Jill Cataldo


Nationally-syndicated money-saving columnist
Blogger, workshop instructor & savings enthusiast
Read by more than 20 million people each week

Smart ways to save on shopping, home, travel and living well!

Jill’s shared her savings methods with:

JillCataldo.com is five years old today! And, here’s a “Steal My Stockpile” contest to celebrate!

By:

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by me! All of the products I’m giving away were purchased at a variety of retailers and not supplied by any single brand or retailer for the purpose of a giveaway.

UPDATE: Contest has ended! The winners are TeeKay1972, SewLeeForYou, Jewelover, Sunnythesunflower, Misskg03 and Kritter217!

Five years ago today, I launched JillCataldo.com, and for tens of thousands of readers each week, shopping’s never been the same!

In June of 2008, the Chicago Sun-Times ran a story on my super-couponing skills. After that story ran, over the next three weeks, the Sun-Times kept publishing follow-up pieces, interviews, and questions from readers interested in my story. Jonathon Brandmeier invited me onto his radio show to discuss grocery savings, and at the end of that first segment, he said that he was going to have me on each week so I could share what was free and cheap with coupons at the supermarket. And he did! I started doing “Deals of the Week” on the radio with Johnny. A few weeks into those radio-only “Deals of the Week” segments, which were immediately popular with his radio audience, this blog was born. On July 7, 2008, I began blogging grocery deals, and I began speaking directly with people who wanted to learn to use coupons.

You might wonder which came first, my Super-Couponing workshops or the blog… definitely the blog! I began teaching coupon classes about a month after this blog launched, and the rest is history.

Whether you’ve been with me since the beginning or just joined recently… we’ve now entered year #6 of great savings!

To celebrate, it’s time for another “Steal My Stockpile” contest! SIX of my blog winners will each win a box of stockpile goodies, which includes:

  • Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips (6ct.)
  • Colgate Total toothpaste (4oz.)
  • DenTek Triple Clean Floss Picks (90ct.)
  • Ecotrin 45ct. low strength aspirin
  • EOS lip balm
  • Glade Plugins scented oil warmer
  • GE Energy Snart compact fluorescent light bulb
  • Gillette Venus & Olay Razor
  • Goody Betsy Bobby Slide hair clips
  • Goody Ouchless Hair Elastics
  • Heartburn Out 1oz. spray
  • Help I Have A Blister 8ct. hydrocolloid
  • Help I’ve Cut Myself 16ct. adhesive bandages
  • Ivory bar soap 3ct.
  • Johnson & Johnson Reach dental floss (100yd.)
  • Nasal Ease .18oz. Homeopathic Allergy Reliever
  • Reach toothbrush
  • Salonpas Pain Relief Patches
  • Sheets Energy Strips
  • Sleep Sheets Sleep Aid Strips

Unlike most sponsored giveaways on the blog, this week’s contest is sponsored solely by me (with a big thanks to my reader and friend CharlieQ for helping me package up these six prize boxes too – this is a lot of stuff!) So, instead of choosing random winners, I can have some fun and choose winners any way I’d like! In the past we’ve done Coupon Haiku, we’ve done stories of what coupons mean to you, and we’ve done stories of favorite sales and savings.

So, let’s mix things up for this week’s Steal My Stockpile! Want to win one of these SIX prize packages? Share ANY of the following in the comments below:

– A “Coupon Haiku” poem (5-7-5 syllable format)
– A story of what coupons mean to you, or
– Your favorite sale or savings memory!

You can enter as many times as you’d like, as long as your entries are different – different poems, stories, or sale memories. Have fun with this (I always do!)

This 5th-Anniversary Steal My Stockpile contest begins today, July 7th, 2013, and runs for one week. The giveaway will end on July 13th, 2013 at 11:59pm CST, and on July 14th, SIX winners will be chosen by me!

