- 8 months ago
Extreme Couponing
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TVTranscript
00:00I'm just going to take all of them.
00:06Mind-boggling home stockpiles.
00:07When I look at my toilet paper, the feeling it brings to me is just absolute joy.
00:12All gotten for bargains you won't believe.
00:14Every damn thing I was in this cart was free.
00:17Welcome to the world of extreme couponing.
00:19Woo-hoo!
00:20I got one!
00:22In the next hour, you'll meet four of the country's most coupon obsessed.
00:26I haven't paid for toothpaste, toothbrushes, or deodorant for over 34 years.
00:32They'll do anything for a deal.
00:34I've made sacrifices, literally dumping plants just to go shopping.
00:39So you had yourself, our son, and your pregnant friend all in a dumpster today?
00:42Absolutely.
00:43Okay, just clarifying that.
00:46From their secret strategies that help them dwindle down $1,000 grocery bills to nearly
00:50nothing.
00:51Shopping is like chess.
00:52You're trying to beat the opponent, which is the store.
00:56To the most dramatic checkouts you've ever seen.
00:58Channel is $9.74 before your coupon.
01:01I'm hoping to spend under $50.
01:02Keep going.
01:03Keep going.
01:04Woo!
01:05Happy to sustain the diva!
01:07Okay!
01:08These are the shopping trips you have to see to believe.
01:12These are the extreme couponers.
01:13Mom, you're the crazy coupon lady.
01:16I'm the crazy coupon lady!
01:27My name is Amanda, and I coupon.
01:29It's a passion, and it's my hobby.
01:31These are on sale for $1, and since the store doubles 50-cent coupons, I'm going to get
01:37them all for free.
01:38Am I crazy?
01:40Oh, absolutely.
01:41I'm crazy mad about couponing.
01:44The first time I was introduced to coupons, I came across the buy one, get one free coupon
01:48for canned cat food.
01:50So instead of paying 50 cents for one can, I was actually getting two cans for 50 cents
01:55and it was a snowball effect from there.
01:57It's like a high.
01:59You always are climbing for that better high, so from the time I get up in the morning until
02:03the time I get to bed, I'm on the internet looking to make sure I'm not missing anything
02:08for that week's deals.
02:11Amanda Ostrowski reaches that high by dedicating up to 70 hours of her week to couponing.
02:16There are dozens of sites that post coupon deals, and 367 billion coupons printed each
02:20year.
02:21So even with a full-time job, a husband, and two dogs, for Amanda, there's always time
02:25to coupon.
02:26I have left out of my house at 11.30 at night because I read something and it's like, wow,
02:32they're going to pay me $2 for each whatever I buy to take it out of the store.
02:36I will run out of here.
02:37She'll be on the computer, and if she sees a deal that she likes, she's gone.
02:41There's no, she's gone.
02:42She'll say, I'm back.
02:43I'll be back later.
02:46I've made sacrifices such as time with my husband to go shopping.
02:51I have canceled dinner plans to go shopping.
02:54I have totally skipped out when we were supposed to be doing something together to go shopping,
03:02literally dumping plans just to go shopping.
03:04Even though, I mean, it was, at the time it was totally worth it.
03:09It's a sacrifice I'm making for her.
03:11It's all for her.
03:14For Amanda, the sacrifices she makes for couponing are worth its rewards because in the four
03:19years since she started, she's built a stockpile of 10,000 food, health and beauty and cleaning
03:24products, enough to sustain her and her husband for two years.
03:28I take great pride in my stockpile.
03:32So the bigger it is, the better I feel.
03:35And this is my pride and joy.
03:36This is my stockpile room.
03:39From mouthwash to Kleenex to paper towel, all my facial cleaners, shampoo, conditioner,
03:46dishwashing tablets, dishwashing soap.
03:49Stockpile itself has its own insurances.
03:51We have $35,000 of insurance just on the stockpile.
03:55Those little tubes of whatever they are, they paid me a dollar each to take those out of
04:00the store.
04:01And the stuff in the boxes, this is all facial stuff.
04:04It was all free, just had to pay tax on it.
04:08And the crown jewel of Amanda's stockpile, an entire wall of toilet paper, 3,000 rolls
04:13of it, enough to last the average couple about 40 years.
04:17This is my toilet paper.
04:18I've been stockpiling for about three and a half years.
04:21When I look at my toilet paper, the feeling it brings to me is just absolute joy.
04:28And with about $15,000 in product on hand, space can be an issue.
04:33And when Amanda's stockpile outgrows the two rooms it occupies, it doesn't mean she stops
04:38shopping.
04:39I have a room upstairs dedicated to my stockpile, and it is slowly but surely overflowed down
04:46into my husband's man cave is what he calls it.
04:49We can move this stuff, and you could put it someplace else that's not here, and I could
04:54put boxes right there.
04:57Supposed to be my area.
05:01And the stockpile is about to get even bigger, because for the past day and a half, she's
05:05been planning another big shopping trip.
05:08This prep, like many extreme couponers, almost always starts on the internet, in online forums,
05:14where couponers can share deal information and print coupons.
05:17I start out online to see what I can find, any new deals popped up, has anybody found
05:22anything else?
