The nation’s slow economic recovery and a new reality TV show have fueled a couponing craze that has caught on in Hawaii.
Clipping coupons has become increasingly popular nationwide since TLC started airing the show "Extreme Couponing," which features enthusiasts who collect coupons to save hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of dollars on groceries.
One episode of "Extreme Couponing" featured a shopper buying $3,159 worth of groceries for $45. Another followed a woman as she went Dumpster diving to find coupons from discarded Sunday newspapers. Coupon clippers are seen buying nearly the entire inventory of a product when they can get it for just a few cents. They pack their loot in pantries, closets and even under their beds for future use.
"A common theme is that the current state of the economy has caused people to be creative about their spending," said Matt Sharp, executive producer of the TLC show. "Many people realize that coupons are found money they can put to effective use."
The show has sparked renewed interest among Hawaii residents looking to save money on produce and goods often sold for higher prices here than on the mainland due to shipping costs.
Angie Soto of Moiliili said she spends more than 40 hours a week clipping coupons from newspapers and shopping for deals.
The 29-year-old calculates that she saved $7,000 on groceries this year, allowing her to pay off a car loan a year early.
"It’s not like we get to pay off every single debt we have, but it has allowed us to live within our budget and to save some money on the side," said Soto, who blogs about couponing tactics at allcouponedout.blogspot.com.
A number of couponing groups, in which shoppers trade coupons with each other, have sprouted in Hawaii. One group of Hawaii enthusiasts on Facebook recently had as many as 400 members, according to Amanda Borsella, a 30-year-old Aiea resident who helped the group organize coupon swaps.
"For some people it’s like a rush that they have been able to find such a great amazing deal," Borsella said.
Honolulu resident Mike Shimada, who has been clipping coupons since 2008, said, "I’ve gotten deals where it’s almost free. It’s a little bit of a hobby."
While shoppers featured on the TLC show often buy a year’s supply or more of one product, that can prove difficult in Hawaii because stores might run out of inventory.
"The problem with extreme couponing on an island is there are so limited quantities," said Ford Island resident Sarah Hiscocks. "You have regular couponers go in and then there’s no product left."
The sometimes-excessive enthusiasm of people who clip coupons to save money has bolstered newspaper sales in some cities, but it has also led to newspaper thefts, according to a recent front-page article in USA Today about extreme couponing. The story cited several cases this year where women were arrested or accused of stealing extra copies of newspapers from newspaper boxes to get the coupons.
While the theft is never welcomed, many newspaper executives are happy with the increased demand for their publications.
"What this show on TLC has done is give tremendous exposure to the value of the paper," said Dave Kennedy, the Star-Advertiser’s senior vice president for marketing. "There is not a better investment than the Sunday newspaper."
For $2, readers "receive a paper filled with information on sales from all the major retailers, to valuable coupons, to restaurant specials, retail sales, open house guide for real estate, TV week, comics and complete local, national and international news. When you think of what $2 buys you today, it’s a heck of a deal," Kennedy said.
Besides money saving, couponing has also led to other personal benefits.
"Being in the military, especially coming here because we’re so far away from everything, you’ve kind of got to find something in common with other people to make friends," said Borsella, the Aiea resident who has been couponing for eight years. "That’s one of the personal reasons I got so involved. It’s a bonding experience, we all have something in common — we all want to save money."
