Coupon queen saved $19.6K on Christmas gifts — here’s how

Weird But True

By Adriana Diaz

This mom is seeing more green than usual this Christmas.

Karla Benavides, 28, claims that she spent just $400 for about $20,000 worth of toys for her four children.

“I used to spend $200 on each of my kids for Christmas,” the thrifty Los Angeles resident, who goes by @karlasavings on TikTok, explained to SWNS.

“Now, I have these toys and all these items so each of our children gets around $5,000 in toys,” she added.

Benavides said she started couponing in 2018 when she was pregnant with her third child.

She had become increasingly anxious about her family relying on just her husband’s paralegal salary.

“As a one-income family, I was thinking about how expensive things would be after our third was born,” Benavides recalled. “I was freaking out wondering how we would make ends meet, which is where I stumbled across couponing.”

To cut costs, Benavides began clipping coupons for diapers from the Sunday paper — she quickly realized she could be saving on lots of items.

She claims she got a $75 Thanksgiving dinner for six people for free last month as a result of her couponing — and hopes to do the same with Christmas dinner.

Benavides’ savings stack up all year long.

“I used to spend $800 a month on my grocery shopping and now I spend less than $150,” she shared.

“We save so much money, I have created a stockpile in my laundry room.”

Benavides said her stockpile allows her to skip shopping some weeks and provide for family and friends who aren’t as coupon savvy.

She even has a storage unit filled with toys ready to be played with by her kids, given to loved ones, or donated.

Her sharing doesn’t stop there: Benavides has earned 1.2 million followers on TikTok by revealing couponing tips and tricks.

“I feel very lucky to have stumbled across couponing and I am grateful that I can help others,” she said.