Welcome! I am Carrie Rocha and my passion is seeing people keep their money where it belongs – in their pocket. Pocket Your Dollars helps you do that. Deals and tips you find here will save you lots of money on the everyday things your family uses. Yes, that involves coupons, but it involves much more than that. It means being a smart consumer and thinking differently about your money.
Read Pocket Your Dollars to get:
- Ready-to-print shopping lists that match the store’s sale prices with available coupons
- Inside scoop on local coupons, sales and deals
- Access to high-value internet printable coupons
- Tips and tricks that will save you money in every area of life
- Inspiration to make your hard-earned money go further.
What about me?
In June 2006 my husband and I made a commitment to be debt free. That meant paying off all current debts and paying cash for everything moving forward. That was a big goal to us. We are middle class folks that had student loan debt, a car loan, tax debt, and more. We recognized the need to have discretionary income to pay off the existing debt and save for future purchases. Two ways we could do it - increase our income or decrease expense. We opted to start by decreasing our expense. I mean, who wants to work more hours in the day if they don’t have to?
I am happy to report that we have been successful. Our only remaining debt is a first mortgage and we’ve kept our word to pay cash for everything since that day in June 2006. I have learned a lot in this journey and want to share it with you.
By day, I had been COO for a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, but was laid off in the economic downturn. It has been a blessing in disguise as I now focus on Pocket Your Dollars full-time. I am also a wife, a mother of two girls, an active volunteer in my church, and the author of most of the content you’ll find here. If I have time to save money, then you do too.
Contact
Thanks for joining me as we work together to keep our money in our pockets. I’d love to hear about deals you see, your money saving tips and tricks, and stories about how Pocket Your Dollars has made a difference. Use the contact form here to let me know!
Read Pocket Your Dollars’ disclosure statement to understand how I am compensated for the time I invest in this website.
Just wanted to let you know I appreciate your dedication to helping people stretch their dollar… I like the idea of trying to save as much as I can when buying what I need for my family…I feel like it is my way of contributing to the financial success of our family being I am a stay at home mom. Any advice or tips on how to maximize that savings is very appreciated… thanks for making those of us on facebook aware of your website.
Stacy – Thanks! A great way to help save money for your family is to use the shopping lists I post with their matched-up coupons. If you aren’t getting the Sunday paper, start doing that. Then simply mark the front of each circular with the date and the name of the insert (Red Plum , Smart Source, etc.) and set them aside. Stay tuned here for more info, tips, tricks and shopping lists. Thanks for reading and for commenting! –Carrie
Hi Carrie,
I saw you on the channel 9 news last night and was so impressed with your passion for helping people save money, especially during these difficult time. I am an assistant administrator at a nursing home in Milaca, MN. Many of our employees are single mothers living on a very modest income – I was wondering if you would ever be willing to do an inservice for us on money saving ideas, tips, strategies etc? I think most people want to save money but need a plan. Thanks for your response – Laura
Although this is a new blog, it is very very useful! Keep up the good work!
Glad you enjoy it. Thanks for reading! –Carrie
So glad to find you. I’ve been getting into couponing but felt left out for a while because I couldn’t find our Twin Cities stores on the blogs I was tracking. But now, between you and Cents in the Cities, I finally feel represented!
Thanks much for doing all this work. So very appreciated!!
Haila – Welcome! Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any deals around town so I can be sure to let others know as well. –Carrie
Carrie- I am sooo excited to find your site through facebook. With my expanding family, I look forward to the many ways to save. I can’t wait to learn!
Janna – Congrats on the twins!! If you keep reading I bet you’ll spend less on a family of 4 than you do now for the 2 of you. You’ll have to tell me if I am right :) –Carrie
Thank you so much for doing all that you do. I was wondering, sometimes you say there is a sale on one thing but state to use a coupon with another name. Ex. Lays potato chips on sale this week (I believe at cub) but then it said to use a coupon for kettle chips, am I reading this wrong?
