[hotcouponmama]

PMFan's name in real life: Michelle

Age: 41

Home State: Grew up in Maine, now living in Virginia.

Marital Status: Married 21 years to my high school sweetheart.

Kids: no children (by choice)

Pets: two cats, Rachel and Max. We've had them since 1993.

In Michelle's own words:

Little Known Factoids: I am a first-generation American. I am the youngest of seven. Long term goal is to retire by age 52.

Favorite Money Saving Tips: Have your savings automatically taken out of your paycheck - you'll never miss it ! Check out clearance racks. Check for online coupons before going out to dinner, shopping, etc. Same goes for online shopping. Brown bag lunches. Increase insurance deductibles if feasible. Start investing YOUNG!

Budget: I'm guesstimating we live on 70% or less of our income.

Stores she shops: Commissary, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Kroger, WalMart

Coupon Organization Method: Accordian type file for coupons used often; extra whole inserts filed by date in large envelopes in a storage bin.

Best Advice to Newbies: "Read, read and after that, read some more!". Find sources for extra coupons. Plan ahead by checking out sneak peeks here. Keep a list that you can update/edit as you read about deals in word or other format. Then when you're ready to go shopping, just print and go!


Admin notes about Michelle:

We're really thrilled to have such a great mod on our team. Michelle is always willing to help other mods, hang out in forums that are mod-less to make sure that they are going ok, and in general, gives great support and advice to our members. In addition, while we're not a military board, because the admin here all have military spouses (either current or former), we're really pro-military and we love seeing those families learn how to save money. Michelle does a great job of helping our military families stay current on deals both in and out of the commissary.

Thanks Michelle for all you do, and congrats!!!