This is one of the hardest posts I have ever had to write.
When I started my website it began as a little coupon blog to share with family and friends. The blog started to sprout and the next thing I knew I was teaching coupon classes and helping people coupon shop. I remember getting teary-eyed over emails sent to me by other readers who confessed to me that learning to coupon helped them in times of severe financial stress due to job losses and going to school. It made me feel really great to to be able to help folks financially through couponing.
You may have noticed a change lately in the coupon universe.
You may have seen articles lately talking about the decline in couponing. Manufacturers are making fewer coupons, offering smaller discounts, and the coupons are expiring quicker. Shows like Extreme Couponing also gave people and stores a false idea of what couponing is about. In the last few coupon classes I taught more and more people were only interested in becoming the next big extreme couponer.
I know this is not a representation of all couponers. Most of us just want to stretch our dollars a little further because we know how tough life can be. Most industry experts have reported that couponing has declined more than 20% alone this last year. The fact is that I don’t need an expert to tell me what I have seen from my readers and website visits. Over the past year I have noticed a significant decline in people visiting my site just for the coupon deals. Maybe people are burned out or changing habits but some people are moving away from couponing. I have always tried to give my readers what they want. Tried to give them relevant posts. I’m not always perfect but I love helping others and discovering new things myself.
Happy Money Saver hasn’t completely given up on couponing, I just want to diversify the way I save money.
Some of you may have already noticed I’ve shifted away from such a heavy emphasis on couponing. I will still continue to bring the best coupon deals I can find to the blog. Plus you can always read through my guide on how to start couponing as well if you are new. However, couponing posts such as grocery and drug store match ups will no longer be on my blog.
I will continue to show my readers how to save money in more diverse ways other than with just coupons.
This will be through Do-It-Yourself posts, self-reliance posts, freezer meal cooking, frugal recipes and thrifty tips.
Some Examples of this new direction I am taking are posts like my Homemade laundry detergent ( a great way to save money), my Burt’s Bees Chap Stick recipe and Best Deals on Toilet Paper research. I will also bring great Black Friday deals, and other amazing ways to save during the holidays. There still will be some coupon deals, but they will now show up in my daily Money Savin’ Deal posts. The truth is I get more and more requests from readers to show ways to save with more methods than just couponing alone. So that is where my new focus will be.
Where can I get my grocery or drug store match-ups now?
Here are 5 quality blogs that do an amazing job on their grocery store and drug store matchups:
- ThriftyNWMom (from Washington state)
- The Coupon Project (from Washington State)
- QueenBeeCoupons (from Washington State)
- Frugal Living NW (from Portland, Oregon)
- All Things Target (from Washington state – rocks the target deals)
- Plus there are tons more. Do a google search for the store you shop at to see if there is a blog doing those match-ups.
How do I get started using coupons?
Here is my post: Couponing for Beginners with all the info you will need to get started. Couponing is still a great way to save a whole lot of money! And you will need to know the basics for the coupon deals I do post in my Money Savin’ daily deals.
I love my readers.
Like I said earlier this is one of the hardest things I’ve had to write because I don’t want my coupon friends to think I’ve totally abandoned them. I’m grateful for all my readers and the support and advice you all have given me. I hope you’ll continue to follow me as I take this new course and together we can learn to live happily “lesser” after.
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Meka says
New to your blog and loving it.
Thanks for Sharing your knowledge!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m EXTRA FRUGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amanda says
I just started following your blog BECAUSE of the DIY stuff. Even when there were decent coupons out there, it seemed our regional chain down here (HEB) always had a better deal. HEB has a bushel load of deals every week that rival or compliment the coupons and deals from the manufacturers. Plus we’ve gotten way away from processed and cook mostly from scratch. So I like your blog and am putting it on my FB page “The Frugal Kitchen” where I share many blogs or pages like this. Keep up the fantastic work of making DIY living easy.
Cheekysaver says
I can understand the frustration you had in the middle of July. The summer time is drought season when it comes to couponing. I still did very well this summer. I needed to restock after the donations I gave away during the Calgary flooding so I did a personal couponing challenge and in one month i brought home over $1100 worth of merchandise and food items and paid after coupons and rebates just over $100. The deals are changing and how we get them is changing as well. I am not by any means a advocate for extreme couponing… I strive towards a one year supply of items to get me through the tough debilitating months of winter. (I often go weeks without leaving the house in the winter due to pain so stocking up and canning ahead is absolutely key!) Now that it is Sept and heading into Oct the good coupons are coming back.
Just like you couponing is only one way I save money on things I need. Diversifying your money saving skills is the way to multiply your savings. Couponing is great but everything else you share has value too so keep up the hard work!
Leah H says
I too started my whole journey with super-couponing. Now I mostly use E-coupons my local grocery store offers that I can add instantly on my phone. We gradually switched to a real food diet with as much local as we can get, so coupons have significantly decreased. I also realized that I didn’t need 10 of each thing stockpiled to survive 🙂 What I needed was good, real, nutritious food! I agree that there are many other ways to save. Thanks for focusing on that!
Trina says
What a big change! I don’t “coupon” shop very much anymore, (time & eating cleaner now) but I do still shop the ads and a few coupons. But I was still using your blog’s coupon database on weeks when I had some time to print out coupons for things that “usually” are available. But now it’s not here! Do you have a recommendation for another coupon database (especially printables) that’s targeted to this area (Tri-Cities, WA)?