05:25Then it's off to the store, but she's not buying anything just yet.
05:28First, she has to look for the best in-store deals.
05:31I will spend time and walk through both the grocery stores I shop at and both the pharmacies
05:37I go to.
05:38Monday, I spend six hours walking around, writing everything down, so after I get done
05:44with the walk around at the store, I come home, do a coupon match-up, then I order coupons.
05:49I do not buy newspapers.
05:52Amanda buys her coupons from online clipping services, who for a handling fee clip and
05:57mail coupons to shoppers, and she's ordered about a thousand for today's trip at a cost
06:01of around $70.
06:02I've made out a really detailed list.
06:05This is definitely going to be one of the biggest hauls I've ever done.
06:10At the grocery store, they have that pasta again, 10 for 10.
06:14Okay, we got enough upstairs for a while.
06:17Yeah, but what's a while?
06:20I'd say a good year or so, that's a while.
06:25I would classify myself as a shopaholic, going to the aisles and walking up and down the
06:29aisles, seeing, watching that cart slowly fill up.
06:34I'm ready to go shopping now, so it's so much, it's just so much fun.
06:42With her list, her coupons, and her whole day off from work set aside to shop, Amanda
06:47heads to the grocery store.
06:49When you walk into the store, it's like pregame goes into, I'm showing up to play.
07:00Today, I'm going to be looking at getting some quick meal type things that are on sale,
07:05some other items that are going to be good for lunches.
07:08I guess just start grabbing portfolio.
07:11How many of these are we getting again?
07:15About 125 of each variety.
07:1820 of those, 20 of those.
07:21We have a cart issue.
07:22Oh, let me go get another one.
07:27Next on our list is candy, 150 bars.
07:2964, 66.
07:32With a two for a dollar store sale stacked with a dollar off two coupon, she's getting
07:36it all totally free.
07:37I lost count, so I hope you-
07:38I got 42.
07:39We're going to have to recount all these.
07:40I have no idea.
07:41Six, eight, 21.
07:42You already counted them.
07:43So I got four.
07:44I got 40?
07:45Okay, so I got-
07:46You already counted one of these, and you slipped.
07:47No, no.
07:48No, yes you did.
07:49Two, four, six, eight, 10, 11.
07:51I need to be in complete control.
08:01I need to know what's going on, where it's going.
08:04I need to have control over everything.
08:06One, two.
08:07We're on our seventh or eighth cart, and we're not done yet.
08:1220.
08:13Good deal.
08:15With her fleet of nine carts full, Amanda's ready for checkout.
08:21We're ready to start checking out.
08:22All right.
08:23We got nine carts.
08:24One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
08:25We've got to call a moving truck.
08:26Coming up-
08:27None of them are coming off.
08:28None of these were going through.
08:29I don't know why.
08:30Oh, no.
08:31A couponer's worst nightmare.
08:32It was so accidental.
08:33I don't know why.
08:34Oh, no.
08:35Oh, no.
08:36Oh, no.
08:37Oh, no.
08:38Oh, no.
08:39Oh, no.
08:40Oh, no.
08:41Oh, no.
08:42Oh, no.
08:43Oh, no.
08:44Oh, no.
08:45Oh, no.
08:46Oh, no.
08:47Oh, no.
08:48It was so out of control that I was seeing red.
08:49It was just mayhem.
08:50At a supermarket in Cincinnati, Ohio, Extreme Couponer Amanda Ostrosky has been shopping
09:02for three hours and filled nine carts.
09:05With about a thousand coupons in hand, she's ready to check out.
09:08Hi, there.
09:09How you doing today?
09:10How are you?
09:11Good, thanks.
09:13Everything all right?
09:14Yes, thank you.
09:15I want to try and make this easy on you, so this stuff right here, I have the coupons
09:20that you got to write on.
09:21Okay.
09:22And as I just hand it to you, can I just hand you a coupon?
09:24Is that okay?
09:25Yeah, my arms are getting a workout here, Amanda.
09:26Okay, well, we're starting out at $1,056.03.
09:27I got these.
09:28And what else?
09:29And that.
09:30And all of those.
09:31And that.
09:32All right.
09:33All right.
09:34All right.
09:35All right.
09:36All right.
09:37All right.
09:38All right.
09:39All right.
09:40All right.
09:41All right.
09:42All right.
09:43Here we go.
09:44I always make sure I pay diligent attention to the screen to make sure no coupons are
09:51missed, everything's ringing up the right price.
09:55As she carefully watches the screen, Amanda notices some of her coupons aren't showing
09:59up.
10:00None of them are coming off.
10:01None of these were going through.
10:02I don't know why.
10:03Oh, no.
10:04Okay, we have a problem.
10:05Two hours into her checkout, the register exceeds its 1,000 scan limit and crashes.
10:20I had a message come up that said, please end transaction.
10:23I've never seen that before.
10:24I've never, ever seen that before.
10:27I'm ready to freak out.
10:28Apparently, the computer's locked up.
10:29We're trying to find somebody to unlock it.
10:30I'm so sorry.
10:31I feel like crying right now.
10:32I'm so sorry.
10:33With a day and a half of planning and three hours of shopping at stake, Amanda nearly
10:34reaches her breaking point.