Legal: This giveaway is sponsored by Jill Cataldo. Responding to this post with a comment featuring a “Coupon Haiku” poem, story about coupons or memory of a great sale or deal qualifies readers to enter. Duplicate posts do not increase chances of winning. The contest began at midnight CST on July 7, 2013 and will end at 11:59pm CST on July 13, 2013. Six winners will be chosen by Jill Cataldo on July 14, 2013 and announced the same day. Winners will each receive a box filled with “Steal My Stockpile” prizes as shown above. Prizes were purchased for the purpose of this giveaway and not supplied by any stores or manufacturers. Winners will be contacted via the Private Messaging feature of JillCataldo.com and via email. If a winner does not reply to the message within 48 hours of notification, that winner will forfeit the prize and a new winner will be chosen. Fulfillment will be handled by JillCataldo.com Giveaway is only open to residents of the United States. Odds of winning are determined by number of eligible entries received. Good luck to everyone!

Comments

  2. My favorite coupon memory is my mother couponing. As a child I remember her sitting with the sale bill and coupons for hours when it was triple coupon day. Back then double coupons were fairly common and triple coupons were a regular occurrence. She would leave us with Grandma and be there when the store opened. She would come back with stories of how many people were there, how crowded the aisles were, and how quickly the shelves were cleared. She was always proud when she would get $200 worth of groceries and the store would end up owing her a few pennies.

    What I did not appreciate until I was an adult is how important those trips were. It was the 70’s, my Dad made between 5-7,000 a year, yet somehow they managed to own their home outright including a pool. We vacationed yearly and always owned 2 newer cars. I believe Mom’s couponing and other frugal ways like gardening and making our clothes made all of that possible.

    I now coupon because it just seems wasteful to spend money you do not have to. Especially on things that are luxuries like high end HBA, candy, sugary drinks, and convenience foods. These are things that were rarely in the budget when I was a kid, and I just can not bring myself to pay full price for them now.

  3. (that I share regularly to impress) is when my receipt read ‘You Have Saved 101% Today’ How, you ask? Well, I don’t recall the products (it was only a handful), but I had a enough of an overage on the items with Q’s that a small amount of it covered some of the tax, so when the register ‘computed’ my savings, that was the percentage. I like to think of it as if it were not for taxes, they would have paid me to take the items home! :) LOVE IT!!!!!

  4. My favorite couponing memory – a memorial day weekend about three years ago. My mother in law tagged along to a Target trip where I stocked up on a LOT of clothes, paper, grocery and household items using store and MFR coupons … I think I paid about $75 cash for four shopping carts overfilled with stuff we really use and I got a few gift cards back (I forget how much just now). My MIL’s eyes were just about popping out of her head! lol

    I think the only stuff I did not buy in that trip was fresh fruit! That was also before I got the target red card debit to save a little more too. I was in stock up mode after a long family trip and moving into a new apartment.. probably the only situation where my pantry is low these days :o)

  5. Couponing has allowed me to help my husband carry a bit less stress on his hard-working shoulders by reducing our grocery budget by almost half since I started in March of this year. Since the economy changed several years ago, my husband has increased his workload in order to allow me to stay home and care for our children. Now I’m returning to school to complete my degree and he’s working harder than ever to support me in that endeavor. I feel like I’ve found a really tangible means of conveying my appreciation and respect for him by making the most of our income on this way. . The first month I couponed and I told him I’d saved almost $450 he was shocked and so relieved. I love telling him each month how much I spent and saved and knowing that it encourages him is what motivates me to keep doing it!

  6. It’s hard to limit just one favorite. I had one recently when I bought a gallon of milk for .15 with tax. I used ECB bucks and manufacturer coupon to get it for that price. Getting an essential item for a awesome price is a necessity for us at this time but is also exciting to get a deal.

  7. So many savings, so many deals.

    I guess I need to go “outside the box”. People are always more important than deals.

    Attending the picnic at the temporarily renamed Cataldo Park and getting to meet all the folks that regularly participate here has to be the #1 highlight. We really need to do that again! perhaps closer to Jill, since the last one was a long trip for her and for me.

  8. Second would be watching the filming of the Save on Everything DVD at the Elgin Library. I don’t know how Jill kept her cool through all the re-takes, and then the re-start from the beginning. A real professional!

