DAYTON — When you hear extreme couponing, you may think of lots of paper coupons, cartloads of items, and carefully coordinated deals.
But an Ohio native’s viral TikTok’s helping millions save money couponing with no scissors required.
News Center 7′s consumer investigative reporter Xavier Hershovitz got some tips and shows you how he got nearly half off at one store trip.
Kiersti Torok takes getting deals seriously. She has nearly 3 million followers on TikTok, where she shares her extreme couponing tips.
>> Check out Kiersti Torok’s TikTok account
She first learned to coupon after her parents lost their jobs in the 2008 recession. She picked it back up in 2020 when she and her husband lost their jobs because of the COVID pandemic.
“You have this huge worldwide crisis that hits your family and you’re like what am I going to do? Coupon – that’s what we’re going to do,” Torok said.
It became a way for her family to not just survive but thrive.
“We’re not going out and using 200 paper coupons. We’re not going out and buying things we don’t need and use. It’s household essentials,” Torok said.
Sharing her practical tips on Tik Tok, she’s helped others do the same. So, Hershovitz wanted to know what’s the easiest way to start saving.
“Always start so small,” Torok said. Start by downloading your favorite store’s app, and make sure you’re signed up for the rewards program.
“Then you can go through your cart and scan each item and then you click on the item and the coupons will be right beneath,” Torok said.
She suggests starting with items you know and love and see what kind of coupons are available.
Hershovitz went to Meijer in Huber Heights to test his couponing knowledge. He only picked the items he needed and started with some body wash. He said not many of his go-to’s had coupons available at Meijer.
He did find a coupon available for the laundry detergent he was looking for, along with toilet paper and a dishwasher rinse agent.
With coupons clipped, Hershovitz was ready to check out. In looking at the Meijer receipt and saved $9.10 overall.
But Hershovitz was satisfied with those savings, so he went to CVS in Huber Heights. He found body wash, toothpaste, and shampoo and conditioner. All of them had digital coupons.
After checking out at CVS, Hershovitz said, “I got a lot of extra coupons for the next time.” He also said he saved $15.10, which is about 42%.
Savings that took no more than an extra 10 seconds for an item. The biggest mistake Torok said she sees people make when the start couponing is taking on too much too fast.
“Start small and see what you can do. Work your way up because you’re not going to overwhelm your budget that way,” Torok said.
She shares big-time deals on her TikTok account and said the more you do this, the better you get.
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