NEDERLAND, Texas — It's no secret that grocery prices across the nation have been on a steady rise. In the last 5 years alone the price has shot up 25%.
Southeast Texans have been feeling the strain of high prices as much as anyone, so a Nederland woman came up with some ideas on what to do to cut down on costs.
"Saturdays dollar general runs a 5 off $25. I saw women getting $30 worth of stuff for $4 i'm like there's no way. I did it and it's true, just with digital coupons," said Mistie Layne-Gengo, an 'extreme couponer'.
What started out as a casual curiosity for Layne-Gengo, quickly became an extreme hobby.
"It's hard to pass up a deal where you walk out of Walgreens with $30 worth of stuff, and Walgreens paid you $7 to do it," said Layne-Gengo.
Now, the Nederland woman helps others by selling items that she has stocked up on at a discounted price.
"I saw it off of Facebook. I wanted to save a good amount of money," said Gaven James of Port Arthur. "Very interesting, I've never seen it in person you know. You see it online a lot, but you don't really see it around. I mean, there was a lot of stuff. And it's amazing you know, the prices that you can get these types of stuff for."
Layne-Gengo suggest beginners follow social media influencers and join Facebook to get started.
"It's definitely a system you have to learn there's rules that apply. There's digital coupons you have to clip. You have to do the research you have to go online and look at the deals. Then you have to make sure the stores you're going to have those deals in stock, because if they're out of an item it can throw your whole deal off," said Layne Gengo.
She says the Family Dollar and Dollar General apps are the easiest way to start saving.
"There's a barcode at the top to hit to scan your item. So you wanna take your items and scan it. This is how easy it is guys. Take your item and scan it. It comes up 4 dollars, and it tells your there's a deal available. You scroll to the bottom, so what's my deal. If you clip this coupon you get 4 dollars off of that product which makes that product completely free," said Layne-Gengo.
You can also find savings on the CVS, Walgreens, and H-E-B apps, where you are able to stack up on coupons and save more money.
"Gain laundry detergent because often times they do a $5 off $25 or $5 off $30 gain deal that stacks with your $5 off $25 Saturday deal at dollar general, so your already saving $10 off of $25 right off the bat. Plus each gain item you buy has a coupon as well," said Layne-Gengo.
Another way to save is to download a rebate app, to get paid to shop.
"Ibotta, fetch, checkout 51,those are apps you download on your phone and it's very simple all you do is scan your receipt after you've purchased your items. And if it matches something that's promoted on that website they pay you money," said Layne-Gengo.
Layne-Gengo offered 12News an example of how much money she saved with these tactic's just yesterday.
"Yesterday I went to H-E-B. I got a turkey for free because Ibotta paid me the money to get it back. I got Kings Hawaiian rolls, cool whip, I got frozen vegetables. All of that right now for thanksgiving Ibotta's giving you a reimbursement. So I pay for the items in store, I scan my receipt, and immediately got $23 back before I even got to my car," said Layne-Gengo.
While the savings may seem small at first, Layne-Gengo says that couponing can save you hundreds a month in total.
"You have to learn to use your resources that's the thing. Our economy is so inflated right now, but I feel like there are ways we can offset it, but we have to learn how to do it," said Layne-Gengo.