(WHAS11) - Annie Shaw calls herself the "Coupon Queen." You would likely call her that too if you knew what she saved every year just by cutting coupons.
"Last year we saved about $15,000," Annie Shaw said. "Somewhere between $15,000 and $16,000."
Impossible, you say? Just wait until you see her in action.
She started "couponing," as she calls it, when she was trying to feed her family of four on a simple budget. That's when she realized the extra cash she needed was at her fingertips.
"Coupons are just like money," she said. "If you throw away coupons and you throw away the idea of saving money in grocery stores, you really are throwing away cash."
She looks out for best buys and combines them with her coupons. She says it's all about organization and discipline. Of course, it takes time; she says she spends about two or three extra hours a week collecting and organizing her coupons.
"If you spent three hours a week, and you saved over $100 that week, that's over $30 an hour that you made, basically," Annie Shaw said.
She said time is money. And if you think using coupons means skimping on the good stuff, her husband Brian Shaw said think again.
"Annie has allowed us to live a better lifestyle," he said. "We'll eat veal, we'll eat filet mignon. We get it when she can get a great deal. Actually, we eat a lot better. We don't buy generic stuff."
Annie Shaw stockpiles too. She said she buys up the good deals when they're happening, instead of waiting until she needs it.
So on this trip to the supermarket, she said she bought 24 items at a cost of just over $45. Her amount owed? 3 cents.
Annie Shaw said you can learn the art of "couponing" too and save your family thousands.
She teaches "The Ultimate Coupon Class" throughout Kentuckiana area.
The next session is happening Saturday, November 21 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Corydon, Ind. It's $10 to register.
For more information, check out her website at www.thesavvysteward.webs.com
