One savvy mom uses coupons to save $2.2 thousand each Christmas – spending only $26 on her festive lunch and $100 on gifts for her family of four.
Dianne DeBarros, 34, uses tokens she finds online and in newspapers to withdraw money from her shopping – to help with the costs of raising a family.
When food prices started rising after the pandemic, the mom of two became obsessed with using coupons to help lower her food bills.
She decided to see how much she could save on Christmas and managed to buy and cook her own Christmas lunch for just $26 – which included chicken, potatoes, vegetables and stuffing.
Dianne spent $100 on gifts — a doll house, Paw Patrol toys, Bluetooth headphones for her daughters Annabella, six, and Liliana, four, and her husband, Tom Stitzel, 40.
Dianne, a digital freelancer from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, said: “We’ve been doing this for the past few years.
“We adopt a few different methods to avoid huge expenses at Christmas.
“Instead of doing turkey we went with chicken because it’s less expensive, it was one of our cost-saving things that we do because turkey is very expensive.
“In terms of our food shop, for meals we definitely try to stay within our $30 budget for groceries.
“Last year we spent $26 and fed four adults and two children with that — we had plenty left over.”
Dianne started couponing in 2017 – scouring websites, apps, and shopping aisles for the best deals.
“In Canada, coupons come out on a rotational basis,” he said.
“Each week you can visit new stores and find coupons in the aisles.
“You can use cashback apps and digital coupons.
“We mainly use coupons to make our grocery budget $30 a week.
“There are also a number of programs you can sign up for. I got free make-up, diapers – you can get all kinds of things.”
Last Christmas, the extreme couponer spent just $100 on Christmas gifts for her family and saved $2,200.
She said: “One thing we bought was a playhouse that was originally $219 and was on sale for $50.
“That same day there was also a wooden swing set that was originally $599 that was $50 off.
“Setting a budget for Christmas gifts and expenses is definitely the ultimate way to ensure we don’t go over budget.
“Also create a meal plan that includes less expensive options – chicken instead of turkey, seasonal or local vegetables versus those imported at higher cost.
“With the family, ask them to bring a homemade dessert – this will keep costs down for everyone and is a great way to get kids to help prepare the meal.
“My sister-in-law brings all the baking supplies and makes it with the kids — they feel a sense of contribution and it’s bonding time with their aunt.”
Dianne’s Couponing Top Tips –
- set a budget
- Download grocery apps for the best deals
- Buy second hand wherever possible
- replacing turkey with chicken
- Share content to save costs
