Dear 2012 Brides, I am an Extreme Couponer…
Running a Wedding Photography Business is not light on your wallet…believe me. Some of you may think “she is just shooting pictures, why is she charging so much?!” well my dear happy brides, the equipment alone runs you in the thousands, sometimes tens of thousands. Then you have advertising, and marketing, and developing software. Oh yeah, don’t forget the computer with enough speed and memory that can outlast an elephant (if that even makes sense).Then add maintenance for all of your equipment and your car, and insurance, and the taxes….and my head hurts.
So on one particular Saturday last year, I was folding the laundry and telling my boys for the millionth time not to jump on the furniture, that I came across a show called “Extreme Couponing” on the TLC Network. For those of you who are not familiar with the show “Extreme Couponing”, it is a TV show that follows these super savvy couponers on their extreme couponing shopping trip. These shopper swill take home thousands of dollars’ worth of goods for less than a hundred bucks…sometimes even for free.
I immediately became intrigued and asked “where can I sign up?!”
Now, I am not new to couponing, my mother clipped coupons and I used to coupon while I lived in England with my husband while he was active duty in the military. The grocery store on base had a coupon center and they took expired coupons (thank you couponers for sending us military families those coupons by the way, I saved so much money at the commissary because of you. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU) Anyway, when my husband was on shift and since we still had no kids at the time I would spend a couple of hours shuffling through the coupons and planning my shopping list. I think in one of my biggest shopping trips was saving over $80 on my grocery bill, I remember getting so happy that I began to make it a weekly habit of checking the coupons in the coupon bin and planning my shopping trips whenever the hubs was on shift.
When we moved back to the States, I stopped couponing.So here I am watching this show and remembering that blissful feeling of saving so much money on my groceries with those little coupons that I thought to myself “I need to start couponing again”. I started buying multiple copies of the local Sunday paper and began clipping. A good rule of thumb is to buy a newspaper per every member of your family. I began making list of key items that my family used regularly, and we are pretty brand loyal so I looked specifically for those coupons on eBay, or a coupon clipping service. I also learned about stockpiles, coupon stacking, matching coupons with the store circulars, etc.Now, I know what you are thinking my dear brides “Nellie, I am planning a wedding!!! There is no way I can coupon!” and I tell you “Yes, my dear Bride.Yes, you can!” Remember brides, I too am spending thousands of dollars on equipment to make your day special AND if I can save some money on some 2 ply and toothpaste (sometimes even getting them for free) then I am going to do it.Because then it allows me to spend THAT money on things that there is normally no coupon for……….Like a Canon 1d Mark IV, that will run you like $5,000 for the camera body alone. And this camera doesn’t come with a kit lens, that my dear brides is extra. I also know you are busy working, and I am busy working too, and running a small business, and I still have to run a home, raise some kids, and be a good wife…So, yes Boo, you can coupon too. Your future husband will thank you. Luckily for you Brides, ALL the work of coupon matching, stacking, and alerts on greatest deals are already searched for you. All you have to do is make a list and check it twice. Some of my favorite couponing websites are:Fabulessly FrugalAnd of course if you google “Extreme Couponing” it will give you thousands of more bloggers and couponers that can help you on your way to saving money in the future.
Below are my images of my stockpile, and my coupon binder.
This is my Miller's bag from when I attended
WPPI in
Las Vegas in 2009. It finally came to good use. Thanks Miller's for a great bag!
Planning ahead my shopping trips are KEY to making sure I get the best possible savings on my grocery bill. I have little pouches for all of my stores that I shop at, and I only shop at 4 stores in my town to reduce my gas consumption and save me some time. My goal is to cut my monthly grocery bill (for a family of four) to $200 a month, and I am almost there. My biggest shopping savings was over 80% of my bill – and I think I spouted a “woohoo” to the cashier.
So there you have it brides, a confession from your wedding photographer. I hope I was of help today, as I like helping all of my brides with anything that they need. I know saving money is something you girls thinkof often, especially when you are planning something so beautiful and meaningful as your wedding. I am still available for photography services this year, email me and we can chat all things wedding……..and coupons.
Love and happiness,
PS, don’t forget to send military families overseas your expired coupons. The websites that I mentioned above have more information on where you can send your expired coupons. As a military wife, I am so grateful that couponers took the time to mail those coupons over to us across the pond.THANK YOU COUPONERS!!
