CHECK_OUT_ASSISTANT FOOTBALLER JORDAN KATY KAYLA KELLY MALE_SHOPPER MICHAEL MICHELLE NARRATOR SHOP_ASSISTANT ZACH

NARRATOR
For these couponers, nothing is more addictive than colossal savings.

MICHELLE
I would consider myself a couponoholic.
 
KELLY
I live and breathe coupons.

NARRATOR
Meet a california teacher; supporting her extended family’s every need without spending a cent.

KELLY
All these will be free.  This is free, free, free.

NARRATOR
And a north carolina mom who’ll do whatever it takes to make sure no deal gets left behind.

MICHELLE
Yes, i’m a shelf clearer.  You should have beat me to the store.  Sorry. 

NARRATOR
Non-couponers beware, there might not be anything left after these shopping sprees.

KELLY
We’re gonna get 260 of ‘em.  Everybody’s breath is gonna smell like oranges for the next ten years.

NARRATOR
And it’ll take a record-setting checkout…

JORDAN
I’m gonna need a bigger envelope.

NARRATOR
…to get it all home.

MICHELLE
It may be a little bit more than 32 transactions.  I’m trying to do the math in my head, it’s not working.

NARRATOR
These aren’t your every day savings.

KELLY
100% savings.

NARRATOR
This is extreme couponing.

KELLY
Yes!

MALE SHOPPER
Hey, was that the last one?

MICHELLE
Yes it was, sorry.  Early bird gets the worm.

MALE SHOPPER
Are you serious?

NARRATOR
26% of coupons require the purchase of two or more items to get the discount, and with an arsenal at her disposal, extreme couponer, michelle, doesn’t hesitate to clear the shelves to stock up on savings.

MICHELLE
My name is michelle and i’m the north carolina coupon queen.  I would consider myself a couponoholic.  If i came home one day and found all my coupons were burned up in a fire, somebody would be getting [bleep] kick.

NARRATOR
Not only does this north carolina mom refuse to buy a single item without a coupon, but she also won’t let a single coupon go to waste, even if that means engaging in a practice frowned upon by most couponers.

MICHELLE
Yes, i’m a shelf clearer.

MICHELLE
Evidence that michelle’s been here.

MICHELLE
People have a problem with shelf clearers because by the time they get to the store to clear the shelves themselves; i’ve already done it for ‘em.  You should have beat me to the store.  Sorry!

NARRATOR
Emptying multiple supermarket shelves over the course of two couponing years has forced michelle to clear out a guest bedroom in order to fit her substantial stockpile of goods.

MICHELLE
I started with two shelves, and as my stockpile grew, i added more shelves to my stockpile room, as you can see.

NARRATOR
Michelle’s stockpile boasts 50 bottles of dish soap, 100 containers of coffee and almost 250 bottles of body wash.  The entire stash retails at over $10,000, but she spent less than $1,000 out of pocket.

MICHELLE
There are things that i will never pay for.  Ketchup is always a free item and the sales run with the season.  The best time to get it is around memorial day and 4th of july because the companies always put out a large amount coupon in the paper.

NARRATOR
Michelle has saved her, her husband michael and their two kids, over $20,000, which means that in addition to her full time job with a town school system, she has to designate up to 30 hours a week to couponing.

MICHELLE
I like to be at the store before everyone else is and get the deals that i need to get.  Once i clear the shelf at one store…

MICHELLE’s HUSBAND
Gotta go for it.

MICHELLE
…and i still have coupons left, then i must go to the next store and clear that shelf.

NARRATOR
Today, michelle is headed to the supermarket with a mission.  Dealing with a limited athletics’ budget, her son chris’s football team has asked the couponing mom to help make their practices a little easier.

MICHELLE
I’m gonna get some sports drinks and nutrition bars for my son’s football team.  They definitely can use those items.

NARRATOR
Michelle is also donating items to her town’s before and after school programmes.  She plans on buying over $1,000 worth of groceries for less than $50, but managing these savings could mean a marathon session at the store.

MICHELLE
Because of the coupon policy at the store, i’m gonna have to break it up into 32 transactions. I can only use four of the same coupon per transaction, so i have to abide by their policy.

NARRATOR
With her son at practice and her husband at work, michelle plans on bringing her daughter kayla to help at the store.  The 16 year old is less than enthusiastic.

MICHELLE
Hi kayla.  

MICHELLE
I’m taking kayla shopping with me.  She will probably not participate whatsoever; she has no patience for it.

MICHELLE
Kayla, why don’t you like that i coupon?

KAYLA
It’s too time consuming.

MICHELLE
But do you realise how much money i save?

KAYLA
And?

MICHELLE
I hope she marries somebody rich.

