No one really needs to go dumpster diving for coupons, or to buy 62 bottles of mustard just because they’re free. But doing so sure looked entertaining on reality TV back in the day.
These days, coupons are more likely to be on your phone than in a dumpster. And good luck getting a store to accept 62 coupons for anything in one shopping trip. But perhaps the most noteworthy change from the days of Extreme Couponing, is that couponing isn’t just a pleasant pastime anymore. For many shoppers, it’s a necessity.
That’s what the Krazy Coupon Lady discovered in its latest survey of coupon users. As part of its State of Couponing 2025 survey, the team asked more than 3,000 users of its app about their coupon use and preferences, and found that “couponing is no longer extreme, but essential.”
With inflation and tariffs top of mind every time they go to the grocery store, 71% of survey respondents indicated that couponing is not so much an enjoyable activity as it is a survival tactic. That includes the 40% who rely on coupons to afford everyday essentials, and the 31% who use coupons to purchase items they couldn’t otherwise afford. Only 13% called couponing a “fun game or hobby.”
Shoppers’ coupon preferences show they’re more interested in must-have items than nice-to-have ones. Interest in coupons for clothing, restaurants and travel have plummeted over the past year, while interest in coupons for everyday items remains high – 75% seek out coupons for household goods, 80% for personal care items, and 89% of shoppers are most interested in coupons for groceries.
When it comes to coupon formats, committed couponers appear open to using coupons in whatever form they can find. 89% use digital coupons, 79% rely on their stores’ loyalty programs for deals, and 58% use cash-back or rewards apps like Ibotta or Fetch. Even though printable coupons are harder to find lately, 41% still use them. And 16% have tried using universal coupons, which went mainstream when CVS began accepting them late last year.
Most of all, regardless of the form they come in, shoppers want couponing to be easy. Survey respondents said they prefer “simple coupons, with clear value.” That means percentage discounts, dollars-off coupons and BOGO deals are in – sweepstakes, free gifts with a purchase, and other more complicated offers are out.
That’s because, KCL found, “complexity is the enemy of couponing.” When asked their top couponing frustrations, survey respondents didn’t hold back. 21% said they get overwhelmed with so many apps and options, and find couponing to be too complicated. 20% don’t like how much time it takes to coupon, with the same percentage saying they struggle with store rules on stacking and item limits, and are frequently frustrated by expired coupons. And 19% say there simply aren’t coupons available for the items they buy most often.
It used to be that you could find coupons for just about any item on your shopping list. That’s part of what made couponing fun – filling up your pantry without emptying out your wallet. But as coupons themselves have changed, so have shoppers’ attitudes about couponing.
“Extreme couponing had its moment as entertainment,” KCL concluded. But its survey results showed that “couponing is now overwhelmingly about affordability and necessity,” while “the fun parts of couponing are taking a backseat.”
So if you want to reminisce about the days when couponing was a made-for-TV spectacle, there are always Extreme Couponing reruns. But as saving money with coupons becomes more of a habit than a hobby, couponing may not be so extreme anymore – but the need for coupons just might be.
Image source: The Krazy Coupon Lady
