RedPlum's Super (Savings) Man Contest Highlights the Many Ways Men Save

LIVONIA, Mich., July 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Redplum®.com, one of the fastest growing online coupon, value lifestyle sites and a leading provider of deals and savings on brands consumers want most, says women aren't the only savers in the household. RedPlum®'s Super (Savings) Man Contest proved that with more than 1,700 entries in its Facebook-based contest seeking to identify the top savings superhero. It was largely women, though, bragging about the men they know – husbands, dads, sons, in-laws and even co-workers – who nominated their male counterparts over the course of a week. The first day brought 500 entries alone.

They told tales of the ways the men they know save from clipping coupons with their morning coffee to growing their own vegetables to put healthy food on the table, saving for retirement at a young age and taking on do-it-yourself projects extraordinaire. In some cases, the men were the ones teaching the women how to save, whether it was a dad taking his daughter to the store as a youngster and depositing the savings into her future college fund or a co-worker sharing his tips in the workplace around the water cooler or in a more formal way by teaching a class.

"Oftentimes, when you think about savers, you think of women, but the savings men bring to their households may surprise you," said Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum's Mom Saver in Chief.  "The variety of entries showed us that men love to save regardless of their ages, occupations or household roles and they save in all aspects of their lives."

In the end, Brandon Wade of Paducah, Kentucky was voted the Super (Savings) Man by RedPlum Saves Facebook community of savers. He began saving out of necessity when he was laid off and has incorporated saving into every aspect of his life from shopping to cooking to gardening. How does he save? Wade learned to cook and started buying meat – one of the more expensive items on a grocery list – from the reduced for quick sale section of the grocery store. He also plants his own garden, saving on fresh produce. Stretching the bounty of his garden, he freezes and cans his own vegetables, too, taking the initiative to learn how to can by reading a how-to book. Wade also stretches his budget by shopping with coupons.

"He totally amazes me," said Stephanie Wade, who nominated her husband for his get-up-and-go attitude and admires the lifestyle adjustments he has made that have positively impacted their budget.

"I have fun saving," said Wade, RedPlum's 2011 Super (Savings) Man. "It is almost like a challenge to me now and every day I hope to discover new ways to save. I have made a very conscious choice to change my lifestyle and my thinking process toward finding every way to save our family money. I look back now and wonder what in the world was I thinking? How could I pay full price for so many items and be so clueless as to how much money I was wasting? Now I just think about more ways to save money. I am always open to ideas!"

Wade received a George Foreman® indoor/outdoor grill and a $100 Omaha Steak gift certificate, plus a four-pack of movie tickets and a $100 gift certificate to Restaurant.com. Four finalists and the winning nominator also received a four-pack of movie tickets and $100 Restaurant.com gift certificates.

Five finalists were selected and featured on the RedPlum Saves Facebook page, and over the course of a week, fans cast their votes with the winner garnering the largest number of votes. The stories shared by nominators of the five finalists featured on the RedPlum Facebook page demonstrated the wide variety of ways men save.

For example, Brendan Banfield of Shirley, New York educated himself about local and federal savings, filed for the HomeBuyers Tax Credit and invested in the use of solar electric in his New York home to save $48,000. While his wife and nominator, Christine, said he is not afraid to clip a coupon or two, she is most proud of the great home savings he achieved.

Andy Hummel, who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, has proved to be a real super saver planning for retirement immediately following his college graduation.  Hummel's saving ways have enabled him to provide a debt-free lifestyle for wife Amanda Hummel and himself.  His motto is "pay yourself first and everyone else later," which he has demonstrated by investing in a 401(k), a ROTH IRA, a 529 for potential children, a six-month emergency fund and a down payment for a house.

Michael Penwell of Cary, North Carolina is a real go-getter when it comes to saving.   His wife, Melissa Penwell, admires his successful efforts to negotiate lower household rates and do extensive research prior to making a purchase.   His hard work has paid off as his two children have had braces for a matter of months and their treatments are paid in full.

Dan Verderbar of Plymouth, Michigan saves non-stop from researching and negotiating car purchases to shopping at stores that offer brand-name clothes for a fraction of the price, changing his own oil and washing his car year round.   According to his wife, Mary Ann Verderbar, "Dan's been using coupons, rebates, his own grocery bags and recycling before it was cool."

"We already knew that women who save like to share their great finds, and to an extent, brag about it," Reynolds said. "With the majority of entries in our Super (Savings) Man Contest coming from women, we can also see that they like to brag about the men in their lives who save, too."

To learn more about RedPlum's Super (Savings) Man, go to: http://www.redplum.com/pages/viewarticle.aspx?id=42949673010

About RedPlum

RedPlum brings consumers relevant offers and good deals on the brands they want most to best stretch their budgets. We deliver deals on a weekly basis to over 100 million shoppers in the mailbox, in the newspaper, in-store and online. At redplum.com and save.com, you will find one of the largest collections of printable coupons, coupon codes and savings tips along with the best deals and the sweetest coupons plus trends, tips and inside information on what to wear, buy and do right now. RedPlum is the consumer brand of Valassis, a Michigan-based company that has been delivering savings and value for 40 years. Building upon our wish to help American families, we empower the public to take part in the effort to help safely recover missing children through our America's Looking For Its Missing Children® program, which appears on our RedPlum products. For more information, visit http://www.redplum.com and http://www.save.com. To learn about advertising opportunities with RedPlum, please call 1-800-437-0479.

SOURCE RedPlum and Valassis