NARRATOR
With an extensive shopping list of close to 1,000 items, a check out plan that includes over 30 transactions, and her unwilling daughter in tow, michelle heads to the supermarket to take on her toughest shopping trip ever.

MICHELLE
I am getting the nutrition bars for my son’s football team.  I’m getting 125, they are 1.35 each, i have a coupon for 55 cents off, so it’ll double to a dollar 10, so it’ll make ‘em 25 cents each.  Next.  

MICHELLE
Do you mind holding the coupons for me?

KAYLA
Oh joy.  I really wanna go home.  

KAYLA
I don’t think it’s enjoyable at all, shopping with her.  She takes a lot of time, i’d rather be home than out. 

MICHELLE
They are 99 cents and i have coupons that’ll make ‘em free, and free is good.  Make sure you get a good shot of that shelf, i cleared it.

NARRATOR
After three hours at the supermarket, michelle has multiple carts, overflowing with groceries. She has also pre-ordered a large pallet of beverages that include one of the most important products in her haul, 125 sports drinks she’ll be getting for free for her son’s football team.

SHOP ASSISTANT
I think this should be all of it.

MICHELLE
Ok.

SHOP ASSISTANT
Ok?

MICHELLE
Thank you.

NARRATOR
With the last of her items in hand, michelle is ready to check out.

JORDAN
Hello, how are you?

MICHELLE
Good.  How are you jordan?

JORDAN
I’m good.  You got a lot of stuff there.

MICHELLE
The coupon policy states that they will only double 20 coupons per transaction, and i can only use four of the same coupon per transaction too, so i have to split it up into 32 transactions.  I’m starting to get very nervous now.  I wasn’t so nervous before but now i am.

JORDAN
Your total is 26.09.

MICHELLE
Well there’s my coupons.

JORDAN
Thank you.

JORDAN
85 cents.

MICHELLE
Oh, 85 cents is good.

JORDAN
Yeah.

MICHELLE
One down, 31 more to go.

JORDAN
So your total is $20 and 3 cents.

JORDAN
22.52 is your total.

JORDAN
Your new total is a dollar and 21 cents.

JORDAN
Your new total is 1.58.

JORDAN
Your total for the 24th order is $21 and 43 cents.

MICHELLE
There’s my coupons.

JORDAN
Your new total is a dollar, 58.  I’m gonna need a bigger envelope.

NARRATOR
After 29 transactions, michelle has only spent $26 on over $760 worth of groceries.

JORDAN
The most i’ve ever done is two carts, and this is like, what, ten?  Yeah.

NARRATOR
Not having anticipated the check out to last over two hours, michelle’s cashier has to leave before the entire haul is rung up.

JORDAN
I’m sorry but i have to go, i have to go and get ready for my graduation, but michael’s gonna help you with the rest of this.

MICHELLE
Ok, great.  Thank you.

JORDAN
Yes.  Thank you.

MICHELLE
Uh-huh.  Hi michael.

MICHAEL
Hello.  How are you?

MICHELLE
Good.  How are you?

MICHAEL
Your total is $24 and 33 cents.

MICHELLE
There you go.

MICHAEL
Your total is 75 cents.

MICHAEL
The total is 24.16, and with coupons, it’s 17 cents.

MICHELLE
I am so tired that my ankles are hurting.

KAYLA
How much longer?

MICHELLE
Maybe another 30 minutes.

NARRATOR
After 39 separate transactions, already 7 more than she originally anticipated, michelle’s total retail cost is $963 and 8 cents.  But after coupons, she has only spent $32.35 cents.  She still has one final transaction to go, and it’s the biggest one yet.

MICHELLE
It’s the last transaction, i’m ready for it, and it should be completely free if i did my numbers right.

MICHAEL
It’s $193 and 35 cents.

MICHELLE
Ok, there you go.  Hey kayla, this is the last one; don’t you wanna come see it?  Come on.

MICHELLE
I am in a negative $40 and 79 cents.  

MICHELLE
I have never received an overage that big in all of my couponing years.  Never.  I was very surprised when it happened.

NARRATOR
When the combined value of every coupon is worth more than the total retail price, the difference is called an overage.  Although most stores don’t give cash back, they will allow shoppers to pick up more groceries to cover the difference.  

MICHELLE
Because they do not give overage, i have to go find $40 and 79 cents worth of items to bring it back up to zero, or as close to zero as i can get it.

MICHELLE
I’m gonna go get more sports drinks for my son’s football team.

MICHELLE
And 40.  I’m gonna go check out now, and this should be the absolute last time, i hope.

MICHELLE
Ok, this should be it.

MICHELLE
We’re at negative $18.  We’re at a negative 10.  A negative 6.  Negative 5.  Negative 4.  Negative 3.

MICHAEL
Your total is, 2.31 and you’re getting $5 back in fresh awards.

