- 8 months ago
Extreme Couponing
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TVTranscript
00:01Forget everything you know about coupons.
00:03Everything here was either free or I got paid to take it out of the store.
00:08Because you're about to meet two extreme couponers.
00:11I wake up thinking about coupons all the time.
00:13I do think that my stockpile's almost as beautiful as my family.
00:17An early bird who eats, breathes, and sleeps savings.
00:20I've had to go to the grocery store at midnight to get a deal. That's okay.
00:24And the supermom who coupons like it's her job.
00:27I saved $40,000, $50,000 since I've started couponing.
00:32See home stockpiles like supermarkets.
00:34$48,000. I think you could just bathe in those.
00:37Everyone's reaction to my stockpile is, oh my gosh, you're a hoarder.
00:41And go on high-intensity shopping sprees.
00:44I'm going to punch you on camera.
00:46Where unpredictable checkouts put tight budgets in jeopardy.
00:49Can I get a suspended order?
00:51Chris and I are having a little issue at the store right now.
00:53These are the shopping trips you have to see to believe.
00:56Total is just your tax, $0.39.
00:58We saved 101%.
01:00This is Extreme Couponing.
01:03Bye, Mojiki. I'm super excited.
01:05For St. Louis Extreme Couponer, Rebecca Routson, scoring that next great deal means couponing is always at the top of her priority list.
01:2424 hours a day, 7 days a week.
01:27My name is Rebecca, and I'm an early bird couponer.
01:30We'll get to the store by 6.
01:32Really?
01:32I wake up thinking about coupons all the time.
01:35I get so excited sometimes I can't fall asleep if I know it's a good deal.
01:39It's free toilet paper, free paper towels, free pasta.
01:43You name it, I've probably gotten it for free at some point.
01:46I feel like I've been blessed with this talent.
01:50Being able to coupon is what's allowing me to enjoy my life.
01:53While many 24-year-olds' definition of enjoyment is partying late into the night, Rebecca spends her wee hours shopping for groceries and using her coupons.
02:03Many supermarkets restock their shelves overnight, so Rebecca hits the supermarket at all hours to make sure she gets the amount of product she wants at the price she wants.
02:11I will wake up early and coupon before work.
02:15I've had to go to the grocery store at midnight to get a deal.
02:18That's okay.
02:19I definitely put pressure on myself because I know what I'm capable of, and if I can't live up to those standards, then I feel like I failed.
02:28The pressure Rebecca feels to get the biggest savings has resulted in a home stockpile that includes 42 rolls of paper towels, 47 containers of cleaning supplies, 324 soda cans, and enough chips to serve 800 people.
02:43I have a feeling we have more chips than anybody else in the world.
02:4712, 48, 49.
02:51I think you could just bathe them, though.
02:53Having a stockpile is like having a mini grocery store. It's awesome.
02:56Look at all this.
02:56I mean, that's just crazy.
02:58If there's a zombie apocalypse, it would be fun for two years.
03:02Buying huge quantities for next to nothing may be the norm for Rebecca these days, but watching her wallet wasn't always her number one priority.
03:10My spending habits when I was in college were absolutely horrendous.
03:15I racked up probably around $10,000 on cards in about four months.
03:20When I started couponing, it was more of out of necessity.
03:24The coupon just gives her an outlet to shop until she drops.
03:29Today, Rebecca and Chris are planning a big shopping trip to get food and supplies for a party they are throwing for 20 of their friends.
03:35And they are counting on using coupons to pay for it all.
03:39When I start planning a shopping trip, I go online and I check the coupon matchups.
03:43Online coupon databases provide weekly updates that match up in-store sales with available coupons to provide shoppers with the best savings.
03:51I just take that information and figure out how much of that item I'm going to buy.
03:56Before most people are even thinking about breakfast, Rebecca sets out for the grocery store early enough to make sure she gets the best deals.
04:04She hopes to buy everything she'll need for a party of 20 for under $30.
04:09We've got to get it all today because I don't want to have to come back and have to pay for something.
04:13The supermarket is having a sale on hot dogs.
04:24Ten packages for $10.
04:26The in-store discount combined with one of Rebecca's coupons for $1 off every two packages means each package will only cost her 50 cents.
04:35Kobe.
04:36Oh.
04:37So where are we going now, bub?
04:41Going to go check on those digestive aids.
04:44All right.
04:45These are $5.67 and I have a $5 off any one coupon.
04:49So this is going to make a great deal today.
04:51So I need at least $35.
04:55One, two, three, four, five, six.
04:58Seven, three, four, two, one.
04:59Stop it.
05:01I'm going to punch you on camera.
05:02Okay.
05:04All right.
05:06$35.
05:07Woo.
05:08If I hadn't gotten these, then I would have been really upset.
05:11But early bird gets the worm.
