By Andra Bryan Stefanoni
news@joplinglobe.com
PITTSBURG, Kan. —
When Angela Lewis waits for a store cashier to total her grocery purchases, one almost expects to hear a drumroll.
She watches the register monitor like a hawk, anticipating her total and how much she’ll save.
After one recent small shopping trip, the cashier revealed Lewis’ total: $4.43. She saved $15.84.
Her haul was impressive, for less than $5: two bottles of ketchup, French’s honey mustard dipping sauce, Old Spice deodorant, Old Spice body wash, a loaf of bread, and two Right Guard deodorants.
Lewis wore a big smile out of the store.
“And that’s my goal: to save at least the same amount as my total, or more,” she said.
Coupon queen
Lewis, 37, is a lifelong Pittsburg resident and a teacher at Pittsburg Community Middle School. Her husband, Mike, is a contractor. They have four children, a dog and two cats.
“That adds up to needing a lot of groceries, a lot of toiletries and a lot of clothes,” she said.
But Lewis is well-known around town for being a conservative shopper.
“People all know I’m cheap, but I prefer to use the words ‘thrifty’ or ‘frugal,’” she said with a laugh.
She makes no bones about visiting the local Salvation Army on the cheapest day of the week — Thursday — to find secondhand clothing for her kids. She frequents garage sales, and she has been able to fill their childhood summers with activities that are free or pretty darn close to it.
But her real forte has become grocery shopping at a savings. Last month was especially successful: “I shaved $700 off our grocery bills,” she said proudly.
Lewis stumbled upon this hobby — she calls it an addiction — on the Internet.
“I read about people doing this, and I started searching to find out more,” she said. “Finding out that there were people out there with pantries full of items they got either for free or next to nothing was interesting and exciting to me.”
Now, a few nights a week after the kids have gone to bed, Lewis sees it as a challenge to do her research and plan grocery lists in an attempt to save even more than she did the last trip.
“I sit down with coupons from the newspaper, store ads and computer coupons, and figure out my strategy for the week,” she said. “I plan my meals based around what meat is on sale.”
She began posting her accomplishments on Facebook, thus gaining a following of local residents who are interested in how they might achieve such deals, too.
“I use it to try and inspire others, or at least brag about my good deals,” she said.
Some have requested that she teach a class, something she’s considering.
This summer, Lewis started a blog in which she reports the free or low-cost fun activities she does with her children, and demonstrates through photos how she saves money.
One recent lesson: How much do six Right Guards, two Glade air sprays, two boxes of Ziploc bags, two big boxes of Jell-O and one bottle of French’s dipping sauce cost?
If done Lewis’ way, the answer is $2.04.
Her method
Lewis purchased a flexible nylon binder and outfitted it with plastic page protectors designed for baseball cards. Those pockets are where she files coupons so they are visible at the turn of a page.
She divided the binder into tabbed sections according to what coupons her family uses the most: refrigerator products, freezer products, dog food, cat food, body wash and toiletry items.
She almost always does “stacking,” or using manufacturers’ coupons only when those products already are on sale at the store. That is something she can check online and through weekly newspaper inserts.
She also learned to electronically load her Dillons Plus card with coupons via the store’s website, thus earning additional savings.
A combination of approaches often nets her a free product.
Fellow clippers
Lewis has developed friendships with others who share her passion for couponing and often lend her their expertise.
Amy Shirrell, who is in Pittsburg while her husband, Mike, finishes up a degree at Pittsburg State University, is a stay-at-home mom to Noah, 5, and Elizabeth, 8.
“My kids hate my couponing, because they know it takes patience in the store while I stop to figure things out, but with my savings at Walgreens recently I was able to buy them a Slip ’n Slide,” said Shirrell.
Shirrell said it’s important for shoppers to be willing to change brands according to what’s on sale, to be willing to store a lot of groceries at one time — the tops of her kitchen cabinets are crowded with boxes of cereal that she got for a steal — and to not feel frustrated about not saving as much as they first expected or making a beginner’s mistake.
She also has implemented a simple system using two envelopes when pushing her cart through the store. One is for all the coupons she plans to use that trip. The other holds coupons that she can’t match to products in the store that day, or for products that she changes her mind about. She then refiles them in her box, and they are ready for a future trip.
While Shirrell’s coupon organizing and shopping system differs from Lewis’, they both agree that making an effort is what’s important.
“Any amount you save, big or small, is still a savings,” Shirrell said.
Coupon lingo
Catalina: Coupons that print at the register and are given with the receipt (these are manufacturers’ coupons and usually can be used at any store).
Overage: Occurs when a shopper gets coupon and store discounts that result in saving more than the cost of the item’s usual cost. Stores do not give money back, but instead typically take the difference off the total grocery bill.
Hang-tag: A tag attached to an item that is good for a savings when you buy it.
Register rewards: Walgreens “cash” type of coupon good for the amount spent on an item that may be used on a future transaction within an expiration period.
Blinkie: A small red box that dispenses coupons; attached to a shelf at the store.
The following websites offer a wealth of coupon information: www.moneysavingmom.com; www.hotcouponworld.com; www.dillons.com.
