Grocery prices aren’t coming down anytime soon — but your bill can. In this episode, we sit down with Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor at The Krazy Coupon Lady, to break down exactly how everyday shoppers are slashing their grocery bills using a simple stacking strategy — combining store sales, manufacturer coupons, and cashback apps like Ibotta and Fetch all at once.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Joining me now is Kristin McGrath. She’s senior editor at Krazy Coupon Lady.
Kristin, thanks for making time for us this morning.
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Thanks for having me.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
And I know it’s National Coupon Awareness Month. I wanna get to that in a few minutes, but let’s talk about some of the challenges that so many Americans are having, whether they live in Texas, North Carolina, New York, wherever. Affordability continues to be a challenge.
I’m sure you’re hearing that from all your readers and followers.
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Yeah, affordability has been challenging the past couple of years. In fact, that’s why we launched National Coupon Month last year, because we were hearing from people who were experiencing higher-than-ever prices at checkout. Inflation’s been consistently over 3% for the past year, so those prices haven’t come down, and people really are struggling.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah, I put myself in that category. I look out and I see here in North Carolina, gas prices are at 389. I suspect they’re gonna go up, because as of our recording, oil’s up close to $100.
Let’s talk about Coupon Awareness Month. I was telling you in the virtual green room, my grandparents were Depression-era. They grew up in the Depression.
I can always remember my grandparents, my grandfather and my grandmother, cutting coupons. Has that made a comeback even before some of these affordability challenges?
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Yeah, so we’ve seen a rise in the number of people who are coming into couponing actually in the past year due to these affordability challenges. In fact, we do a survey every year. We call it our State of Couponing Survey.
We found in our survey that more than 70% of the people surveyed said they’d clipped a coupon in the past 60 days, and that’s up 14% since last year, so more people are coming into it. You mentioned your grandparents. Couponing looks a lot different now.
It’s not scissors and paper anymore. It’s an app.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that. I grew up, there were two versions of the Baltimore Sun, one in the morning, one in the evening. They had coupon sections.
My mom and dad would also clip. Papers probably don’t have a high circulation, so how do people get the coupons? Where are they finding them?
Is it all digital and online?
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Couponing is digital now. Now, you can still get the paper coupons. I actually have a drawer.
I wish I was sitting at the right desk right now where I could show you a drawer full of paper manufacturer coupons that I’ve gotten from various sources, but couponing really is digital now. So in the past, when you’d walk in with an envelope full of paper coupons or a binder full of coupons if you were really organized, these days you’re walking in with your phone and an app.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
And the Krazy coupon lady, there is an app that you can download for your iPhone or your Android. Are there other ways? I’m not asking you to promote other products, but are there other ways that you can find these coupons?
Because I know, for example, pharmaceutical coupons you can go to, geez, I forget the name of it, but there’s a place you can go for getting a cheaper deal if you don’t have health insurance.
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Yeah, exactly, there’s so many options. I mean, yes, we do have our app and what’s great about our app is that we show you how to combine coupons and stack them in ways that your store app might not be telling you. And we also have the ability with just one clip, you can send coupons from our app to your store loyalty account and then check out with your phone number.
But you have other options. If there’s a store that you really like shopping at, you can get their app and you can get all your coupons there. And the great thing about those store apps is that you can go to a shelf and you can scan an item usually, and it will tell you if it has coupons on it.
And then there are also rebate apps, think Ibotta and Fetch where you can clip offers, scan your receipts after you make a purchase and get cashback rewards on top of the savings. So we actually recommend those as the final layer, the cherry on top when you’re stacking coupons.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
That’s really smart. Do you think even before this affordability challenge, you think a lot, based on your survey, people are certainly couponing, but are more and more people, I’m Gen X, Gen Z, Gen Y, are people really engaged in this and are they finding a lot of discounts?
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Yes, absolutely. And I think as people move through stages of life, they’re finding new ways to coupon. So maybe you start as a student and you realize you need to afford food and groceries for the first time.
You become a new parent and then suddenly you’re deep into diaper and wipes, coupons and rebates, or maybe you have a growing family and you have to figure out how to afford more groceries than usual. So there’s constantly people being brought in to couponing for the first time. And I will say, the affordability crisis over the past couple of years has gotten people thinking about couponing who may not have had to before.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
And it’s a good way. I’m thinking about it from the manufacturer’s point of view. I would, you know, if I can’t reduce the price of my product because it costs me X number of dollars to produce it, so I can’t, it would be in my best interest to create like a volume discount or to create coupons, right?
