- 6 months ago
Extreme Couponing
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TVTranscript
00:00Extreme couponing isn't a spectator sport.
00:04It ain't gotta be in shape.
00:06Couponing ain't easy.
00:07It's free, but it ain't easy.
00:09In this episode, MeToo couponers
00:10consume with tackling the challenge head on.
00:13If I had to purchase something at full price,
00:15it would just, ew, rock my soul.
00:19A devoted dad who refuses to spend a penny out of pocket.
00:22This, free. This, free.
00:25All of it, absolutely free.
00:27And a single mom that won't let anyone
00:29stand between her and her massive savings.
00:31It's you against the computer.
00:33It's you against the cashier.
00:35Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
00:37It's a fight against strict policies and tight budgets.
00:40I do not have $427 in my wallet right now.
00:44I'm glad it's not me.
00:46In the race to score the biggest savings.
00:48Drama.
00:49This is Extreme Couponing.
00:52Yes!
00:59We got this tub. Pretty sweet deal.
01:02It's a $1,000 tub.
01:03I got it for $360.
01:04While 65% of all coupons redeemed go towards food products,
01:09Extreme Couponer and Ministry student Chris Duff uses coupons
01:12to get discounts on everything,
01:14from electronics to clothing to household fixtures.
01:17My name's Chris, and I love couponing,
01:20because it gives me the opportunity to get things for super cheap,
01:23if not free.
01:24This, free. This, free.
01:26Cheese, the meat, all of it, absolutely free.
01:29If I stopped couponing, if they did away with the whole thing,
01:32it'd be devastating.
01:34Chris's life is so consumed by couponing,
01:38and when he, his wife Ashley, and their eight-month-old daughter
01:41moved into their Pennsylvania home,
01:43he refused to pay retail price for a single renovation
01:46or piece of furniture.
01:47Total investment for a home is $50,000.
01:51The appraisal was $252,000,
01:53and that's all attributed to coupons.
01:55In addition to saving over $200,000 on the remodel of his home,
01:58Chris can also attribute his fast-growing stockpile
02:01to his coupon obsession.
02:03In the last two months alone,
02:05Chris has acquired over $20,000 worth of products
02:08without spending a dollar out of pocket.
02:12We scored like 80 of these for nothing.
02:15I do not need to buy laundry detergent.
02:18We found a great deal, so we stocked up on that.
02:21So we pre-ordered 80 of them, there's another 30 there,
02:24and yeah, just stupid.
02:27We had found jeans that were marked on clearance to $4.98.
02:30What just so happens that we had a $5 off coupon
02:33that makes them free, and the reason we picked them up
02:36wasn't just the stick to pick them up.
02:37There was a need for folks in the local community
02:39who needed clothes.
02:42In addition to 150 pairs of jeans,
02:44the Duff's plan on donating 400 sticks of deodorant,
02:47600 bags of cough drops, and 1,500 packages of snacks.
02:51While I was away in Iraq with the U.S. Army in front of deployment,
02:54the Lord spoke very clear to my heart
02:56that He wanted me to go into full-time ministry.
02:58For us, extreme couponing means using the resources
03:01and the gifts that God's given us to bless people extravagantly.
03:04So we take the majority, 80%, 90% of what we get,
03:07and we just give it away.
03:10Today, Chris's mission is to purchase another 700 items for charity.
03:14The primary focus of today's trip is to get a lot of perishable items
03:18that we're going to give to the city mission and the troops overseas,
03:21voice of need for beef jerky, for protein bars.
03:24If everything works out, we'll do a $1,000 order,
03:26and we'll get it all for nothing.
03:29Chris methodically formulates specific combinations of sales,
03:32store rewards programs, and manufacturers coupons
03:35to ensure maximum savings.
03:37These cover all the sausages, the water, the formula,
03:40and the health and beauty products.
03:42All here. About $600 worth of coupons.