  10. Hi Jill!

    I attended your first Super Couponing seminar at Faith Church. I was absolutely amazed at the amount of money that you had been able to save and I decided that I could do it, too! I had great success and then one day I was at Jewel and had my list, my ad and my pile of coupons. As I’m going through the store, snagging all of my deals, I turned a corner and there you were! *cue angels singing* I followed you up and down an aisle or two, grabbing everything you put in your cart and then I hit a wall and was totally confused about a sale. I decided to ask you what to do – you were so sweet to explain the sale to me and took a peek in my cart and pointed out a few deals I had missed. I wanted to ask for your autograph!!!

    Thanks for helping our checkbook when our family needed it the most! I can’t tell you how appreciative we are!

  11. No Coffee Needed
    My Caffeine Source is Coupons
    Why are you laughing??

    -Kayla H.

    Thought you might get a kick out of my funny haiku, Jill! haha. Although it is true! :) Thanks for helping me start couponing, I love it so much and it gives me a fun thing to do since I am not in sports. I am going to be a freshman in high school, and am 14 years old. I know, its pretty weird for a teenager to love couponing, but I do! It’s always been a fun hobby and passion, starting when I was young and my mom couponed. Thanks for giving me coupon knowledge when I attended one of your workshops last year! Anyways, congrats on your blog birthday and I hope to win this!! So excited!! :)

  12. I get such a rush from couponing. I get excited at making a deal for just pennies on the dollar. My parents have been couponing for years and they use to make me “be a different customer” so that they could do multiple transactions to get the great deals. I HATED IT! Go figure, that here I am today doing almost the same thing, except I try not to involve my kids too much. :)

    I work the ads, the websites, and the sales all to make my money stretch. I was even telling my mom and dad about some of my great scores and I later found out from my mom, that my dad was really impressed by what I do. It felt so good to impress my dad, just for doing something that I enjoy. Anyway, keep up the good work Jill, and thanks for helping us make the great deals. Happy 5th Anniversary! :)

  13. I have been to 2 of your couponing classes – I have learned a lot. I always keep 1 Target $5.00 card on me at all times along with CVS $ and coupons –

    I recently did deals where I bought 3 packages of diapers & 1 wipe – used 3 $2.00 off coupons a $6.00 CVS $ and $10.00 in cvs $ I paid 11.99 for this I forgot to use a $4.00 CVS $ brought in the receipt and coupon – CVS gave me the $4.00 so I did this next deal

    used the $12.00 CVS gave me for the diaper deal the $4.00 cash and 2 25cents off bounty paper towel – bought 2 – 12 packs of Bounty paper towels paid $4.88 cents for 24 rolls of paper towels and they gave me back $5.00 CVS $$$ –

    leaving CVS to pay me 13 cents to take it all home.

    Thanks to you I have learned how to shop – get what I need for the lowest possible amout of out of pocket $ I have money to pay for other things.

    This helps keep my new grandson in diapers for the right price and I also help family and friends save $ on what they need for exactly what I pay for them.

    I’m an empty nester now that my kids are grown and gone – and I get excited when I can save money for myself and my family, friends and their friends

    Thank you for everything.

  14. Jill came to Erie
    By the water she did share
    Diana is rich!

    Jill made a CD
    Thanks, gracias, merci, dank….
    More money I saved!

  15. today was pretty awesome. i got 8 free herbal essence, 8 pantene for $4, free kit cat minis, $.99 soft soap body wash, $.75 maxi pads and liners, dawn dish soap etc…. i used $6ecb, paid tax and got back $11.00 ecb. pretty awesome! thanks jill!

  16. I started couponing in early to mid 2009 after getting laid off 6 months pregnant…fast forward a year…did a little dance in the check out line after getting 6 boxes of cereal & a package of flour for $.76…fast forward another year & pregnant yet again, however with twins this time. Jewel has ANOTHER diaper deal and I fill up the new used minivan several times over 2-3 weeks with enough diapers & wipes to last me for 9 months for less than $200!

