I recently came across these sites and though my fellow FTers may appreciate them as well. I have not tried any of the tactics yet, but it seems smart, albeit a bit crazy.

I guess to first better understand it, watch this video from ABC Nightline from a few weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperCou.../2/AZhQ_-3AxCQ

http://www.supercouponing.com/ - I am considering purchasing her DVD

http://www.jillcataldo.com/

http://www.weusecoupons.com/index.php?pageid=newpage1

They also both have pages on Facebook. I hope this helps save some serious $$$ on your future supermarket visits! If you have any experiences, please share...

I don't have any specific experiences with these sites, but from dabbling in online research about couponing, I do have this experience...

You have to live in the right area. Many of the super couponers use tactics that are simply not available to me here. For example, stores that double coupons, frequent "blinkie" coupon dispensers in store, and the "right" coupon inserts. Many of the "deals" that I have found online can't be completed with coupons from my local paper, because the referenced coupon is not available.

I'm just getting into "extreme couponing". Have always used coupons and been rather frugal, now learning a lot and taking it to a whole new level.

In fact one of the sites you mentioned features Jill Cataldo who is based in the Chicago area. I wanted to try and stay a few days extra at the Chicago DO so I could see her but the dates don't work out.

There are tons of sites, blogs and general info to be found on the web. The sites you listed are a great start. In fact I just got an e-mail from Jill Cataldo today as I inquired about her DVD which you referenced. She told me that her DVD is pretty much what is covered in her couponing 1 class.

Now that I am learning so much about coupons and how to do extreme couponing, I'll never pay full retail (if I can help it) for anything again.

I just wonder if he uses all that stuff. Sure it's free, but what's the point of having 10 cans of oatmeal and an over 3 year supply of TP?

As for the 10 enormous cans of oatmeal (and other foodstuff, for that matter), I found out on his Facebook page that he donates A LOT of it. This is a win-win; since it's near free anyway, it helps the needy out. As for the TP, you can never have enough of that stuff! All that for 30 bucks...I'm ready to start super couponing myself! Now I just need to find the space to store all of it...

I have been couponing for 30 years. Double Coupons have bought me many cars. I've saved tens of thousands over the years. If I ever walk out of a supermarket or drug store with a cart full paying more than $2, well, it just doesn't happen.

There are a lot of very smart women (they're most women) running these couponing sites. I've started reading some of their blogs in the past year. The mentality often reminds me of the "gamer" techniques of flyertalkers! It must attract the same type of personality types.

That said, these gals are pretty much playing for small potatoes. Like if you play the game, you can score some free instant potatoes, cheap crescent rolls, and maybe make a buck or two on body wash you don't really need. Playing their deals well might save a savvy shopper an extra $100/month. Compare that to snagging a $200 transatlantic ticket and you can see why I think this is small potatoes. It won't change your life. You won't be jetting off to exotic locales and staying in fancy hotels that you otherwise couldn't/wouldn't afford.

The "super couponing" technique basically involves following the weekly supermarket/discount store/pharmacy ads and then using coupons on these prices to save even more money. I think many of us -- particularly in areas where the markets price in "high-low" fashion (most goods are overpriced, but they run frequent half-price sales) follow the weekly ads and stock up when things are on sale. We also use a coupon if we happen to have one from the Sunday paper. Well, these women take that to the "extreme," benefited greatly by the explosion in online coupon deals.

I do think these sites are worth visiting for their coupon match-ups and links to the online coupons. I have a couple of favorites that I try to look at a couple times a week (some of the best online-coupons usually last only a day or two). I probably save an extra $20 a week doing so. As a gamer, it makes me happy saving an extra buck. But unless you have that personality, you'll probably be bored and lose interest.

Here are two sites I recommend -- for both their content and for their minimal extraneous chit-chat (i.e., not much sharing of baby and dog pictures):

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/

Be sure to check out this site: www.thegrocerygame.com
It is a paid subscription site, but you get a free 4 week trial period. The staff pulls together the best prices at your area stores, collates them with available coupons, and sends out lists of good prices, great (stock your pantry shelves) prices, and free items.
It is based on buying about 12 weeks of groceries, health & beauty supplies, etc., at a time, when prices are rock bottom. The message boards are free and anyone can register (or not) and access them.
If you do decide to sign up, I'd apprecite the use of my email as a referral - kykate at yahoo dot com. Enjoy!
Kate

Some of us that coupon are NOT female. $100 a month? I save at least $100 each time I step into a store and come out paying as little as pennies but never more than a few dollars.

There is a grocery store app called Grocery IQ but it only has grocery stores not available down south.

For Southerners there is a site called Southernsavers.com and it does something that sounds like the grocery game but it's free.

I need to start buying sunday papers and following that site I guess.

The proliferation of online coupons also leads to counterfeiting and stores no longer accepting them. Sounds like some stores don't accept all online coupons.

Do you limit your purchases (and therefore eating habits) to extreme deals only? I can't see me doing this with my grocery list unless I start buying only what happens to be discounted and has a coupon. It seems restrictive to me so I may be missing something in how this works.

I'd love to spend almost nothing on groceries but I don't want to give up my ribeyes.

DUPLICATE

I'll share a funny story of something I did, that may give a few of you some ideas.

Publix is my preferred grocery store here in Tampa. They state they accept competitor coupons (side note, the $5 off $20 from the Entertainment Coupon book for another store work here) ......

I had a free trial membership to BJ's, and they kept sending me coupon books for about a year after my trial membership ran out. The coupons said redeemable only at BJ's, but Publix says they take competitior coupons.

Well ..... here is what I did ......

If the coupon said save $3 on the 64 oz size of Ragu spagetti sauce, I threw it out. If the coupon said save $3 on Ragu spagetti sauce (which implies the massive size that BJ's offers) I took the coupon to Publix, picked up a $1.99 jar of Ragu. The result was the jar of Ragu for free plus $1.01 in free money applied to other purchases. After about my fifth visit, there was a memo taped up for each of the cashiers to read, to make sure to explain to the customer (me) that BJ's was not actually a competitor of Publix, and I couldn't use the coupons any more.

Are you saving $100 each time you set foot in a store with "super couponing"? That's what I talking about: not the normal smart shopping techniques of looking at the weekly circulars, buying what's on sale, perhaps going to a couple of supermarkets each week, using the coupons from the Sunday paper, etc.

Super Couponing, at least to me, involves more than such "normal" saving behavior. It's a serious hobby -- hunting the internet for coupons, trading coupons on line and buying them from ebay, obsessively reading the blogs to figure out the various match-up and catalina deals, gaming Walgreens "register rewards," etc. To achieve $100 in savings would involve collecting, say, 60 or 70 extra coupons. That's a lot of work for one week! I think the Average Joe (or Janette) could save $100 a month by reading the blogs and not being competely "crazy" about the couponing thing.

I've read over and over again that it may take some time to get started but depending on the system, for a lot of people it doesn't take more than one hour per week. As far as hunting for coupons at many of the blogs folks mentioned, the links are already there for the coupon match ups.

I do disagree with the point previously made that its small potatoes. Grocery expenses are huge for most familiies so while it may not be a $200 transatlantic flight, people are saving THOUSANDS of dollars per year by couponing.

ETA: I belive that they guy who was profiled on Nightline and owns the site welovecoupons.com made a great point. If you stock up on something that you can get for cheap or free, then that is one thing you can take off your shopping list. I don't need to buy some health and beauty aids, peanut butter and a few other things for a year or more. I'm still living off some of the stash I bought back in February/early march that was purchased with coupons.