Danielle Burns

A couple of years ago, I stumbled across an episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC. The people on that show are EXTREME couponers, and many of them spend more than 20 hours a week couponing - some more than 40 hours per week. For them, it is a full-time job, and can be as lucrative as a full time job. While watching the show (and several more episodes since), I began to think, “I could do that.” Not to the same scale, of course, but it made sense to consider coupons as a cost saving measure more than I had done in the past.

As I started couponing, I quickly got good news and bad news. The bad news is that couponing in Canada is quite a bit different than couponing in the US. If you’ve seen an episode of Extreme Couponing (which is filmed and produced in the US), you have seen the couponers that are featured talk about how they get so many of the products for free, due to many stores having a program where they double the value of manufacturer’s coupons. That “doubling” rarely happens in Canada. As a result, in Canada, getting items for free is difficult, but not impossible.

(By the way, I have gotten some items for free. My first ever “freebie” was a bottle of Resolve stain remover. I was ridiculously proud.)

Don’t despair. The good news is that with a little research, a small investment of time, and a few coupons, there are huge savings to be had. Let me give you an example of two items I purchased on a recent shopping trip to a well known Canadian supermarket:

Windex (Original, 750 mL)
Regular Price: $3.97
Sale Price: $2.97
Coupon: Buy One, Get One Free
Total Cost Per Bottle: $1.49
Savings: 62.5%

Crest Complete (130 mL)
Regular Price: $2.49
Sale Price: $1.66
Coupon: Buy Three, Save $4.50
Total Cost Per Toothpaste: $0.16
Savings: 94%

On that particular shopping trip, I ended up spending $21.48 on $61.78 worth of items, a savings of $40.30, or 65%.

The bottom line is - IT CAN BE DONE (even in Canada)! This book will show you how.