03:45I do, like, a spreadsheet of some kind
03:47where I'll just kind of map it out exactly what I'm going to be picking up,
03:50what the cost is, what the coupons are, and what the bottom line is.
03:54The math, 3 and 3 is 33.
03:5699 is, what, 31?
03:58It just comes naturally.
04:00We'll be walking down the grocery house and say,
04:01Hey, hun, don't we got a coupon for this?
04:03It feels like these equations are floating around in my head
04:04and the bottom line just appears. It's so crazy.
04:06Feeling the pressure of providing multiple charities with a variety of goods,
04:11Chris and Ashley head to the supermarket heavily armed
04:13with their preferred method of payment.
04:15Instead of using $100 bills,
04:17we're going to use pieces of paper with ink printed on them.
04:20Kind of the same thing, but a whole lot better.
04:25This is a great deal.
04:26$1.99, everyday price.
04:28It's on sale today, 10 for 10,
04:30with a $0.55 coupon that will double and makes it all free.
04:33We'll give those all to the Washington City Mission,
04:36who serves three different shifts of breakfast in the morning.
04:39So they go through a lot of bagging.
04:40Okay, so next on the trip, we'll go get the sports drink.
04:42I think we're getting 100 of those.
04:4430, 31, 32, 33.
04:48The sports drink regularly costs $1.25 per bottle,
04:52but an in-store sale drops the price to $1 apiece.
04:55Chris has a coupon for an additional $0.50 off
04:57that he will combine with a store coupon that doubles the discount value,
05:01making each bottle free.
05:03$0.99.
05:04Say a little bit.
05:05$100.
05:06Yay!
05:07You like that, huh?
05:09Little palmy ties?
05:10Hey!
05:12Find the pop?
05:13Yes.
05:14All right.
05:15This is a really great deal.
05:16They're usually $1.79 a bottle,
05:19and they went on sale 10 for 10,
05:21and we have a 50-cent coupon that doubles.
05:23Once again, free.
05:24You know what?
05:25Instead of clearing your shelves,
05:26let's go ahead and see if our order came in.
05:29Because he's buying in such large quantities,
05:32Chris calls on a special pre-order request days before his shopping trip
05:36to guarantee that the store will have enough goods on hand
05:39to fulfill his extensive needs.
05:41That is our order.
05:42Pretty cool, huh?
05:43With the final products on his list in hand,
05:46Chris double-checks the exact number of items
05:48to make sure everything is in order before heading to the register.
05:51Because folks are depending on us so much,
05:53it does create an element of anxiety in me.
05:55If I have to say a little prayer at the checkout, I will.
05:59I think I must go to the sale.
06:01Does Chris have a prayer of checking out for free?
06:04When the register stopped ringing,
06:05they were kind of like a moment of silence.
06:07Uh-oh.
06:16Ministry student Chris Duff is at a Pennsylvania grocery store
06:19finishing one of his biggest shopping trips ever.
06:21If all goes according to his carefully calculated plans,
06:24he'll leave the store with over 700 items for charity
06:27without having spent a single cent.
06:29With one last check of his total haul,
06:31Chris and his wife Ashley head to the cash register.
06:33Super-de-duper.
06:35Okay.
06:36We're ready to check out.
06:37Hello.
06:38How are you today?
06:39I'm ready.
06:40Hi.
06:41That's a lot of groceries.
06:42Gotta be fit.
06:43You ain't gotta be in shape.
06:44Coupon ain't easy.
06:45It's free, but it ain't easy.
06:46We're at $400.
06:47But halfway through our order.
06:48And if it all went wrong, yeah, I might just fall apart.
07:00The total today is $885.64.
07:15Any coupons, sir?
07:16Uh, yes.
07:17Actually, I have a whole lot.
07:19We're looking at $637.
07:21We're looking at $637 to do your best, and hopefully your math was right.
07:28To complete his mission successfully without spending any money, Chris's calculations need
07:33to be perfect.
07:34The smallest mathematical mistake can jeopardize his entire donation.
07:38Uh, we're a little over $550, and we're still moving along.
