Centsable Saving Stories (and Struggles): Deal-licious

Welcome to Centsable Savings Stories and Struggles! This week, Jenn from Deal-licious is sharing her story. Make sure to read to the very end of Jenn’s story where she shares some of her best tips for saving.

If you’d like to share your story, I’d love to hear from you. Please email me at centsable.katherine[at]gmail.com. More details are at the end of this post.

My sweet sister-in-law, Amanda, taught me about coupons. Her husband kept telling my husband about these great deals she was getting and how amazed he was. My husband was impressed and told me I should find out about it. So I asked my sister in law about it, she gave me a 15 minute crash course and I was hooked! She taught me about inserts, clipping and filing coupons, and stacking store and manufacturer coupons. She then directed me to her favorite website and showed me how to find shopping lists for the different stores. From there I taught myself about how to shop the different stores by reading coupon forums.

I began scouring message boards and coupon blogs to learn all I could. I anxiously awaited the Sunday paper and gleefully told my husband and anyone who would listen about each and every deal I got those first couple of months.

Two and a half years later I am so glad I learned about this whole world. Shortly after I learned about coupons, my husband started a full time gradate program that doesn’t give him any opportunity to work. We went from a decent income to no income at all. It took some adjusting for sure.

Because of what I know about coupons and deal shopping we haven’t had to skimp on food or health and beauty products at all and I am even able to give to others because we have such an abundance! Before I learned about coupons I would pretty much just walk into a store and buy what I needed at the moment at full price. I so rarely do that now! I am so glad that I discovered couponing and I love sharing my knowledge with others!

One tip I have for saving is to take stock of what you already have. You are not saving money if you are buying something you don’t really need.

Another tip would be to stay organized. Set aside a specific time each week to plan for a certain store you want to shop. Look ahead to the next week to see if having extra coupons for a specific item would benefit you and then see if you can get more of those coupons from friends and family or order extras.

One more tip: keep your coupons for restaurants and stores in your car or your purse. That way if you decide to splurge and go out to eat on the spur of the moment or if you have a minute to stop by your favorite store at least you have your coupons handy and you’ll be getting some kind of discount.

Each week I 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 me at centsable.katherine[at]gmail [dot]com. Bloggers and non-bloggers are both welcome to participate. Click here to read the stories of shoppers featured in the past.

Centsable Saving Stories (and Struggles): Deal-licious

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