A Regina woman estimates she has cut her monthly grocery bill in half through price matching and coupon collection.
Raiza Ocampo started 2018 coupons and price adjustments.
“I have always been so frugal and tried to save money here and there – especially when I was an immigrant in Canada. We’re kind of starting small, ”Ocampo told Global News.
Read more:
Canadians are about to face another squatter shock at the grocery store
Ocampo was invited to a Facebook group that taught members how to match prices and compare flyers to find great deals.
As time went on, Ocampo decided to give it a try himself.
“I started showing the cashier the cheaper price and then they dropped it by 50 percent, sometimes even 75 percent,” she said.
Ocampo realized she could do this on every grocery trip and significantly reduce her costs.
“The more you do it, the faster you are. It does not take that much time. It’s kind of like exercise makes perfect. ”
Ocampo started her own Facebook page – YQR Couponbae – which attracted more than 9 700 followers.
Ocampo shares tips and tricks on her social media to help followers save money. She said many people sent her messages to say thank you.
“I do not share them, because sometimes their stories are very personal. It usually has to do with single mothers and job losses, especially during COVID. ”
Read more:
Canada’s inflation rates continue to rise but Saskatchewan performs best in the country
For those who want to start cutting back on their grocery bills, Ocampo suggests starting with price matching.
“While you are making your shopping list on your paper or your digital shopping list… you will go to your Flipp application and find the cheapest price and then write it down,” Ocampo said.
From there, Ocampo proposes to move on to coupon collection, refund programs and loyalty programs.
With her Facebook and YouTube page, Ocampo said there are many others who share tips on social media from which people can learn more.
Angus Reid poll shows Canadian struggles
A recent study by the Angus Reid Institute found that 3 out of 5 or 57 percent of Canadians say it is currently difficult to feed their household.
In response to the same question in 2019, 36 percent said that this part of their finances is causing them problems.
Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, said the study shows Canadians are “much more pessimistic” about both their current and future financial situation, as inflation peaks at 30 years.
The study found 2 out of 5 or nearly 40 percent of Canadians say they are worse off now than last year, and about 30 percent believe they will do worse a year from now.
“This speaks to a two-year period of some financial decline,” Kurl said.
“We see almost 3 out of 5 Canadians telling us that they are having trouble meeting their regular grocery bill – that it is becoming more difficult to feed the family. We hear that the cost of living, just in terms of the cost of housing, is also a stressor for them. ”
Kurl added that previous data shows that how Canadians feel is not so much related to the unemployment rate or job security, but rather that income is not increasing at a rate to cover higher costs.
“There’s another factor here, which is very important, is that not everyone experiences it the same way or equally,” Kurl added.
Kurl explained that those who have a lower income and are in their middle age, who are more likely to raise children, feed a family and try to pay a mortgage, “try to just keep it all together. These are people who take the worst of it. ”
On the other hand, there are people who may have gotten into the pandemic with a decent number of assets such as owning a home, having a higher household income or money in investment markets.
“Even though everyone pays more and everyone sees that they pay more, some people are much better equipped to absorb those costs than others,” Kurl said.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Reference-globalnews.ca