Extreme couponing is a great life hack for cutting down your grocery expenses. By optimizing coupons and sales at stores, Canadians can significantly reduce their bills at the checkout without reducing the goods they purchase.
While extreme couponing is by no means straightforward or a time-saving process, anyone can easily accomplish this strategy with the right knowledge and tools.
This article lists the top tips on couponing in Canada for beginners, along with helpful cash back and coupon apps.
Key Takeaways
- Some of the best tips for extreme couponing in Canada include regularly researching for coupons, combining coupons with other discounted deals and sales, and using cash back apps.
- Several cash back apps that can help maximize your savings when extreme couponing are Rakuten, Checkout51, Caddle and Paymi.
What is Extreme Couponing?
Extreme couponing involves maximizing as many coupons, sales, and discounted deals as possible while shopping. Those who follow this life hack often buy their groceries in bulk when prices are at their lowest, not when they run out of stock.
By adhering to this process, you can save significant amounts of money, enjoy free stuff, and ensure your household never runs out of stockpiles of goods.
How To Start Couponing In Canada For Beginners
If you’re a beginner at couponing, here are the must-know tips to succeed.
Research Available Coupons
First and foremost, regularly research the available coupons near your area. Begin by listing the retailers you frequently visit, then do separate research for each one to know if they offer coupons and sales.
If the store you typically shop at doesn’t provide enough coupons, don’t shy away from exploring other retailers near your location. Remember, as an extreme couponer, your goal is to save as much money as possible when purchasing groceries.
Some of the best strategies to stay updated on the latest coupons near you include signing up to receive emails and newsletters about promotions from your preferred stores. Alternatively, you can utilize applications and websites specifically geared toward finding coupons in Canada.
Pro tip: When signing up to receive couponing notifications, I highly recommend using a separate email exclusively dedicated to couponing. Avoid using your personal or professional email to not drown the important emails in your inbox.
Use Store Flyers
Many retailers regularly release weekly flyers showcasing their current and upcoming sales, promotions and coupons. So, always keep a close eye on the flyers provided by your favourite stores.
Often, you’ll find them displayed at visible locations inside or at the entrance of a retailer, but some stores also offer digital flyers on their websites.
When unsure about how to acquire flyers, feel free to approach a store’s representative. You may do so in person or by contacting the retailer’s customer service.
Make A Grocery List To Stay Organized
Yes, couponing is all about maximizing your savings. However, that doesn’t mean you should buy every product that goes on sale. So, to ensure you don’t lose focus on the essential groceries and items you actually need at home, make it a habit to prepare a grocery list every time you go out shopping.
Once you’ve organized your list, always prioritize the items included in it. If you come across other discounted products that catch your eye, think twice before adding them to your cart to ensure you don’t offset the money you save by regularly purchasing unnecessary goods.
Use Coupons During Sales
In most retailers, you can combine coupons with other great deals or in-store sales. Also referred to as “coupon matching,” this activity enables you to truly maximize your savings by doubling the discounts you enjoy when shopping.
Organize Your Coupons
As time passes, your stack of coupons will pile up, making it harder to find the ones you need at a certain time. To ensure you don’t forget or miss crucial deadlines, organize your coupons using a simple physical organizer or a spreadsheet on your device.
Use Store Loyalty Programs
Many stores offer loyalty programs that give you discounts or reward points whenever you purchase. While using them may not be part of traditional couponing, optimizing these loyalty programs can further reduce your expenses.
Use Cash Back Apps
Similar to loyalty programs, cash back applications are not traditionally part of extreme couponing. However, they’ve become helpful additions to the shopping experience of those who want to maximize their savings.
Cash back apps enable you to earn back a percentage of your purchases, letting you save more money for free!
Shortly, I’ll share some of the best cash back and coupon apps I’ve tried over the years.
Stock Up On Sale Items
Rock-bottom discounted prices combined with coupons are your best friend as an extreme couponer. That said, if you witness this golden opportunity for the items you need, don’t hesitate to buy them in bulk to stock up.
From experience, storing three months’ worth of items is always a safe zone when buying in bulk. Doing this allows you to take advantage of the sale’s discounts for a relatively long time while still allowing you not to miss out on even better deals that may come in the future.
Best Cash Back And Coupon Apps In Canada
As mentioned, below are the best cash back and coupon apps that can help you save money and make extreme couponing a bit easier.