Donna – Good question. Take the Kettle Chips example – Kettle Chips are a Lay’s potato chip. It is not always clear from the ad exactly which varieties of a product are included with the sale. When I am unclear about which might be included I prefer to include potential coupon matches versus exclude them from the list. So, in this case I included a potential match with the Lay’s Kettle Chips coupon, although I am not certain that the Kettle Chips are included in the 2 for $6 sale. Does that help? Thanks for reading and for asking. Let me know how else I can help! –Carrie
Hi Carrie, I was wondering how do you remember what coupons you have from months back. It seems like I have to go thru all my coupons (I do sort them into categories) to see if any match up with what is on sale for the week. Thank you for any suggestions.
Donna – I use a couple of online coupon databases that keep lists – couponmom.com and afullcup.com. I also keep my coupons in the insert – without cutting them out, and simply cut those I need on any given week. I’ll do a more detailed post about this soon. Hope that helps for now! –Carrie
Carrie,
What a great site you have! Thanks so much for ALL of your hard work. Just curious what days you normally put out the weekly add specials, coupons ,etc?
Thanks!
great site! i’ve always been a coupon clipper, but have really stepped it up in the last few months. i’ve been looking at so many sites based in the south–i was glad to come across your blog from ‘cents in the cities’ to get more local info. i also live in mpls and look forward to your deals!
Okay I have to start by saying I am a little afraid of coupon hunting. Where do I find all these great coupons? I have only ever used coupons that come in the actual store ad. We have 8 children. 2 in diapers and one still on formula for a while yet, 1 headed for college in September and the rest in between. I am good at saving money, but have not used coupons. I love Aldi grocery for good deals and go to Cub and such places for their deals. DO you use a lot of the coupon sites that are advertised to the right of your pages?
Hi Carrie,
I too am a family of four. I was wondering. How much do you now spend in a month on groceries?
In 2009 we have averaged $235 per month. That includes groceries, toiletries (toilet paper, etc.) and most of the diapers my girls use.
Carrie–What a wonderful ministry you’ve organized! Thank you for helping me and my family with all these money saving tips, I’m excited to get more into it (I’ve just discovered it). My biggest question is how you organize your coupons, like the internet ones and random ones clipped from different places? Binder? Accordian files? Recipe card holder? What have you found that works best? I know you’re busy, but anything to get me started with my organizing would help. Even an open mic on the topic–see what others use too… Thanks and God bless you and your work!
Lisa
Hey! I’m grateful to find your website and enjoy all the gifts you give out with tips and lists! I just wondered if you had a button that I could use on my blog. I would love to recommend you to many many others! Best of luck!
When you say you pay for everything with cash- does that mean you don’t believe in using credit cards? I am just curious as I have zero credit card debt (I pay it off each month in full) and I feel its safer to use than cash (only liable for $50 if it is stolen) plus, with most cards there are great bonuses/points/cash back rewards. . . your thoughts?
Hi Carrie! My friend recently told me about this website and I’m excited to use the resources! I’ve been a couponer for a while, but only end up saving 10- 20$ here and there. I am totally committed to making my couponing count. My husband and I would also like to be financially free and teach our children these “best practices” so they can be great shoppers one day. I’m curious how you have your coupons deals and rebates organized. Your shopping lists go by dates…is that how you do it… or by like items?
Hi Carrie!
I am just looking at your website for the first time, but have tried others in the past. I use coupons occasionally, but since I try to buy a lot of natural or organic for my family, I don’t always find them for the things I shop for. Is this site going to be helpful for me? It seems I’ve spent a lot of time in the past looking for coupons online and printing them, only to save a little bit here and there. It hasn’t been worth my time with the little I save. We are a family of 7 and I would love to be able to save more often on the kind of food I purchase.
Thanks for your time,
Lisa
Hi Carrie,
I am so glad I found your site. For the past few weeks i’ve been diligently searching for a coupon blog author based in the twin cities to no avail…until today, when I feel like i’ve hit the jackpot. My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw “CUB” listed under your shopping list LOL. Thanks for the great blog.
Afullcup.com has a listing of what inserts are scheduled to be in the paper. It is under the COUPON tab and is titled Coupon Insert Schedule. Not sure how accurate it is but might give you somewhat of an idea of what you should be getting in your paper.
