Idaho Press-Tribune

Thrifty Caldwell Mom Saves Money

By Tabitha Simenc   Idaho Press-Tribune

CALDWELL — A Caldwell stay-at-home mother of four works hard to maintain a thrifty lifestyle and, like many others locally, uses coupons to save money.

Sarah Barrand works hard to clip coupons and monitor deals to save 80 percent to 90 percent on her groceries each month. In September her grocery bill totaled $190.64 for $1,730.48 worth of groceries for her family of six.

Barrand began using coupons to stick to the family’s limited budget, which was initially caused by credit card debt that had to be paid off and continued with her son needing extensive medical care for a heart condition that resulted in 14 surgeries.

“I bought the things that were at their lowest price point with coupons,” she said. “I would stock up on those items, then I would not need to purchase those items for several weeks.”

How to save more
Combining manufacturer coupons with in-store coupons and sales allowed Barrand to drastically reduce her grocery bills.

“I think that the trick is, you can honestly find the best deals at any stores,” Barrand said. “I shop at stores that welcome coupon shoppers … That’s where I’m able to get the best deals for my money.”

She said that she stocks up on pantry staples when she can get them at a low price, to avoid spending more money later on when she needs the items. For example, she was recently able to buy hot cocoa for 10 cents per box, so she brought enough for the whole winter and will not have to buy anymore this year at around $2 per box.

She compared coupon shopping to trading stock on the stock market. Strategy with stock is to buy it at the lowest price point, not just what stock seems appealing, she said, and that is a good strategy to apply to grocery shopping too.

“As the economy turned, I saw so many people lose their jobs and they couldn’t afford to feed their family,” she said. “I knew a way to feed my family inexpensively.”

Sharing the wealth
Barrand decided to share this knowledge with others to help them save money too on her website.

“My website is basically a one-stop shop for thrifty living resources,” Barrand said. “We do the hard work and try to match all the coupons to the deals.”

Barrand said shopping with coupons can be overwhelming and so she gives all the information on her site to help first time coupon shoppers. She updates the site daily with information about the best coupon deals.

Barrand and her husband Matt founded the Web site in February 2009. The site has close to four million views as of this month.

The site is different from other coupon Web sites because it has a local focus, Barrand said. She tries to show how the coupons affect her family, shows her shopping trips to purchase coupon items and explains step by step how the discounts work.

“We’ll find deals that are pretty much localized just to the Idaho stores,” she said. “We actually go out and make sure the deals work.”

Sarah Barrand’s website is aThriftyMom.com

So today I was searching the newspaper for a local article about our site that should be coming out soon.( it didnt come out today so keep watching). But I cam across a great article that one of our long time readers sent to the Press Tribune. It is an opinion article that our newspaper publishes when people send in good or bad opinions about local or national topics. See what you think:
Cheers to the Press Tribune for supporting “coupon madness!”

With the help of blogs like A Thrifty Mom, I have been able to save my family a lot of money!

Jeers to those who feel we are robbing the store and making their shopping difficult. Most blogs encourage people to not clear shelves or hold up lines, and to be conscious of other shoppers. They encourage giving back, donating, recycling the multiple newspaper papers (did you know taking the papers to Western Recycling proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House?) and send expired coupons to overseas military families.

There are some couponers who don’t do this. Isn’t it that way with everything?

To those who think this is madness, I would like to describe myself. I am a stay-at-home mom with three young kids. My husband’s job requires extensive traveling to support his family. We are a middle-class family making our money stretch. This is one way I help stretch our budget.

If I chose to work, I would have to make about $15 an hour to contribute to our budget after daycare, transportation, etc. Do you know where to find a job with flexibility for my children’s needs paying $15 an hour in Canyon County?

I don’t, but I’m sure you do. One thing though: I want to raise my children! I want to be their coach, take them to the park, library, preschool, sports and gymnastics, and be a classroom mom!

So I take my coupon binder and stock our cupboards with good deals, making my grocery budget go further without using credit cards like most middle-class families.

So next time you see a coupon binder, maybe ask them what couponing does for them. Does it help pay rent, dance class, utilities or pay off debt?

• Kristel Stills, Caldwell

Article from the Idaho Press Tribune June 26, 2010

The Idaho Press Tribune did an article and a video about A Thrifty Mom, and it should be in print sometime this week. While looking on their site I noticed the video was already up. Check it out for your self. Click the Idaho Press Tribune here, then scroll down to their video section and look for Sarah’s video under Thrifty Mom. Make sure you leave a nice comment and let the Press Tribune know that we appreciate their work. Click the tab on the video side bar and at the bottom of the video on the right you can click the comment tab to leave a comment