PRAIRIE GROVE -- Kim Dill of Prairie Grove has a rule when she goes to the store. She doesn't buy certain items, such as household and hygiene products, unless the price is 75 cents or less using coupons and other discounts.
Dill recently led a free class at Prairie Grove Town Center on how she saves money using coupons, apps, discount cards and other measures.
Dill admits the process can be time-consuming but she enjoys clipping coupons and looking through the weekly advertisements from area stores to pair products on sale with her coupons and other discounts. "If I really 'get at it,'" she said she spends up to 15 hours a week seeing where she can save money and get the best prices available.
To her, though, it's relaxing.
"It's all about how much time you want to put into it," Dill said.
Her opinion, though, is that people should do it to an extent.
"If you don't do it, it's a waste of money," she said.
Dill first started clipping coupons about 15 years ago as a necessity. Her husband was a school teacher and she drove a bus. Later, she was laid off from another job and was unemployed for two years.
She had stockpiled many items by using coupons. For two years she didn't have to purchase items such as shampoo, trash bags, hygiene products and cleaning supplies.
"Once I knew that's how we survived, I kept doing it," Dill told those at the coupon class.
Now, she's single and her kids are grown but she still continues saving money with coupons and other discounts. Many times, she said, she donates items she's purchased to the food pantry outside Prairie Grove Town Center. Her grown children also like to come by and "shop," she said.
The women at the meeting asked a few questions. One was "Where do you get the most bang for your buck?"
Dill said she shops at Aldi's for groceries because it has the lowest prices. Aldi's, though, does not have coupons for its brand products.
As far as using coupons, her favorite place is CVS, which accepts clipped and online coupons, has coupons through its rewards card and also gives a 2 percent bonus based on what a customer has spent each quarter.
For example, she said L'Oreal shampoo costs $5 at CVS. In this instance, it was on sale, two bottles for $8. Through manufacturing coupons and other discounts, she could purchase the two bottles of shampoo for $1 each.
Target is her second favorite store.
"Target can be a very good friend," Dill said.
With Target, she saves by using manufacturing coupons, Target coupons, Target's Red Card and the Target Cartwheel app. In addition, Dill said, Target gives 5 percent off when customers bring their own bags.
Other tips she gave were to be familiar with the coupon policies for different stores. Walgreens' policy is restrictive in some ways. She's not a fan of Walmart's coupon policy, either.
Dill also uses apps that include Ibotta, Checkout 51, Crazy Coupon Lady and Fetch Rewards.
Another way she gets special coupons is to go to company websites and email the companies, saying she likes their products and asking if they send out coupons and if so, would they send her some.
She displayed many coupons she has received through the mail by contacting companies.
General News on 01/23/2019