10:35I was ready to just give up and say, forget it.
10:36I don't even want this stuff.
10:37But we kept pushing on.
10:38And thankfully, after two hours of shopping, I finally got a call from the register.
10:39They said, we need a coupon.
10:40We're looking for a coupon.
10:41So, I put it in my phone.
10:42I put it in my phone.
10:43I held it in my hand.
10:44I said, I'm not gonna give up.
10:45I'm not gonna give up.
10:46I said, I'm not gonna give up.
10:47I said, I'm not gonna give up.
10:48I'm not gonna give up.
10:49I said, I'm not gonna give up.
11:00what, two and a half hours. We finally came up with a solution.
11:03Here's the deal. Um, the system has a limit on it, which you obviously reached that limit for items and the value of the coupon.
11:11So the way to fix this is not quick, but the way to fix this, we have to re-arrange your order and we'll have to split it up into smaller, smaller chunks.
11:23Every item in every coupon must be re-scanned in three simultaneous transactions on three different registers.
11:29There's either 194 or 196. All of these together? Yep, all that together.
11:34268 is over here. 268 even.
11:38It was so out of control that I was seeing red between the computer locking up and some of the looks I was getting. It was just mayhem.
11:47I had everything separated out the way I had my coupons and now I have no idea what you've scanned.
11:54This better be the last transaction because this is getting really out of hand.
12:01You're all set. There you go. It was nice meeting you both. Pleasure. I hope I don't see you for a long, long time.
12:11After nearly six hours in the store, Amanda's shopping trip is complete.
12:16Her haul, nine carts filled with a variety of food, beauty and pet products including 218 boxes of pasta, 268 containers of noodles, 100 bottles of sports drink and 150 candy bars, all with a total retail value of $1,175.33.
12:35Her cost, $51.67.
12:40I just want everybody to know that you can do this too. You just don't have to do it in the scale I do.
12:48It's so much stuff that it takes two cars to transport it home.
12:52I guess I'll start loading them up in my car now.
12:54This is crap. Ridiculous. Too much crap in here anyway.
13:11She needs to find another room for this garbage. It's ridiculous.
13:18We're done. Yeah.
13:22Thanks for helping me unload. No problem.
13:25Just going out and saving that kind of money, it's like climbing the top of a mountain and screaming.
13:32I love shopping. I love couponing. I'm crazy about coupons.
13:36Why would I want to take my hard earned money and spending on something that I know I can get for free?
13:42Coming up...
13:44Woo-hoo! I got one!
13:46Meet an extreme couponer who'll go to any lengths to save money.
13:50So you had yourself, our son and your pregnant friend all in a dumpster today?
13:54Absolutely.
13:55Okay, just clarifying that.
13:57And later, one of America's ultimate couponers goes for his biggest haul ever.
14:01Oh, the cereal?
14:02Can we go ahead and wheel it out to the car? Is that okay?
14:05Woo-hoo! I got one!
14:08The Average Extreme Couponer needs to have thousands of coupons on hand at all times
14:12so they can stock up when a good deal comes around.
14:15And they will go to any lengths to get them, even trudging through trash.
14:19Did you get the coupons?
14:20Yeah, those are coupons.
14:21Oh, thank you.
14:33Yeah, those are coupons.
14:34Let's keep looking.
14:35Keep looking for more, okay?
14:38My name's Joni Deamer.
14:39People call me the Crazy Coupon Lady.
14:40I think I'm getting like 40 of the 2-liter sodas.
14:43Are you kidding me?
14:44You love soda!
14:45What makes me a coupon master is that I could basically stop grocery shopping and be fine for a year.
14:50I have that much supply of all of my products.
14:53I want my stockpile to be my legacy.
14:55And when I'm old and my body is ready to go into the ground,
14:58I'll have to will it to somebody.
15:00My favorite child will get my stockpile.
15:02When I moved from Idaho to Northern California, I moved my whole stockpile with me.
15:07I knew I didn't want to have to start over, so I moved at least 1,000 pounds of food.
15:11Couponing for a wife, it's almost like a drug.
15:13It's more addicting, and each time you do it, you just want more.
15:18To satisfy her coupon craving, Joni has to collect more than 500 coupons every week.
15:23And to get them, she does something most 27-year-old women don't do.
15:27She jumps in dumpsters.
15:30Ready to go to the dumpster!
15:33Americans throw away $57 billion worth of coupons every year.
15:37And with the Sunday paper at the core of the coupon game,
15:40for Joni, navigating a recycling dumpster is a small price to pay for what she hopes to find.
15:45People definitely throw away money when they're throwing away their newspapers.
15:48And so I've got no shame jumping in after to get what I need.
15:53Today I'm actually taking a friend dumpster diving with me.
15:55Hey, how are you?
15:57Thanks for coming. Are you ready for this?
15:58I'm ready.
16:01You used those pull-ups! High five! You just saved $2.
16:06How many inserts do you think that is? 30? 40?
16:10Something like that.
16:11Each of the 40 coupon inserts Joni plucked out of the dumpster contains about 40 coupons.
16:15With each one worth about a dollar, that could equal up to $1,600 in savings.
16:21Want to see my haul from the dumpster today?
