If you haven’t heard of her already, Gia Pendergast should be your household’s next name. Because what Gia’s been able to do for her household is absolutely astounding.

I first met Gia in February, when we got to talk about how she integrates the SnipSnap app into her master savings plan. Gia runs a successful coupon website; her couponing classes have become so popular, she’s even become a go-to couponing guru in the media. She lives completely debt-free with her husband and two seriously adorable boys. She works full-time, doing what she loves, teaching other parents like her how to save with coupons and how to have fun as a family for free. Gia’s life is pretty enviable, but it wasn’t always easy. She recently blogged about turning her life around with coupons at NY Metro Parents.

Gia was a successful accountant before she got pregnant with her first son, but when complications forced her on bed rest for her entire pregnancy, the Pendergasts’ income took a steep, unexpected decline. After Gia had her second son, she knew she had to start bringing in extra income (as she puts it, “Living on Long Island is expensive!”) Gia couldn’t take of her children and go back to working days as an accountant, so she started working the night shift at Best Buy instead:

Having a part time job helped, but we were still constantly struggling to pay our bills. On top of the financial stress, taking care of two children during the day while working nights was quickly wearing us down. I felt like there must be other ways to help my family save money, so after a year of juggling my children and a part time job, I decided to give couponing a try.

It took a bit to learn where to find the best coupons and how to combine them to score the best deals, but soon after taking up couponing, Gia became a pro. The first time she went to the grocery store with a hoard of online coupons, she paid just $18 for a $63 order. From then on, Gia never looked back.

Check out Gia’s entire guest post on NY Metro Parents blog and get inspired to start saving your family some serious cash!