  17. My name is TeeKay and I have a cleaning stockpile problem. When after taking Supercouponing in June of 2011 I was so excited to get started and build my stockpile. I felt like I need to hit EVERY sale. Also I never realized exactly how much a 3 month supply of things was. For cleaning supplies and health care items I went a little over board… I have not purchased or even used freebie deals to buy any shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste, razors or laundry detergent since August of 2011….and I still have about six months worth of each.

  18. We still wonder why
    You chose to shop on Kauai
    Come to the B.I.!

    Haha! We hope you will consider visiting us on the Big Island of Hawaii, Jill!! Happy 5th Anniversary!

  19. I actually have two favorites.

    The first was the Jewel cereal sale for $0.99 a box.
    I had a Jewel Avenu unlimited use coupon for $1.00 off Jewel cereal.
    I got paid to take 429 of them to the food pantry, after my kids made a cereal castle. There’s a picture of it somewhere on here :) I miss all the sales that allowed us to take car after car of food to the food pantries. (Like the soup deals!)

    My other favorite sale:
    The P&G spend $30 get $15 cat deal of 2008.
    Bounty eight packs for $2
    100oz bottles of Tide for $2
    Charmin 12 double roll TP for $2

    I am now down to 14 Tide and 1 more package of paper towels. The TP ran out last week. Oh how I wish we could have another $30/$15 sale that went off shelf price that we could “blackbelt”! :( I miss those days.

    But thanks Jill for all the great years of money saving and deal chasing!
    Happy Anniversary!!

  20. Since majority of couponers are mom’s there are probably many that are saying, “What is this person talking about Coupons are their Everything? What about their family?” Well read on and I will explain.
    My husband and I have been married since 2005. Fast forward to 2010 we had not been able to start a family and to do so would be an expensive endeavor – either IVF procedures or adoption. Fertility tests had chipped away at our savings and my Electrician husband lost his job due to the economy and we were facing 2 to 3 years of unemployment for him. So while our hearts lead us to want to seek adoption, there just seemed too much against us the biggest being money. So we put it out of our minds.
    In June 2011 I took Jill’s Supercoupoing class at Hodgkins library. I was so excited I was just looking to make life a little easier I never knew that I would change it completely by couponing. As I started to coupon I treated my savings like “found money” figured I would be spending the money without coupons I always strived to put at least half of what I saved (or more when I could) into savings.

    Suddenly with a little bit of savings in the bank, our outlook became more positive. We still could not get over our desire to be parents; we looked at the budget again. Adoption is actually paid for in stages and the process can be lengthy, we could pay off one phase and save for the next. We went from thinking this is impossible to “It is going to be rough but maybe we can do this.” In February of 2012 we had saved enough to cover the home study costs (phase 1) and even had little left over. So Valentine’s Day 2012 our gift to each other was we filled out the application to a Chicago adoption agency and dropped it in the mail with payment number 1!
    On a random Tuesday in November I was at work when I got the most amazing phone call in the world. Our life just became one crazy game of “Six Degrees of Separation.” MY niece’s – college roommate’s – boyfriend’s – SISTER was planning adoption for her unborn child. Somehow in this confusing maze she had been told about us and wanted to meet us. After a meeting she felt this was meant to be and asked us to adopt her son. This was right before Christmas, and the baby was due early February. So we got to work creating a baby supply stockpile. (Thank goodness my excessive laundry stockpile included ALL free with no dyes and perfumes, perfect for washing baby clothes!)
    The baby was born in Indiana on February 9, 2013. Because it was and interstate adoption there was a few days of legal process before we could come home. On Valentine’s Day 2013 – exactly one year from starting the process we walked into our home carrying our son.
    Couponing did not finance our whole adoption but it gave us the initial money to start this process as well as confidence in our savings to see we could afford it. So yes couponing gave us our son. HE IS OUR EVERYTHING!

