Another Frugal Mom helps family get out of debt

[Atash Hagmahani]

http://www.kmbc.com/money/19367879/detail.html

Angela Coffman, also known as Frugal Mom, is helping another local woman save big.

Coffman said she found ways to save money and get her family out $100,000 debt in less than a year.

"When I hear what she's done with her family, I think, 'Why not? Anyone can do this,'" said Julie Apple, a mother of three.

Apple said her family has $21,000 of debt -- $6,000 from a car loan, $7,000 in student loan and $8,000 in credit card debt.

So, Coffman met with Apple.

"The day she came over, I knew. The look on my face was, 'I believe this girl,'" Apple told KMBC's Dion Lim.

Apple said she started by writing all her expenses down to see where her money is going. And she promised Coffman she would stick to a budget.

"My goal is to get her debt-free within one year," Coffman said.

She suggested some big life changes for Apple, including freezing her credit cards.

By stopping the use of credit cards, Apple paid off $3,000 in two months.

Apple is also watching her water bill and cutting down to 10-minute showers, which saves almost $50 a month.

But the real money can be saved at the grocery store. Apple's goal is to go from spending $800 a month on food to only $300.

"When you go every day and shop, you're not picking up the things you went into get, but you're impulsive spending, too," Coffman said.

By planning out her meals and shopping once a week, Apple will buy only what's on sale and will stock up for an entire month.