"If couponing is not done right, it's definitely a waste of time," says Ashley. "Staying organized is very important. I keep all of my Sunday coupons in a binder." She also has a large file folder where she keeps coupons divided by store and type of coupon.
"I go to my Web site, FrugalCouponMom.com, I create my shopping list, copy and paste it on a Word document, and voilà, I have my shopping list for the stores," she shares.
Ashley shares her ideas for saving money. "Buy things that are on sale, combine them with manufacturer and store coupons and stockpile," she says. "I spend a fraction today of what I used to spend a year ago, and I come home with double, or even triple, the products."
[AD]Mandy says cutting coupons is a waste of time, so Dr. Phil asks Ashley to teach Mandy tricks to cut her grocery bill in half. The women hit the aisles in Walmart.
"Part of this is being flexible," Ashley tells Mandy. "You cannot remain loyal to brands."
Ashley also suggests bringing competitor store's flyers because many big discount chains will match the sale price.
The duo saves $57.14.
"That's incredible," Mandy says.
In the studio, Dr. Phil asks Mandy, "Do you really get this?"
"We have a pretty specific diet, and so I just assume that there's not going to be any coupons or any discounts on the things that I like to eat," she says.
"You can get healthy foods with coupons, right?" Dr. Phil asks Ashley.
"That's correct," she says. "They do have a very specific diet, and part of couponing is being flexible. However, the manufacturers know that people are going green and going organic, so they are producing those coupons."
[AD]"Do what you can afford to do," Dr. Phil says. "I'm not saying not eat healthy and not feed your children healthy, because you need to."
Ashley says you should never pay full price for the following items: shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, cereal, pain medications, makeup, frozen vegetables, cheese, butter, soup, cleaning products, canned vegetables, pasta, pasta sauce, boxed foods and paper products. She explains, "They go on sale. They have coupons. There's no reason to pay full price."
"There are two things that depress people: budgets and diets," Dr. Phil says. "It's something that you just have to adjust an ego thing and say, ‘We're going to have to be smart.'"