The Coupon Kid: ‘Voucher vulture’, 16, whose savvy shopping meant his mum got £106 of supermarket goods... for just £1.62



For many parents, a trip to the supermarket with a hungry teenager involves a battle to stop pricy treats being sneaked into the trolley.



In the Cox household, however, it’s quite the opposite.

Jordon, 16, is a whizz-kid when it comes to saving his mother money. In fact, he has managed to get her more than £100 of groceries with almost £100 off.

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Bargain hunter Jordan Cox has saved his mum Debbie hundreds of pounds through his clever use of coupons

Haul: Jordan and his mother Debbie bought more than £100 of goods for just £1.62

His secret? He is an ‘extreme couponer’ or ‘voucher vulture’ – taking bargain hunting to new levels with the careful use of coupons.

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

Now, after five years of grocery prices rising faster than salaries, once reticent British shoppers have joined the craze.

Such is Jordon’s expertise that he has saved his mother Debbie hundreds on her food shopping – and insists on accompanying her on every supermarket trip to make sure she is getting the best deal.

His personal record is reducing a £105.88 bill, covering everything from big brand cereals to cheese, snacks and drinks, to just £1.62.



He has even managed to buy a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings for only ten pence. ]

Jordon said: ‘I will not buy anything unless it’s on sale or I’ve got a coupon and I won’t let my mum buy anything full price either – she’s not allowed to put anything in the shopping basket without my permission.’

The teenager also holds seminars at his local theatre in Brentwood, Essex, to give adults tips on how to save money and has set up Facebook and Twitter pages where he shares his top coupons and deals.

He said: ‘Before my mum and dad split up I didn’t have a care in the world for what I spent. But now mum has to support both of us and it’s quite hard. I just want to help her any way I can and I found the best way to do that was through couponing.

‘People expect me to be good at stuff like maths but it’s not my favourite subject – I’m more interested in drama. But couponing has really become my hobby.’



Before they split, Debbie and her husband had a joint income of around £60,000. But on her own, the part-time admin assistant was left with a £8,000 salary.

Although her husband helps with the mortgage, she struggled to pay the bills.



Coupon clever: The Coxs saved more than £100 by using coupons on this supermarket shop



With Jordon’s help, she says life has improved dramatically – and the pair have even been able to afford holidays to Barcelona and Rome and meals out.

She said: ‘When my husband and I split up it I was panicking. I didn’t know how I’d cope financially. When Jordon mentioned couponing I was a bit sceptical.

‘But he’s made some incredible savings and it’s really improved our lives. We had been spending around £120 a week before my husband left and now we’re down to just £10.’

While his peers spend hours in front of computer games, Jordon is scouring newspapers, magazines and websites for deals.

He has also received money-off vouchers from his favourite brands, including McVitie’s and Walkers, after writing to them and praising their products.

At home, Debbie has had to allocate an entire room to his hoard of bargain buys. Shelves are stacked with free toothbrushes and bottles of shampoo as well as reduced boxes of tissues and washing powder.