Extreme Couponing in Canada

TLC's Extreme Couponing is all the rage right now! Us Canadians North of the border don't have it as easy when it comes to saving money with coupons and snagging great deals like our American friends South of the border but we have the motivation and drive to save money and get cheap and free stuff too!

FDR has a number of tips to help Canadians with Couponing and Extreme Couponing, including:

1. Know your prices, so you know when a sale is a great deal. Make a price comparison book for the products that you regularly use and record the regular and sale prices of the items you shop for at different stores. The more you record the more informed shopper that you'll be.

2. Shop during sales and stack coupons on top of sale prices to save even more money.

3. Stack or double your coupons (where available). London Drugs is a wonderful Canadian store which offers coupon stacking. This is a fantastic way to stockpile and pay next to nothing for products that you need, want or are going to donate to those more unfortunate than yourself.

4. Take advantage of Scanning Code of Practice when shopping too. This can reduce the overall total of your shopping bill if there is a UPC scanning error and the store participates in the program.

5. Know where to find coupons. They are available all around us; on store shelves, in newspapers and magazines, on product packaging, online at product sites and coupon sites, coupon swap clubs and more. There are a number of excellent online sites offering manufacturer coupons including Save.ca, Websaver.ca, GoCoupons.ca, Brandsaver.ca, LifeMadeDelicious.ca, RightAtHome.ca, LivingWell.ca and for Costco members there is GetMoreOfWhatYouLove.ca. Ask friends and family to collect coupons for you. Start a coupon trading club and join Coupon Trains.

6. Research the coupon policies of the stores you shop at. If they aren't publicly advertised, don't be shy to ask. The store is getting your business and you should be entitled to know their couponing policy. Be polite, ask the store manager for the specifics and if you can get it in writing, keep a copy with your coupons.

7. Organize your coupons so you can easily identify what you have and the expiry dates of the coupons. Organize the coupons in a way that suits your saving style. You could use a binder, an accordian file or any method that helps you quickly save money!

8. Use store loyalty cards to rack up points to save off of future purchases. Most stores offer some type of loyalty program these days. From Shoppers Optimum, to Club Sobeys, Air Miles, Aeroplan, Esso Extra, petro Points, Sears Club, HBC Rewards and so many more!!

9. Take advantage of price and ad matching from retailer to retailer. If one retailer offers a lower price than an ad matching retailer, then you can ghet it for the same price. There are some retailers who will beat the advertised price of their competitor, so thoroughly research your stores policies.

10. Read and understand the fine print on the coupons you are using. When a coupon states “Limit one per purchase”, this actually means “Limit one per item.” Always check the expiration dates of your coupons before using them. This will avoid embarrassment and holding up the line.

We'd love to hear from our readers about the best couponing tips you have too!

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