Get more online
Brianne Miller: www.just tryingtosavemoney.com
Becky Vanderpool: www.savingbitsandpieces. com
Tosha Wilson: www.savingsmakescents.com
»Find out about freebies, coupons and discounts
Journal-News.com/go/bargains
FAIRFIELD — When three local bloggers send their children back to school, not one dime will have been wasted.
These moms have spent hours scouring the newspaper ads looking for the best deals on school supplies, while at the same time promoting their back to school supply drive for Fairfield City Schools. They share their findings on their blogs. But, their efforts don’t stop with school supplies.
Coupon deals paired with sales mean the toothpaste their children use that first day back likely was free. And the clothes they will wear came from end-of-season clearance sales — not from back-to-school spending sprees.
“We spend as little as we can on most of the things we buy, so we can spend money on the things we want to,” Becky Vanderpool said.
Don’t make extra trips to get the deals, said Tosha Wilson. Supplies can be picked up when shopping for other items, such as groceries, because those stores typically rotate what is on sale from week to week.
“When the school supplies start going on sale for pennies on the dollar, start stocking up on the cheapest things,” she said. “At the end, fill in what was not on sale.”
Coupon shopping may sound overwhelming, but the women say their blogs break down the sales to make it easier for those interested in saving money. They also market their skills at seminars and in-home tutorials for groups of shoppers.
Blogger of Saving Bits and Pieces, Vanderpool said her shopping habits were learned so she could afford to stay home with her three children.
When friends started soliciting advice, Vanderpool started her money-saving tips blog last November, including her menu plans for the week.
“Anything I share are things I would do myself,” she said.
Tosha Wilson’s blog, Savings Makes Cents, focuses on her personal shopping trips, her first garden and good deals she finds.
She started it after her aunt died in 2008.
“She was my coupon hero,” Wilson said. “She died and I had all these deals I wanted to share with her. Since she was no longer here, I shared it on my blog.”
Wilson and Vanderpool met in a grocery store one morning while scouting out one of the biggest Kraft cheese sales of the year. They noticed each other’s massive coupon binders, and the friendship was cemented.
Brianne Miller networked with the two after starting her own blog in January 2009 called Just Trying to Save Money, which focuses on all the deals she finds.
“It’s become a way of life,” Wilson said. “This is my way of staying home with my kids. This is basically my full-time job saving money for my family.”
About the Author