QUINCY, ILL. -- Everyone's looking for ways to save money in today's tough economic times, especially as the price of gas continues to reach record levels.
We discovered a Quincy woman who's taken saving money to a whole new level.
In fact, her friends refer to her as the "Coupon Queen."
KHQA's Rajah Maples visited with her to find out how she does it, how much money she's saving, and how other people can.
Jen Bell knows how to save money, and she does it by resorting to good ol' fashioned "coupon clipping," only this version is in the digital age. Even her young children know the routine.
Bell feeds her family of four for about $70 a week on average. She's saved $8000 so far this year in groceries, health and beauty products.
Bell said, "On average, I save 63 percent on the dollar for shopping in general."
She gets them online, from newspapers and even trades coupons with other "couponers" across the country. But she doesn't stop there.
"There's a local store here that offers in-store rebates, and with that store so far, I have saved $3800 in 2008," she said.
When did you start doing this and why?
Bell said, "I started about five years ago. We were two days from payday, and I had two small kids and 50 cents in the bank, and no milk...something had to change. Now financially, we're fine and stable. But I've been accustomed to doing coupons, so why would I pay more just because I can?"
Is it a lot of trouble?
"It's not," Bell said.
Do you think anyone can do this?
Bell said, "If I can do it, anyone can."
Bell is now using her talent to help others save money.
She's created a Web site at www.jeepmomsavings.com.
It has links to more than 100 companies that you can e-mail and request coupons directly from manufacturers.
She also plans to offer "coupon coaching" to help others get started.
Bell knows that "couponers" can be a hassle at the check-out lane, but she says there is an etiquette to it.
I'll show you what she does to make sure she doesn't waste anyone's time behind her in the checkout lane tonight at 10 on KHQA's Late News.