05:15While this early bird has gotten most of the deals she's after, certain items Rebecca was hoping to buy for the party are not meeting her bottom line price points.
05:23This string cheese right over here had a better sale where it was $2.50.
05:28And now it is bumped up to $4.38.
05:31So that's not as good of a deal.
05:32Because her shopping trip is planned down to every penny spent and coupon used, Rebecca has to have contingency coupons with her in case a deal doesn't work out the way she anticipated.
05:43I can replace that coupon I was going to use with a new coupon.
05:47And you never know.
05:48It might work out to be a better deal in the end.
05:49Right here it states that if I buy two of the 15-ounce packages of this butter, I'll get a coupon that prints out of the register for a dollar off my next order.
05:58So I'm definitely going to pick these up and then apply it to my next transaction.
06:02Looks like we've got our final item, so we should be ready to go now.
06:08Chris and I are having a little issue at the store right now.
06:11Rebecca has to call in reinforcements.
06:13Hey, I wanted to see if you'd do me a huge favor.
06:16At a supermarket in St. Louis, Missouri, 24-year-old Rebecca Routson has filled two carts with $600 worth of items for a party she's planning for 20 of her friends.
06:33As she gets ready to check out, she hopes to stay within her $30 budget.
06:37When I get up to the cash register, there is such an adrenaline rush.
06:41Like many supermarkets, Rebecca's offers a special deal one day a week that guarantees $10 off a $50 purchase.
06:49To maximize her savings, this extreme couponer has created a detailed list kept on her cell phone that separate her haul into seven individual transactions so that she can get $10 off every $50 she spends.
07:01Concentration is coming in now.
07:03I always get kind of nervous and anxious during this part of the process.
07:07$59.15, did you have any coupons today?
07:13Of course.
07:16Your toll is $5.15.
07:18Sure.
07:20For her first two transactions, Rebecca spends less than $10 for over $140 worth of merchandise.
07:27Hey, Steph, I'm not going to suspend an order.
07:29But she then learns the store policy limits the $10 discount off every $50 to just one per person.
07:37So they both each had a transaction.
07:39What do we do now?
07:40Because we have to have each one be a separate one.
07:43Sure.
07:43So they can call her first name.
07:45Of course.
07:45So a friend payday number.
07:48They're telling us that we need extra people because their store policy is one per person, $10 off $50 transaction.
07:56My anxiety was really high because I wasn't sure how my other transactions were going to turn out.
08:02The only way Chris and Rebecca will be able to finish their transactions is if they can find five friends to come and help them out.
08:11But their first three phone calls go unanswered.
08:14She's going to make a couple more phone calls and hopefully get some more people down here.
08:18Otherwise, we're not going to walk away with anything.
08:21Hey, I wanted to see if you'd do me a huge favor.
08:25Any chance you can come down here ASAP and help us out with this?
08:27Chris and I are having a little issue at the store right now.
08:30All right.
08:30Sounds good.
08:31So we gave our friends a call and they are going to be here in a couple minutes to help us out.
08:37Oh, perfect timing, guys.
08:39I was just calling you.
08:40Hey, ma'am.
08:41Things are coming.
08:43Just stand here with me.
08:45You're my extra body.
08:49I'm feeling so nervous right now just making sure I get everything right.
08:53We just got through our fourth transaction and right here it shows we saved 101%.
09:00By the time Chris and Rebecca finally finished their last transaction, they have been in the supermarket for close to five hours.
09:09But the extra time and added stress of waiting for their friends has resulted in huge savings.
09:16537.
09:16Okay, here's your receipt and coupons for next time.
09:19And thank you so much.
09:20Thank you so much.
09:20The exact retail was $562.81, and I paid $25.91.
09:33I believe it's over.
09:37This has been the most extreme coupon that I've ever seen.
09:40I've worked for the company almost 10 years, and this has been quite exciting.
09:44I thought of it as a hobby, but it's probably more of an art form at this point.
09:47I've got all this stuff.
09:49I'm able to plan a party and feed everyone for such a minimal amount.
09:56Rebecca's total haul included 10 boxes of breakfast meats, 12 large packages of hot dogs, and 6 boxes of cheese snacks.
10:03Total retail value for the shopping spree was $562.81, but with coupons, Rebecca only spent $25.91, a total savings of 96%.
10:14I coupon because of the thrill.
10:19It's just exciting to know, like, all that effort I put into this pays off.
10:24I think we are pretty stocked up for this party.
10:26This looks awesome.
10:27You realize after this party, this stockpile is going to be cleaned out.
10:30I do.
10:31Do you know who's going to be helping me restock it?
10:34Is it me?
10:35Yes, it is.
10:39Meet a super mom with an even more super stockpile.
10:43I do think that my stockpile is almost as beautiful as my family.
10:47I think it's gorgeous, and I'm proud to show it to people.