16:23Yeah.
16:25When I first started couponing, I spent a lot of time.
16:27Now, I've got a lot better at what I do, and I can do it more quickly.
16:31Every day, Joni's looking for all the new coupons that she can combine.
16:35She's still spending, you know, many hours a day.
16:37This is kind of a full-time job for her now, and it's overtaken her life.
16:41So you had yourself, our son, and your pregnant friend all in a dumpster today?
16:45Absolutely.
16:46Okay, just clarifying that.
16:49With 4,000 coupons on hand at all times, Joni has to be hyper-organized.
16:54Like a lot of couponers, she's obsessive about her binder.
16:58Joni's weighs in at 8 pounds and is precisely divided into 36 categories.
17:03They start with produce and go all the way to pets, everything in between,
17:06from soups, pasta, baking, refrigerated, freezer.
17:10So it's really convenient because no matter what aisle you're in,
17:12I can just flip to the section and find the coupons that I need at any time.
17:16And those coupons have helped her amass a stockpile that includes 80 bottles of juice,
17:2050 cans of soup, and 50 bottles of laundry detergent,
17:24enough for about 1,600 loads of laundry.
17:27And her inventory is carefully organized by product type
17:30and constantly rotated by expiration date.
17:33My cereal is organized by each kind of cereal and then by expiration.
17:36So my husband's cereal is organized by expiration date.
17:39Yeah, I think I do get a little OCD about the organization of my stockpile.
17:42I often reorganize my stockpile.
17:44Oh, you know, this would work better if it was over here.
17:46Or, uh-oh, I just got 20 more razors.
17:48I've got to shift this to make it work.
17:50I have to make them all look the same so that it looks pretty.
17:54Couponing began as a hobby for Joni four years ago.
17:59But three months after getting started,
18:01she realized there was something missing in her life.
18:05My world kind of started crumbling apart.
18:07My husband lost his job.
18:09We had to sell our home.
18:11He joined the Coast Guard.
18:13And my daughter was actually hospitalized for about a week.
18:16It was something that we had to go out to our garage
18:18and live off what we already had purchased
18:20because we just didn't have money to go to the store and buy groceries.
18:24And I felt like I didn't have control over anything.
18:26And I'm a woman that likes to have control over things,
18:28but I didn't know how to do it.
18:30Today, Joni is heading to the supermarket
18:32with a shopping list of over 250 items
18:34for one of her three weekly trips.
18:36What she plans to buy could cost her
18:38over $600 without coupons.
18:40So on this shopping trip, I'm buying fruit,
18:42I'm buying milk, I'm buying bread,
18:44and I'm going to stock up on some items that are on sale.
18:46All righty.
18:48I have some coupons for yogurt.
18:51Look, here's cherry.
18:53Cherry?
18:54Yep, cherry.
18:56I'm going to buy some yogurt.
18:58Here's cherry.
18:59Cherry?
19:00Yep.
19:01You get to pick 17 more.
19:03That's a good treat for me.
19:04That is a good treat for you.
19:06Okay, put it in there.
19:07You get to get seven more.
19:09Next on our list is pasta.
19:11Lots and lots of it
19:13because buying bulk is standard for any extreme couponer.
19:16Here's how sale cycles work.
19:18Generally, something will go on sale about every three months.
19:21Let's say your favorite brand of pasta sauce, for example, goes on sale.
19:25Well, you can bet that in another three months,
19:27you'll probably be able to get a similar deal.
19:29So the need is to stock up on about three months' worth.
19:32Joanie is getting about $224 retail in pasta and sauce,
19:36but by combining the coupons she brought with an in-store coupon,
19:40Joanie will pay nothing.
19:42Landon, how many should I get?
19:45Three.
19:46Three?
19:47What about 40?
19:4840?
19:4919, 20.
19:53Look, I'm stuck.
19:55It's okay.
19:5621.
19:57I definitely see how people can perceive Joanie and myself as being crazy.
20:01We're out there.
20:02We're a little different than most.
20:05What do you see?
20:07I see Spider-Man.
20:09Spider-Man.
20:12Nope, and I don't have a coupon for that kind.
20:14We're not going to get that today.
20:15He didn't give me too much of a fight.
20:17I think he knows that we don't buy things without coupons.
20:22Good job, buddy.
20:23With four carts full, Joanie is ready to check out.
20:26And with her entire shopping trip methodically planned,
20:29even the cashier isn't left to chance.
20:32So don't judge me, but I cashier profile.
20:35The old lady cashiers, bless their heart, you've got to steer clear of them.
20:38You've got to look for the younger male cashiers.
20:40They're easygoing, they scan your coupons, they're friendly.
20:44All right, see this guy?
20:45I think he looks perfect.
20:47I think he'll be really friendly to the crazy coupon lady.
20:49Hi.
20:50How are you?
20:51Good, how are you?
20:52Hey, Spider-Man.
21:01But even with a perfect cashier and every detail accounted for,
21:04Joanie's got to watch carefully to make sure her plan stays on course.
21:08Do you want me to help you move them up forward?
21:11No, I've got a system I should probably just.
21:14If you don't mind me being a little bit slow, then I'll just stick with my system.