  22. I love to save dough
    when i go out to the store
    freebies are great to

    All the looks I get
    when paying close to nothing
    high fives from cashiers

    Winning Jills stockpile
    would be an awesome reward
    crossing my fingers

  23. I have to say, clipping coupons has changed my life. Not just saving a buck or two here and there, but the way I think about buying things. Rarely do I ever pay full price for anything anymore. It has taught me not only that coupons can save me money, but also how to shop to save the most money and get the best price on the things me and my family need. I try to tell everybody I can and help and teach what I know to others so everybody can save. I pass along coupons I don’t use, sometimes In store while shopping to other shoppers on the spot, and explain to them how to save money. Some are more accepting than others and some think I’m just down right weird…lol. But i’m gonna keep on saving and try to help others to save as much as I can. Couponing is not all about saving money, Its a state of mind.

  24. Bright little papers
    Beep by beep opening doors
    To do more with less

    Thanks for running this! What a cool way to celebrate.

  25. Jill,
    We are now a family of 6. Twin boys in diapers. I thank you in advance that I learned at a workshop from you before the boys were born. I had a stockpile of toiletries and diapers in the house before they were born. This allowed me to use up my stockpile during the first year of their life. I didn’t have to run to the store because we had run out of toiletries. I saved not only money, but time and energy that was being used on our new family. I utilized your couponing advise on all things including clothes for our kids. Thanks so much for your knowledge so that I can “afford” to be a stay at home mom while my husband teaches!! Still following all of your diaper deals.

    My favorite couponing experience was when we went to Jewel and blackbelted! Loved coming home with so much cheap food and using the last purchase to buy the healthy food we needed to fill our fridge. Thanks for all you do!

  26. In September 2012, Meijer had a great sale on Oscar Mayer bologna. We had the opportunity to get 10 packages FREE between the Meijer sale price + a Catalina that was available at the time. I went to the Orland Park Meijer, and they had a large supply of bologna in stock that day. I bought 10 packages (all FREE!) for a relative who had lost her job during the previous week. I was also able to give her 4 packages of Oscar Mayer hot dogs (also all FREE) from a similar sale at Meijer held during the prior week. She and her husband were very grateful — they have 3 children to feed. And it felt so good to be able to help out without spending a lot of money because of what I’ve learned about using coupons and finding deals from your website. Thanks Jill!

  27. After attending one of your seminars at my local library, I learned how to really coupon. I was unaware of how shopping at the big name stores made a difference. I know now how to best use my coupons to save me lots of money. Thanks for all you do! I really appreciate it!! Keep it up!!

  28. I am a single mother of a 13 year old. I am currently working a full time job and also attending college full time. I never had time for coupons and deals, I just went and shopped. But I have noticed that my grocery list(although small) kept raising in prices. It has been hard on me to keep up with the food and odds/ends bills.
    That’s when I sat down and looked through the papers. I found a ton of coupons on food I buy and doubled them up with the in store coupons. I’m not a super coupon-er yet, but I have witnessed first hand how coupons can save money and help you in the long run. When my son needed a knee brace and I couldn’t afford it, I felt like the worst mom in the world. I had to get groceries….but after my coupons and deals, I managed to save on the groceries and I bought my son his brace!!!!! Plus, we had a little bit extra to spare….I feel in control of my spending and I challenge myself every time to spend less and shop better.

  29. my favorite coupon story is at jewel, when they had purdue chicken strips buy 1 get one free.
    I had coupons (2) for free packages so I got 4 packages for free. they freeze well

  30. I bought 16 bottles of Herbal Essence, split in two transactions, at CVS and only paid for the tax, $3.20 to be exact. If that isn’t a great deal then I don’t know what is.

    This is why couponing is exciting! :)

  31. This blog got me started down my own path getting lots of stuff free after rebate from Menards. I’m a bit more selective now, but still do the Menards rebates, sending in about 1 batch a month. It was a simple matter to take what I learned here, and from Jill’s seminars, and apply it elsewhere.

