As a busy mother of two and now twins on the way, I am always trying to save an extra dime. I started couponing years ago to save money like lots of other people. When I first started clipping I would just grab a few here and there from the Sunday Paper and that was about it. I had seen the rare story of the person who spent pocket change for hundreds of dollars and thought, yeah right.
About 3 years ago I really got into couponing. I started to use online printable coupon sites, then came All You Magazine, the best magazine when it comes to coupons. After that came Facebook with all it’s glorious coupons and free samples that contained coupons. Not only was I starting to get a steady stream of money saving coupons, but it was also fun!
Not long after, TLC started their Extreme Couponing Series. I watched a few episodes last year and was shocked. Typically I would just buy one of each item on my list, maybe 3 if there was a sale. The cupboards weren’t bare but they weren’t overflowing. Here these people were buying 40, 70, 500 of things and had rooms dedicated to stockpiling and things stacked in every nook and cranny. Yes, that is definitely extreme stockpiling but do you really need that much? It’s more of an obsession when you get to that point, more than anything else.
Now, let me say that this is my opinion, but to me it is just too much. It is extreme, just as the title puts it and in my eyes it isn’t reality to the casual, everyday, couponer. However, I have the show to thank for the stockpile I have started. I started this stockpile as a “Casual Couponer” not an “Extreme Couponer”. I don’t buy extra coupons online, use them unethically, or scam any store policies. I don’t clear shelves, cry when something is out of stock or treat cashiers or managers with disrespect. The way I have done this is realistic and easy, after all, I don’t have lots of time to shop and clip with 2 young kiddos, twins on the way and a blog.
Here are some pictures of our stockpile. Just enough for my family of four.
Here are the best tips I have to Build a Stockpile as a Casual, Everyday, Average Couponer. Hopefully these will help some of you to build a little stockpile of your own. I don’t do anything fancy or difficult. I just check the ads, match-up my coupons with sales and rewards and get to shopping. Find what works for your family and don’t be swayed to fill every cupboard, cabinet, or inch of your house to build your stockpile. All things in moderation I say.
Get Your Coupons and Prepare Your Deals:
- Coupon Sources: Subscribe to All You Magazine and all other free ones available because they come with the random money saving surprise as well. You can snag an All You Subscription from Amazon if you are interested.Coupons.com, Redplum.com, Smartsource.com, CouponNetwork.com – I make sure to check these early in the morning on Sunday mornings for any new additions
- Find the Deals: I also check IHeartWags.com (Walgreens deals) and IHeartCVS.com (CVS deals) for the best deals.
- Sunday Newspaper Coupons: I typically buy 3-5 Sunday Papers. We have two papers offered here and they both offer different inserts. Go Figure.
- Brand Facebook Pages for Coupons: There always seems to be a new high value or free coupon being released on Facebook by one brand or another. Follow all of your favorite brands to stay up to date on their current coupons, promotions, and giveaways.
- Sweepstakes: Last year I won 2 supplies of 1 years worth of cereal as well as many other free food coupons. Stay up to date on your sweeps at SweetiesSweeps.com.
- Free Samples: Most free samples come with coupons and some of them are even valid on any size. We love those!
Don’t forget to check out our series of posts on Couponing to get more in-depth details. You can find these in our Guide to Using Coupons.