07:43Lots of coupons to give.
07:44It's saying I must total a sale.
07:45Let me see if I can fix that.
07:46Hold on.
07:47When the register stopped ringing, there was kind of like a moment of silence.
07:48Uh-oh.
07:49I think we've reached a line limit on the receipt.
08:02Each product and coupon scanned at the supermarket register creates a new line on the transaction
08:06receipt.
08:07Having reached its limit of 1,000 scans, Chris's register locks and won't accept the rest
08:12of his coupons.
08:13I have to go upstairs, make a few adjustments, and hopefully everything will be back to normal.
08:18The store manager needs to circumvent the system and force the computer to adjust the
08:22line limit on the register.
08:24If he can't override the register limits, Chris will be forced to re-strategize his entire
08:29purchase.
08:30I've never done this before.
08:32I don't know if it'll work.
08:33I was like, oh no, are we going to have to re-ring all this?
08:36We're going to be in the store way too long.
08:38Drama.
08:39There it is.
08:40Looks like it worked.
08:41We have our maximum line problem fixed, so we're going to start scanning some more coupons.
08:56I'm at $199.
08:57We're at $23.
08:58You get your order free today.
09:11Zero is your total.
09:12Are you sure?
09:13I am totally sure.
09:14I am not paying what I am.
09:15You're all right.
09:16What's the screen show?
09:17Zero, zero, zero.
09:20I appreciate it.
09:21Family hug.
09:22Woo!
09:23Shopping trip was an absolute success.
09:25So all these items you have totaled $885.64.
09:28And with coupons applied, $0 was the total amount.
09:32That's pretty good.
09:33I've never seen that in 20 years of experience.
09:35That's incredible.
09:36Another day, another dollar saved.
09:37Woo!
09:38Oh, heavy.
09:39All the shoppers wore me out.
09:43Chris's shopping spree included 260 protein bars, 200 beverages, and 178 packages of bacon
09:51for a total value of $885.64.
09:54After in-store sales, rewards, and manufacturer's coupons, he paid nothing.
10:00Combined with a stockpile of goods they've already accumulated, today's haul means Chris
10:05and Ashley will be giving away over $21,000 worth of goods to various charities without
10:10having spent a dime.
10:13Couponing for me and my wife is a joy.
10:15It's a lot of fun.
10:16I think that we will coupon until we're old and we can't even clip coupons or see them
10:22anymore.
10:23It's very satisfying and fulfilling because, you know, the end result is helping out others.
10:29There's nothing else like it.
10:30Our work is done here, dear.
10:31Absolutely.
10:32What's this?
10:33Coupon.
10:34Oh, oh my goodness.
10:35A single mother whose need to save is a family affair.
10:36We are a family of three generations of couponers.
10:39Madison, what do people call your mommy?
10:41Sister Save-A-Lot.
10:42Sister Save-A-Lot.
10:43And what do I shop with?
10:44Coupon.
10:45Grocery shopping in Chicago, Illinois cost an average of 9% above the national medium.
10:55So to make ends meet, Antoinette Peterson relies on always using coupons.
11:00My name is Antoinette and I'm known as Sister Save-A-Lot.
11:01My stockpile is my life reserve.
11:02It's truly what I do love and I take pride in it.
11:03If I had to purchase something at full price, it would just, ew, rot my soul.
11:05Antoinette's refusal to pay retail prices for anything means extreme couponing is an essential
11:09part of living her life in one of the most important times.
11:12The first thing that you're buying into is the first day of your life, the most important
11:14day of your life, and then the most important day of your life is a day of your life.
11:15The first day of your life, all you want to make ends meet, Antoinette Peterson relies
11:16on always using coupons.
11:17My name is Antoinette and I'm known as Sister Save-A-Lot.
11:18My stockpile is my life reserve.
11:19It's truly what I do love and I take pride in it.
11:22If I had to purchase something at full price, it would, it would just, ew, rot my soul.
