Community Spotlight ~ Member Of The Month: August 2008 - kmmmom

[MrsPinecone]

Yes, it's September, but I put this in the newsletter and forgot to post in the proper forum before I left for Labor Day Weekend. Sheer genius.

Kmmom's name in real life: Lisa

Age: 44

Home State: Kentucky

Marital Status: Married

Kids: 3 (daughter 21, son 18 and son 15) my job is nearly done!!!!

Pets: 2 dogs. Sally, who is a rescued pup that had been abandoned when she was about 2 weeks old at a river. She is an undetermined breed and scared of everything, but we love her. Our other dog is Cate who is a solid black Pug. She makes me laugh all the time.

In Lisa's Own Words:

Little Known Factoid: I used to scrapbook whenever I had free time. (which can be a very expensive hobby) Now I coupon whenever I have free time. (which is a very lucrative hobby) Okay, I coupon all the time......it's just so much fun!

Favorite Money Saving Tip: To squeeze every last penny out of every deal, I like to combine loss leader sales with coupons (that double) on items that there is a rebate for!

Budget: I have a budget of $300 a month which includes food, pet food and HABA, although we usually get by on about $200, I keep that extra $100 in there in case I find a fantastic stock up item I can't live without!

Stores I shop at: Kroger, Meijers, CVS (love CVS), Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Kmart

Coupon Organization Method: I keep my coupons in a photo box and they are alphabetized with cards separating them. I have all the non food first (alphabetized) and then the food (alphabetized). I tried doing it by categories, but I kept forgetting what category I put things in. I also use a small accordion coupon holder that has a slot for each of the stores I go to and a place for my freebies. When I make out my shopping list, I pull my coupons for that trip and put them in the accordion file. (I take the rest with me too, you never know when a bargain is going to reach out and grab you) but I have the ones I know I'm going to need already pulled.

Best Advice to Newbies: Don't try to do everything at once! It is to easy to get overwhelmed. Read the Newbie threads then Pick one store and start there. (I recommend a CVS if you have one and want to get the most bang for your buck) Read all the threads on here about that store. Don't be afraid to ask questions. It's how you learn!

How did you get into couponing?

My husband is retired, getting social security only. I had just been put on short term disability from my job. So, my income dropped 40% overnight. I still had a family to feed and I needed to find a way to quit spending so much money.

I remember when I was a child that my mom used coupons and would go over to this great big bin in the A & P and dig through it like it was some great treasure to find coupons that she could use. She made the food dollar stretch way back then, so I figured, maybe the ability to save was still there. I came to this site, and the rest is history!

How did you find HCW?

I was all over the internet looking for ways to save money. I had clicked on links all morning. They were either too disorganized to hold my attention, (I tend to stray. ) or the people were too sharp with one another. I honestly don't know how I finally ended up here...it was a link through a link that was through another link. I was immediately taken in by the kind words and the encouragement I read in the posts. One of the first forums I looked at was a stockpile forum. Wow, that was impressive.

Tell us a little bit about what couponing does for your family!

Simply put, I went from spending over $600 a month (actually more than that, that's all I'll fess up to.) and having no food in the house to show for it, to spending half of that and having cupboards and a pantry and a freezer bursting to the seams with food.

Now I can donate to shelters, give food and hba to my friends, and basically just relax because I know that our basic need is so totally covered that I could skip a month or two (and I have) and just live off the stockpile (with the exception of milk and bread)

[YouPdWhat]

Congrats Lisa & thanks for sharing.

[Cin42382]

Congradulations! It's great to get to know you better :)

[cheynesnana]

Congratulations !! Good to meet you !!

[twinzmom903]

What a great example!! Congratulations on your spotlight!

[kmmmom]

Thanks for all the kind words! I love it here.

[ELLE-TN]

Just wanted to say that Lisa is one of the first people I got to know here on HCW and she's still one of my fav. peeps here.

[kmmmom]

It's so nice to have friends!

[derketchup]

Congrats!

[Sherry3388]

I wub u Lisa!
You are one of the funniest, most helpful, knowledgable and luvable gals on HCW!!
Congrats on the Spotlight, toots!!

And...lol....as I was readin your spotlight info...
Reading about your Organization...
It brought to mind a time...about a year ago...
You made "Coupon Confetti" with your coupon binder as you walked toward your house. The memory made me giggle. lol

Congrats again & see you in chat!
Huggzz ~

Sherry