Welcome to Ilana’s Dollar Oysters!

Hi! It’s me! Ilana. Also known as “Mama Lana” to my friends (I’ll get to that later). I am so excited to be launching this blog. With my decades of experience finding the best deals and saving money, I will be sharing my best tips with you on a weekly basis so you can get in on the fun! I can’t wait to share with you what I have learned over the years, and learn more about you along the way.

So, how did this all start?

I remember going to the grocery store with my mother when I was little and getting so excited to show her all the coupons I clipped that week. I would wait patiently for the Sunday paper to arrive each week and peruse that week’s deals. I would meticulously cut out the coupons of the items I knew my mom used, and a few extras that I wanted her to treat me to. After organizing the coupons by type of product, we headed off to the local store! It was like an episode of Supermarket Sweep (the original version) – trying to find the right aisle that corresponded to my coupons and feeling the excitement whenever I found a match. At the end of my trip, I would present my mother with the coupons, and watched excitedly as the cashier rang up the items and then the coupons. And then it was time to see my hard work come to fruition… how much did we save? Some weeks it was $1 and some weeks it was as much as $15! At the end of the trip, my mother would hand me the cash I saved her couponing, so I could treat myself to something special! It was, of course, between a copy of Bop or CosmoGIRL! magazines (remind me to show you 14 year old Ilana featured in one of these magazines), usually with JTT on the cover (does anyone know what happened to him?). And pair it with a candy bar (Three Musketeers or Twix for the win!). And I was as happy as a clam. Sure, it didn’t actually save my mom any money since all the savings went to me, but it was a good first lesson in saving money, and my first in becoming financially stable.

And although my story began over 25 years ago, it absolutely shaped how I look at my finances today at 39 years old, as I still love a good deal. I may treat myself to a fresh gel manicure each month at cost (obviously cat shaped bright pink magnetic nails), but I will pair it with my free SweetGreen salad that I got for free because of the $20 credit in my App. Now, don’t worry, I won’t give you suggestions on eating cat food instead of tuna. But you will learn a TON about price comparisons, reading the fine print, and simply asking for a discount!

For my OG University of Albany friends, you may remember my 2004 blog Cherry Pants (re-launch also coming soon!), documenting the life and times of my friends and I in college.

Launching this blog is something I have wanted to do for years, and here I am, finally doing it. I was inspired by my friend Alex, the Freelance Fairy, who knows all things side hustle related (check out her book here for the best tips)!

And, I want to hear from you as well! Do you have fun tricks to save money? A favorite rewards program? Email me with your best money-saving tips.

XO

Ilana