11:28Antoinette's refusal to pay retail price for anything means extreme couponing is an essential part of living her life in one of the 10 most expensive cities in the U.S.
11:37It's definitely difficult to coupon in a big city. The grocery prices are higher, and so the coupon values that you get are not the best.
11:46To compensate for her city's coupon shortcomings, Antoinette spends up to 30 hours a week preparing for a shopping trip, and she requires every family member to participate as well.
11:55We are a family of three generations of couponers.
11:59My mother, I would call the coupon organizer.
12:02Did you get a printout from the store to let you know what's in each aisle?
12:05I did.
12:05Okay.
12:06And my daughter is the coupon collector. She collects coupons from her school.
12:11What's this?
12:12Coupons.
12:12Oh, oh my goodness.
12:14The teachers there know they're her mom coupons, so they'll put them in her backpack, and she'll bring them home to me.
12:20High five. Thank you.
12:22With her family couponing system running like clockwork, Antoinette can hunt for the best deals for all the groceries and household products.
12:30And by shopping in large quantities only when products meet her bottom line, she has amassed a home stockpile worth over $5,000.
12:38You only want someone to see my stockpile, they're like, shut up.
12:43I have over 200 beverages. I would never run out of anything to drink. I strive not to.
12:49Um, she got detergents, soap, you order it, food items. We don't need nothing else.
12:57Even though space in her city home is at a premium, Antoinette's stash is still large enough to sustain her, her mother, and four-year-old daughter for up to five months.
13:07And with three people depending on Antoinette's sole income, the 29-year-old needs to be hypervigilant when it comes to her store's policies.
13:14The most frustrating part is different stores have different policies and different cashiers don't know the coupon policy.
13:22If I have a problem with the coupon, um, I usually, um, pull out the coupon policy.
13:27It won't be a fight, but I'll definitely let them know that I know that I'm right.
13:32I always try to make sure that I have a coupon on every item that I purchase.
13:36What we're doing is going through the ad, um, seeing what's on sale, and then seeing what coupons we have to match with it so we can get it, um, as close to free as possible.
13:45Today, Antoinette is taking on her largest shopping trip ever. If all goes according to her detailed plans, she'll get around $500 worth of groceries for just $50.
14:06I'm getting 20 cans at Sona.
14:10Tuna normally sells for $0.99 per can, but the store is running a special, two for a dollar, making the price of 20 cans just $10.
14:19Antoinette also has multiple in-store and manufacturer coupons that, when combined, will take an additional $9.75 off, making her final out-of-pocket expense just $0.25.
14:29This is an e-coupon. Some stores, um, like this one, have coupons that can be put on your, uh, savings card. All you do is go on the website, you type in your savings card number, and it'll tell you what savings you have on your card.
14:46So, Sona nail polish is $0.50 off, and it'll be $2.39, but on my card, it's $1.50 off, and then I have a dollar coupon, so it should be free.
15:02You don't get overages here, but they could adjust the coupon down to, uh, the price that it is.
15:11Oh, here goes the popcorn. So, we are gonna get, um, ten popcorns. They supposed to be on clearance, but we gotta scan the price to see.
15:19When doing a large shopping trip, Antoinette scouts the store day in advance. During yesterday's reconnaissance, she noted a sale on popcorn for $1.15 a box, but the price tag now reads $1.99.
15:31Refusing to overpay or miss a deal, Antoinette hunts for a price check on the product.
15:36A $1.15. So, the tag is wrong, but my price is right. With me coming to the store before, um, I actually shopped to check the prices, I knew it was on clearance.
15:47So, um, a regular shopper would probably just come in and say, hey, it's $1.99, but I know it's $1.15.
15:54With her final items in hand, Antoinette is ready to check out. At high city prices, her two carts full of groceries can easily add up to more money than she can afford,
16:03making it crucial that her every calculation is correct.
16:08Check out is just the worst experience. It's you against the computer. It's you against the cashier. It's you against the store.
16:18You want it to work so well, and you just never know what will happen.
