More than 50 take part in ‘couponing’ workshop
PRESQUE ISLE — More than 50 County residents took part in “Secrets to Successful Couponing,” a course offered through the NMCC Continuing Education Division, Oct. 15.
The half-day workshop was led by Portland resident Chrystie Corns, whose rock star-esque fame in the frugal world rivals that of her sister, TV’s former “Bachelorette” Ashley Hebert.
Photo courtesy of Northern Maine Community College
MADAWASKA NATIVE Chrystie Corns, sister of TV’s former “Bachelorette” Ashley Hebert, takes a moment to speak with several of the attendees at an Oct. 15 “Secrets to Successful Couponing” workshop at NMCC. More than 50 community members took part in the half-day session.
During the session, Corns talked about how she was able to save over $5,000 on groceries and household items in a year, and on one day walked out of a Rite Aid with $156 of paid merchandise that didn’t cost her anything and, with rebates factored in, actually made her money.
County residents participating in the workshop heard from Corns how they could save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars using coupons and rebates. The Madawaska native, who has appeared in The Learning Channel’s docu-series “Extreme Couponing” and whose cost cutting measures have been the subject of several print and online articles, shared other “tricks of the trade.”
“Every time I go out and pay pennies on the dollar it’s like a rush,” said Corns. “I quickly got addicted and now actually use ‘extreme couponing’ as an additional source of income.”
During the workshop, Corns spoke about how she starts her search for good deals every Sunday when she buys several copies of the Sunday paper. She also elaborated on how she keeps her coupons organized to maximize both her time and savings when it comes to going to the store.
Corns shared several personal experiences on ways she was able to not only save money on items, but how she took advantage of opportunities using coupons and rebates that resulted in money in her pocket. The discussion included how to capitalize on shopping “reward” programs offered by various retailers.
A self-employed, single mother of two young children, Corns, who started “couponing” as a way to help make ends meet, has become kind of a media mogul. Dubbed “Maine’s Extreme Couponer,” her website www.ilovetogossip.com, launched a year ago, now receives over 150,000 hits a month.
She recently resigned from her social marketing consultancy, Thirteen Thirty Marketing, to focus on her website and “extreme couponing,” as well as to write a book and develop a television show. In the past year, she has appeared on various television shows, including episodes of the most recent season of ABC Television’s “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” where Corns helped advise her sister. She has also appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and was featured in People Magazine.
