CHARLOTTE — A few months ago, Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke did a story on an “extreme couponer” who saves so much money using coupons that sometimes she doesn’t have to pay anything or the store has to pay her.
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Recently, Stoogenke went shopping with the savvy shopper, UNC Charlotte student Lauren Farmer.
Here are some tips Farmer shared with Channel 9 that may help you save money, too:
1. Farmer uses both paper coupons and digital ones. For the latter, she’s a fan of coupons.com and pggoodeveryday.com.
2. According to Farmer, using a coupon for a brand-name item may sometimes be cheaper than buying generic. She says some shoppers get caught up with buying a generic, but it’s not always the best deal. “They think they’re saving … sometimes they’re not saving,” she said.
3. Be willing to try new brands.
4. Farmer uses manufacturer coupons and combines them with store coupons for the same items. She also waits for those items to go on sale at a certain store and after she buys them, she applies for rebates and gets more money back. Her favorite rebate apps are fetchrewards.com, ibotta.com and checkout51.com.
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Stoogenke asked Farmer how easy it is to find deals on meat, eggs, produce and other perishables. She said coupons for Eggland’s Best, Oscar Mayer, avocados and oranges are offered often but coupons for bread can be hard to find.
For more tips, you can follow Farmer on Instagram and TikTok at @couponingwithcraylolo.
(WATCH BELOW: Extreme couponer shares her tricks of the trade)
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