Extreme couponing becoming a recession rage

  • By James A. Fussell McClatchy Newspapers
  • Monday, April 12, 2010 3:32pm
  • Life

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brandie Mavrich loves to make cash registers go in reverse.

On a recent trip to SuperTarget, her total topped $260. Then the discount diva pulled out her coupons and started working her markdown magic.

Three dollars off. Five. Seven. Her total dropped to $200, then $150. It was like going backward in time, only with money.

The 34-year-old south Kansas City, Mo., woman was just getting started. The digital readout blinked $125, then went under $100. The register began to smoke, or at least it should have.

Seventy. Sixty. Fifty. Finally, the dumbfounded checker read the total: $32.62.

Let others save 30 cents on corn flakes or canned peaches. Mavrich has discovered a better way to turn coupons — a fixture in groceries for more than 100 years — into mountains of money.

It’s called extreme couponing, and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Fueled by the recession and made possible by the Internet, the practice is spreading across the country. Numbers suggest it could be huge. Bargain hunters used 3.2 billion coupons in 2009. That’s not only a 23 percent increase from 2008, it was the largest one-year jump ever recorded, according to NCH Marketing Services Inc. of Deerfield, Ill.

How does Mavrich do it?

“The goal is to take what the store has on sale, mix it with a manufacturer’s coupon and a store’s loyalty program, then stack all those deals together and come out on the other side free, or near free.”

The heart of couponing is still the Sunday newspaper. Mavrich has two subscriptions to The Kansas City Star, and sometimes she buys 10 more copies at a convenience store.

Much of the increase is thanks to technology. Today’s discount devotees connect through cell phones, Facebook, Twitter and online coupon communities. Popular sites include SlickDeals.net, TheKrazyCouponLady.com, CouponForum.com and AFullCup.com.

Some couponers hoard their bargain booty, while others sell it or give it to friends, but the goal is the same: Save tons of money.

Mavrich’s best efforts? She saved $316 at SuperTarget, and $327 at Walgreens, and she has the receipts to prove it.

Mavrich said there are many ways to save big.

“For instance, Olay offered a rebate. You buy three moisturizers, body washes or bars of soap, and they give you $15 back. That’s a pretty nice deal by itself. So I go to Target and buy three.”

Did she get them free?

“Nope,” Mavrich said. “I actually made money.”

How?

“Let me lay it out for you,” she said. “There was a coupon in the newspaper for Venus Embrace women’s razors that I got on a buy-one-get-one-free deal. If I bought the razor, I got the Olay body wash for free. And they were having a sale at Target where if I bought three Olay body washes I got a $5 Target gift card. So I got three coupons, bought the three razors and got the three body washes for free. Plus I got $2 off of each razor by using three other coupons. That brought my total down to $8.97. Then you subtract the $5 Target gift card for buying the three body washes, and that’s $3.97. Then you mail in the $15 manufacturer’s rebate for buying the three Olay body washes, and …

She turned an $11 profit.

Mavrich keeps many of the products for her family, but she doesn’t approve of hoarding. She recently donated her record-setting Walgreens purchase to the Kansas City Rescue Mission.

Mavrich’s couponing Web site — KitschyKoupons.com — is under construction, but you can get information on her upcoming couponing classes by e-mailing her at infokitschykoupons.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Everett P. Fog, 15, in front of an Everett mural along Colby Avenue on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Hello, Everett! No escape when your name is same as the town

Everett P. Fog, 15, sees and hears his first name wherever he goes. His middle name is also epic.

Jared Meads takes a breath after dunking in an ice bath in his back yard while his son Fallen, 5, reads off the water temperature on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Chill out: Dive into the cold plunge craze

Plungers say they get mental clarity and relief for ails in icy water in tubs, troughs and clubs.

Schack exhibit to highlight Camano Island watercolorists

“Four Decades of Friendship: John Ebner & John Ringen” will be on display Jan. 16 through Feb. 9.

XRT Trim Adds Rugged Features Designed For Light Off-Roading
Hyundai Introduces Smarter, More Capable Tucson Compact SUV For 2025

Innovative New Convenience And Safety Features Add Value

Sequoia photo provided by Toyota USA Newsroom
If Big Is Better, 2024 Toyota Sequoia Is Best

4WD Pro Hybrid With 3-Rows Elevates Full-Size

2025 Toyota Land Cruiser (Provided by Toyota).
2025 Toyota Land Cruiser revives its roots

After a 3-year hiatus, the go-anywhere SUV returns with a more adventurous vibe.

Enjoy the wilderness in the CX-50. Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda CX-50 Adds Hybrid Capability to Turbo Options

Line-Up Receives More Robust List Of Standard Equipment

Practical And Functional bZ4X basks in sunshine. Photo provided by Toyota Newsroom.
2024 bZ4X Puts Toyota Twist On All-Electric SUV’s

Modern Styling, Tech & All-Wheel Drive Highlight

Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus Hatch Delivers Value

Plus Functionality of AWD And G-Vectoring

2025 Mazda CX-90 Turbo SUV (Provided by Mazda)
2025 CX-90 Turbo models get Mazda’s most powerful engine

Mazda’s largest-ever SUV is equipped to handle the weight, with fuel efficiency kept in check.

Provided by Bridges Pets, Gifts, & Water Gardens.
Discover where to find the best pet supplies in town

Need the perfect store to spoil your furry friends? Herald readers have you covered.

VW Jetta SEL is a sedan that passes for a coupe. Photo provided by Volkswagen U.S. Media.
2025 VW Jetta Offers Greater Refinement, Technology And Value

A Perfect Choice For Small Families And Commuters

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.