News 

For Chris and Ashley Duff of Houston, Pennsylvania, couponing is not just a way to save money - but a way to care for the needy and give back to God for his many blessings.

"God uses the small things in life, like coupons, to make a huge difference for the Kingdom," says Chris, who attends Central Assembly of God (Stephen Getchell, lead pastor) in Houston. "Give God whatever you have whether its coupons (or fishes and loaves) and He'll transform and multiply it for His glory."

Several months ago, the couple was featured on an episode of TLC's "Extreme Couponing," a show highlighting people that get hundreds of dollars in groceries for free, just by clipping coupons (see "AG News" article). They then advanced to "Extreme Couponing: All-Stars," where 12 extreme couponers compete against each other to see who could get the best deals.

In each 30-minute episode, two couponers are given a $500 budget and a 30-minute time limit, and the person with the highest percentage of savings is named the winner and given a chance to move on to the finale.

The January 24 finale episode, filmed at Glazier's Marketplace in Las Vegas, featured Chris and two other final contestants, Perry and Joni, in a head to head battle for the title of Ultimate Extreme Couponer. Contestants could bring one person with them to help them shop.

Chris and Ashley Duff

The Duffs won.

In the finale, contestants needed to purchase at least $700 of product, but come away with the greatest percentage in savings, in the allotted 30-minute time frame.

Chris and Ashley were able to round up $6,358.65 worth of product, and with coupons, their total came to $0. Joni bought $4,439.54 worth of product and also spent $0. Perry's total was $708.42 and she spent $108.28.

"The best part about this entire competition is that everything must be donated to charity," says Chris. "We already donated all of our stuff, but now this forced the other couponers to do the same!  It's wonderful how God worked that out!"

More than $11,500 worth of products from Glazier's Marketplace that were purchased during the finale were donated to the Shade Tree Shelter in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and the St. Therese Center in Henderson, Nevada.

Through this experience, the Duffs were able to share their faith countless times with the producers, cameras and crew. While a lot of what they shared didn't make it into an episode, those directly involved - editors, writers, transcribers and others were able to hear about Jesus and the reasoning behind why the couple started couponing.

"We still believe that God's spirit came across to all the TV viewers. Many people have started couponing so that they too can begin to help the needy in their own communities across the United States," says Chris.

Chris gives these tips for those wanting to coupon:

• Buy a Sunday paper for each person in your family. Clip and organize all the coupons.
• Use manufacturers' Facebook pages and websites like coupons.com to get additional coupons.
• Watch your local sales ads each week to see what's on sale.
• Match up your coupons to items on sale to get deep discounts!
• Be patient, couponing is not instant gratification. You may not use the coupons you clipped that week until 4-6 weeks later. This strategy pays huge dividends!

Following their debut on national television, the Duffs are prayerfully considering what their next steps should be as far as couponing - whether they begin traveling to other churches to teach classes, write a book or create a website/blog. "We want to be right in step with where God's leading us, not running ahead to do our own agenda. He put us on this show for a reason and allowed us to come away with the trophy," says Chris. "We must discern now the greatest way to make an impact for Jesus."