Extreme couponing ya'll

Couponers do it for less - way less - to the tune of up to 95% off the retail price. You do not, under any circumstances, want to find yourself behind this kind of shopper at the check-out in your local grocery store. These people are merciless, plotting their grocery store missions with the precision of navy seals. Nevermind finding yourself behind one of these shoppers, imagine the friggin' paperwork for the cashier! The applause and admiration is fitting - these gals are often getting hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise for less than the cost of a pedicure. It's possible, and these couponing pros are proving it. The buzz has to be addictive. Here is a clip from TLC's new show, Extreme Couponing.

It's pretty much a job for lots of creative and resourceful pro-coups (Tightwad just made that up, think it'll stick?) They make the time to clip coupons because it's just soooooo lucrative. A hazard of the job: stockpiling product - shampoo, peanut butter, canned goods, toilet paper and more mustard (that's the cheap kind) than you'll ever use. While you are stacking cans of tuna in your back shed because you've run out of storage in your garage, you are also stacking coupons. That's the secret. Here's how it works - save up to 95% on everything if you follow two rules:

Time the purchase of a grocery item when it's on sale and combine the sale with a coupon that can double in value or shop during the sale and stack a manufacturer's coupon with a store coupon. Often, the combined discounts results in a free product. Yay! You can open your own store!

Add some edge to your game by looking for multiple deals. Go ahead, splurge and buy four or five Sunday newspapers and combine the coupons on the same items. Pretty soon your house looks something like... yup, a grocery store.

The secret to success? Patience.... waiting like a stealth cougar ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey - or in this case, canned corn... for sale time. The other trick to the game is organization. You can't get your coupon on with a mittful of messy coupons. You have to focus, strategize, file and plan.

The wrap up: The ultimate savings scenario is to combine three types of coupons: store coupons, manufacturer’s coupons and store sales at the same time. Tightwad isn't that lady yet, but she wants to be! See you in aisle three!