Wow! I just found this site from Moneysavingmom.com and finally have a connection to Pick and Save in SE WI. I will be visiting often to see how your stores match-up to Pick and Save. Some have told me that our ads are a week behind others. Our ads do run Thursday to Wednesday which is terrible for double coupon Wednesdays…we have to wait until the last day. I frequently ask for rain checks due to empty shelves!
Hello!
I found your site through another blog (whittakerwoman.typepad.com).
I’m 20 years old and I’ve just discovered the world of coupons myself.
I know I have a lot to learn and I’m glad that you have so many tips on your site.
Thanks so much!
Iona C.
Carrie,
Could you keep your eyes peeled for a great deal on the new Mario Bros game for the Wii? I just missed out on a great one offered by Dell and Toys R Us. It was a “Buy the new Mario Bros game and get a second game at 1/2-price”. BUMMER!
Thanks,
Monica
Hi Carrie, Just wanted to THANK YOU for the information you provide each day! I’ve just begun couponing and your site is invaluable. This is my first week and have already saved over $60.00 on products that we typically purchase! My husband couldn’t believe it when we walked out of Walgreens with a 58% savings. Thank you so much!
Love this site! Any more great lists like this for Coborns or Cash Wise? Please direct me.
—-Part 2—–
I was having a problem printing the Bricks Coupons… This totally helped.. Maybe it will help someone else.
Problems printing Bricks coupons? This may fix your problem!
So, everyone uses different browsers, from IE to FireFox to Safari.
Sometimes people paste Coupons.com/Bricks links that they recieved in FireFox, which do not work in Internet Explorer or vice versa. You get the “Please wait…” or “Please Install The Coupon Printer” even if you already did.
This trick will allow you to simply change 2 characters in the URL to make a FireFox link work in Internet Explorer and vice versa
Here’s how easy it is, the following is a FireFox link:
hxxp://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=ri3peuo59687503&bt=wg&o=53740&ci=1&c=GM&p=TyQrvJAY
note the “wg” in the URL. This link gives the repeating Please Install The Coupon Printer in Internet Explorer.
To make that link an Internet Explorer link we simply change “wg” to “wi” OR “vi” (in this case, both variations work, other coupons it may be wi or vi, trial and error):
(EXAMPLES)
hxxp://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=ri3peuo59687503&bt=wi&o=53740&ci=1&c=GM&p=TyQrvJAY
or
hxxp://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=ri3peuo59687503&bt=vi&o=53740&ci=1&c=GM&p=TyQrvJAY
UPDATE: If you want to print Bricks coupons on a MAC with Safari, replace the “wg”, “wi”, or “vi” to “xs”. You can also do the reverse, take a Safari link “xs” to IE “wi” or “vi” or to FireFox “wg”.
You do the opposite if you want to print an Internet Explorer link in FireFox!
I hope this helps!
Carrie,
You were a big part of our financial turn around this past year 2009. We started with $200 in savings and now have $18,000! We were actually spending $1000 more a month than we had. We need to refinance our house in order to keep it (upside down), so only a little more to go! In addition to using your coupon strategies, we put ourselves on a strict spending budget and wow! If we can do it anyone can. THank you!
Unfortunately, due to alot of scam coupons out there, none of the stores in our area accept online/printed coupons. This is starting to happen more and more. I am seeing signs posted everywhere I go. This is sad.
Carrie… great service you are providing for those us who really need to save extra extra in these times.
Some of the things that I do:
I have a coin counting jar and at the end of the week, I put all change from my purse into that jar. I do not touch it. I save it for “a rainy day”.
Another thing I do is I keep a small calculator in my purse. When I go to the store I calculate the per ounce cost on items, whether on sale or not. It is amazing how sometimes that larger so-called economy buy really isn’t economical at all, or the size that’s on sale is still more expensive than another size.
I have turned my refrigerator temp to a cooler temp. Regardless of what they say, that extra 2 degrees might cost a few dollars more each year, but the savings in keeping your food colder therefor lasting longer, and less trips to the grocery far outweigh that few dollars a year.