To attract more customers. It’s in the manufacturer’s best interest to do this.
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
We see a lot of offers like that. We see BOGOs. We see buy more, save more offers where it’s exactly that.
Brands are hoping to get you in the door, maybe buy multiples of something. But, you know, we also see very simple manufacturer offers too, where it’s two to three bucks off a small ticket item to get you to try it. And those are great savings too.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
You know, I recall, I can’t remember what show was. I don’t know if I’m dating myself. That’s incredible.
But there was a trend where, and these people took it to the max where they would try to buy, in fact, I think there was a Netflix movie about this.
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Extreme couponing, yes.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
I’m sorry, go ahead.
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Like extreme couponing.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah, I mean, people were trying to walk out where actually they were giving, they were, you know, they were actually, they, meaning the supermarket, were giving money back. They were paying like zilch. I mean, I guess people do do that.
I mean, they’re probably using your app to try to do that. It’s kind of like gamifying it.
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Yes, for some people, this is a sport and a competitive game where they’re competing with themselves to see how much they can save. And yes, there is extreme couponing. That’s definitely an element.
And I will say that this, these getting carts and carts full of groceries for free or having the supermarket pay you, this was more common in the days of paper coupons when you could maybe also have a discussion with the checkout person or maybe the fine print wasn’t super clear. With the apps and digital coupons, some of those loopholes have been closed, but we still get stuff for free. We still get stuff we call moneymakers where you’re getting paid a little bit, especially when you’re stacking those rebates and store rewards on top.
So it is still, it is absolutely possible. We always say don’t pay for toothpaste. That’s one of those things that you could get for a cent or free or even as a moneymaker.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
So if I’m watching this or listening to it, because we have a podcast version and I’m kind of reticent, I don’t know where to start. Is it as easy as one, two, three, to go to the app store and download your app or any app? And what do I need to do to break myself in?
Because if I’m new to this and I’m not doing it, that learning curve may be a little steep or is it steep?
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
The way we look at it is, as long as you’re not paying full price, you’re winning. So maybe you’re not going to get into this four level, five level stacking right away. It’s as easy as getting our app or your favorite stores app and just looking and doing a search on things that you’re already buying and realizing, oh, there’s a coupon for that.
I can get a couple bucks off. And then you can start layering manufacturer offers and store offers together. Those coupons do stack because they’re from different sources.
And then you start getting into the store rewards and getting rewards that you can use on your next purchase. And then the rebate apps, and it kind of snowballs from there. So give yourself permission and grace to start small and go from there.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
And would you expect, I know it’s National Coupon Awareness Month, but would you expect around Halloween, Thanksgiving, and some of the major holidays that you would see even more coupons, especially when people head out to maybe to buy their gifts or they wanna bring that apple pie or pumpkin pie to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving, would you expect there to be even more coupon and deals available?
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
You know, there’s always coupons and stores definitely do like to meet shoppers where they’re at with coupons and offers and stuff that they know they’re buying or stuff that they’d like to get off of shelves. So actually a strategic time to shop can be just a little bit off time, a little bit after a holiday. You can find more clearance savings like that.
So yes, definitely stores do lean into seasonal offers and you should always keep an eye out.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah, if I could ask you just a personal question, I know you’re very passionate about this. How did you, you know, it seems like you really love not just finding the best deals, but helping other people find the best deals. I know you’ve written for other publications.
How did you find the passion for this aspect? Was it self need or, you know, for your family or did you just, you just got into it and it was kind of like a game?
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
I think like a lot of people, you know, being a student, it was when I first started thinking about trying to save on things just because money was tight. And if I wanted certain things or needed certain things, I had to figure out ways to either get it on the cheap or use coupons. For the past 10 years of my career, I’ve been working for savings and deal sites, landed with a Krazy coupon lady a little over two years ago.
And so that’s actually helped me level up. I mean, I will tell you, I’ve always been a bargain shopper, a thrift shopper, a clearance shopper, but the Krazy coupon lady, you know, I’m combining coupons now in ways that I wasn’t before. And I have a coupon stockpile in my bathroom cupboard.
So really there are levels to this if you wanna get involved.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah, it sounds like it’s a passion of yours, but it’s so important for people, find the best deal possible. You have to prioritize what you need and what fits into your budget, but you can prioritize and coupons certainly help. Kristin, we’re gonna have to leave it there.
It’s great to see you. Thanks for making time for us. And we look forward to having you back on the program again very soon.
Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor, Krazy Coupon Lady
Great, thank you so much.