  34. No coupons were involved in this adventure, but some fast math skills were. I was at an antique mall, coveting some ridiculous costume swords of fantastic design. Unable to decide which I wanted, and unwilling to pay full price ($20 apiece), I asked the vendor if he’d take $100 for six. “Well”, he said, “I really can’t see going lower than $16 apiece.”

    “Deal!” I said, and promptly wrote out a check for $96.

  35. I’m not sure, but I think it was just before I learned about Jill. CVS had Purex Laundry detergent on a BOGOF sale. There was a BOGOF coupon in the Tribune. I think I got at least 80 bottles of Purex, paying about .26 cents tax for every pair of bottles.
    I do 7 – 10 loads of laundry a week, for my family of four. I’m down to my last my last half dozen bottles. I don’t even know what a good deal on detergent would be! It’s been so long since I bought any!

  36. HI Jill,

    I attended your work shop a few year ago at the Lisle Library and was hooked. I thought I knew how to coupon, but after your class, I got even better. Being a single mom of 2 kids, this has helped tremendously so much that my kids even look out for coupons at stores, ask friends or even make sure we have a coupon before we buy anything. What a great bonding experience for us all.

    I have preached the name of Jill Cataldo to all my co-workers about your site as well as family and friends and look forward to seeing all the exciting finds every week. Every week, co-workers want to know the great finds I have and know I ALWAYS have a good story to tell, thanks to you. Thank you again for all you do.

  37. Clip, clip, snip, snip, snip
    Stuff for free, and stuff for cheap
    Makes me so happy

  40. Coupons how I love thee
    Let me count the ways
    A dollar here
    A few dollars there
    Sure make me happy everywhere

  41. my story is this…in 2011 i ended up being out of work for 3 months due to illness. money was tight so i started cutting back on extras like sweets and snacks. i had dabbled in couponing from time to time but never really thought it would save me enough to be the answer to my financial situation. i had lots of down time so i started to come here and really analyze the ins and outs of couponing and started to read the comments and was amazed to learn that if i was strategic in my shopping and spending, i could have my sweets and my snacks and not deprive myself of the simple things that make a person happy. that was just the icing on the cake though,,, because of couponing i was able to cut my grocery bill in half and keep gas in the car and all the bills paid until i got back to work. it became an addiction!!! i couldnt wait for my sales flyers to arrive every week!! i shared everything i learned with my mother and my sister, i now get regular texts from them sharing the great deals they find with their couponing.. its like an adventure every week and i keep my most jaw dropping receipts to show them and my co workers as proof because when i tell people just how much i save they always look skeptical… not any more!!!!! my fav coupon savings was on miracle whip at cvs. i believe i paid .13 cents!!! and it was a squeeze bottle to boot!!! my couponing adventures are one of the things i look forward to every week and i will continue to share my adventures and this web site to anyone who is willing to take a moment to look at my beloved crinkly receipts i carry around with me. thank you jill for helping so many of us save and for bringing fun and adventure to the grocery store!!!

  42. coupons mean to me…saving money so I can afford some of the other luxuries of life. I know you don’t save a fortune but if you plan it out and do it well you can save a good chunk of change.

  43. Just want to thank you for providing us with all the information so that we can have our own stockpiles for moments such as this. As you all know my hometown of Moore, Ok was devastated by tornados on May 20th and then again on May 31st. My immediate family was extremely blessed to have very little damage even though my daughter’s and my houses are just 4 blocks from the total devastation. But you can’t lose 1/4 of the houses in Moore without touching someone I know and love. The damage among my neighbors, family and friends ranged from slight roof damage to completely swept clean foundations. I was so glad that I had taken your information and turned it into my own little stockpile that I was able to give to family and friends. I would love to “steal your stockpile” as a beginning to my ‘new’ stockpile! Thank you, America, for all of your thoughts, prayers, and donations.

  44. My favorite sale happened right after I saw you live. Jewel had Arm-n-Hammer detergent on sale for 2.97. I had a dollar off coupon and they had an in-store coupon in a booklet for $1.00 off. I got a container of detergent for $0.97!

