Planting a Vineyard: “Couponing” with Lucrecia Wingfieldby Shelli Littleton
“She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard” (Prov. 31:16).
 When the weekly store sale ads are posted, Lucrecia Wingfield considers a field and buys it. And out of her family’s earnings, she truly plants a vineyard. Who would have thought the coupons in Sunday’s paper could be so valuable?
But she has discovered the best kept secret in savings—coupons coupled with Register Rewards, Extra Care Bucks, or Gift Cards. This “secret” often allows Lucrecia to walk out of a store with bags of groceries, including household, health-care, and personal-care items, literally purchased for pennies. In tough economic times, her heart is burdened to share her amazing findings.
MMF: Lucrecia, why did you start couponing?
L: With three growing boys, our grocery budget was spinning out of control. Knowing I had tremendous influence, I decided to learn about coupons to see if they would make an impact. And they have!
MMF: Inquiring minds what to know: where are your favorite places to shop to save the most money, and why?
L: Walgreens and CVS are great places to save. Learn how to shop these stores, and be amazed how much can be bought for a few dollars . . . even pennies . . . or free!
Walgreens and CVS both run weekly deals allowing the earning of Register Rewards or Extra Care Bucks (in the form of a coupon) for certain products purchased. These coupons can then be used like cash to purchase other store items.
For example, one might purchase an item for $4 and receive a $4 Register Reward at checkout—that is $4 extra to spend at the store. This coupon can then be used to purchase other items to generate even more Register Rewards, or it can be used to buy grocery staples: cereals, snacks, cleaning supplies, etc.
To better the deal, there will probably be a coupon to use on the product that will generate a Register Reward, so one might only pay $2, but receive the $4 Register Reward—basically being paid $2 to take the product out of the store.
Walgreens and CVS also have store coupons (in their weekly ad) that can be combined with manufacturers’ coupons to really double the savings. For example, if there is a store coupon for $1 off Pantene shampoo, and a manufacturer’s coupon for $1 off Pantene shampoo, both coupons can be used to take $2 off that one product.
Target is another great place to save because it also allows the combination of a Target store coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon. Target has also started “gift card” promotions: buy a certain product, and receive a gift card when you check out.
The gift card can’t be used to pay for the initial purchase, but take this gift card and purchase the same deal a second time. Pay with the first gift card, and in return receive a second gift card. Target also has amazing clearance prices—items are often free when combined with coupons!
Grocery stores vary by region, so check your local stores. Many stores will double or triple coupons up to a certain amount. And many will also allow the combination of store coupons with manufacturer’s coupons. Know your store’s coupon policy.
MMF: Where do you get your coupons?
L: Previously, I bought the Sunday paper, but now I have 3 pounds of coupon insertsmailed directly to me. There can be three different types of inserts in Sunday’s paper—Smart Source, Red Plum, and Proctor and Gamble. I always make this money back many times over.
The Internetis another wonderful coupon source. There are sites devoted solely to coupons, and most stores will accept them. My favorite online coupon sources are . . .
•target.com (this Web site has both Target coupons and manufacturer’s coupons).
Each of these online sites will usually allow two of each coupon to be printed.
 MMF: How do you organize your coupons?L: I use a basic 3-ring binder (about 3 inches), and baseball card inserts to store my coupons. The baseball card inserts allow you to view all your coupons. I organize my coupons into different categories, following the store’s layout, so I can find them quickly (e.g., Dairy, Paper Goods, Snacks, Baking Goods).
MMF: Should I be willing to do more than one transaction?
L: Yes. Break shopping trips up into several transactions in order to use Register Rewards, Extra Care Bucks, and Gift Cards to help lower out-of-pocket expenses. Initially this embarrassed me, but having realized that I was walking out of the store saving $100 . . . embarrassment departed.
MMF: What are your coupon tips?
L: (1) With numerous transactions, shop when the store is not busy and look for a friendly cashier.
(2) Do not feel badly for using coupons; the manufacturer reimburses the store. The store is not losing money, but you are saving money.
(3) If the Sunday paper is the main coupon source, I would suggest buying at least two weekly. Most stores will allow two coupons used on a “buy 1, get 1” (B1G1) sale—2 coupons for 2 items, even if 1 is free.
Example: Colgate on sale for $2 (B1G1): use 2 $1 coupons; get 2 tubes of toothpaste free!
(4) Don’t use the coupon when you first get it; wait for a sale to maximize your savings.
(5) Stock up—if items can be found on sale and only pennies spent, buy as many as there are coupons for. Paying full price will be a thing of the past, and donation items will accumulate!
On a one-income budget and with out-of-pocket expenses dramatically reduced, Lucrecia has never had such abundance in her pantry. She created a blog, Managing His Money, to help others save.
 Her goal is Buy More, Save More, and Give More! And she wants to stress that out of the abundance of the vineyard, the harvest—one can give.
Work that money—“His” money!
“She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy” (Prov. 31:20).
Shelli Littleton, her husband, Brian, and two daughters, Karalee (12) and Katelyn (10), live in Fort Worth, Texas, and serve Travis Avenue Baptist Church. She loves checking Lucrecia’s blog daily for great deals. Thank you, Lucrecia!
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