Thursday, December 30, 2010

Extreme Couponing Part 4: Nathan & Closing Thoughts

Who knew that I would have so much to say about a 60 minute special on TLC!

Nathan was the fourth Coupon Master that was highlighted on the show. TLC called him the most extreme. I tend to agree, but there were quite a few great lessons in this segment!

Here are a few:

* Be sure when you a shopping to keep your eyes "peeled" (again no pun intended) for "peelies" or coupons directly on the products themselves. Those are extra fun, and can feel like you're on a treasure hunt!

* Go Prepared! Have a battle plan and a list!

* Use a paper cutter to cut multiple circulars at one time- save time and your fingers!

* Watch the circulars and compare prices online. You can use services like Ajaxo.com that will show you price comparisons on the products you search.

* You need "razor sharp" calculating skills to really find the awesome deals! Sometimes, my mind is too overloaded to calculate and figure out how much an individual product should cost me after store deals and coupons. I rely on fellow bloggers with better math skills than myself, to help me in this arena! I love to follow couponers on Twitter, and I will often retweet their finds on my own account! (Follow me at @mydealbasement).

* Double your Savings! Doubling coupons works best if you store(s) will do it. Like I mentioned before, there are no stores that double near me in N. California, so I get excited when I can get something for less than $1!

* Give Back! If you can get a great deal in excess, do consider, doing like Nathan did and donating some of the excess to a local food closet or homeless shelter. I thought this was the most admirable notion in the entire show!

* Keep an eye out: Make sure no coupon is missed! For each coupon missed, that's money out of your pocket!


My Closing thoughts on Extreme Couponing:

I love couponing! It has helped me through some of the most tumultuous times over the last year. While I am still learning from people like Nathan, and the other extreme couponers, I think it is ultimately important to maintain balance in your life and your shopping habits.

To me, it doesn't make much since to spend $18 on hand soap, or buy 165 candy bars. I don't plan on hoggin' up the check out lanes, or stressing a clerk out by my excess of coupons. I DO, however, plan on continuing to learn and expand, using coupons to save me money on the things I don't really want to spend money on (day to day things) so that I can find balance and spend money on the people in my life and time enjoying them!

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