Suite101 Personal Budgeting/Finance Feature Writer, Lena Gott, interviewed Dan Griffin, founder of SavvyDollar about the website’s roots and the benefits of free membership in this North Carolina-focused deals forum.
The Birth of SavvyDollar: From Happenstance Grocery Store Conversation to Full-Fledged Networking Group
According to Dan, in August 2007, he had a brief discussion with a woman standing behind him in line at the grocery store. They were both using grocery coupons, and she asked if he was a member of a local Yahoo! group called “Smart Spending NC.” Dan was not aware of the group at the time and wrote down the information. He promptly became active in the group on a daily basis, and in October 2007 suggested to the owner of the group that the discussion be moved to a forum layout.
After some thought, the owner of Smart Spending NC offered to close the Yahoo! group if Dan would create and host the new site.
SavvyDollar Membership: Tremendous Response from North Carolina Savers Who Want to Save Money on Groceries
In December 2007, SavvyDollar was launched and members of the old Yahoo! group were notified of its availability. Members flocked to the new site and gave it the jumpstart it needed to get off the ground. Only a year later, the forum boasts an average of over 40,000 visitors per month and approximately 400,000 page views.
Who is Welcome to Join SavvyDollar? Is it Free?
SavvyDollar is primarily targeted at North Carolina residents, but anyone can join. According to Dan, since the site launched, the site has logged visitors from all 50 states and 95 different countries. North Carolinians will reap the largest benefit from the site, however, because the majority of grocery store deals posted in the forum are regional. Dan believes that many national chains run regional promotions as well, which fits perfectly with a site focused solely on North Carolina.
Membership is free, and everyone is invited to participate in the community forums.
Types of Deals Members Share with One Another: Grocery Store Deals, Printable Coupons, Online Deals, Free Samples
For the most part, SavvyDollar members share North Carolina deals. Dan provided a sample regional grocery deal recently published by one member that illustrates how members save money with coupons:
Local Harris Teeters had Muir Glen tomatoes on sale for $1.50 per can. Members know that there is an unexpired $0.75 coupon available for that exact product, which doubles in value at Harris Teeter. So, when someone pairs the coupon with the sale price, the tomatoes are free.
In addition to grocery deals, members share drug store deals, big-box store deals (large retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target), online deals, links to printable coupons, deals on baby items, and leads on free samples. The forum also contains a family finance section as well as threads for members to swap grocery coupons, share frugal recipes, and provide local business recommendations.
Resources:
Interview with Dan Griffin, October 2008
Savvy Dollar website
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