Local Couponer Saves Money The Easy Way

Don't call Kim Proulx an "extreme couponer" - but don't be fooled, she saves a lot of money by couponing for about an hour or two per week.

Proulx started clipping coupons in April, and kept a weekly grocery budget of $75 per week to spend for her family of three.

"For many years I clipped here and there," she said. "Then I heard about how everyone was getting these great deals and ... that’s when I heard about Extreme Couponing and getting into that show."

But Proulx says "there's no way I can do what those people do" - spend hours clipping coupons, starting a coupon binder, spending hours in the grocery store and starting a home stock pile.

Unlike most "extreme couponers," Proulx only buys what she needs, unless she buys extra to donate to the food pantry.

Proulx coupons the easy way, she says, by shopping purely from the grocery store's circulars and matching up any coupons she has for those already good deals.

"I used to be brand specific with things like Colgate toothpaste. I always would get Colgate but now if Crest is on sale I’ll get Crest," she said. "And I don’t tend to buy anything I’m not in need of. I’m not going to build a stock pile ... I go week by week and think, if pasta’s on sale, I’ll make pasta."

Proulx also used to exclusively shop at Market Basket, thinking they had the best deals. It turned out to be a myth, as Proulx switched to Stop and Shop, she realized she could use the store card, which doubles coupons.

"I used to shop Market Basket and I was spending $100 or more a week and when I heard you could save $25 or more if you clip coupons, I just shop from the Stop and Shop circular pretty much," she said. "This is what's on sale and things are going to be 25 to 50 percent off the original price."

Although Proulx considers couponing a hobby, there's no denying that her savings are adding up.

"I just went back to work part time in September, but saving $25 dollars a week, you don’t think of it as much but that's that’s $1300 per year. That’s like a vacation," she said.

Here are some tips from Proulx for couponers looking to get started:

• Don't be brand specific. Buy whatever brand is on sale.
• Don't buy non-food items at the grocery store. Stores such as Walgreens often have great deals and coupons for those items.
• Pre-packaged food is always more costly. Instead of buying those items, Proulx stretches her family's meals. "I'm lucky that my husband and daughter don't mind eating leftovers," she said. 
• Use the web. Proulx's favorite coupon sites are Coupon Mom and Krazy Coupon Lady.

• Only buy the best deals. Proulx said she won't buy a product if the sale is 40 percent or less of the original cost. "I’ll do without for a week if it's not a necessarity item, I find my 75 dollars is for food and I’m not buying tons of different products. I don’t buy a lot of stuff they’re telling you to buy, that’s still money out the window," she said.

And sometimes there are unadvertised deals at the store, Proulx said. For example, Scotch Brite sponges were recently on sale but it wasn’t in the flyer, she said. She just happened to have a coupon with her.

"I saw it was on sale $2.94 and I had a coupon, which doubles, so I stocked up on sponges. So I paid less than $1.50 for a three-pack, which is really good," she said.

And if you're just starting to coupon, Proulx says don't give up.

"I was a little discouraged at first, I didn’t feel like I was getting the big deals, but the more you scour the shelves, you will ... once you get a little bit of practice," she said.