10:49This is my daughter's room.
10:59She's two years old, and I'm going to show you underneath her bed.
11:03Most food and household products go on sale just once every six months.
11:07So for extreme couponers, it's essential to always buy large quantities when these items are at their rock-bottom price,
11:13which means sacrificing precious personal space for stockpile storage.
11:19My name's Jessica Hacker, and my family knows me as a super mom that coupons all the time.
11:24Is it coupons?
11:25Yeah.
11:26I do think that my stockpile's almost as beautiful as my family.
11:31Pretty much everything here was either free or I got paid to take it out of the store.
11:37I saved $40,000, $50,000 since I started couponing.
11:41When I hit that checkout, you know, and everything was free, I just feel like, sweet, I just got a promotion in my job of being super mom.
11:49For Jessica, there's only one road to super mom status, and it's paved with coupons.
11:55After only two years of couponing, Jessica has built a home stockpile worth over $20,000 in retail
12:02and has paid less than $2,000 for all the items in her stash.
12:06I keep my stockpiles pretty much in every little nook and cranny I can find in my house.
12:13This is my master closet, my favorite room, because of the stockpile that it holds.
12:19Jessica's stockpile includes 75 boxes of cereal, 345 canned good items, and 27 boxes of dish detergent,
12:26enough to do 540 loads of dishes.
12:29Everyone's reaction to my stockpile is generally, oh my gosh, what are you going to do with all that?
12:35You're a hoarder.
12:36When I see all the pretty labels facing forward and all the great things that I know the products my family use,
12:41it makes me very happy.
12:43I think it's gorgeous, and I'm proud to show it to people.
12:46For Jessica, the pressures of being a stockpiling super mom go beyond making sure she has the goods on hand
12:52to sustain her family of six for months.
12:54She also meticulously strategizes the best use of her stockpile and coupons
12:58to plan her family's every meal for up to a month at a time on a tight budget of just $160.
13:06When this recession hit, it really hit our family's budget hard.
13:10I don't work, and my husband's a self-employed contractor in an economy that's not building.
13:16In the beginning, $160 seemed really hard to come into,
13:20and you felt so much pressure to find those savings,
13:23and I felt like I wasn't finding them.
13:25But as I've gotten more efficient with it, it just kind of comes natural.
13:29Every month, you can kind of tell what's going to be on sale with coupons.
13:32You know, January is that healthy month.
13:34Everybody's looking to lose weight and get a healthier lifestyle.
13:37So those are the kind of things you'll find are oatmeal and healthy cereals.
13:41I pretty much just printed $9 off.
13:44I mean, that's great.
13:45Today, Jessica is trying to meet the demand of buying the final items that will complete this month's meal plan.
13:51Armed with an itemized shopping list detailing every single transaction and a binder filled with 3,500 coupons,
13:57the supermom is heading to the supermarket.
14:00Go!
14:01When we go do some grocery shopping, we're going to be getting items to add to my menu plan.
14:07I know exactly what I'm buying, what it costs, what coupons I'm using, and what my out-of-pocket should be.
14:13Okay, these are prior promo.
14:14You spend $25.
14:15You get $10 back, plus my coupons.
14:17I'm going to make these cans $0.10 apiece.
14:19Easy enough, huh?
14:20$0.10 apiece?
14:20$0.10 apiece.
14:21Okay, there's no pasta sauce.
14:25And I need 15 of them.
14:2914 and 15.
14:34All right, monkey.
14:36Today, we're going to get 56.
14:38That's a lot.
14:40Six?
14:40No, 56.
14:4156.
14:43Perfect.
14:44For my family of six, we go through about 20 yogurts a week,
14:48so that's really only about a two-and-a-half-week supply for us.
14:51These energy bars, protein bars, are on sale for $1 apiece.
14:55I have a coupon that is $0.55 off of one, and they are going to double it,
14:59so I'm actually going to make $0.10 for every one of these that I buy.
15:03Next, Jessica hits the clearance rack.
15:05Here she can find brand-name products significantly marked down
15:08because they are either seasonal, discontinued,
15:11or simply because the store has an overstock.
15:13I have a $3 off coupon for some calcium vitamins.
15:16They happen to have them on clearance.
15:19The vitamins on the clearance rack usually retail for $9.79 apiece,
15:24but are currently on sale for $2 each.
15:27The in-store clearance price combined with Jessica's coupons
15:29for an additional $3 off means she will actually make $1
15:33for each bottle she purchases.
15:36Four, five.
15:39It's right there.
15:40I'm going to make $5 on this purchase of these.
15:42This is why I bring my binder with me every time I go shopping.
15:45If I didn't bring my coupon binder, I only brought my list,
15:48I would miss out on this.
15:50You're running out of room, girlfriend.
15:52We're going to have to sell you.
15:53We're going to have to put you back in the clearance rack.
