In 2008, when the economy tanked, my husband and I lost 80% or so of our retirement -- thank you, AIG! -- and our boss cut our hours back from 50 a week to 40 hours. During that time, I called the number on the back of my Healthy Choice box to find out where to get their beef stroganoff meal. And when I did, I learned an amazing thing that helped us immensely during that difficult time. After giving me the name and address of where in my area I could buy the meal, the woman at the company asked me, "Would you mind if I sent you some coupons for your purchases?" I almost laughed. Of course I didn't! But I asked why she would do that, and she explained to me that they usually send them out to anyone who calls. Well, I gave her my address and then pulled literally every box, bottle, bag and container from my food cupboard and made a list of the product and the phone number on the packages. And then I called each of them. Sometimes, I asked a question, and other times, I made a suggestion, and about 95% of the places I called wanted my address to send coupons. Because they are manufacturers' coupons, they usually have no expiration date, and they are usually good for doubling weekends at the Harris Teeter or wherever. The amount of money I saved doing this was really noticeable I tucked the list in my recipe cupboard and have used it several other times: We move up north for the spring and summer every year, and each time we had a new address, I have called again. I have also amassed numerous other numbers over the years, and I call each of them whenever I can. **Note: In my now-vast experience, I have found that bottled water companies never send free water.
