Free Stuff & Cashback: My Lazy Mom's Guide to Extreme Couponing

Why I Gave Up on Paper Coupons (But Still Wanted Deals)

I saw the show.. You know, the "Extreme Couponing" show. I thought those people were crazy while also genius at the same time. I couldn't believe they could get PAID to walk out of the store with carts full of groceries.

But while I watched I couldn't help but feel envious that they were able to get free items. Especially when I knew my family was struggling to pay for important things. I also couldn't help but feel like I could do this. It seemed simple enough... combine sales with coupons. As long as you know the coupon rules you're set, right? Wrong.

This show was filmed years ago and couponing rules have changed. A lot of these stores used to double their coupons on certain days. Also, people used to get paper coupons a lot more in the mail. I never get coupons in the mail.... so where do I find them?

After researching and realizing that many stores have DIGITAL coupons, and that many of those coupons stack with store sales, clearance, and rebates. I was convinced this was not only possible, but easy!

Let me show you how I not only save money on food, household items (like toilet paper, laundry detergent, and dish soap), and toiletries. But I actually get them free or MAKE MONEY on them! All digital, no paper coupons, and no stress.

The Tools I Use (All Free Apps & Sites)

First and foremost, I use the store's own free apps. My favorite stores to coupon at are Kroger and CVS (yes, this surprised me as well! but they are the BEST stores to coupon at). Walgreens is alright as well but not AS beginner friendly. CVS has a monthly "membership" where you pay $5 a month and receive a $10 credit (called "ExtraBucks") to shop at their store! That is a must for CVS couponing.

If you haven't heard of cashback apps, I'll tell you my favorite ones and you can look into them! They literally pay you CASH for your purchases. It's not a scam.

I use Ibotta (my favorite and the easiest to use once you learn), Fetch Rewards (will give you credit just for random receipts), and Checkout 51.

• Download Ibotta with my referral code (just copy and paste) to receive an EXTRA $5 on your first receipt: fqbiqcc

• Download Fetch Rewards with my referral code and receive an EXTRA 2,000 points on your first receipt: XXAVWC

Another great FREE resource to get started is the Krazy Coupon Lady. I subscribe to their emails and they send out all the best deals and explain them step by step for you. Sometimes they send ones I wouldn't have known about without their help!

My Weekly Routine (How I Plan & Stack Deals)

I literally coupon while I'm nap-trapped with my son. I open my phone, pull up the store's weekly ad and figure out all the best deals.

My goal is to find deals on items I would have purchased anyways. I look to stack store sales (ex: 2 for $4 or $1 off 5) with store coupons. Both are on the store's free app.

Once I find a decent deal on items with store sales and coupons, I look to see if I have any rebates (from Ibotta, Fetch, Checkout 51) on those items. This is the kicker into free or money making territory.

Example: I found Annies Mac N Cheese at Kroger. They were on sale for $0.99 when you buy 5. I also had a $1 off 2 coupon in the app. This already brought my total down to $3.95 for 5 boxes. I paid that at checkout.

Then I had an Ibotta rebate for $0.75 back on one box that I could use up to 5 times. I received $3.75 back on Ibotta. I had one other rebate for $0.25 back on up to 2 boxes on Checkout 51. I received $0.50 back on that app. So, I spent $3.95 but got $4.25 back in rebates. That made those boxes money makers!

Common Misconceptions About Couponing (And the Truth)

• "You have to buy junk food" - This isn't true. While a lot of my couponing is food, the majority of what I get consistently cheaper are household items. For example, I NEVER pay for toothbrushes or toothpaste. Somehow there's always a good sale with high value coupons for those. I also always get 50% off laundry detergent, at least. As far as food goes, sure there are really good deals on junk food. However, I personally look for either organic brands or I look for sales on produce, meat, and healthy snacks.

• "You need to print or clip a million coupons" - Again, not true. I've only used a handful of actual paper coupons in all the years I've couponed.99.999% of the time, I'm using digital coupons. These are coupons you just push a button on in the app and they automatically apply at checkout. No hassle.

• "You need to spend hours each week" - You can, if you want. But I don't. I either look at deals other people are doing and do them too, or I spend maybe an hour of my time looking for deals myself.

• "You have to buy in bulk or stockpile" - You definitely do not NEED to. However, there are some "spend" deals that you only get if you spend a certain amount or buy a certain amount of that item. There are also deals that the more you buy, the more you MAKE. So it's completely up to you if you do those deals or not.

• "Couponing can be done on your phone in line at checkout" - True! I always double check in line to make sure I've clipped coupons for everything in my cart.

Tips for Beginners Who Want to Start Like This

• Start with one or two stores/apps

• Look for deals you’d buy anyway

• Use cashback to fund other purchases or savings goals

• Couponing has saved my family thousands on household essentials and food. If you're goal is to budget better for your family, I would recommend trying it!

• Follow my couponing page on Tiktok and Instagram @kelli_coupons if you need to see what I mean!

• Download my free coupon planner tool: this is something I personally use to organize my deals and calculate my spending! It's super simple, so I made one for you for free. You can get it (here)

Why This Works for Me (And Can Work for You Too)

Couponing is not just for the extremists anymore. You can coupon from your phone, and checkout without anyone even knowing you couponed. There's no real effort other than finding deals that overlap and stack. Everything I use to coupon are completely free and I've saved so much money doing this I probably won't ever stop.

I would invite you to read my post about Ibotta here

You could also check out my blog about finance books to read for families here .

These books aren't about couponing but they are great financial education if you're interested.