Using coupons to save money has never been more popular, and even the A list are getting involved.
A few years ago, Kourtney Kardashian revealed her love for couponing. At the time, she said: “It’s not about saving money. It’s a game.”
But for many ‘normal’ people, it is about saving money. Holly Smith started couponing eight years ago when she had to give up work due to poor health.
Speaking to Closer Online, Holly said: “I had to somehow find a way to kill time and help keep my bank account out of the red. I started by just looking into ways to save money and Couponing was just one of them!”
But Holly’s hobby has turned into a real money saver, and she thinks she might even be close to the £10,000 mark.
“[I’ve easily saved] £1,000s,” she said. “Maybe even close to £10,000, but in 2014 alone i saved about £2,000. I went a little bit mad at times!”
Holly uses coupons for just about anything – toiletries, vegetables, petrol, clothes, holidays, days out, restaurants – and she even manages to donate to charity through her voucher collecting.
She said: “I got over 100 frozen pizzas which I ended up donating to the Salvation Army. The fact is, although I have a chest freezer, it can only hold so much!”
For anyone who wants to have a go at couponing themselves, Holly has some advice.
“Find a coupon buddy!” she said. “There are forums online where people gather and share deals so once you’ve joined the community you can be in the loop!
“Also my biggest tip is READ THE T&Cs! come coupons require splitting your shopping up at the till. It takes time but it’s time well spent! I have a page on Facebook called ‘UK Extreme Couponing and Freebies’ with other 138,000 members. We all help each other save money!”
Holly appears in Bargain Fever Britain, staring on Tuesday 3rd March at 8pm on ITV.