21:19As the total climbs higher and higher, Joanie's nerves start to take over.
21:24$638.64.
21:28Okay, that was brutal.
21:29Well, better start with the coupons.
21:31I got a little bit nervous.
21:32I kind of started to sweat.
21:33Like, okay, I hope that I did the calculations right.
21:35I do not have $600 that's been at the store today.
21:38Coming up.
21:39Here's my stack for you.
21:40Let's do this.
21:41Just how low will Joanie's total get?
21:44Is that the same order that was $600?
21:46Yep.
21:47Let's do this.
21:55Joanie Diemer has just been rung up for $638 in groceries that she plans to pay for with coupons.
22:01If any of her meticulous calculations are off, she could end up owing money she doesn't have.
22:07Okay.
22:08Here's my stack for you.
22:09Let's do this.
22:13Keep going.
22:14That's what we tell that.
22:15We tell that screen.
22:16We say, keep going.
22:17Keep going.
22:18Keep going.
22:20Keep going.
22:26Is that the same order that was $600?
22:28Yep.
22:29Not bad, right?
22:32Wow.
22:35This is the last coupon here for $2.
22:40$2.64, the grand total.
22:42Better than I thought it was going to be.
22:44My mind is blown.
22:46It's kind of crazy how she saved $632.
22:49That's kind of nuts.
22:52This is like a challenge.
22:53I mean, it really becomes like a competition, like a game.
22:56It's something that I absolutely enjoy, and it saves me money.
22:59Her haul, including 40 boxes of pasta, 40 jars of sauce, and 20 liters of soda, totals $638.64.
23:08Joni's cost with coupons, $2.64, a nearly 98% savings.
23:14I'll always be couponing, looking for that better deal, looking to one-up my best trip ever.
23:19And I know that I'll coupon my entire life.
23:21I don't care if I win the lottery.
23:22I'm positive that I will keep couponing.
23:24I will never pay over a dollar for a box of cereal again in my life.
23:32Hey, Mr. Wilbur.
23:33Yeah.
23:34You have any coupons for me?
23:35Oh, yeah.
23:36Thanks.
23:37I appreciate you saving these for me.
23:40For Philadelphia's resident extreme couponer, Joyce House, going door-to-door for coupons is just another day in the neighborhood.
23:46My name is Joyce, and I'm known as Miss Coupon Diva.
23:51I really believe that I could be the general in the coupon army.
23:56I haven't paid for toothpaste, toothbrushes, or deodorant for over 34 years.
24:00I haven't paid for any of those things by using coupons.
24:05For this retired nurse, every moment of the day is consumed by couponing,
24:09starting at 6 o'clock every morning when she begins a 2-hour, 7-mile walk through her Philadelphia neighborhood, collecting discarded coupons.
24:17I normally can walk down the street and can tell if I see a coupon from a mile away.
24:23I just can tell, oh, God, good, I found more coupons.
24:27I have people who save coupons for me at the barbershop or the stores.
24:31I stop by, say hi, and pick up the coupons from them.
24:34Hey, guys, came to get my coupons.
24:36I saved you some wonderful coupons.
24:39Joyce picks up about $200 in coupons every day on her walk.
24:43Somebody didn't pick up this circular.
24:46Her coupon obsession dominates almost every aspect of her day, including nearly every conversation she has.
24:52If you get a $300, go down to 52 cents, would you think you'd use coupons a little bit more often?
24:58A lot of people get to circulars and don't know how to read them, so I explain that to them.
25:02Did you know it was coupons inside these circulars?
25:05Well, yes, I did, but I very seldom use them. I'm a bachelor's student.
25:08Oh, my God.
25:10A lot of people say to me, I just don't have enough time for coupons, it's too much trouble,
25:15and I just say to them, baby, you just ain't been broke enough.
25:20I've been on my own since I was 12 years old.
25:22And by 15, Joyce was a single mother on public assistance who started using coupons out of necessity.
25:28And her father brought her a box of diapers, and eight of them had this brown stuff spots in them,
25:34and I didn't feel comfortable putting them on my daughter.
25:36So I wrote the company, and the company wrote me back, and they enclosed free coupons, and those were money.
25:43It was money that didn't come out of my tight budget.
25:46Thirty years later, Joyce still survives by coupons.
25:49Coupons have allowed me to be absolutely debt-free. I don't owe anybody anything.
25:56Joyce doesn't just use coupons on everything she buys.
25:59She also teaches others to use coupons when they shop.
26:02Today when I shop, I'm trying to teach Dawn who's actually going to go with me.
26:06So before we even get into the store, we're saving money, because we're going to get five cents for every bag that we use.
26:12Wow, I didn't even know that.
26:14Unlike some couponers who buy anything that's a good deal,
26:17Joyce's extreme discipline means she'll only be buying what she truly needs.
26:21I don't mess around and get caught up in the displays and all that kind of stuff.
26:26I go in, I get what I'm supposed to get, and I get out.
26:30All right, so now we need frozen vegetables.
26:32People say to me, well, everything that's on sale with coupons is junk, and that's just not true.
26:38You can find coupons for healthy foods.
26:41The thing I tell people is, with the internet now, with the 800 numbers, call the companies.
