Jessica Richardson Biography

Jessica is THE Money Maniac! Her methods of couponing combined with her other outrageous grocery shopping strategies regularly save her 90% plus on food and groceries for her family. Jessica works full time and has four children. This is her story:

When she was newly pregnant with her fourth child she knew that she would have three children in diapers. She was using cloth diapers to save money but the financial responsibility of another child was ominous. She and her husband, Reid, and their kids were living solely on his income  as a carpenter. They were getting by and very slowly paying off debt they’d incurred during an extended time of unemployment. But they, like many Americans, were just one paycheck away from financial disaster.

Every week when Reid got paid Jessica would take $150 to get food for the week, but that’s not all. With that $150 she also had to buy gas, clothes, toiletries, school supplies, and entertainment! (There wasn’t much entertainment or eating out, needless to say!) $600 per month for a family of 5 – soon to be 6 – was all their income would allow for these things. They did not qualify for or receive federal or state assistance. They were what we call ‘the working poor’.

Prior to this time, Jessica never used coupons. It never occurred to her there was hope for a way out of their financial circumstances without additional income or an increase in her monthly budget. When Jessica started couponing her budget could NOT change, there were just no other resources. She heard from a friend something about saving money with coupons, but that was all. From there she spent weeks reading online about coupons … a task in itself having three kids and being pregnant. She learned literally by trial and error. Her very first transaction was completely fraudulent! She returned the entire transaction and apologized to the store’s management. She was determined to learn to coupon correctly! Through it all she continued to pursue couponing as a new hope of financial survival.

After six months of research, trial and error, her monthly budget had not changed but her household had. She had now stockpiled a year’s worth of food and groceries and was spending less than $200 per month for them! That meant they had $400 more per month to pay off debt, to buy necessities such as gasoline, clothes, school supplies, to go out to eat occasionally and take the kids places. They found they were eating better and had better quality food and toiletries. Their income and budget had not changed but their lifestyle improved dramatically!

When one is focused on survival, it’s hard to see past your own circumstances to help others – even if you want to. With their new surplus of food and groceries they were now able to help friends and neighbors in need. On one occasion a neighbor with six children who had lost his job and was struggling to put food on the table. Jessica’s family was able to fill about twelve grocery bags with food from their stockpile and leave them on the neighbor’s front porch. It really is more blessed to give than to receive!

Since then, in addition to keeping their own stockpile full, Jessica has be couponing for the purpose of donating to charities and families in need. She feels like she has been given somewhat of a ‘financial ministry’ and performs that ministry to the fullest.

Jessica is also involved in her church and community and would love nothing more than to volunteer for charities full time. She is a member of Soroptimist International of Gresham helping women and children globally. She also coupons for the local Police Activities League, filling backpacks with school supplies for hundreds of needy children. She keeps a number of local food banks and homeless shelters supplied by her couponing efforts for little or no money. The joy of giving back to the community and neighbors has been Jessica’s focus and that of her entire family. From working poor, pregnant, stay-at-home mom to global giver…. Jessica Richardson is The Money Maniac.