MICHELLE
It’s awesome, totally awesome.  That’s my receipt; it’s about as tall as i am.

NARRATOR
Michelle’s haul for the football team and after school programme includes 100 bottles of condiments, 125 nutrition bars and a variety of 400 drinks.  Her groceries had a retail value of $1,156.43 cents, but michelle only paid $34 and 66 cents, a 97% savings.

MICHELLE
Ta dah!
 
MICHELLE
I was at the grocery store since 8 am, i was there for 10 hours, but it was definitely worth all of the work that i put into it.

NARRATOR
Michelle’s hard work pays off when she delivers her haul to her son’s football team.

MICHELLE
It felt very good to be able to give the football team all of those items.  I feel like i really accomplished my goal today.  I am very proud of myself.

FOOTBALLER
All right we wanna thank her, [tie us on three.]  One, two, three.  It’s all good.  All day and tomorrow.


KELLY
29.  

KATY
29.

KELLY
This is free, free, free.

NARRATOR
Meet a working mother struggling to support her entire family through coupons.

KELLY
There is more pressure added to my couponing because i am providing for basically two households.

KELLY
This is one of my favourite things to stockpile on.  I am getting 15 jars and it’ll cost me 10 cents.  All right, load me up.

NARRATOR
The first year of a baby’s life can cost parents upward of $15,000, but by relying on coupons, california resident and new mom kelly will only pay a fraction of that cost.

KELLY
My name is kelly and i live and breathe coupons.

KELLY
So all these will be free.  This is free, free, free.  

KELLY
It is almost like a game and it’s like i have to win, i have to be able to walk out of there paying hardly anything.

NARRATOR
Getting groceries for free is a way of life for kelly and her husband zach.  She has built a stock pile that includes 200 jars of baby food for her nine month old daughter, evangeline, 80 canned goods and enough oral care to last her family for up to five years.

KELLY
I just don’t see the point in paying for anything when you can get it for free.  I never pay for razors.  Whenever i pick up things like this, i always look for the ones that have free samples of something else inside.  This one, it comes with free cooling lotion and shaving cream in it.

NARRATOR
Making ends meet while living on a combined salary of $25,000 a year hasn’t been easy for zach and kelly, but in just a year and a half of couponing, kelly has not only saved her own household over $10,000, but she relies on couponing to help her extended family as well.

MICHELLE
I’m the fifth of six children.  My brother is blind and deaf and my dad is not working because of his kidney disease, so they struggle financially.  There is more pressure added to my couponing because i am providing for basically two households, but i love my family more than anything, so whatever i can do to help is wonderful.

NARRATOR
To deal with her family’s financial stresses, this student teacher and mother makes time in her already busy schedule to coupon for up to 20 hours a week.

MICHELLE
My grocery budget is about $50 a month and couponing in california is very hard because we don’t always have the same sales and there are no stores that double coupons, but i still make it work.

NARRATOR
Today, kelly is planning a sizeable shopping trip to help her parents and brother stock up on food, health and household products.

KELLY
So is there anything that you guys need?

KELLY’S MOM
Well christopher can always use yoghurts.

KELLY
If i’ve done my calculations correctly, it will be about $750 worth of groceries that i will get for less than $20.

NARRATOR
Concerned about getting everything her family needs and refusing to risk missing out on any savings, kelly takes her husband, zach, and her sister, katy, to help out at the grocery store.

KELLY
You guys ready to go?

KATY
Let’s do it.

ZACH
Heck, yes.

KELLY
All right.

KELLY
Ok, so we’re getting this allergy medicine.  Each of these is $7, so we’re getting 21.  Some of the coupons i got for these were on their website for a free product, i had six of those.  The other 15 were printable coupons for $5 off, but then i have store coupons, so it’ll be nothing.  I think we’re done with this aisle.

KATY
All right.

KELLY
Let’s move on.

NARRATOR
With the allergy medication in hand, kelly moves on to one of the most important items on her list, her brother’s favourite yoghurt.

KELLY
Now 10 for $6, and when you buy 20, you get a check out coupon for $2 off your next visit.  So i am gonna buy 40 of ‘em and i’ll get $4 back.

KELLY
6, 8.

KELLY
Let’s go get that candy for mom then we’ll be done.

KELLY
Every year for christmas my mom gives us this candy in our stocking and so i thought it would be fun to get 260 of ‘em.

NARRATOR
The breath mints normally retail for a dollar 29 but are on sale at 10 for $10.  Kelly also has coupons for $1 off every container, making all 260 free.

KELLY
Everybody’s breath is gonna smell like oranges for the next ten years.