26:46Say, I'm trying to eat better.
26:48Do you have any coupons for your products?
26:52Now, this is $199 normally.
26:54There was a coupon in the circulars that made it free.
26:58Wow.
26:59If it's free, it's for me.
27:01But combining her coupons with store deals like this,
27:05But combining her coupons with store deals to watch the savings in her own cart accumulate
27:10is only part of Joyce's savings obsession.
27:12I spend a lot of time in the grocery store reshopping for other people,
27:16and it just really breaks my heart how bad people still shop.
27:20I hope you got your 50-cent coupon for your Laurie's in there.
27:23Look at what you're buying. You're paying $1.89.
27:26You don't have your Borrella coupon either?
27:28You might want to buy this separate from your other groceries.
27:31So where's your coupon?
27:32It's cheaper to buy the bag.
27:34Y'all giving me chest pain. Y'all is giving me chest pain.
27:39After talking about couponing with just about every one of her fellow shoppers,
27:42Joyce begins her checkout, the ultimate rush for an extreme couponer.
27:47When I walk up to the checkout counter, I normally hear,
27:50Oh my God, can you go to another line?
27:54Carol, guess who?
27:57You know you love me.
27:58Here we go.
28:02$4.88.
28:03$4.88.
28:04$4.88.
28:05$4.88.
28:06$4.88.
28:07$4.88.
28:08$4.88.
28:09$4.88.
28:10$4.88.
28:11$4.88.
28:12$4.88.
28:13Your total is $2.38 today without your coupons.
28:21$4 take off, not add.
28:24Give me my money, okay?
28:26I know Carol's wonderful and everything,
28:28but she is a human and we can't err, so I'm checking.
28:32Love it.
28:34She had over $250 worth of food.
28:38Now we're at $100.
28:39With my wife being shot, let's be honest.
28:41Yes, that's right.
28:42Come on, then.
28:44We ain't done yet.
28:45Not even close.
28:46Joyce still has to hand over her store rewards card,
28:49which is like using all of the in-store coupons at once.
28:52Now we're going to use our grocery store card
28:54and see what else we see.
28:55$30.95 minus.
28:59Whoa.
29:03$6.92.
29:04Tell me it's the same as a Diva.
29:07Awesome.
29:08$6.92.
29:10Wow.
29:10Diva over here, OK?
29:12Oh, excuse me.
29:12I got a little excited.
29:13Wait, you ain't take off my bag.
29:1512 bags.
29:17So that's another nickel per bag.
29:19I'd like to know, how does she do all that saving?
29:21$6.32.
29:22From where did we start?
29:23$237.
29:25All right.
29:26Woo-hoo.
29:26Woo-hoo.
29:29Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.
29:31And I got more coupons.
29:32Look, I made money because I have a dollar
29:36off my next shopping order.
29:38I'm impressed with my own self.
29:40And just imagine, in that order, I
29:43had a roaster that was $6.
29:47That means every damn thing else in this cart was free.
29:51Joyce heads home with her latest extreme couponing haul,
29:54a total retail value of $230.38.
29:57She paid just $6.32.
30:01Coupons is a philosophy that if you're patient and pay
30:05attention, everything can be bought at a price
30:08that you feel like you should pay.
30:13Coming up, in a world of extremes,
30:16we meet the man who's taking couponing
30:18to staggering new heights.
30:19What do you know about this?
30:21Well, I won't ever smell.
30:34My name's Nathan Ingalls, and I am an extreme couponer.
30:36I usually go to three to four different stores every week.
30:39We spend four to five hours at the store.
30:41And right here is a coupon.
30:45My biggest haul probably would be
30:46when I realized that I could get toilet paper for free.
30:49So instead of buying just one, we bought 1,000.
30:51So for three years, I have not purchased toilet paper.
30:54Buying a three-year supply of toilet paper all at once
30:57is par for the course for the guy they call Mr. Coupon.
31:00Because in the world of extreme couponers,
31:02Nathan Ingalls might just be the most extreme.
31:06And today, this ultimate couponer
31:08is planning what could be the biggest haul of his life.
31:11But to do so, he needs to have a battle plan.
31:14Shopping is like chess.
31:15You're trying to beat the opponent, which is the store.
31:18And so if you plan, and you're ready, and you're prepared,
31:20and you know how to do it, you'll always win.
31:23Nathan's mission to win the coupon game
31:25started four years ago, when he took
31:27a hard look at his finances.
31:29My wife and I got married, and we combined our finances
31:31and realized that we had over $17,000 of credit card debt.
31:34We had two car loans.
31:35We were drowning.
31:36And so we decided to do something different.
31:38And so we started couponing.
31:41And that couponing overflowed, and that frugality
31:43overflowed into other areas.
31:45And so we started really quickly reducing our debt.
31:47Today, we don't have any credit card debt.
31:49We don't have any car loans.
31:50But reducing our student loans quickly in our house is next.
31:53He gets to provide for his family.
31:55Even in our tough economic times,
31:57he still is able to do that.
31:59But also, it's like an adrenaline rush
32:01to get the good deal.
32:03And today, the Ingalls live in Villa Hills, Kentucky,
32:06in a two-bedroom house with a two-car garage.
