How Leslie divided his “grocery” budget by five

For her, there are no “small savings”. Spending a few minutes with Leslie is seeing, suddenly, his shopping budget melt like snow in the sun. "It's been two years since I started and I didn't expect to reach so many people," she smiles.

In April 2019, she created the Facebook group “I optimize, save and earn money! To date, it already has almost 100,000 members.

Parental leave and reduced income

As a child, Leslie grew up in a family that did not pay much attention to expenses. At the beginning of her marriage, she and her spouse had a comfortable income for a long time. “My story is ultimately quite banal, she sums up. I worked in the medico-social with busy days. When I had my second child, I decided to quit and take parental leave. But who says parental leave says drop in income of 75 to 80%… ”

Looking back, Leslie tells herself that she had no choice. “I started by reviewing all the expense items in the house. I had never paid too much attention to promotions before. When I started to look into the matter, I realized that I could really do great business.” She starts slowly, with common sense: buy what she really needs, cut out discount coupons, watch for promotions. Quickly, with a little organization, new savings are available to her. “I understood that I could manage, in a completely legal way, to almost no longer pay for a packet of detergent, for example. At the checkout, it drove me crazy to see that the people in front and behind me were paying full price. So I decided to share my tips.

Common sense and some effort

On his Facebook page, the presentation is clear. " Good morning ! I'm Leslie, mother of two young children. Forced to take parental leave, having suffered a significant drop in income, I decided to find some tips to reduce my shopping budget and earn money legally! She leads her group with a promise: "No scams, no bad plans!" Its exercise still requires some effort. "It's a bit of mental gymnastics, but I'll guide you and help you! Do not hesitate ! »

Leslie likes to say that she plays by the rules of marketing. “All “first free product” operations are intended to make you buy another one, except that I stop there and switch to another product, for example. »

Ultimately, to practice Leslie-style optimization, consumers have two complementary options. By combining discount coupons, in-store promotions and the use of reimbursement applications on smartphones, an initial reduction in their shopping budget is guaranteed. But they can go even further: earn money on the Internet by answering surveys, registering on certain sites or just by receiving a few emails. For this more technical part, Leslie hosts online meetings every day at 4 p.m.

Does the young woman see a civic side in her approach? Apparently, we are not the first to make the reflection to her, which she finds exaggerated. “When a mother tells me that, thanks to me, she got out of the red or when I can donate products that I receive to associations, it moves me, she concedes. However, I am no longer the only one and it is a general state of mind that makes the site grow. »

Real and lasting savings

Above all, she knows what she has gained from it financially. "I checked with my husband. Before, we easily had €500 worth of groceries for four. Today, for the same content, I sometimes manage to get around €100. “Incredible but true, receipts and bank statements in support. She also divided certain expense items, such as vacations, by two. As early as spring, she booked her next trip to Spain. “If you have fixed the precise dates of your departure, it is easier to benefit from flash sales. As a result, I had my stay at half price. »

With her husband, she also got into the habit of buying the children's Christmas presents from October. "There are often 'buy one board game get one refunded' offers. »

You just had to think about it. Even better: thanks to her tricks, Leslie has totally changed her life. “Already, this activity has given me the opportunity to take care of my children. But, in addition, it allowed me to convert. “At the end of his parental leave, Leslie has thus paid the luxury of changing lanes. “On the one hand, I earn money as a “community manager”, that is to say by animating my site and by establishing partnerships. But, above all, I created a self-employed company with the idea of ​​becoming a “savings coach” for individuals. »

Leslie definitely has more than one good plan in her shopping bag.

Discounts, instructions for use

A for apps: To avoid spreading yourself too thin, Leslie recommends starting with two or three sites or apps. Thus, you will find offers from distributors on the anti-crise.fr website. For reduction coupons, in addition to those offered on products, you can consult the sites mavieencouleurs.fr, labelleadresse.com, fr.igraal.com or couponnetwork.fr. On smartphones, applications such as Shopmium and Quoty (available for free on the Play Store and the App Store) allow you to be reimbursed for part of your shopping. Once at home, simply scan the barcode of the items eligible for the offers and photograph the receipt.

C for cashback: “Cashback” means “money back”. The idea is to join sites like eBuyClub, Igraal or Poulpeo which reimburse you for part of your purchases. To receive the sums in question, Leslie advises using a PayPal account so that you only have to give an e-mail address, rather than your bank details.

C like accumulating: This is Leslie's great strength. Indeed, on the same product, you can sometimes combine an immediate discount, a refund offer and a paper reduction voucher. If you are a Carrefour customer, also consider the “My opinion makes it free” application, which allows you to be offered four articles in exchange for a questionnaire to be completed.

E like e-mail: When chasing after promotions becomes an activity in its own right, it is strongly recommended to open an e-mail address separate from your personal address, so as not to mix everything up. It is this address that you will give to receive newsletters, answer surveys or receive information on discount coupons. Not only will you not be "polluted" by offers, but you will be able to consolidate all your information in one place.

F for fruit: Don't worry: you don't need to eat only industrial products to benefit from good deals! Like Leslie, download the anti-waste apps Too Good To Go (toogoodtogo.fr) or Phenix (wearephenix.com). The idea: you book themed baskets at discounted prices (fruits, vegetables, bakery, etc.) containing items close to their expiry date.

L for list: “Prepare your shopping list well by determining in advance the products that benefit from immediate or loyalty discounts, reduction coupons and other refund offers. “We must therefore consume by adapting to promotions. But our internet user promises that we are still spoiled for choice. Of course, it's tedious at first. To understand how it works, our expert recommends starting with a list of about fifteen products. The difference will already be noticeable.

S for overconsumption: Even at a bargain price, avoid the temptation to buy a product you don't need, otherwise the savings will be limited. Likewise, unless he has a use for them or knows who to give them to, Leslie refuses many free products. The ideal, according to her, is to put you in contact with an association to redistribute them.

This article was published in the magazine Nous Deux number 3855.