  45. I, like many others, jumped on the couponing bandwagon once the “reality” show(lol) came on. After seeing the amazing savings on the show, I was hooked. But I had no idea how to coupon and no help. Initially I set up a very organized binder FULL of coupons I would never use and wasted a lot of time. I really didn’t save any money. I turned to Google and searched for “extreme couponing Chicago.” The heavens opened up and smiled upon me and there was Jill Cataldo. I began my couponing life by attending part one of your Super Couponing class. I learned so much from that 1 class that I have now saved thousands of dollars and countless hours of my time! NO MORE BINDER! I have since attended part 2 of the class and bought the dvds. I tell EVERYONE that will listen that they should visit the website and follow her on Facebook! I am so happy I met Jill! I am your biggest fan, almost a groupie. My best deal yet was the Jewel deep freezer. I waited over six months for that but it was SO worth the wait! I cannot express how grateful I am. Thank you for everything Jill! Happy Anniversary!

  47. My favorite coupon moment was my second try with a stack of coupons. My job had just announced that we would be closing and I would be out a job. We knew that we had to change our spending habits right away. I heard about Jills website from my brother and decided to give it a try. I was soooo nervous to go in a use coupons because I didnt want to mess it up and end up oweing a ton of money! When I finally did it, I just used a few and it went fine. My second trip was at jewel and I had a cart full. I nervously handed the cashier my stack of coupons and watched her ring them all in. When I got about half way through my son( then 3 ) said “wow mommy, look at those numbers changing!” Thats when it hit me, I would never shop the same way because those numbers really were awesome to see change!

  48. I also remember, when I first started, that I didn’t even understand it all. I just did it all, like a blind follower, doing whatever Jill said. Slowly the fog lifted and everything made sense.
    Every receipt my savings average about 60-70%, sometimes even more. Thank you Jill and everyone else who posts advice and deals that they find. This wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for our little community.

  50. I dropped off my son at the sitter’s today and she was sorting coupons in her binder. It reminded me of when I started couponing. I was signed up to take Jill’s class and I was so excited. I also had very few coupons to start so I asked my in-laws to save their papers. I picked up a month worth of coupons from three papers. I googled methods of sorting coupons Then for a week before the class every night I would clip coupons and sort them. I had m It took hours and I thought how am I going to keep up with this. But I had my shiny new binder and my clipped coupons and I head off to coupon class. Then one of the very first Jill says is that you don’t have to clip the coupons…….

  51. I am so thankful that I have been couponing for the last 2 years. Not only can I shop for my family of 6, but I also shop for my 2 older daughters (who will never have to buy beauty supplys ever again)also I help my 2 brothers family,my parents,friends and I donate once a week. Before couponing we were lucky to just make it ourselves. When ever anyone in my family goes shopping they call me first with their list to see if i have anything that they were going to buy. It’s a AWESOME feeling helping out people who need help. Now if I could just get them to start using coupons when they shop that would make me even happier!!!

  52. Remember the Conagra black belt deals: Wesson Oil, Act II popcorn, Hunts ketchup etc.

    Then one time I had a lot of Angel Soft high value q’s; and Walgreens had a clearance on them, I think I got 15 4 packs for $2.

  53. My first time using coupons at Jewel for shampoo and it was buy 2 for $5.00 and I had a coupon for $5.00 off. It was a great feeling when you see that you can do it and get them for free or very little it makes you want to keep couponing and save.

  54. My daughter and I wanted to help out a neighbor whose husband had been out of work for some time. She wasn’t comfortable at all with accepting our donations so we decided to help out by sharing our couponing knowledge (learned from you Jill at both of your couponing classes) with her. They have 5 wonderful children and she had never couponed before. She didn’t realize that you could use coupons to maximize not only your cash purchasing power, but that you can also use it with your link card. We took her shopping and after filling up her cart with all of the great deals that we helped her find and gathering and stacking her coupons, it came time to check out. My daughter and I were so excited: we were watching her balance drop, drop, and drop even more. She just stood there with this incredulous look on her face and then she turned away. At first I was confused- so I walked over to her and asked her what was wrong…and I saw that she was crying. She said they were tears of joy because she still had money left over on her link card for later use even with having done so much shopping. That was by far the most memorable coupon savings experience that my daughter and I have ever had!

