When she was just 13, Yakima Deloatch’s mother passed away from breast cancer. Years later, she found herself fighting the same battle.
In 2013, the then 31-year-old was told she had stage 3 triple negative breast cancer, one of the toughest forms to detect and overcome. Fortunately, after months of treatments, she beat it. But Deloatch found herself struggling to accept her “new” normal which included a very different financial standing after having left the workforce to focus on recovery.
“I’m a firm believer that society teaches us how to fight during the journey, but they don’t teach us how to live after the journey,” Deloatch told ESSENCE. “A lot of patients find themselves stuck because even though you’re done with chemo, radiation, your surgeries, you now have to find your place back into society.”
While navigating this bittersweet life stage, Deloatch said she faced deep sadness, until her aunt showed her a useful hobby she’d eventually fell in love with: couponing.
“It became an outlet, and I got such great satisfaction from it,” Deloatch shared. “As I was going through such a critical illness, it made me happy. It brought me joy, because I did fall into a depression once my cancer was complete. It was the one thing I could control.”
As she fell deeply in love with couponing, she created the entrepreneurial endeavor “Single Girl Coupons” a platform that was inspired her journey to lean into her independence through smart financial choices. Through the Instagram account, Deloatch teaches others how to find massive savings when acquiring household and personal care items for little to nothing. Over the years, Deloatch said she’s saved thousands of dollars on personal products.
Her guidance for spotting cost-cutting opportunities is timely as the world braces for a potential recession expert predict will come in 2023. There are a few key tips she shared to amplify savings:
TIP 1: Utilize Rebate Apps
“There are a few rebate apps I absolutely love, which are Ibotta and Fetch Rewards. They’re phenomenal because they give you money back, and then Fetch gives you points back. You can also redeem them for gift cards or money into a PayPal account or Visa gift card. Another is Rakuten, which issues a monthly payout and is definitely useful for an online shopper as it identifies web discounts that save you money at checkout.”
TIP 2: Watch The Sales
“Pay attention to your sales circulars for the stores. That means looking your favorite stores’ online ads and being careful about not jumping at the first price you see, because it’s possible it may lower. For example, a lot of people think Black Friday is the only time to check on sales for electronics or things like that, but check on prices a week before Thanksgiving as well.
TIP 3: Be Patient With Yourself
“Remember that you’re not going to understand the full process advanced couponing process right in the beginning. Give yourself grace to learn the journey at your own pace and find your rhythm.”