Cost-cutting tips from thrifty Houston family of nine

HOUSTON

You may have caught them at the grocery store on national television or right here on my Stretch Your Dollar reports.

Paul and Tiffany Ivanovsky make it their full-time job to help people save money and now the family has teamed up with ABC13 to help all of us save. With seven kids ranging in age from toddler to teenager, they have to find a way to cut costs.

Tiffany's first tip: Use your smart phone to save big.

"Just the mobile coupons alone and the money-saving apps that are on there right now. And most of us have a smart phone we are already paying for that,' she said. Why not get all these apps and coupons that are just going to make our lives easier?"

Tiffany's favorite apps include Target, Randalls and RedLaser.

Another way the family saves is by planning a weekly menu.

"I have quick meals that we can make. They are meals that we can be made in under 10 minutes. My older kids know how to make them," said Tiffany.

Another way the Ivanoskys save is by tackling do-it-yourself projects. Tiffany's daughter has really wanted an American Girl bed for their dolls, but Tiffany created one by refinishing an old-end table.

"We flipped it over, put some feet on the bottom of it, painted it. Total was about $40," Tiffany said.

Paul's favorite way to save money is by price matching at Walmart. In fact, he has a whole site devoted to it. It's called Iheartthemart.com.

"So you don't have to go store to store to get all the great deals. You are getting it at one place, you are using coupons, and you are saving 40 to 60 percent every month," he said.

And finally Paul considers himself an expert on shopping around for big ticket items.

"From the biggest ticket items on how to buy a house, to the smallest things like how to get a great deal on an microwave. So anywhere in between, we are going to help you save money there too," Paul said.

The Super Savers will be contributing to our website and will also join ABC13's morning news team every Monday morning on Eyewitness News at 6am.

Find Patricia on Facebook at ABC13PatriciaLopez or on Twitter at @patricialopez13

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