32:09But you won't find a car in there.
32:11So here we go.
32:14Welcome to my garage.
32:16And this is every man's dream.
32:19Anything really your heart desires, we have here.
32:22And we have in abundance.
32:23Nathan's megastockpile started four years ago
32:25with just seven products.
32:27Today, his garage is packed floor to ceiling
32:30with more than 10,000 items, every single one
32:34purchased with a coupon.
32:35We have lotion, tomatoes.
32:37We have salad dressing, noodles, more aspirin.
32:39We have shave gels, men and women.
32:43And that's just the beginning.
32:44The ever-expanding inventory also
32:46contains more than 1,000 bottles of body wash,
32:4940 pounds of chicken, 50 pounds of cheese,
32:52over 200 bags of vegetables, and about 1,500 sticks
32:55of deodorant, enough to last the average adult about 150 years.
33:00In this room, I would say you're upwards of $50,000 to $75,000
33:04in this room.
33:05And we probably pay maybe $1,000, if that.
33:09But saving up to 90% on groceries every week
33:11takes some serious strategy.
33:13And while most people plan what to buy a week at a time,
33:16Nathan plots his shopping moves for up to a year.
33:19We make two lists, one that we're
33:20going to need for the week, like fresh produce, maybe
33:22a little meat.
33:22And then what we're doing is we also make a stock-up list.
33:25And our stock-up list is items that
33:26are free or cheap at the store that we can then
33:28take off our grocery list for an extended period of time.
33:32Translation, he's going to buy a lot,
33:35and he's going to need a lot of coupons.
33:37We try to buy 10 papers every week.
33:38If you really want a lot of something,
33:39you're probably going to have to go to a clipping service
33:41to order that coupon.
33:42And what we do is we pay for their time.
33:44They will send us prepackaged coupons.
33:48It's a lot of cutting.
33:49Well, I got blisters when I started using scissors
33:51and cutting a lot, so I invested in a big industrial paper
33:54cutter that can cut 10 to 15 coupons at a time.
33:58And when he has a lot of coupons,
33:59he's on the lookout for store sales to combine them with,
34:02so he can score a huge haul.
34:04All research is done online.
34:06I don't find everything that I'm buying every week.
34:08Other people find it for me, and then I write that on my list,
34:11and then I go to the store and buy it.
34:14And so it's a great way to do research.
34:16Oh, that's great.
34:17Total serial, totally free.
34:18That's amazing.
34:20To reach this level of extreme couponing,
34:23it's not just about finding the deals.
34:25It also takes razor sharp calculating skills,
34:28which Nathan has in abundance.
34:30It's going to be $1.99.
34:32I have a $0.75 off coupon that will double up to $1,
34:36so that means it's $0.99 a box.
34:39And then there is an in-store promotion
34:41that if you buy four boxes, you get $4 off.
34:43So that would make it free.
34:47For Nathan, finding a free cereal deal
34:49means it's time to get his game face on.
34:51Probably going to have to cut a lot of coupons.
34:53We're going to go through and find some coupons here,
34:55see if I have that cereal coupon.
34:58I do.
34:58Here's a good amount of them right here.
35:01So I have those.
35:02It's just a matter of being organized.
35:04It takes a little bit of time.
35:05The sale runs out.
35:06I can't get it.
35:07So we have to hurry.
35:08So it's exciting.
35:11With his trailer hitch and a game plan,
35:13Nathan is off to the store.
35:15If all his calculations are correct,
35:17he'll return with thousands of products,
35:19all costing him next to nothing.
35:21Oh, they know me at the store.
35:23I walk in and they're like, oh, get ready.
35:26Hey.
35:26Hi, Nathan.
35:27How are you today?
35:27Good, how are you?
35:28Might take you a while to check me out today,
35:30because I'm going to be getting a lot of stuff.
35:35These are a great price.
35:36Look at this.
35:37This is $0.94.
35:38They have a $0.50 coupon.
35:39If your store doesn't double, it's going to be $0.44,
35:42but my store doubles.
35:43So it's going to be absolutely free.
35:46You know, this is like chess.
35:48So if you don't know the strategy behind it,
35:49you're going to lose every time.
35:51And that's what a lot of people do.
35:52They just go and clip their coupons,
35:53and they say, oh, I'm just going to go to the store
35:55with my clipped coupons and be done.
35:57This is a strategy.
35:58I'm going to get a checkmate every single time,
36:00because I know what I'm doing.
36:02A little prep means a lot of savings.
36:05OK, this is my favorite aisle.
36:07HBA, which is Health and Beauty Products.
36:09Nathan starts his HBA haul by stocking up on hand soap.
36:13Each retails for $1.65.
36:15But today, the store has it on sale for $1.
36:18With Nathan's $0.35 manufacturers coupon
36:21doubling to $0.70, his cost is a mere $0.30 each.
36:25So I'm going to get $0.60.
36:26Why not?
36:272, 4, 12, 20, 30, 38, 46, 60.
36:34So the retail price of the hand soap is $90.
36:36We're paying $18.
36:37And I don't have to worry about buying them again for years.
36:42The toothbrushes that we're buying,
36:43we found a coupon for free.
36:45Why would we just buy one?
