Coupon maven draws bargain-hunting crowd

Grocery Game | Students, media flock after Sun-Times article

July 1st, 2008 05:00 AM - Jill Cataldo's coupon savvy is making her a mini celebrity. Since she was featured in the Sun-Times June 12, she has fielded questions from readers at suntimes.com, interviewed by Jonathon Brandmeier on WLUP-FM (97.9) three times and by two other radio stations and been filmed by a TV crew.

"I cannot believe this many people are interested," said Cataldo, who has been using the online Grocery Game for two years. "It must be a sign of the economy."

Cataldo explained how, using the online coupon site, which charges a fee, she was able to buy 58 boxes of cereal and 40 boxes of granola bars for $5.15, total. She even shared her receipts.

Cataldo is teaching a library coupon class with a super-couponer friend, she said. The class was booked for a room that held 30, but so many people inquired at the Huntley Area Public Library that the class is going to be held in a nearby classroom that holds some 200.

"Since the Sun-Times article, things have just gone crazy for me," she said.

Cataldo shared her latest favorite coupon offer: Using an in-store coupon at Jewel for Kraft's "buy three products from Kraft, Oscar Mayer or Nabisco and getting one item free." She combined that coupon with Jewel's offer of $3 off the purchase of three bags of Kraft marshmallows; and chose as the free item Oscar Mayer hot dogs, which she said are on sale as two for the price of one.

(photo caption: Jill Cataldo, with her children Angelica, 12, Ben, 3, and Will, 1, used an online coupon site to buy 58 boxes of cereal and 40 granola bars for $5.15.)