Her year of small savings equals 3 house payments
Posted
Jan 22 2008, 07:31 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Do you need proof that small savings from habits like using coupons and dumping your spare change in a bowl add up? Jennifer Derrick at SavingAdvice.com kept track for all of 2007 and found she had accumulated an impressive $2,330. "To some people, $2,330 might not seem like a lot of money," Jennifer writes. "But to me, it's almost three mortgage payments. That's huge to me and well worth my time." Her $1,100 in coupon savings alone is even more impressive because she doesn't have a grocery store in her area that offers double coupons.
Most of her coupons are for online merchants and come directly from the merchant or from Web sites like DealCatcher.com and CouponCabin.com. She finds coupons for local businesses in the paper and in mailings, and even uses one for her dog's yearly vet exam. "Coupons are everywhere if you keep your eyes peeled," Jennifer says. (We also live without access to double coupons and like her supermarket strategy: She has found that store brands have the same quality and are often cheaper than brand-name items with a coupon.)
Jennifer also saved a lot through discounts, including loyalty-card savings at the supermarket, and membership discounts. "Automotive clubs, professional organizations, insurance providers, and other organizations offer discounts if you use their partner merchants and present your membership card," she writes.
She also accumulated $250 by saving spare change and dollar bills, including money she found.
