Teach Me To Coupon: Meet Danielle

I’m really excited to share with you the first in a series of videos that I’ve been working on. One of the things I always hear from readers is “I wish you could just go shopping with me” well, that”s not always practical or possible, but I am going to introduce you to Danielle, She doesn’t do much couponing YET, but I’m going to be helping her with the entire process everything from Learning to make a menu plan, create a stockpile, organize her coupons and more.

My goal is to help you see the process from the beginning. I know that it can be overwhelming to know where to start and so I wanted to start at the beginning. I hope you can join along in our journey. This week I want to introduce you to Danielle and let you get to know a little more about her situation. She and her husband recently got married and moved into a new house. With a change in her job their finances are tighter than they expected so she’s ready to start figuring out how to reduce her budget and stop pulling from savings.

Homework: If you want to join in the Journey make sure you take an honest look at what you are spending currently.

I recommend writing down everything you are buying when you go to the store and what you are spending. Be realistic, as you can tell from the video Danielle would initially tell you her grocery budget was only $60 every month. However she’s actually spending $90 per month because she’s pulling money from savings.

I also think its important to have a budget of where all your money is going. You need to know exactly whats coming in and where it’s going to go before its spent. Danielle has a plan, but is having a hard time staying within those set boundries.

What challenges do you face when it comes to your grocery budget? Everyone has different needs and challenges so it’s important to identify what areas you need to work on.

Next week we will be discussing creating a stockpiling plan. The videos are a little long (Because I talk a lot) :) So I’m sorry this one just ends and doesn’t go on to the next video. lol. I’m still working on my Vlog skills.

Posted by: Heather Schisler This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy.

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September 15, 2010 | 9:59 am

Collette

Well HOORAY! I just love watching videos of how and where and when people can save money. I am so glad you are doing this and I am really excited to see how this progresses! I began couponing and CVSing (there is ONLY a CVS here in my little frigid tundra town and I am grateful there is even that!) about 6 months ago and can’t BELIEVE I was wasting so much money for so long! Our grocery budget used to be over $600 a month (family of 5), and my initial goal was to schwack that in half to be around $300 for all groceries, toiletries, essentials, etc. This does not include the budget for clothing, entertainment, or other items that may or may not come up in a month. And I am doing it! Some months I do even better! So I am really curious to see how people live on an estimated $30 every paycheck!?!?! Were Danielle and her hubby living on Ramen and a loaf of bread? Because that’s about all I could imagine buying if I had to shell out $14 so my hubs could wash half a bottle of wash down the drain every time he showered and we had a $60 budget. Good luck! I will be awaiting the next video with bated breath!
September 14, 2010 | 9:30 pm

Heather

Ha Ha! I know. I’m going to be watching too. Keep in mind this is evolving we haven’t finished filming yet and we are still working through everything. This is the first time we had set down and I had no idea what she was “Actually” spending at this point. I’m not sure if $60 is realistic or not, However I do know that we spent $45 for 2 weeks worth of food including meat so I know that the $90 is doable.

Danielle and her husband are working to increase their income and pay down some debt also so that they don’t have to worry as much about what they are eating. I’m just trying to give you the real perspective of someone starting from the beginning.
September 14, 2010 | 9:28 pm

Heather

I completely understand your concerns, let’s be honest. I’m not sure if we can get to the $60 a month for Food. However, I hadn’t asked her that question before we were on Camera so I was just rolling with what she said. Also, keep in mind that this is evolving. I don’t know where we will end up. I’m just trying to bring you along to help you understand the process of where to start if you are in a situation like Danielle’s.

Also, Danielle and her husband are working on all areas of their Finances. They are reviewing their budget to see if there are changes they can make so that they have more money to spend on necessities like food. Also, they have each taken on an additional part time job so that they can help to pay down some debt and free up income. I in no way expect for everything to work out as planned, I just wanted to be honest and show what we were starting with.

Stay tuned because I do have a video coming up where we purchased 2 weeks worth of meals for $45 including meat.
September 14, 2010 | 7:32 pm

Denise

What? I’ve GOT to watch this like a hawk. I’ve never known anyone to spend $60 a month on food for 2 people. When I was single I spent more than that on food (unless I lived on Spaghetti O’s). Now I have 4 people in my family. I still haven’t figured out how to get it down below $400 a month. That’s only for my food and doesn’t include paper towels, toilet paper, etc. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
September 14, 2010 | 6:44 pm

R Townsend

We are at a total loss and would LOVE to understand what we are missing. Therefore understand the below is just a comment of our bewilderment. Though we have been couponing for months on end, 2+2 just does not seem to be what we thought it should be. So here is a statement of our lack of understanding……

How could anyone live on $45/mo ( $90/mo for a couple ). A good example even when using coupons ( which we do. We love Heather’s blog ! ) is what Heather posted today online with the photos of what she bought for $90.

Heather obviously did fantastic and she remains my coupon idol ! However, a question: Would it be possible for a couple of 2 to live on what you bought today? By live, I mean nothing else added to your great items shown. No additional toiletries at all, no milk ever, no additional meat ever, no vegetables, no soaps ( body washes ), no eggs, no this that and the other ever. Never eat a meal out. Never buy baggies to freeze a meal for later use, no bread, no household cleaners, no laundry detergent, no deodorant. No sales tax ?

Dunno. We sure would love to improve and look forward to honest answers.

r