KELLY
My dad loves these chips, so i wrote to ‘em asking if they would be willing to send me like a sample pack or coupons or anything, so i could give it to him for fathers day, so they sent a box with all these chips, and all these coupons, and so i’m getting five bags, completely free.

NARRATOR
Dedicating hours each week to writing to a variety of different companies means kelly will get many of the products on her shopping list for free.

KELLY
Giving us three packs for totally free.
 
KELLY
So this bread sells for 3.49, but i will get this completely free.

KELLY
Regularly, these pizzas are 6.39, we’ll get all four for free.  I’ll probably keep a couple for my own family and give some to my mom and dad.  I think we’ve got everything, so let’s go check out.

CHECK OUT ASSISTANT
Hi, how are you today?

KELLY
Good.

KELLY
I will be really upset if something goes wrong.  I’ve been trying so hard to get everything organised and so i just want it to go good.

NARRATOR
But before kelly scans a single item, her check out is placed in jeopardy.

CHECK OUT ASSISTANT
And let me get my manager, george.

NARRATOR
She learns that scanning close to 500 products and as many coupons in one transaction will over-run the register line limits.

KELLY
A line limit is the amount of scans that the register will take, and that includes the products and the coupons, and at this store, there is a limit of 600.

NARRATOR
Many of kelly’s coupons are worth more than the sale price of the products.  She was planning on using that difference in price, or overage, to cover the cost of the groceries that don’t have coupons.  To get the saving she was depending on, kelly has to now strategically group certain products together.

KELLY
So what we’ll have to do is break our total up into two transactions.

KELLY
So i was really nervous at first because i had to break everything up and make sure i had the right products on the right transactions to get the most out of my coupons.

NARRATOR
With her separate transactions figured out, kelly starts her first check out.

ZACH
Wow, this is adding up very fast.

KELLY
It’s a little nerve-wracking just seeing the total get higher and higher and you’re just hoping and praying that you have the coupons to cover it all.

CHECK OUT ASSISTANT
The total is 284, without coupons.

KELLY
That’s exactly what i had calculated, so we’re doing good.  So after they ring up all my coupons i’m pretty sure my total will be zero dollars.

ZACH
It’s gonna work and it’s just a matter of seconds and it’s all done.

Kelly 
You can’t talk to me, i’m counting.

ZACH
Oh sorry.

KELLY
Got over $200 knocked off, just got 80 more to go.

KATY
The pressure’s on.

CHECK OUT ASSISTANT
Your total is zero.

KELLY
Yaye!

KELLY
100% savings.

NARRATOR
Kelly’s first transaction goes according to plan, but she can’t celebrate for too long because it’s now time for her second and biggest transaction.

KELLY
This is the one i’m a little more worried about, so we’ll see how it goes.

ZACH
It is such a beautiful sight.

KELLY
I know.  You’re gonna be set for ever.

ZACH
So are you more nervous for this transaction?

KELLY
I am more nervous for this one because the last one, i knew that it was gonna be zero, but this one, i’m not sure how it’s gonna turn out.

KATY
Oh kelly.

CHECK OUT ASSISTANT
Your total’s $532 and 5 cents.

KELLY
Oh, that is more than i thought it would be.

KELLY
I just feel this knot in my stomach and it just gets tighter and tighter.

KELLY
I figure i may have to pay more than i originally thought.

CHECK OUT ASSISTANT
Do you have any coupons for me?

KELLY
You bet i do.

KATY
We’ve taken off almost 100 so far.

KELLY
We’re down to $256, and i’m still not exactly sure how much i’m gonna pay.

ZACH
I have faith in kelly, but i’m a little stressed.

KELLY
Well this is just getting crazy.

CHECK OUT ASSISTANT
The total is $25 and 7 cents.

KELLY
Yes!  Oh my god!  Group hug here, group hug.

KELLY
It’s really great to be able to give this to my family, to be able to support them and provide them with things that they need and it hardly cost me anything.

NARRATOR
Kelly’s haul for her parents and brother, including 20 beverages, 40 yogurts and 260 containers of breath mints had a total retail value of $839 and 8 cents.  But kelly brought her out of pocket expense down to just the price of tax, $25 and 7 cents.

KELLY
Hi mom.

KELLY’S MOM
Hello.

KELLY
I coupon because it’s very rewarding.

KELLY
Guess how much we spent?  $25.

KELLY’S DAD
That’s a good job.  You know what you’re doing.

KELLY
It’s so great to be able to provide for my family.  They have done so much for me and helped me out, so it’s nice to be able to help them out now.

KELLY’S DAD
Pretty impressive i mean to…

KELLY’S MOM
Yeah, [that will give us], you know.

KELLY’S DAD
…have a total that big and then to get it down to pretty well nothing.

KELLY’S MOM
That’s a good buy.

KELLY’S DAD
Go buy me a car or something.