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Extreme coupon cutters save hundreds on groceries
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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The women sat expectantly as Monica Knight told them she once routinely spent $600 a month on groceries for her family of four. Breaking into a broad smile, Knight says that figure has been reduced to only $100 to $150 a month.And now the dental hygienist and mother of two is about to tell them her secret.The women lean forward in their seats. They're the latest disciples of extreme couponing; women who carry pictures of their overflowing pantries on their cell phones; savvy shoppers who will spend hours flipping through newspaper and magazine advertisements in search of their bargains, and homemakers who have pinched pennies to put food on the table during the recession and need the extra help.Most have watched the television series "Extreme Couponing," which debuted on TLC in April and follows shoppers whose intense devotion to finding bargains can whittle a $555.44 grocery store bill down to $5.97, to cite one extreme example.Heather Border, a 36-year-old mother of four in rural Idaho, is a new to the extreme coupon phenomenon.