There’ s a definite strategy involved in clipping over $ 200,000 worth of coupons. For Laura Allison, a Business Administration student at Pittsburgh Technical Institute, it usually begins with tearing pages apart and clipping those with coupons on one side first.
“ I’ ll do the double-sided later. I’ ll wait until I have a pile, total them up and write down the totals,” Allison said.“ I also sort them by food and non-food items.”
Allison is not an extreme couponer, but she is helping a lot of people obtain huge savings through her efforts, namely U. S. military personnel and their families. According to PTI instructor Mark Bellemare, families of the U. S. military often lack access to American newspapers when they are stationed overseas. However, many of the stores where they shop take coupons on American products, even expired coupons. BCD Travel has partnered with PTI to collect these valuable coupons and distribute them to military families, saving them a great deal of money on their food. Over the three years that PTI has been part of the program, the school has helped save over $ 300,000 through couponing.
“ There’ s a base in Germany that they get sent to,” Allison said.“ On the base, there’ s a grocery store where they can use the coupons. Or they can send them back to their families in the U. S. As long as it’ s a manufacturer’ s coupon, we can use it.”
Allison said she used to set a goal for herself of filling one gallon-sized bag of coupons a week, but school obligations and helpers who had their own schedules to keep made that goal difficult to keep. So she compromised and decided to get done as much as she could, when she could.
In 2015, Allison estimates clipping coupons for the military for more than 600 hours. She’ s just as enthusiastic about 2016:“ Over Christmas break I took a pile of coupons over a foot high home with me and my mom and brothers helped out. We finished them all.”
Allison is not an extreme couponer, but she is helping a lot of people obtain huge savings through her efforts, namely U. S. military personnel and their families.
PTI President Greg DeFeo said Allison’ s dedication is commendable.
“ We are very proud of Laura’ s significant efforts,” said DeFeo.“ She’ s proving that through something as simple as clipping coupons, one person can make a very big difference.”
PTI has been recognized for seven consecutive years for its collective efforts as a Military Friendly School. The campus culture includes a variety of special amenities for active military and veterans, an exclusive lounge, and Yellow Ribbon School status, which makes it possible through a federal grant partnership program for veterans to attend college with little out-of-pocket expense.
For Allison, however, it’ s just the ability to give back that matters. She said her grandfather was deployed to Vietnam after combat missions had ceased, but that’ s the only military service in her family.
“ I’ ve always just enjoyed being involved in community service,” Allison said.“ Mr. Bellemare introduced me to this initiative and I really liked it. Now, I can’ t wait to get to my coupons.”
And while she is a fan of TLC’ s“ Extreme Couponing” show, Allison said there’ s no
store in the region where the results seen on the show can be replicated.
“ I’ ve looked into it, and you need to do a lot of research before you can leave the store with carts full of stuff paid for with coupons,” she said.“ You have to review the store’ s coupon policy, and, typically, the stores where you can do it are independent grocers or‘ Mom and Pop’ stores. But it would be exciting to do it.” Unfortunately for PTI’ s couponing program, Allison graduates in June with her associate degree, so it will be losing a huge clipping asset. But the group did formally recognize her dedication by way of awarding her the college’ s 2016 Community Service Award. And while she’ ll be out in the world, putting her education to use in the business sector, Allison is confident that others will step up to pick up the scissors she leaves behind.
“ People will do it because it helps other people,” she said.“ I’ m pretty sure the school can keep it going when I’ m not there. It’ s a worthwhile project to have.” n
Carlynton-Montour | Summer 2016 | icmags. com 13