'Extreme Couponing' is big in America, apparently. Families can lophuge amounts off their grocery bills.

$1,000 worth of stuff can be 'bought' for $17. (Am I living in the wrong country?)

Kate, who has visited friends there, says some people pack their garageswith detergents, toilet rolls, tins of fruit and various groceries.

I've just spent an absorbing time ordering magazines on-line and they have not cost me any actual money, because I have used tokens as payment.

We buy some of ourgroceries and most of the fuel for thecar in one particular store. Ihave a store card andreceive 'loyalty' voucher rewardsin the post.

Until recently, a voucher's face value could be exchanged for a 'reward' at four times the amount shown on the voucher.

Thus,a 10 voucher meant you couldtake out a magazine subscription worth 40 andthe magazine wouldbe sent to your home. I have most of my magazines 'free', thanks to this system.

The rewards have now gone down to three times the value: (credit crunch, I suppose), but they are still much better than that ofother stores.

Vouchers can be exchanged for nights in top hotels, air miles, pizza meals, jewellery and loads of other things, too, or they can buy groceries, but only at face value.

I havea good quality new bathroom suite, a new cloakroom suite plus a range of the best tiles, all 'paid' for with vouchers. No cash was needed. For one of the bedrooms, I 'bought' two large fitted wardrobes andagain, no money was involved.

I am sometimes asked to take out loyalty cards with other stores but always refuse, because none of the otherscan match these rewards.

As Keynes, the economist, might have said, 'the more you spend, the more you earn'.