15:54After her money-making detour at the clearance rack,
15:59Jessica quickly gets back to her mission of completing her family's monthly meal plan.
16:03These are some quick mashed potatoes, which will go great with some of the fast meals.
16:07The meatloaf will go good with.
16:08It would seem normal with a family of six to buy a big box of instant potatoes
16:12instead of these little packages, but that's not the case.
16:15The large box of instant mashed potatoes retail at $4.99 each,
16:19while the smaller option costs only $1.
16:22Jessica has a coupon for $0.75 off when she buys three,
16:25and she plans to combine it with a double-the-value coupon.
16:28If she goes with a large box, she'll end up spending $13.50,
16:32or she can buy three small packs for just $1.50.
16:36Try to look for the smallest size possible that your coupon will allow,
16:40which is always cheaper than the larger box.
16:44Stocked up on all the meat, veggies, and starches she needs
16:47to complete the 90 meals in her monthly plan, Jessica is ready to check out.
16:51Are you ready for all this?
16:52Come on in, baby.
16:52Yay.
16:54To afford around $600 worth of groceries,
16:57she is depending on an in-store coupon that doubles the value of her other coupons.
17:01Because the store only allows three of these coupons per transaction,
17:04Jessica will have to split up her shopping list into 18 separate purchases
17:09to spend the least amount possible out-of-pocket.
17:12Since I do multiple transactions,
17:13I have it all planned out to exactly how it has to be,
17:16and it's very important it sticks that way,
17:18because I don't have $600 to spend at the store.
17:21I hope everything goes right.
17:23Will Jessica's detailed planning all be in vain?
17:27That's what we want, transaction.
17:28Yeah, these are, are you making shit?
17:30These are, because these are all going to be separate transactions.
17:32Being off just a dollar will completely ruin the transaction.
17:43Idaho supermom Jessica Hacker is on a mission to buy enough groceries
17:46for a monthly meal plan that feeds her family of six.
17:49In order to stay within a tight $160 budget
17:52and still afford over $600 worth of food and household items,
17:55she has painstakingly planned out 18 separate transactions
17:59to maximize the value of her coupons.
18:01I had quite a bit of anxiety just giving them all on the belt
18:04and organized, because one extra can of corn with this purchase
18:09that I don't have a coupon for that purchase,
18:11then I just pay full price for it.
18:13I become a little anal about it.
18:15To be able to pay for the 200 items in her carts,
18:18it's not enough for Jessica to know her plan.
18:20The cashier needs to know, too.
18:22Yeah, these are, are you making shit?
18:26These are, because these are all going to be separate transactions.
18:28She starts ringing up the day's haul as one big purchase
18:31before Jessica gets a chance to explain her separate transactions.
18:35That 16 will be separate from the 20 you're doing now.
18:38Oh, okay.
18:39It can be a little, a little bit of an anxiety attack,
18:42you know, making sure that everything's in order.
18:44Being off just a dollar will completely ruin the transaction.
18:4718 individual checkouts need 18 separate opportunities
18:52for miscalculations and lost savings.
18:55Counting them as they go through, make sure they're all add up.
18:58And Jessica's nerves are tested with each new transaction.
19:02Fifth transaction, we are about $200 now.
19:05When you see that initial price before all your coupons and store savings,
19:09it just makes my heart sing.
19:13Transaction 11 right now, we are at a total of
19:16$330.
19:19It takes about an hour for Jessica to get through
19:21the majority of her transactions.
19:24So she is ringing up transaction 14 right now.
19:27We then are at a total of about $500.
19:37Receipt.
19:38Thank you so much for all your help.
19:39We had about $680 worth of groceries,
19:43and we paid $6.46 for it.
19:45So that is just wonderful.
19:47I mean, she saved like 90% or something.
19:50It's amazing.
19:51It's absolutely mind-blowing.
19:52I wouldn't know what to do with all that food.
19:55Mind-blowing, Shiki.
19:55I'm super excited.
19:57I'm ready now to get it home and get it all put away
20:00and look at my beautiful stock.
20:02Jessica's haul included 56 yogurts, 6 gallons of milk, 15 cans of tomato sauce, and 7 pounds
20:10of cheese, and had a total retail value of $680.
20:14But after in-store sales, manufacture and store coupons, checkout coupons, and 18 separate
20:20transactions, she only spent $6.46, a savings of 99%.
20:27I would never stop couponing.
20:30It's something I kind of hope that it's going to be my new tradition or my legacy that I
20:35got to pass on to my kids.
20:37The kids always joke that, you know, they're going to take this on, too, when they go to
20:40college, and they're going to be the ones sitting in their dorm room, and they're eating
20:44steak and nice meals because of their couponing while their friends are eating ramen noodles.
20:49Not bad.
20:50Those are tasty.
20:51I know.
20:51Dinner's served.
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