One reason why we blog

One of our readers sent this email to us yesterday and it highlights one reason why we run this blog. We really want to open everyone to the idea that couponing can help others as well as your own family.

serving hands

Jean wrote:

I want you to know that I truly appreciate the information you share and all of your tips for how to find good deals. I live in Colorado so some of your deals don’t apply here. I am a grandmother and don’t even have any infants in my life, nor do I have people in my life who need items like Triaminic or Thera Flu. BUT, I go get these “free” items at Walgreens and donate them to a small church in our town. The church seems to have a congregation of young families–all of whom are extremely grateful for the Triaminic and other health care products. I do the same with free (or very inexpensive) make up and other personal care items.

I also bought a total of 30 boxes of Nabisco crackers (and sent off for 3 rebates)–after rebates, I think my out of pocket cost was probably about $3.00–and I donated all of those to a local non-profit pre-school and to the public school classrooms where two of my grandchildren attend.

We feed 7 people at my house (4 adults, 3 kids) and my grocery bill is always around $450 each month……….that includes any item I purchase at the grocery store (including dish soap, laundry soap, personal care items, paper goods, etc). It sounds like a huge budget, but we eat all of our meals at home (or pack a lunch) and we eat well. I serve rib-eye steak at least every 10 days, we always have plenty of fresh produce, and I never make 1-dish meals (my family turns their noses up at casseroles–which I love). Also included in that food budget is prepared-frozen food (Marie Callendars, Birdseye meals, etc) for my elderly in-laws and supplemental food for my daughter and her husband. (I cook and bake from scratch but my kitchen-challenged daughter loves the Betty Crocker cookie mixes, etc so this works well for us :))

If I didn’t get the great deals that you and other bloggers share, I’d have to spend $1600 each month on these items.. (I actually keep a spreadsheet and spent $464 in November at grocery stores–which included a steak, crab leg, and shrimp dinner on Thanksgiving eve for 14 people and then a thanksgiving meal for 20 people!………if I’d have paid full price and not used coupons and deals, my total would have been $1630.

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