"I call it strategic shopping," says Nelson, "because coupons are one element of strategic shopping."
She launched Couponmom.com, a free website matching newspaper's coupons with on-sale items at stores nationwide.
"It's very realistic for a family to be able to cut their grocery bill in half. When you combine the coupon with the sale price, many times you can get the item absolutely free."
We put Stephanie to the test. The savings speaks for itself.
"I have a list of everything that I have coupons for with a list of what I need to get."
"A strategic shopper knows you don't have to buy 10," says Nelson. "It's really just a dollar a piece."
"Instead of paying $1.59, I'll pay .59."
"This bread is usually $1.29. I have a coupon for .35 which the store will double."
Stephanie says match your coupons with half priced marked items and buy one get one deals.
"I'll actually pay .30 for a bag of good frozen vegetables that usually cost $2.19."
And never pay for pasta, dental floss and toothpaste!
"It says any value up to 6.4 oz."
And it's not the only thing Stephanie got for free. Before the coupons, the bill was $106.00. But one by one...down it went, for a total of $6.93.
"We saved a total of $96.50 which was a 95% savings."
Stephanie says the Sunday newspaper is still the best way to save money on groceries and when shopping, be brand flexible.
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