36:51All right, let's just dump this in my cart.
36:54Well, I won't ever smell.
36:59Finally, Nathan is ready to cash in on the free cereal
37:02deal he found.
37:03Using an online coupon clipping service
37:06to add to his own stash, he gathered over 1,000 coupons
37:09for it.
37:10Nathan loves to take advantage of deals like this
37:12because he can donate the free items to the food
37:14bank at his church.
37:16So if I can buy cereal for free, I'll buy as much as I can.
37:19Why not buy 1,000 boxes?
37:22Aisle 8, that's where the magic happens.
37:25I'm going to be getting a lot of this cereal today, so much
37:28that I had to special order it.
37:30With over 2,000 items, his biggest single purchase
37:33with coupons to date, Nathan is ready to check out.
37:37Today, my shopping trip was so big
37:39that I needed help, which is rare.
37:41But you know, it's crazy when you actually
37:43need the employees to help you carry out
37:44the stuff you're buying for free.
37:46Coming up, it's a checkout for the record books.
37:49I'm quite excited about it, actually.
37:51This is like the culmination.
37:53I don't know.
37:54Everyone is staring.
37:55We're kind of just waiting to see what the day of it is.
38:04Super Extreme Couponer Nathan Engels
38:06is ready to start his 2,000 item checkout,
38:08his most massive single purchase with coupons to date.
38:12The amount of goods he's buying requires
38:13him to do three separate transactions,
38:16because the register can only handle 500 scans at a time.
38:20Wow, you have a big order.
38:22Yeah, we have a couple of carts for you today.
38:25So we'll start checking out.
38:28All right.
38:29All right.
38:34Your balance right now, before the coupon's in your PlusCard,
38:36is $769.27.
38:42Oh, that's a lot of coupons.
38:45What are you about to use all of them?
38:48I tell people not to get in my line at the store,
38:51because I take a while.
38:52Your total is $56.76.
38:54Great.
38:55For the first order.
38:56Ready for the next order?
38:57I am.
39:04With every beep of the scanner, Nathan
39:07is double-checking his calculations.
39:09One missed coupon could mean paying full price.
39:11And for a master couponer, that's simply not an option.
39:15I'm counting my coupons, because I have to make sure everything
39:17that I'm buying matches.
39:19So I want to make sure that I'm not getting anything
39:21that I don't have coupons for.
39:22This is like strategy.
39:23You have to figure out what you're doing,
39:25because if you mess up here, you'll lose.
39:27Because this is the most important part.
39:28If I mess up and don't forget a coupon,
39:30then I have to pay full price for it.
39:32So I really want to make sure I'm on right now.
39:34Total is $9.74 before your coupons and plus card.
39:37And I also have to take off for your bags.
39:39OK, great.
39:42Here we go, $800.
39:50I'm quite excited about it, actually.
39:52This is like the culmination.
39:53It's like you're finally getting to beat
39:55the store at its own game.
39:57I don't know, everyone is, like, staring.
39:59We're kind of just waiting to see what the damage is.
40:01I'm hoping to spend under $100 between the two orders today.
40:05So I'm hoping to be under $50 with this order.
40:07I'm not sure.
40:08We have a lot of fresh produce and things.
40:15Your total is $35.55.
40:18That's incredible.
40:21That's awesome.
40:22Great, thank you.
40:24I also had my other order that I was wondering.
40:26Oh, the cereal?
40:27Yeah.
40:27Let me call in the back and have them bring it out for you.
40:28OK, great.
40:351,100 boxes of cereal.
40:37The retail value is over $4,000, and we paid just under $150.
40:41This is the biggest trip we've ever done in our entire life.
40:44We have over 2,000 items today shopping.
40:50Nathan's massive haul included 300 toothbrushes,
40:53200 containers of floss, 80 sticks of deodorant,
40:5660 bottles of hand soap, 40 bottles of water,
40:59and 1,100 boxes of cereal.
41:02The grand total before coupons, $5,743.
41:07His cost, $241, a 95% savings.
41:14I've been working here for almost two years,
41:16and I've never seen it like Nathan has done it.
41:19It is, like, I don't know, phenomenal.
41:24It's really great.
41:25Yeah, can we go ahead and wheel it out to the car?
41:27Is that OK?
41:28We'll just, OK.
41:29I'm really happy about today's shopping trip
41:31because it's amazing to me every time I go
41:35to see how much you can save.
41:36And that's what's really cool.
41:38I'm always surprised myself.
41:43I think that if I won the lottery,
41:45I might consider stopping to this extreme.
41:48But, you know, couponing is fun.
41:50So it's a matter of enjoying what you're doing.
41:53And I enjoy this.
41:55Before Nathan's haul was picked up by the food bank,
41:58he's taking one last opportunity
42:00to enjoy the spoils of his super couponing.
42:03We're going to build something with this cereal.
42:05It's going to say, look, I paid $150
42:07for all these boxes of cereal.
42:09And I can give them all away and really impact the community,
42:11but really help my family and really have fun with art.
42:20It's like playing the lottery and winning every time.
42:23What person wouldn't want to go to the grocery store
42:25and not spend any money and get carts and carts
42:28full of groceries?
42:29So that's what we're all about.
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