Coupon lady is one cheap chick

Hughes started couponing with her mother when she eight years old, not when television show “Extreme Couponing” brought national attention to obsessive coupon shoppers.

Hughes said the show has cast a negative light on people who shop with coupons, but most are not like that.

“ I will say the show has brought some awareness about couponing, which is a good thing,” Hughes said. “But in their attempt to make the show interesting, the real value and simplicity of couponing is lost.”

Hughes doesn’t have year’s worth of detergent, energy drinks and razors stashed in her basement, but she does have one binder full of health and beauty type coupons and another filled with grocery coupons. At home she keeps a few stockpiles of products that she is able to score for free, or close enough to snag a few extras.

She does take her coupon binders everywhere she goes, because she never knows when she might need them.

She explains how on a recent trip to the beach, she forgot her makeup, but was thankful she had her coupons.

“Thank goodness I had my coupons,” she said. “For what should have been nearly $100, I got for just a few dollars. If you are on a budgeted vacation and have to spend $100 on makeup it could be a disaster.”

Hughes spends on average about 10 hours a week clipping coupons and printing coupons from the Internet. Learning to coupon is not something that happens easily or overnight. It’s a labor of love that requires patience and time.

“When you first start you will do good to remember to bring coupons with you to the store. Eventually you will feel guilty if you pick up a single item at the store and don’t use a coupon.”

Unlike the extreme couponers, Hughes said the average coupon shopper doesn’t get their entire order for free. The shoppers on television are often buying things that they don’t need or are buying large quantities of something simply because they have the coupons.

“There are times I may buy things my family doesn’t use, but only in an effort to give back or help those in need,” she said, adding she gives back in many ways.

She shares her coupon knowledge and endeavors at 6 p.m. on most Mondays at The Grace Place. She also provides food and other items to The Grace Place’s Feed the Hungry and senior citizen’s programs. She is now frequently asked to be a guest speaker by various groups in the community where she shares her couponing tips and tricks, match ups and other rules.

Even though some people still refer to her as “one of those” or “the crazy coupon lady,” many community members know her as an educator and innovative leader in the community.

By the end of one of her classes, participants are eager to start clipping, go shopping and tell others about their savings.

Hughes tracks her purchases and savings on a spreadsheet and last year the Hughes’ household saved about 72 percent.

“Couponing has become second nature to me and I challenge myself to see how much I can save each time I head to the store. “

To learn more about couponing and upcoming classes, contact Hughes at [email protected]. The Grace Place is at 5730 Shellfield Road.