A Texas mom and TikTok couponer is sharing her savings to a growing audience on social media.
She sticks to digital coupons and recommends starting small, and also involves the whole family. She says couponing helps her family of four stay afloat on one income.
“I started my blog for people like me because extravagantly broke was who I was,” said DeShena Woodard. “A professional who was earning a good salary but was probably spending more money than I was earning because I didn’t know how to manage money properly.”
She says part of her strategy is to spend less on fresh meat and more on frozen food.
“I have so much food that I never cook or that I ignore because I wasn't really in the mood for it,” she said. “When the prices start going up it's like okay I'm in the mood for it now let's see what I got in here.”
Woodard says start by tracking your spending. It takes discipline, especially at the beginning.
“It’s identifying what's important to you, and when that why is big enough, it's easy for you to start to stop buying things and start figuring out more about how you can save money,” she said.
One of the biggest areas she sees people blow their budget is eating out. Government data shows the average American eats out about six times a week.
The average household spends about $3,500 eating out every year, or about $300 a month.
Woodard says if eating out is important to you, look at cutting back or trimming your spending in other areas.