Review: Filled with the Common Sense Introductory End of the Couponing Spectrum Information
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 1, 2013
With the United States’ economy continuing to spiral downward, a trend that is expected to continue at least through the next four years, women, men, children and even businesses are turning to couponing and other techniques to put food on the table, clothing on backs, fuel in the tank, supplies in the office, take vacations or essential business trips, and even to obtain medical goods and services.  In response to the demand for information on couponing and other techniques to reduce costs, reality TV shows on extreme couponing, blogs on couponing and other money saving techniques, coupon websites, and a slew of books on how to meet needs at a drastically smaller percentage of the top price in the cycle, ideally FREE, have come into existence.Having been an extreme couponista for more than 30 years in order to provide for my large family of children, foster children, and now grandchildren in addition to keep costs down at my businesses, I recently began reviewing available blogs, coupon sites, and books in order to find the best resources out there to pass along to my growing family, friends, and the readers of RiverValleySun.com where I serve as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief.How I Paid $8 for $170 Worth of Groceries (Confessions of a Coupon Fashionista) by Charmaine Gerber , (Amazon Kindle $2.99) is filled with the common sense introductory end of the couponing spectrum.  Of the dozen or so books I have reviewed on the subject this is very middle of the road.  Much of the book is an abbreviated version of Kathy Spencer’s brilliant and extensive, How to Shop for Free (Amazon paperback $10.17 or kindle $9.66) chapters on obtaining the best deals on groceries without Kathy’s extensive chapters on the secrets of stockpiling, organizing, programs and rewards, or even paying it forward by giving some of those Freebies to charity, friends, and family in need.  If you are strapped for cash and can only purchase one book on this important subject to improve your quality of life, Kathy Spencer’s book would be a better choice.  If you can’t afford the $8 or so more for Kathy’s book, How I paid $8 for $170 Worth of Groceries by Charmaine Gerber,  will get you on your way to affording the more advanced How to Shop for Free and living a much greater quality of life.Candice Casey is the Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of RiverValleySun.com