If there is one thing that almost all of the college students in the nation can relate to, it's that we are constantly broke. It seems like we're all stuck making ramen and cup-a-soup in our small little dorms. (At least that's how it t's played off in the movies). My senior year of high school I was able to teach myself how to extreme coupon, a great skill to have that doesn't always take up as much time as you would think!. Even if only done in moderation, you can still walk away saving much more than if you hadn't done it at all.
One of the biggest parts of extreme couponing, and probably one of the things I didn't do enough, was making lists of what I needed. When my father would buy the paper on a Sunday morning, I would forget to look in all of the fliers for the grocery stores, and I'd look inside the Target one instead. Take out the flyers you actually need first, and save the large chain stores for after, because they too can be of help!
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Now start browsing through the coupons and flyers in unison to see if anything matches up. If there is a coupon for something you need, clip it! Most times if you head to supermarkets near the end of the day they will give you the coupons from the unsold papers!
Once you find the coupons you need, check out the store's coupon [policies, some stores will double coupons up to a certain point,and some will even take expired coupons!
Most people don't realize you can even use two coupons on one item! For example: You have a box of Crackers for $4.99, but this week they happen to be on sale 2/5! Immediately right there by getting what is on sale, you've already saved money! Then you have a 1.00 off of two boxes coupon. That brings the price down to 2/4. Here is where people don't realize that you can use more than one. You could also use a .50 cent off of one box, one coupon on each box you are buying. In most stores, those coupons would double to a dollar each, making the final total of your crackers 2/2! It's not as frightening once you get familiar with it.
I recommend you also use your store savings card on top of these, such as CVS Extra bucks, Target RED card, Target Cartwheel, etc.
And that's as simple as extreme couponing is! Most people think it's very hard and time-consuming, and sometimes the latter one may be true. The people portrayed on the show consider couponing their full-time job, and dedicate around the equivalent of a forty-hour work week to couponing.
Another way that students can save money is by signing up for free samples through companies. Many companies, including Tampax, Tide, and other name brands will send you samples for free! I recommend you make a junk-email specifically for this task so your inbox does not clutter up!
You can also use student discounts virtually anywhere, so I recommend regardless of where you are, you should ask if they have a discount. It's also a great incentive for people who lose their ID's easily!
Here are some of the best student discounts!:
Amazon: Free 2-day shipping for six months, and 50% off of Prime
J. Crew: 15% off full-priced items
Charlotte Ruse: 10% off all merchandise
Chick-fil-a: Free drink with purchase
Subway: 10% off order
Burger King: 10% off order
Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Free admission after 4pm on Wednesdays!
Vineyard Vines: 15% off regular priced items
Champion: 10% off order
Urban Outfitters: 10% off order
Triple A Cards also offer some discounts, so it's worth trying those as well!
Good luck, and happy couponing!
