Showcase: Everybody Loves Coupons
Andrew blogs at Everybody Loves Coupons, where he shares deals, coupons and sales with his own personal touch: nearly every post is neatly tied into a funny personal story.
Why do you blog?
I'm a writer at heart, but my main job is maintaining a coupon website, which doesn't leave much room for any sort of creative editorial. So I started blogging to bring something new to our main site, as well as to give me an outlet to just write.
Plus, ever since this Internet thing really took off (Yes, I remember the days of the BBS and non-graphical websites), I've been attracted to social type settings starting with chat rooms and message boards. Blogs are just the latest flavor, sort of streamlining and gathering chat rooms/forums around a specific topic at a specific person's "house." I'll admit I'm a bit addicted and I'll run and check my blog regularly to see if anyone's left a comment in the last 8 minutes…
What does "frugal" mean to you?
Frugal doesn't mean "cheap" to me. It means being smart and thinking about where you're spending every penny you've earned. Waiting to buy a carton of soda when it's on sale 3 for $10, rather than buying 1 carton for $4.99 today. That's being frugal. Granted, you can always be MORE frugal, and buy everything generic, only with coupons, only on double coupon day, etc. But everyone's gotta do what they can do. I look for sales and stock up on items I regularly buy if they're on sale. I try to use coupons when I can remember to bring them. I'm definitely the most frugal online, as there are so many cheaper sites to find the same item at or almost always a good coupon that can help save some money or at the very least, score free shipping.
Do you feel your blog has a special niche of its own?
I'd say I'm definitely in a niche of my own. On the surface, my blog posts are about me, my life, my family. It's a personal blog with a casual, conversational sense of humor. But at the end of every post I try to somehow tie in a current related coupon for an online store. That's actually the most fun part, as it's almost a game to see what I can find to match the story I'm telling. And sure I've got plenty of coupon codes, links and info framing the regular posts.
So my blog's really a mix of coupons and personal stories, meaning it kind of touches both niches, but I can't recall seeing any other blogs like that. In terms of coupons, most "coupon blogs" are just a list of the latest codes or deals, with maybe a sentence or two to pretty up each code.
Did it take you a while to "find your voice"?
Most definitely. I have a pretty good handle on my standard "writing voice," based on over 10 years in the publishing business as a writer and editor. But when I started blogging, it was like I was writing for the very first time all over again. At first I thought I'd just post codes, then I'd try explaining the codes better, then I just started writing about my day, but the style and voice was real tough at first and it clearly came across as too forced. Over time with lots of practice, I got more and more comfortable. Unlike my professional writing, my blog is more of a looser and freer style. I don't edit each post 3 or 4 times before publishing it, nor do I do extensive research. So in that vein alone, it's a different voice. But I think I'm finally in the groove and pretty comfortable with my style of writing these days. It's rare that I'll stop myself from writing certain words or phrases and think, "Should I really post that on here?"
Does frugal living come easily for you or is it a struggle?
Yes and no. Thankfully I have a good home, great family and great job, so we're not living paycheck to paycheck. Can we be more frugal? Absolutely. Are we spending money like water? Defnitely not. So we don't have to be frugal to survive. That said, we try to recycle, reuse and take advantage of sales when we can. So it's not really a struggle, since we're not handcuffed to be frugal all the time.
When I read so many of these frugal blogs out there, though, with tips, tricks and posts about how these families have 6 or 8 kids, and they managed to get a month's worth of groceries for $6.98 thanks to coupons, sales, etc., it blows my mind. I don't know if I could ever be that frugal.
We all have moments of glory and brilliance that we want to relive for the rest of our lives, right? What was your best ever frugal idea?
As I mentioned, I'm much more frugal-minded when it comes to online shopping. I remember having a pair of Sharper Image gift cards someone had given me. I think they were worth $20 apiece. So I used them with a sale, a 10% off coupon I had and a free shipping offer to snag a cordless vacuum cleaner for my wife who'd been craving one for months and months. I ended up getting the whole thing delivered to my door for only about $50 or so out of my pocket (and it retailed for over $100). Probably not the most glorious frugal story of mine, but the most recent I can remember.
That's about it. Thanks again for the opportunity!
Take care,
Andrew
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6 Responses to “Showcase: Everybody Loves Coupons”
December 27th, 2007 at 9:32 am
I remember BBS too, and progressed from chat to message forums to blogging! I loved reading this spotlight. So many great points.
December 27th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Interest but link does not work and cannot find blog
December 27th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Oops. Thank you, Carol! I think it’s all working now…
December 27th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Thanks so much for putting this up, Kim! It looks great and I appreciate the opportunity to spread the word around.
December 27th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Great interview! I’ve been reading Andrew’s blog for several months now. There’s always something interesting, and I love seeing how he ties each post to a coupon.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:30 am
[...] I meant to mention this the other day, but my interview on Frugal Hacks has finally been posted. It was a lot of fun to do and I appreciate Kim giving me the opportunity! [...]
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