A Beer With: Deals and Steals GR

I’m so excited to share a new “A Beer With” today on The GR Guide! I love this blog series and I’m thrilled to bring it back. Today I’m sitting down with my sister Kelli Evans from Deals and Steals GR. You can find her on Instagram at @dealsandstealsgr bringing you all the best deals, couponing tips and dinner ideas on a budget. We had so much fun enjoying an Oberon from Bell’s Brewery together at my house, and chatting all about couponing. I’ve actually managed to save money on my groceries because of her awesome tips. Thanks Kelli!

How did you come up with the idea for Deals and Steals GR?

There was a week back in October where I had three different and unrelated friends and family members say that I should start a couponing blog or Instagram page to teach people how to coupon and save money at the grocery store.  I hate to sound cliche, but I think God was trying to tell me to just start.  For a long time, I thought that no one would care about saving money or would think that couponing was silly to do but it turns out that I’ve made so many great friendships through Deals and Steals GR and I’m having so much fun posting deals.  It’s been a great creative outlet for me as a stay at home mom. 

How long have you been couponing?

I’ve been couponing since 2011. I was in grad school full time for Speech Language Pathology and my husband was working full time as a civil engineer when we first got married so we decided it would be helpful for our finances to try and save as much money as we could on our groceries.  My mom always used coupons at the store when I was growing up so it was a fairly natural choice for us to make. My budget back then was $150 a month for groceries and it was that way all the way until this year.  We’ve now added two boys to our family and they are currently eating us out of the house so we’ve up the budget to $200 a month.   

What’s the biggest misconception people have about couponing?

I think people assume that the only thing coupons are good on is “processed junk”. And while I would agree that there are many coupons for processed foods, I would also argue that it is just as easy to find coupons for produce, grass fed beef, plant-based meat options, plant-based milk alternatives, vitamins etc. 

If you have dietary restrictions or choose to feed your family all organic, I think that’s wonderful and would encourage you to find the things that are important to you and spend the majority of your budget on that.  Then find the areas of the store that you don’t feel so strongly about or that you aren’t brand loyal to and save your money there.  For example, I personally have no brand loyalty when it comes to my toothpaste so I stock up on it when I can get it for free or cheap.  This gives me the room in my budget to feed my family with the foods I value.  

What advice would you give someone who’s looking to start couponing?

As terribly cliche as this sounds, it’s so true that a penny saved is a penny earned.  Since 2011, I’ve saved $27,300 at the grocery store and I’ve literally done that one quarter at a time.  I think it’s so easy to get in the mindset of “it’s just a $0.25 off coupon” and toss the savings aside instead of using that coupon to build your savings.  If you could save a simple quarter on every item you bought on your weekly grocery trip (assuming you buy around 75 items) and do that every week for the whole year, you’d have an extra $975 in your pocket. 

So I guess my advice would be to just start small and focus on saving every penny that you can.  You don’t need to become an “extreme couponer” overnight and you certainly don’t need to walk into the store with a binder full of coupons.  Ain’t nobody got time for that.  Instead, be conscious of what you’re buying and when you’re buying it (i.e. stacking store sales with coupons and cash back offers). 

Speaking of coupons, if you don’t get coupons in the mail or in the newspaper you can start an mPerks account with Meijer or a Yes card account with Spartan Nash Stores if you don’t already have one and clip digital coupons to use when you’re checking out.  Also start using cashback apps like Fetch, Ibotta, and Checkout 51 to save even more after shopping.  Lastly, familiarize yourself with store coupon policies to be sure that you are saving money per their guidelines.  

What app do you use most often for saving money?

Oooh this is a hard one.  Can I have two?  I love the Fetch app because all you have to do is take a picture of your receipt, any receipt, and you’ll earn points that you can then turn into gift cards.  It’s so easy to use!  But I think the Ibotta app will always be my favorite.  I’ve been using Ibotta since 2012 and have saved $1,720 on groceries I was already buying.  They definitely have the most brands participating on their platform and their customer service is top notch.  

Is couponing time consuming?

I don’t think it is once you get the hang of it and find a system that works for you.  It takes me about an hour to get a grocery list together personally.  I use the help of couponing blogs and I’m a member of a couponing Facebook group that helps me find deals and I appreciate all of their help in getting my grocery list together every week.  

Where do you shop the most in Grand Rapids?

I find most of my best deals, like things that are free and cheap, come from Meijer.  I shop at Aldi for all of my pantry staples like canned foods, flour, and sugar.  I also go to Trader Joe’s for all of the things I can’t live without, like their Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips with a touch of lime that are only $1.99.  That’s cheaper than a lot of other store brand chips you’ll find out there and they are so stinking delicious! 

What do you love most about Grand Rapids?

The people.  Hands down.  In fact at Trader Joe’s just this week, my son threw his pacifier in the parking lot and of course it bounced under the car next to us.  A woman who was walking into the store saw it, knelt down into the slush, brushed the pacifier off on her coat, and handed it back to me with the kindest smile on her face before I could even turn around to look for it.  I’m in tears just thinking about it right now.  That doesn’t happen anywhere else except for in Grand Rapids.  Kindness is contagious.  Pass it on.  

If you like this “A Beer With” post with Deals and Steals GR, check out this one with DJ AB.