Greg Self says
I have just started visiting your blog, never knew it started out a coupon blog, always thought it was a Homesteading Blog!! We only use coupons for items that we need not to get multiple items of products that we don’t need just because we have coupons for them. We have a mini farm, raising a hog to slaughter weight, chickens, ducks and soon goats.Whenever possible what we don’t raise our self we buy from a local organic farmer, such as a 1/2 to 3/4 calf that will last us 6 to 7 months( doesn’t hurt that he is an old friend of 30 years). Keep up the good work!
Karrie says
Thanks so much Greg! I appreciate your comment.
Crystal says
I just recently started visiting your blog, but I really enjoy the direction you’re going with it. I use to use a lot of coupons but decided to shift directions with my family’s eating habits. We only eat healthy, unprocessed real foods, which makes coupons irrelevant. Until coupons exist for fresh produce and more coupons become available for organics, I probably won’t be using any of them, so the new direction is music to my ears. I think it’s safe to say we all appreciate the time you put in to help others like you strive to have happy and frugal families.
Deb says
I have to agree with the others that say they like where the blog is going. I discovered you through another coupon blog and, I have to admit, I stayed for the actual blog. You’re correct that there are many other store match-up coupon blogs out there, so if I really only wanted that I would not be reading your blog every day. I love the homesteading and DIY posts and posts about how your garden is doing, the chickens, all of it. Your personality truly shines through and that is what keeps me coming. I also agree with others who have figured out that cooking with whole foods is really better. And there aren’t many coupons for those foods. I use very little prepackaged or processed foods now so that dramatically limits the coupons I can use. So, I continue visiting your blog every day – it’s like having a cup of coffee in the morning with a friend! (I don’t drink coffee, though. 🙂
Melissa says
I’ve been really enjoying the way your blog has shifted focus. I don’t even recall how I found you, but you’re one of the only daily emails I subscribe to anymore. My personal focus has shifted over the years now that my children have gotten older and I have less time to coupon (we homeschool). I definitely still use coupons, but I shop pretty much at Rite Aid and Winco and if it’s on sale and I have a coupon that is great, but gone are the days of running around from store to store for the best deals, I haven’t got the time or energy. I have couponed since I was a kid. I used to clip them for my mom and tell her what was in our file. It’s in my blood and of course I’d be happy to have a coupon for every item I purchase, but I’m content with saving where I can and devoting those extra hours to spending time with my hubby & four children, not running around all over town. Time is precious and my treasure lies in my family, not how many boxes of cereal I have stock piled (tho I do have a lot of Mini Wheats right now as I got a great deal on them and we were able to take the kids to Monsters University for free! lol). Thank you for putting your heart into your blog. I truly enjoy all the aspects of it and I look forward to watching the direction it takes.
Michelle K. says
I think this is great! Thank you for all that you do!! I love the way that the blog is going, keep up the good work!
Emily says
I never did mass amounts of couponing. The direction you are taking to me feels a bit more realistic. I love the new look, the new content and your article was written so eloquently! The passion you have shows through and inspires me to want to be better!! Thank you!!
Karrie says
Thank you Emily!
Stephanie says
I couldnt agree more with the other posters! I too started couponing a couple years before “The Show” and my couponing has declined a ton over the last couple years. I use so much less processed food, make my own jams, etc. I am so happy to see a blogger be able to be true to herself instead of just what the readers want, because some will stay and some will go….but if you are not writing with a passion, whats the point??
Karrie says
Thank you Stephanie, I really appreciate your comment. And so glad you get “it” and get “me”.
Kathryn says
I was at one of your coupon classes at the library 3 years ago and was instantly in awe of you! One of my favorite posts of yours was when you admitted that you quit using your coupons for awhile. It was such a relief! Haha! I’ve loved watching your blog evolve into what it is today! It’s still my go to place for all things saving related! Thanks for all you do for all of us out there trying to stretch our dollars for our families, we appreciate it! 🙂
Karrie says
How nice Kathryn, you all are just making my day! I love you all very much, thanks for being the best readers ever.
Nancy says
Thank you for your blog yes it’s helped us to be better at couponing, but I have always felt that was only part of saving money for your family , and I appreciate all the ideas on different was to save, I could’nt wait to read your homestead articles and the beautiful pictures of your family, many blessings.
Theresa says
Your blog has been a money saver for so long in my family. I am like probably most of your followers I got in early on the couponing back before shows like Extreme Couponing ruined it for us and too many people abused the system. I have seen a steady decline in the number of coupons and the amounts on those coupons, and also in the great sales that the stores used to have. I started homesteading about a year and half ago and am actually grateful in the direction that your blog has been going. I will never leave and look forward to the adventures ahead 🙂
Karrie says
Thanks so much Theresa!
Jessica says
I’m going to stay here with you, I was ok with the coupons but I came for the advice and help with saving money. Don’t go away for good please.
Karrie says
Oh no, I will not be going away any time soon…I love working on this little blog of mine. Thanks Jessica!
Karrie says
Thank you Sia!!!
Sia says
Just wanted to say that I LOVE the new direction and feel of your blog. So inspiring to see you write about what you love, and that comes through in some really great content. LOVE what you are doing!!! Many successful wishes for you 🙂
Karrie says
Awwe, thanks so much Heather! I appreciate your comment more than you know.
Heather says
I love your honesty and staying true to yourself…being genuine! I appreciate the transition and am working that way myself. Couponing has helped me a lot and I got wrapped up in the craze back in the day, but as the months turned into a year I have decided that scratch/diy is the way I want to go. Don’t get me wrong, a sweet deal with a coupon is still a good deal, but it’s not my main focus or drive with saving money! I will continue to watch you bloom in your blog. This fan isn’t going anywhere…plus one day I want chickens too, so I live vicariously through you! 🙂