SAVVY Helen Dickinson knows a good deal when she sees one.

On her most recent trip to the supermarket she got a £118 shop for just £2.78.

Her secret? Helen is Southampton’s self-confessed coupon queen and is so good at picking up bargains, she has not paid full price for an item in years and as a result has saved her family thousands of pounds.

The mum-of-one savvy shopper devotes much of her time to beating the crunch making sure she is up to speed on penny-pinching perks such as finding money-off coupons and vouchers, spotting underpriced goods, entering competitions and charming companies into sending her sample products.

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Extreme couponing first emerged in the US where customers who can fill a trolley for as little as possible are celebrated.

And Helen is among the British ‘voucher vultures’ who have joined the craze of taking bargain hunting to another level.

Now Helen is even looking at new ways to save pennies such as ‘wambling’ or picking up stray receipts from the supermarket to benefit from the loyalty card points and price matches another shopper has discarded.

Helen, said: “I never buy anything at full price, only bargains.

“I am always always looking to save money but then I don’t know many 23-year-olds with a family who live like we do. I feel very lucky.

“Someone earned more than £32,000 ‘wambling’ over four years and donated the money to charity so I’d definitely look into it.”

Having not found out that she was pregnant until she was 20 weeks and then aged 20, Helen was determined not to get into debt and was terrified at the thought of just scraping by.

So Helen, a former Totton College student, decided to make her wages as a McDonalds and Build a Bear assistant and her partner’s as a delivery driver stretch as far as possible.

“It was a real shock to find out I was pregnant. I had to grow up fast!” said Helen who moved into her mum and dad’s house in Dibden Purlieu with her partner to save money.

“I wanted the best for our baby. I hate to think of him being brought up without, which meant I had to look at ways to save money.

"It started with writing to baby product companies who sent me vouchers and free products and it went from there! We don’t get benefits and you have to find money from somewhere!"

Now though little Maxwell is three and their life has improved dramatically.

Helen is now a mummy blogger called Mummy to the Max with thousands of followers online who shares her thrifty tips to other parents feeling the pinch.

The couple live in a private rented property in Totton and thanks to vouchers and store loyalty points, can afford luxuries like holidays and days out.

“I got more and more into it.

“Getting a good bargain is addictive. I get really into it and I love the feeling of saving money. It means I can spend it on family experiences or say swimming lessons.”

Helen, who said her average weekly food shop costs £40 for three, spends hours online every week scouring for the latest competitions, vouchers, deals and coupons to save her money.

With careful planning the bargain queen is able to buy food, presents and even holidays for a fraction of the retail price.

When there is a specific deal on, Helen makes sure she takes advantage of it and often bulk buys products.

She has a stash of toiletries and when there was a deal on educational books, she bought for all ages and has put them aside for when her son gets older.

Bargains include a £14 leg of lamb for £2.50, a woolly hat reduced from £14 to 50p and a week holiday for £85.

“I do a lot of my shopping at Tesco. I do worry the supermarket assistants shudder when they see me and some people can get so judgemental when they see me with my coupons or down the reduced aisles,” she laughs.

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But despite her bargain hunting addiction Helen always helps out others.

She is inundated with money-saving requests from friends and family and even strangers.

“I’ve won loads in competitions I’ve entered online but I do give away to people!

“I always leave stuff for other people. You have to be kind to others and not be greedy when you see a good bargain! I saw bargains are like buses, there is always another one behind it!

“People say is it worth it? But how many can go online for four/five hours of preparation and save £100 off a food bill? Of course it’s worth it.

“Even if I won the lottery I would never stop I’d still do it because every little helps and that money can always be spent elsewhere“

Daily Echo:

TOP MONEY-SAVING TIPS FROM SOUTHAMPTON’S COUPON QUEEN

  • Write to companies praising their products and they will often reward feedback with vouchers and free samples.
  • Go to the reduced section at the supermarket which often have cheap meat which can be frozen for family meals.
  • Don’t automatically renew direct debits for utilities and insurance etc. Always shop around to get money off!
  • Don’t get stuck into buy one get one free offers which can work out more expensive.
  • Look at the Deli counter in the supermarket because people automatically think it is more expensive but if they have a deal you can pick up cheaper alternatives.
  • Always buy fruit loose rather than packaged.
  • If something is cheap, bulk buy it and store it!
  • Always get supermarket store cards to earn loyalty points which can be spent on staples or for luxuries such as Christmas presents.
  • Don’t be loyal to a brand or meal plan, go with whatever is on offer and get creative!