Local Shopper Slashes Grocery Bill by 32 Percent

You don’t have to be an extreme couponer to save dollars these days.

Last week I plunged into the art of couponing, which is to say that I now have a hobby that could equate to a full time job if I let it. Don’t worry; I don’t have a ten pound binder loaded with categorized coupons, store policies, Sunday circulars, and store rain checks. Not yet. For now, I am a fairly unobtrusive shopper who is simply learning how to maximize her dollars in a brutal economy. My extreme couponing niece, Anna, recently showed me the ropes. Or at least the basic things I needed to know as a virgin couponer. She possesses a whole lot more knowledge than she chose to divulge, because couponing is, well, like all new relationships; it’s best to start off slow. I spent an untold number of hours at home last week, gathering store…

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Dee Locklin

8:27 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Good for you, Susan! BTW, Wicked is my all time favorite Broadway production. Elphaba rocks!   more ›

Family Matters

Learning to Be Thrifty

Those of us with Depression-era parents possess important skills for navigating the current economy.

My siblings and I used to laugh at our mother’s habits. For one thing, she saved everything. Pieces of tin foil, freezer bags, jelly jars and Styrofoam cups were never discarded and often put to secondary uses. I’m fairly certain she never purchased a piece of Tupperware or similar storage product. Instead, she used various sized butter tubs and other recycled containers to store her leftovers. Our mother insisted on making her own soap. She cooked completely from scratch and never bought processed food. She could stretch a $3 whole chicken into multiple meals. She planted a garden each year and stocked her huge freezer with home-grown vegetables, frozen berries and meats bought in bulk. We were baffled by her frugal behavior. After all, …

• Photos (1)