  55. I’m anxiously awaiting your couponing workshop in Fox Lake next month! I’m currently couponing to help support my small family of 4. When I was 5 months pregnant my employer decided the cost of my insurance was going to effect their company too much, so they ‘eliminated’ my position. It was devastating because I had just had my 19 year old sister move across the country to nanny my 3 yr old and help with the anticipated newborn. Very quickly we realized my husbands sole income wasn’t going to support us enough, so we applied for SNAP benefits. We didn’t think we’d need monetary support so we passed on unemployment and cash assistance. As soon as the baby was born we struggled with keeping toilet paper, baby wipes and diapers in the house. It was awful. Then after a trip to Jewel the cashier handed me this piece of long paper that I’d normally throw away, but she said “DONT THROW THIS AWAY. It’s like Cash you can spend next time you’re here!” I thought she was crazy and then I read “$2 off your next order!”
    To this day I don’t know what I purchased to get my first Catalina, but I remember going back and buying my son MUCH needed baby wipes for FREE! I then researched coupon blogs, found out about Catalina’s and felt the pressure of motherhood and temporary unemployment lift!

  57. For years the kids and I would spend hours cutting out coupons. It gave me time with them and taught them a little lesson in finance. In return I told them I used the money that I saved on groceries for our vacations. In which I did! So they were always eager to help me. Well the kids are young adults now and I have gotten away from clipping like I use to. But I have made up my mind that I need to get back into the swing of things and start clipping and enjoying the savings! So my goal this summer is to utilize your site more and reap the benefits! So even though my children are grown I still plan to use the money saved for our family vacations once again!

  58. My favorite memory about saving was actually right before the 4th of july this year. Walgreens had a promotion where if you transferred your prescriptions to them you would get a $25 gift card. I transferred 4 and took my $100 shopping! I used coupons to get basic household and toiletry items too. I stood at the register waiting for the clerk to finish ringing up ALL my stuff and as I used the gift cards, my coupons, and my Walgreens rewards to pay for these things I heard the clerk say, you owe us $.47 cents. I heard the lady behind me in line gasp and say how the heck did you do that? I had literally 2 full carts worth of stuff, including a box fan, folding BBQ pit, dog food, you name it. I think I bought one of everything in the store!
    I felt amazing as I packed up the car and left. What an awesome trip, and my best deals ever.

  59. I must admit I am new to couponing for food but I have it down pack when it comes to shopping for clothes. I am a mother of seven so finding the best deals is imperative since five of my children are in school. I shop around for the best clearance prices and rarely spend over $3 for shirts or $5 for pants. I went to walmart yesterday and was searching the clearance – low and behold – 50% off the clearance sticker. Talk about a deal!! I got One Direction pjs for $3.50, skirts for $1.50, toddler pjs for $2.50, shirts and capris for $2.50. I was super excited! Also last week children’s place had a good sale for the 4th of July that included 20% off clearance prices and free shipping.

  60. In 2006 I was unemployed and my husband had to have emergency surgery and was off work. We had NO money! Literally we were eating macaroni and cheese, hot dogs and eggs EVERY day. I am not a particularly religious person but, I was at the sink washing dishes and crying and I said out loud “Lord I can’t do this anymore I need help” I got my act together so my kids wouldn’t see me crying and sat down at the computer. I have pop up blocker and NEVER got pop-ups and the first thing that happened was I got a pop up for a coupon site! I clicked on the ad and discovered a whole new world.. So, What couponing means to me is: For me it has become a way of life, a way to prepare in case another financial disaster comes our way. A little security knowing that I hopefully will never find myself in that position again.

    Kelly

jillcataldoheadshotI'm Jill Cataldo, founder of Super-Couponing® workshops and author of the nationally-syndicated newspaper column and video series "Super-Couponing Tips" enjoyed by over 20 million people each week.

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