What exactly is couponing?
Better yet, can you really earn money with this opportunity or is this nothing more than a marketing tactic used to get you to spend more money?
Believe it or not, couponing has blown up pretty quickly over the past couple of years and people from all walks of life are leveraging this opportunity to earn a ton of money.
Did you know that there are millions of extreme couponers out there that are leveraging this opportunity to not only get a ton of free shit but also earn up to $1,000 or more in a single weekend?
Well, I have done quite a bit of research on this topic lately and this past weekend my wife and I were able to earn over $1k by couponing and I thought I would share my experience with you guys today.
Have you ever wondered how extreme couponers were able to find such great deals on products and in some cases get paid to go shopping?
If you answered yes to this question then you’ll want to stick around as I’ll be going into complete detail on how this works and how my wife and I were able to cash in big on this opportunity in the following post.
I encourage you to stick around and read this blog post to the end as I’ll be revealing my step by step strategy on how you can do the same.
What Exactly Is Couponing?
Couponing is a growing trend that has really taken off over the past couple of years and this has gone from receiving a discount on your purchase to getting the item for free.
In some cases, you can actually get paid to take the item and this is when things get really interesting and get to the point where you can actually start to earn money from this hobby.
Before you think about quitting your day job, let me stop you right there.
To give you guys a heads up, this isn’t any cakewalk as it will require a great amount of time, patience, organizational skills as well as a place to store merchandise.
Depending on how extreme of a couponer that you are will determine how much space you’ll need.
This will also require a great amount of hard work but at the end of the day, it’s definitely worth it.
How It Works
This is mostly done through loyalty cards and by downloading the store’s app.
My wife uses the Kroger coupons app to receive up to 80% off her entire order which she then turns around and is able to double and sometimes triple the amount of money she paid for the item which I think is pretty sweet.
Once you have downloaded the app to your phone you can search for digital coupons and weekly specials and have them loaded directly onto your loyalty card.
In addition to digital coupons, you can also use print coupons as well as long as it doesn’t specify that you can’t combine the coupon with any additional offers.
Also, with sites like Groupon and the many cash back apps that are available on the market today the potential here is unlimited.
There are a ton of other things like organization skills and storage space as well as a few sacrifices you’ll need to make and I’ll be going over this next so continue reading.
What You’ll Need To Get Started
There are a few things you’ll need to get started like an up to date smartphone (Apple or Android) it doesn’t matter as long as it has the ability to download and install apps and connect to the internet.
You’ll also need some storage space to store the items you have bought from various stores as well as a few organizational skills and changing your mindset about what and when you should go shopping.
Instead of buying shampoo or laundry soap when you need it, you buy it when it’s on sale so that you can stock up.
You should especially keep an eye out for BOGO offers (Buy 1 Get 1 Free) as this is one of the most cost-effective ways to build your inventory at a pretty substantial rate and get the most bang for your buck if you will.
You should also invest in a few good binders to store your coupons in and buy the Sunday paper as there are usually over $300 in money-saving coupons in there each week.
This also requires a decent time commitment as you’ll need to spend some time going through the ads and circulars each week as well as going to the stores to find these items.
How Do You Make Money With Couponing?
Once you have started to stockpile these items and have started a collection there are a few options available to you to sell this merchandise but I’ll primarily be showing you how my wife and I were able to go about doing this.
This past weekend my wife and I had our annual yard sale since she was on vacation this week and we were able to earn quite a bit of money with this venture to the tune of $1,000 in only 3 short days.
Unlike most yard sales that sell junk or stuff that nobody wants, our yard sale actually had mostly new items that were still in the shrinkwrap and the clothes were brand new with the tags still on them.
We sold most of the new stuff for anywhere from $3 to $6 a piece which is still a significant savings over the prices you would pay in the stores.
My wife paid anywhere from $1 to $2 for most of the merchandise and she was even able to get a few of the items for free.
It costs $5 to get a yard sale permit which is usually good for 5 days.
Also, by posting to your local Facebook selling wall and posting signs in your local neighborhood you would be surprised at the amount of business you’ll get in a short amount of time.
I’m actually quite surprised that we were able to make as much as we did in only 3 days and this is what inspired me to write this blog post and share this amazing experience with you guys today.
A Few Couponing Tips For Beginners Who Are Just Starting Out
If you aren’t currently enrolled in your local supermarket’s loyalty program then I highly recommend that you sign up ASAP as this is one of the key factors that you’ll need to succeed with this.
Another thing you should be mindful of is that just because you signed up for a loyalty program from a specific store doesn’t mean that you need to remain loyal to that one store.
Branch out and diversify your shopping experience by shopping around at different stores.
CVS in my town here in Ohio has an offer going on this week where you can get a $10 coupon in the mail for every $25 you spend either in-store or online.
These are the offers that you really need to watch out for as this is where you can really cash in on this opportunity if you go about it in the right way.
My wife usually hits up multiple stores each week and this is how she’s able to find such great deals on stuff that you normally would find.
Also by utilizing cash back apps like Dosh and Ebates, that offers you rebates and cash back incentives for shopping and doing things you normally do anyway sweetens the deal even more and this is like the cherry on top.
If you don’t already get the Sunday paper then you might want to think about getting it as there are several hundreds of dollars in savings included in there each and every week.
My Closing Thoughts
If you have always wondered if its worth your time, effort, and all the hard work thats required to save money by clipping coupons and joining loyalty programs then I’m here to tell you that it definitely is.
The things that I’ve described above might seem a little insane to you guys but they can definitely pay off if you’re willing to give this the time and energy needed to be successful in the couponing world.
To be quite honest with you guys, when my wife first started out doing this several years ago I thought she was crazy lol and wondered what she was going to do with all the merchandise that she had sitting around in our back room.
If you follow the steps that I’ve laid out for you guys in this article and use them as a guideline then this will give you a headstart in the couponing world.
I really hope this article has helped you guys out and given you a brief explanation on what couponing is all about and how to make money with this opportunity.
Still, have questions or want to get involved in the conversation?
Leave your comments, questions, or any experience you’ve had with couponing in the comments below and I’ll reply back to you ASAP.