Published June 30, 2010
Cindy Livesey is the founder of LivingRichWithCoupons, a blog dedicated to helping readers save money by providing them with the best grocery and retail deals around. As a wife and mother, Cindy is also in the process of becoming debt free. With the start of her site, Cindy has saved her family over $8000 a year in groceries, and she enjoys knowing that she helps others do the same. Today, Cindy lives in Livingston, NJ with her husband, her three children, and her dog.
Interview Transcript
BeFrugal: Tell us what LivingRichWithCoupons.com is all about. What motivated you to start your blog?
Cindy Livesey: LivingRichWithCoupons is all about saving the reader money. I feel that since we all work so hard for the money we make, why not buy as much as we can for little to no money.
Also, it is about finding the best deals out there and making them easily accessible for everyone to take advantage of. I want people to still be able to buy the luxuries that they want without breaking the bank.
My blog started as a personal mission to save money. With kids in college and the economy how it is, I realized that I needed to watch what I was spending and try to put my knowledge of coupons and the internet to good use. I started documenting my journey about a year ago, and it has spiraled into this website that is now helping other people save money too.
BeFrugal: Between family and new posts I can imagine your day is crazy. What is a typical day for you like?
Livesey: Well, that is a great question. A typical day is pretty crazy. I wake up around 7am and start with the first post of the day at around 8am, and I try to post something new for my readers often. In between posting I'm just searching for deals, typing up new posts, and answering reader questions.
Luckily my family is a big help with my site. My husband likes to come to the store with me and see how much we're saving; my daughter helps with some of my posts and organizing my coupons; and everyone else just keeps the house running.
As crazy as balancing family and the website is, I still love what I'm doing and am glad my family is supportive.
BeFrugal: More and more people are trying to make better decisions with their money. Why do you think that more people are taking the extra steps to be frugal?
Livesey: I think that more and more people have started watching their pennies because of the recent dip in the economy. With jobs being lost or wages being cut, money needs to stretch that extra mile. And I think people are realizing just how easy it can be to do that.
BeFrugal: What is the one area where most people can easily become more frugal in their lives?
Livesey: I think that the one area in which people can easily become more frugal in is grocery shopping. There are SO many coupons and deals out there at the supermarkets that are easily overlooked when you're not thinking about saving money.
On LivingRichWithCoupons.com I try to make it easy for the reader to recognize these deals and execute them. Stocking up on free items has, in a way, become a hobby for me. I mean, who doesn't love seeing an item go from $4 to free?
BeFrugal: How has the Internet changed your ability to find deals and save money?
Livesey: The internet is my main source for finding deals. They are all over the web and take some time to find, but that is why readers love my site. I search for the deals and check to be sure that they work, and all my reader has to do is take advantage of the great deal!
BeFrugal: Why are people paying more than they need to on many products?
Livesey: To be honest, the main reason why most people pay more than they need to is because they don't take the time to cut the coupons and find the deals. I hope that by going on my website, people find it easier to recognize how easy it is to save money on everyday things.
BeFrugal: Is there a freebie you came across that sticks out in your mind that surprised you?
Livesey: There are always freebies that surprise me, but recently I felt like Gillette was shipping their entire stock of Pro Fusion razors to the entire country for free! Everywhere I looked, almost every day for a month, they were offering free razors.
****End of Interview****
For more money saving deals and advice, be sure to check out Cindy's blog LivingRichWithCoupons.com.
iam with you cindy only way to go