When you have five children, you need to find a way to save money. For Stephanie of Coupons are the New Black that way was couponing. Since she started couponing two years ago, she’s caught the bug and now claims that “walking out of a store with free items is the greatest feeling ever.”
Yes, it was Stephanie’s blog’s brilliant name that first caught our attention, but like the acclaimed Netflix show (“Orange is the New Black”) it’s referenced after, their product delivers the goods. Stephanie and her partner Chrystal just launched their blog very recently and have created a well-designed site that delivers valuable coupon and deal news on a daily basis.
So what motivated Stephanie to start a blog about coupons? Find out in the Q&A we conducted with her:
A: I’ve been couponing for a little over 2 years now.
A: I was pregnant and couldn’t work but wanted to provide something towards the household. Of course, I was always watching Extreme Couponing, and while I knew that the show wasn’t quite realistic, I wanted to at least save on things I’d have to buy anyways.
A: We actually just started about 2 weeks ago.
A: For me it was that we already have a Facebook Group, but I wanted to share deals in a way that could reach more people.
A: I absolutely love the thrill of coming up with my shopping scenarios and then executing them. It’s always so exciting to walk out of the store with huge savings, a bunch of groceries, and sometimes freebies!
A: My favorite place is my local grocery store called Tops. They are only in like three or so states (I am in NY) but they still double coupons and let you earn gas points. So not only do I save on groceries but also on gas!
A: Don’t get caught up in the hype of having to have a ton of everything. Start slow and don’t buy something you’ll never use just because it is a deal. For example, if you don’t use shaving cream (just an example), don’t even spend a penny on them just because it’s a deal. You wouldn’t have bought it otherwise so even that penny spent is a waste. Don’t get discouraged, to master couponing takes a while, especially for groceries. Give yourself at least 3-6 months and you won’t be disappointed.
A: For one, I would say it’s the couponers that exploit glitches or misuse coupons. It gives all of us a bad reputation and is in my opinion the cause for stores tightening their policies, coupon values to go down, and cashiers looking at us sideways.
A: Some say we will lose coupons altogether because of the misuse of them, but I don’t see that happening. Companies want to make money, and coupons help that. But I foresee (and already have seen) coupon values drop. Die-hard couponers will still be going strong though.
A: Couponing can be hard sometimes (rude cashiers, no good sales) but it is worth every minute that is spent on doing it. The peace of mind to have a stockpile is priceless. I’ve given people coupon lessons at the register, handed out a coupon or two, and hope that me passing on my knowledge has helped.
