I am an average mom. I love to shop at Target, watch the Real Housewives series and get the occasional Five Guys burger. I also love to deal hunt and this is what it has taught me.

Lesson #1: For me, becoming a deal hunter was a process

I haven't always been like this. Not that I overspent, but before my son was born, the idea of stocking up never occured to me. I rarely shopped sales and didn't look at clearance racks. But then when my son was born I realized I had to become serious about saving money. I started out cutting coupons, shopping sales and eventually stockpiling and stalking Target endcaps for clearance deals.

Lesson #2: How to deal with the backlash

Changing my lifestyle to look for better bargains and try never to pay retail didn't come without a price. I had to deal with being called cheap, etc. You know what? I take that as a compliment. I also like frugal, tightwad and bargain girl.

Lesson #3: Clearance endcaps are my friend

From hand soap to boxes of cereal and more, if you came to my house, you would see bright red Target clearance stickers on a lot of stuff. My weekly Target run consists of scanning the Target endcaps. I go into the aisles sometimes, but not usually. I love Christmas clearance the best. Especially finding those hidden 90% off finds! I also check out clearance at Giant Eagle, Meijer, Walmart and almost every store I go into, including Harry and David. You'd be surprised what stores have clearance!

Lesson #4: That I can help others with my bargains

As my stockpile grew, I realized that I had a lot of stuff that I could donate. I've given to food pantries, Toys for Tots and more, because of deal hunting. It feels great to help others!

Lesson #5: That being a deal hunter can be hard, but it's worth it

Getting hassled about coupons or missing out on great clearance can be hard. But when you look at the overall picture, having stuff stockpiled, helping others, it's worth it.

Lesson #6: How to turn a hobby into a web site

Savingsmania.com started out 7 years ago as a hobby of trading coupons. But as I got more into it, I became more obsessed and the outcome is this web site. I love helping people get the best deals and have fun at the same time.

I hope you are enjoying the web site and I'd love to hear your feedback!

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