I pack my lunch, every day. For snacks, I’ll buy large bags of candy, etc. that are on sale, then measure how much in each bag, then divide that into 10 (two weeks). That way I can have a little mix of candies/snacks each day. I have been able to get my lunch (which is rather filling) down to around $2 each day. And since I’m not driving anywhere I have extra time and can take a book or magazine and really enjoy that hour.
I shop at big box grocery stores once a month primarily for pantry items (outward experation dates). They are an excellent price there. But I do not shop those stores for fresh meats, produce, etc. Their prices for those items trully are not enough cheaper to warrant buying them there, especially since they are not as “fresh” as your local grocery store and will go bad much sooner.
For items that are necessities and have no expiration (toilet paper, paper towels, etc) I have found a spot to store them and I do buy the larger packages, which can at times save up to 30% over buying “just what you need for now”. These are also items that rarely have coupons, decent sales, etc. since they are a daily necessity.
Regardless of savings, etc. I do not run all over town buying what I need, simply because it’s $.05 cheaper over there… you just spent $2.00 driving there.
I do buy my gas for my car at a name gas station (Chevron or Shell). Buying gas at that corner “shop-n-rob” might save you $.30 a week, but it’s not good for your car, and can cost you hundreds all at once.
Carrie… great service you are providing for those us who really need to save extra extra in these times.Some of the things that I do:I have a coin counting jar and at the end of the week, I put all change from my purse into that jar. I do not touch it. I save it for “a rainy day”.Another thing I do is I keep a small calculator in my purse. When I go to the store I calculate the per ounce cost on items, whether on sale or not. It is amazing how sometimes that larger so-called economy buy really isn’t economical at all, or the size that’s on sale is still more expensive than another size.I have turned my refrigerator temp to a cooler temp. Regardless of what they say, that extra 2 degrees might cost a few dollars more each year, but the savings in keeping your food colder therefor lasting longer, and less trips to the grocery far outweigh that few dollars a year.I pack my lunch, every day. For snacks, I’ll buy large bags of candy, etc. that are on sale, then measure how much in each bag, then divide that into 10 (two weeks). That way I can have a little mix of candies/snacks each day. I have been able to get my lunch (which is rather filling) down to around $2 each day. And since I’m not driving anywhere I have extra time and can take a book or magazine and really enjoy that hour.I shop at big box grocery stores once a month primarily for pantry items (outward experation dates). They are an excellent price there. But I do not shop those stores for fresh meats, produce, etc. Their prices for those items trully are not enough cheaper to warrant buying them there, especially since they are not as “fresh” as your local grocery store and will go bad much sooner.For items that are necessities and have no expiration (toilet paper, paper towels, etc) I have found a spot to store them and I do buy the larger packages, which can at times save up to 30% over buying “just what you need for now”. These are also items that rarely have coupons, decent sales, etc. since they are a daily necessity.Regardless of savings, etc. I do not run all over town buying what I need, simply because it’s $.05 cheaper over there… you just spent $2.00 driving there.I do buy my gas for my car at a name gas station (Chevron or Shell). Buying gas at that corner “shop-n-rob” might save you $.30 a week, but it’s not good for your car, and can cost you hundreds all at once.
+1
Hi Carrie,
I’ve been a subscriber to your newsletters for quite a while, and have enjoyed them. I appreciate the work that goes into putting them together. If I remember right, I first heard about you on KTIS, and that this is a type of ministry. I don’t know if you are able to control all of the content that you have on your site, but I wanted to let you know that I was disappointed when I saw the “free Twilight novella” offer. As a Christian, I know the harm that this book/movie series has done, and certainly wouldn’t promote it in any way. It is just plain evil, and things like this are not taken seriously enough. I certainly don’t want to upset you, but I felt convicted to respond to it. I will stay on your newsletter list for now, and I believe you have nothing but good intentions.
God Bless your day,
Danielle
Carrie, I think you should enter this contest. I’m sure you would win. It’s 100 Best Home-Based Businesses.
http://www.startupnation.com/home-based-100/info/
Tried To Sign Up Several Times Never Got Daily Feed
Yes, I watch other areas in the event an out of state relative/friend could use or receive a groupon as a gift ~ Love the idea!!