html

[Printable Coupons]

Check out the NEW COUPONS at http://www.YouPrintCoupons.com and find the super deals!!!

[LC]

My 2 main grocery stores have limits on the number of coupons they will double for like items.
one has a limit of 3 the other has a limit of 2. I dont under stand the shoppers on this show are able to purchase 14 bottles of say bbq sauce witha coupons and have all the coupons doubled. I do not follow the show I have only watched a couple expisodes. I decided not to follow the show because the ideas and plans they use cannot be used in my area. They must all live in a states or areas where there are no limits .

[Joanne]

To answer some of the questions about getting an organized shopping list, I like to use thecouponmom.com. Also, I use some other apps, like CellFire to get some electronic coupons, and PriceOMatic to help me track my spending while I'm in the store. http://www.eclectic-dna.com/price-o-matic/ Hope this helps some folks!

[Grace Chancellor]

I am trying to find great coupons that I can buy like 20 of the same coupons but how do I get it?

[Michelle]

google coupon clippers for several coupons of the same. pick a coupon clipper close to you so you won't wait long

[dlshnn]

When they say they are getting $.23 pampers, they are talking PER diaper, not per package.
Another great site to use is coupondivas.com they do the coupon/sale match-ups for you and have a printable list along with links to the printable coupons.
Coupons.com is a very reputable site for printing coupons.

[Amanda]

We have it pretty easy in the western states with the free coupon match up site grocerysmarts.com. It tells you which items are on sale, if there's a coupon for those items, and where to find the coupon! No 30+ hours needed to scour the internet looking for all the deals! Happy couponing!

[Maronda]

For those that are looking for a coupon clipping service I use one of 2 and I love them both. http://www.mommaof2many.com and http://www.couponcarryout.com.

Both get your coupons to you in a reasonable amount of time.

[Brooke]

I am making my coupon binder and have purchased several pages of "business card" size envelope sheets. I am having to fold the coupons to make them fit. What and where do you get the binder inserts to fit your coupons?
thanks ;-)

[laura]

so I am wondering when they are going to do a show in Texas where $1.00 coupons are not doubled, and there are no extra coupons printed at the register for a cash amount. It really is giving an unrealistic view of how couponing works in Texas.

[laura]

So hey, when you guys going to do a show in Texas, I think you will find the extreme couponing will not work as well. We do not have stores that double $1 coupons and we don't get coupons at checkout that our for a dollar amount,not just another coupon.

[Misty]

SO I use baseball card holders for my coupons. Most fit w out having 2 b folded. I separate by what items r 2gether in my fav store. We don't get things 100% free here but I watch the show for the tips that can work here. We have stared a qponing group we have on face book 2 share the tips of the week.... Hope these things help.

[Justin]

Vegas does not double and this is where Jennifer lives. It is possible to get great deals, it just takes more work to find the deals and they are not quite as plentiful It is still possible. I would follow her blog and see what she does. No doubling sure makes it harder, but not impossible.

[Jean Nivens]

Jennifer Freeman on www.TipResource.com can answer probably all the questions that are asked on this page.

[Helen Kennedy]

Can anyone help me get started with coupons? I live in Ontario Canada. I was also wondering if you can get any discount of technical stuff, like a netbook that I've been wanting..?

[Sandy Burton]

I have a question for those of you who coupon. I am a Registered Dietitian who works in a dialysis unit. I deal with VERY POOR people.
Would anyone ever consider donating one of their coupon purchases. I've seen the show a few times and it looks like the guest get a lot of food and household good for almost free. Free being a term used loosely b/c they put a lot of time into this. If anyone is in San Jose, California, I'd be willing to help, donate my time if they would donate their talents and coupon purchases to our unit! Please e-mail me at:
sandra.burton@mc-na.com
Thank you in advance!

[Martha White]

For extreme couponing, you need to manage your coupon. So that you can find and utilize coupons at exact time to avail maximum savings. For doing this you need a very fast and well managed Software.

I have found a very useful software - couponsavingsoftware.
- Its your own coupon database.
- Insert/Edit/Delete/Print coupons.
- Search coupons the way you like.
- View & Auto-delete expired coupons.
- Get alert for expiring coupons.
- Get complete Grocery List as bonus.
For more, visit the website http://www.couponsavingsoftware.com or just search in google for couponsavingsoftware.

[p]

SHAME ON THESE EXTREME COUPONERS WHO HOARD ROOMS FULL OF PRODUCTS INSTEAD OF DONATING TO CHARITIES!!!

I can appreciate the benefits of couponing, but so much more good can be done by extremers. What family of 2 or 3 uses 40 jars of spaghetti sauce or 200 boxes of pasta in a year or two.

I use coupons every week and donate a lot, but someone to go in to a store and not get something for free because "they won't use it and don't know who to give it" to is shameful! There's ALWAYS an organization that will find a use for it!

[Martha White]

For extreme couponing, you need to manage your coupon. So that you can find and utilize coupons at exact time to avail maximum savings. For doing this you need a very fast and well managed Software.

I have found a very useful software - couponsavingsoftware.
- Its your own coupon database.
- Insert/Edit/Delete/Print coupons.
- Search coupons the way you like.
- View & Auto-delete expired coupons.
- Get alert for expiring coupons.
- Get complete Grocery List as bonus.
For more, visit the website http://www.couponsavingsoftware.com or just search in google for couponsavingsoftware.