This Extreme Couponer Got $100K Worth of Stuff for Next to Nothing… and Then Gave It All Away. Here’s Why

extreme couponing
Image from John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe

What’s the only thing better than couponing? Couponing for a cause.

And that’s exactly what 20-year-old college student Hannah Steinberg has made her mission.

The Boston Globe recently profiled this remarkable young woman and the way she’s using her love of couponing to help those in need.

How She Makes Her Coupons Count

In high school, Steinberg became obsessed with the show “Extreme Couponing,” on which people use tons of coupons and insider knowledge to amass household goods and groceries for next to nothing.

While watching one day, the Globe reports, she was struck by a thought: “What if she could coupon with a conscience?”

“I decided to start extreme couponing and donate all items to… a shelter that offers temporary housing for families that have fallen on hard times,” she writes on her website.

She eventually started a non-profit organization, Our Coupons Care, through which she solicits donations to purchase the items.

“By mixing that money with her coupon magic,” explains the Globe, “Steinberg said she can make ‘every dollar count for four to five dollars.’”

To date, she’s “donated more than $100,000 worth of household items, canned goods, and electronics to homeless shelters and hospitals by using the couponing tricks she observed on the show,” the Globe reports.

Pretty inspiring, right? Who knew couponing could get even cooler?

For the full scoop on Steinberg and Our Coupons Care, head over to the Globe.

Your Turn: Have you ever thought about couponing for a cause?

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.