16:27Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Why are we only taking a dollar?
16:30Will Antoinette's policy proficiency be put to the test?
16:33I need someone to help me, please.
16:44Chicago resident and working mother Antoinette Peterson is purchasing close to $500 worth of groceries and household products to supplement her home stockpile.
16:52The pressure of being the sole financial provider in her family leaves little room for error when it comes to checkout.
17:03I'm feeling nervous right now.
17:05Worried. Just making sure everything goes as I planned out.
17:09Watching the total go as large as it is, it's just, it's too much. Like my heart is racing.
17:14Glad it's not beating.
17:18Oops, I'm sorry.
17:22It's $427.09.
17:36Oh my God.
17:38I do not have $427 in my wallet right now.
17:41Yeah.
17:44It's not a restaurant, so we can't wash dishes.
17:47So hopefully my calculations are done correctly.
17:50Let's see what happens.
17:51Let's see.
17:53Here we go.
18:01It's only $272, not low enough.
18:03I'm just watching her like a hawk to make sure that it beeps and scans.
18:09Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
18:10Why are we only taking a dollar?
18:12Antoinette brings her checkout to a halt when she realizes the coupons for her cans of tuna are not being rung up properly.
18:20Okay, now you have the blue tuna in the can, right?
18:23Uh-huh.
18:24Okay, this is only good for the gourmet choice or the select tuna.
18:28The ones in the pouch or the gold hand.
18:30Not just the regular tuna.
18:31She said it has to go about what's on the picture, but that's not, if it say any on the coupon, that means any of that brand item and not necessarily what's on the picture.
18:43Not willing to give in to the cashier and spend any extra money unnecessarily, Antoinette demands to speak to customer service.
18:51I need someone over here, please.
18:54Okay.
18:56Just want to make sure that I can use this coupon.
18:59Okay.
19:00Once she scanned it, it wouldn't scan, but I have the brand, but she said it's off of the picture and not the actual brand.
19:06Okay, so you can use it.
19:13Sometimes it's just not in the system.
19:15Okay.
19:16So I can use it on that brand.
19:17Right.
19:18Okay.
19:19So we're just going to override it.
19:21Always pays to know your coupon policy.
19:23With her coupon issues settled, Antoinette's checkout continues.
19:28She proceeds to watch every scanned coupon and price reduction to ensure no further mistakes are made.
19:33Your total is $45.50.
19:48Yes.
19:49I made it.
19:50Thank you for the challenge of the day of the year of my career.
20:00Well, I feel great.
20:01I'm my hands still shaking, but I feel great.
20:07Like, this is taller than me.
20:10Antoinette's hall includes 15 boxes of pasta, 25 sports drinks, and 20 cans of tuna.
20:20Her total retail price was $427.09, but after coupons, she only spent $45.50 for savings of 89%.
20:30Today's shopping trip was the biggest shopping trip I've ever done in my life before.
20:36In the city of Chicago, it is truly the hardest thing to get the better deals.
20:41Things cost a lot here, but if you really know your policy and really know the different stores that you shop at, it can happen.
20:49The rest is just feeling like, okay, I did it.
20:53Cha-ching.
21:00Cha-ching.
21:01Cha-ching.
21:02Cha-ching.
21:03Cha-ching.
21:04Cha-ching.
21:05Cha-ching.
21:06Cha-ching.
21:07Cha-ching.
21:08Cha-ching.
21:09Cha-ching.
21:10Cha-ching.
21:11Cha-ching.
21:12Cha-ching.
21:13Cha-ching.
21:14Cha-ching.
21:15Cha-ching.
21:16Cha-ching.
21:17Cha-ching.
21:18Cha-ching.
21:19Cha-ching.
21:20Cha-ching.
21:21Cha-ching.
21:22Cha-ching.
21:23Cha-ching.
21:24Cha-ching.
21:25Cha-ching.
21:26Cha-ching.
21:27Cha-ching.
21:28Cha-ching.
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