Centsable Saving Stories (and Struggles)

I grew up in a frugal family, and my mother was known as the bargain queen in our circle. When we’d go shopping, we would often take my grandmother along so we could use her Senior discount on top of the sales! It was habit to hit the clearance racks and discount bins first, buy in bulk and go generic. I knew what I was doing.

Once I got married, dear hubby and I spent a little too freely in those first lovely honeymoon months; add that to my students loans, and we woke up about a year into our marriage with significant debt. We signed up for Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, and we began to work at budgeting and eliminating our debt. Very quickly I became frustrated trying to keep our grocery and household budget in check, and the rising price of groceries didn’t help. I would go shopping for the pay period, spend all my budget (and then some) and then have 2 weeks until the next pay day. Invariably we would run out of milk, fresh produce, dog food and other staples so I would run back to the store for “just that one thing” (let me tell you, it was NEVER just one thing). I wasn’t ever able to stay within budget.

During all this time I dabbled at coupons, but they never seemed to work for me. I’d forget to clip them and they’d pile up for weeks. Then I’d have a marathon clipping session and find that half would already be expired and the other half would for for items or brands we don’t use as they are too expensive. So I’d make it to the store, realize that even with the coupons the generic items were still cheaper than the brand name, and I’d maybe end up using a coupon or two saving a whopping $0.30-$1! It wasn’t even worth the price of the newspaper, so I gave up. I figured coupons were for people who buy a lot of pre-packaged and junk foods, so they just wouldn’t work for me. I’d often heard of women who could go to the store, use coupons and save hundreds of dollars, but they seemed like an urban legend. Everyone has heard of someone who could do that, but no one really knew how to do it themselves.

Then I found BeCentsAble! I saw a clip online from Good Morning America about coupon parties, and I watched how these women got $370 worth of groceries for FREE and even made back six dollars! Not only were they doing it, but they were teaching others how to as well. I immediately went to the website and signed up to become an Educator! I didn’t want to just learn this, I wanted to share it with everyone I could.

My very first shopping trip after learning the BeCentsAble strategies, I picked up just a few items at Walgreens and CVS. I got $27 worth of products, and I paid negative $2! I too got my items free and made money back! I couldn’t believe it! I’ve been hooked ever since.

I started my own website, Frugal Friends Forever, to share my shopping trips, tips, and frugal living stories. I love that BeCentsAble has not only taught me to help bless my family, but it has allowed me a way to bless other families. When I am teaching someone, and I see the light bulb go off, and they say, “You can really do that? I never knew that!,” it is soooo much fun! And then to hear back from them once they’ve gone shopping and are so excited at their own deals– it is the greatest thrill!

I’m also able to bless others in a tangible way that I couldn’t before. A friend recently called and was upset because her husband had been out of work for months due to an injury and she only had $20 to feed her family of 5 (including 2 in diapers) for the rest of the month. She had not been through a workshop yet, but I told her to go buy a double Sunday paper and come over. I went to the Grocery Gathering on the BeCentsAble website, gave her a notepad and told her to start writing. We figured out how to make her money stretch for a whole month, and I even helped her get $52 worth of Huggies diapers and wipes for only $2! Plus, while she was surfing the site, I was able to make her a box of groceries to take home from my now well stocked pantry. It was so nice to hear of a need and to be able to really help. She is now my biggest supporter, and she tells EVERYONE to come to my workshops!

Bargain hunting has now become my favorite hobby! I can’t wait for the new store ads to come out, so I can figure out how much I can get for free this week! It has now become a ritual once I get home from shopping to pile all my purchases on the table and “show off” to hubby what I got and what I paid for it (or didn’t pay for it!). Week after week, he is amazed and says I have found my niche. The great thing is that shopping and doing our household budget is no longer a burden. I look forward to it now and am anxious to see how much we can cut our own budget. I’m now spending about 25-30% less than before, and I fully expect to have cut my budget in HALF within the next few months. For once we really feel in charge of our finances, not controlled by them.

I saw a very real example of how this system has changed my family’s financial situation. Last month, my mom, the bargain queen passed away suddenly. I had just done my shopping for the week, when I had to drop everything and rush to my parent’s house. I didn’t come home until a week later. Even though my house was stocked with food, my hubby can’t really cook, so I still had to get something for him to live on while I was gone. I went and bought a bunch of the expensive pre-package food I typically never buy. Due to the emergency situation, I didn’t even have time to check the website and coupons. I just ran to Walmart and bought him food so I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. Before BeCentsAble, I would have already spent my entire grocery budget, and that Walmart trip would have completely blown me out of the water. As it was, I still had $50 left. I went to Walmart and spent right at $50! We didn’t go over budget, hubby had plenty of indulgent bachelor type food, and when it all calmed down and I came home, we were well stocked because of the shopping I had done just before I had left. I am still in shock that we had such a major emergency, stayed within budget, and didn’t have to resort to a credit card to get us through. This is HUGE for us!

I love BeCentsAble and how it has changed my family for the better. At $25 for a workshop and lifetime membership to the website, you get a lot of information that allows you to “earn” that money back within your first few shopping trips. There are many other companies and systems out there that charge A LOT MORE, but are not nearly as easy and intuitive to use. And I know because I’ve tried some of them, but never have I saved like I do with this program. It’s the difference between giving someone a fish so they can eat for a day, or teaching them to fish so they can feed themselves for a lifetime. It’s truly been a blessing for me, and I know it will be for you, too.

Each week we feature a different shopper’s story. Centsable Savings Stories are the stories of people just like you who are working toward reducing their budgets, bargain hunting, living a more frugal lifestyle and constantly learning along the way. If you are interested in sharing your family’s successes and struggles, please contact Katherine at centsable.katherine[at]gmail [dot]com. Blogger and non-bloggers are both welcome to participate. Click here to read the stories of shoppers featured in the past.

Now it’s time to share your great deals for the week! Leave a link or a comment below.