Rakuten
Formerly known as Ebates, Rakuten is currently regarded as one of the best cash back apps in Canada. It has established partnerships with over 750 major retailers and has helped Canadians save over $100M since 2012.
You can earn up to 8% cash back on Rakuten and enjoy other hot deals and coupons provided on the platform.
MadeWithNestle
If you love Nestlé products, don’t miss out on the coupons offered by the brand through its official, MadeWithNestle website.
While you won’t directly find coupons on this platform, you can use the website to sign up for the Nestlé Canada e-newsletter that will keep you updated on the brand’s special offers, prizes, sales, and events.
Caddle
Headquartered in the Niagara Peninsula, this Canadian-exclusive application provides weekly offers to those who want to reduce their shopping expenses.
Not only can you earn rewards by purchasing products, but cash rewards are also given to those who complete short reviews and surveys that only take a few minutes to finish.
Once you accumulate $20 in cash back, you can cash out your rewards, and Caddle will send it to you by mail.
Checkout51
Checkout51 is, no doubt, one of the best grocery coupon apps in Canada. It regularly adds new offers weekly, allowing you to save nonstop in your extreme couponing journey.
Using Checkout51 is simple. Just download the app, select the offers you like, find them in-store, and upload your receipts to claim your cash back successfully.
A minimum balance of $20 is needed before you can cash out your cash back rewards through a mailed check.
Drop
Similar to Ampli, you can consider Drop as a set-and-forget cash back application. Instead of requiring you to upload receipts, it automatically tracks your purchases using the debit or credit card you link to the app, allowing you to save money with minimal effort.
The points you earn in Drop can be redeemed through gift cards from participating retailers, including Amazon, Starbucks, Air Canada and Cineplex.
Paymi
Another trusted “skip-the-receipts” cash back app is Paymi. It automatically gives you cash back rewards when you buy from eligible retailers using a card you’ve connected to the Paymi app.
Withdrawals are free for $25 or more, but you can still cash out before reaching that threshold by paying a $1.50 service fee.
Ampli
Owned by the Canadian bank RBC, Ampli is another excellent cash back app for couponers. With Ampli, you can earn back real cash instead of points, making it super convenient to calculate how much you save on every transaction you make at Ampli’s partnered brands.
No need to upload receipts, as every item you buy through the card you connect to the Ampli app will automatically be matched with applicable cash back offers.
KOHO Easy Prepaid Mastercard
$20 sign up bonus after first purchase (use CASHBACK promo code during sign-up)
Earn up to 5% unlimited cash back
3.00% savings interest on your entire balance
Free budgeting app
$0 monthly fee
Can You Extreme Coupon in Canada?
It’s entirely possible to practice extreme couponing in Canada. Many retailers in the country offer coupons, clearance sales, and bundle deals, which are all staples of extreme couponing.
However, extreme couponing is not about passively waiting for sales and deals to come your way. To be considered an extreme couponer, you must actively find coupons by searching online, thoroughly reading local flyers, and utilizing coupon or cash back applications.
Fortunately, despite the effort you must put in for extreme couponing, these strategies can naturally fit into your daily routine by implementing the tips I will share below.
Is Extreme Couponing For You?
Extreme couponing is a realistic way to save money as a Canadian. While it does require significant effort, planning, research and bulk buying, you can potentially reduce your grocery expenses by hundreds of dollars or more through this activity.
However, only you can decide whether extreme couponing suits your lifestyle. Remember, this process requires your active participation all week long. So, those particularly busy with other tasks may not have the time to maximize every available coupon.
If that’s the case for you, I recommend at least using cash back apps to your advantage. Particularly those that don’t require you to upload receipts, as they’ll save you money without you even thinking about your purchases.
FAQs
Yes, you can stack coupons in Canada. Many retailers give them out physically and digitally, and some even offer them every week.
You can still be an extreme couponer in 2023. With the help of couponing websites and apps, it has never been easier to start this money-saving activity.
Some millionaires do use coupons. For example, two of the richest men worldwide, Bill and Melinda Gates, shared a story of them getting lunch at McDonald’s with coupons.
Extreme couponers don’t incur additional taxes by using coupons, and the cashback received from loyalty programs or apps is also non-taxable. However, all couponers’ purchases will still be subject to the usual GST and HST taxes that are implemented on products and services in Canada.
