DaytonDailyNews.com

CENTERVILLE — It pays to be a frugal shopper.

Erin Chase, a stay-at-home mother of two from Centerville, recently learned that the video she had submitted on YouTube was one of the top 10 chosen in Walmart's Money Saving Tip Contest.

Her prize? A year's worth of groceries from Walmart.

Chase said she had made the video for her Web site, www.5dollardinners.com, about a week before seeing the contest online in September. The contest was run by Walmart's "Elevenmoms" group, which is made up of moms who blog about saving money.

In Chase's video, titled "How to Save When Buying Proteins," she talks about how to use advertisements to find good prices on meat, and then advises people to buy in bulk, separate the meat into meal-size bags and freeze the portions until you need them.

The contest was in line with the concept of Chase's site, which offers money-saving advice and teaches people how to make healthy dinners from scratch for a family of four for less than $5.

Chase, 31, learned on New Year's Eve that she was among the 10 winners nationwide.

"I get e-mailed when people post a comment on the video, and I got a message from someone else who I think had entered the contest saying, 'Congrats on being in the top 10!' "

From there she checked the Web site, saw a video announcing the top 10 had been named and that they would receive a year's worth of free groceries.

Chase said she has not received official notification from Walmart, but that she e-mailed one of the women from the Elevenmoms group who confirmed the win. The woman said Chase should get a call from Walmart after the holidays.

According to the information posted on the site, winners will be paid in the form of a $6,000 Walmart gift card.

Chase, who just started couponing in July, said her husband had just done the year-end budgeting and told her that they spent $4,915 on groceries last year.

"I'm not sure about the rules; whether the card can expire or not," Chase said. "If not, that could last for three years the way I shop!"

Chase said she would like to donate at least 10 percent of her prize to charity.

"We are big into tithing in my church; we like to give back."

The winning videos can be accessed at www.youtube.com/walmart, and more information about Chase and her efforts can be seen at www.5dollardinners.com.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-

7325

or

jikelley

@DaytonDailyNews.com.