Welcome!
Hey y’all! I’m Aubrey, and the one behind the Clearance Hunter Instagram. I receive a lot of questions about how I got to where I am, so I thought I would share my story.
I was born and raised in West Virginia and met my husband Ken in 2001 while in college and working at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. We were married in 2003, and on our one year anniversary he was in Great Lakes, Illinois for Navy Boot camp. Our first base was Fort Dix, New Jersey, and a year later in 2005, our daughter Layla was born. This is where my couponing and deal shopping began to take root. I became a stay at home mom, and Ken, low ranking at the time, was our sole income. We were both loaded down with student loans, and I needed to find ways to start helping out with our budget. I began learning the ropes of ways to make our dollar stretch, and it became a fun little game for me. I saw it as a challenge, and it became a great hobby.
We received orders to Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and in 2008 we received the shock of our lives. The ONE baby we were preparing for was actually TWO! My “plan ahead” brain immediately went into overdrive. We needed double the wipes, double the diapers, double the baby gear, another car seat, a double stroller, etc. My couponing then began to turn into clearance hunting, and I learned so much out of necessity. Our next move was to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, and it was there I started a Facebook deal group and began teaching workshops to other military spouses about how to save money. Also, we had SO many Targets that I became addicted and really learned the in’s and out’s of their clearance schedule.
In 2013 we were so excited to get orders to Jacksonville, Florida. We bought our first home, and I became obsessed with decorating our home on a budget. In the past I had always decorated our base housing, but there was something about home ownership that lit a fire in me. This is also where our youngest son, Sawyer, was born. We were “done” having kids for seven years but felt like God had laid it upon our hearts to have one more baby. I continued to share deals on my Facebook group and also taught coupon workshops to the women’s group at our church.
In 2016 we received orders to Houston, Texas. I won’t lie, we all left Florida kicking and screaming. It was by far our most difficult move, and we had a rough transition into Texas. For the first time as a military spouse, I hated the Navy. I hated what it had done to my family, I hated that we had to sell our house, and to be honest I wasn’t a fan of Houston, and the locals were not very welcoming to newbies. (For all of my Texas friends reading this – don’t freak out, my opinion has changed.)
I’m still not a Houston fan per se, but I have met some wonderful ladies that I’m blessed to call my forever friends. I’m sharing all of this because out of my dark valley, Clearance Hunter was born. I was alone and needed an outlet. My husband worked extremely long hours (still does) and it was just the four kiddos and I. They say you grow the most in dark times, and that’s definitely been true in my life.
I didn’t even know how to work Instagram. I’m old and technology is not my strong point.
I’ve learned a lot, and Clearance Hunter has taken off more than I could ever fathom. It’s become a community of deal hunting home decorators, and I truly appreciate every sweet message I receive. I hope that this blog becomes one more way that we can connect with each other.
If you made it this long, Thank You! It’s difficult to sum up 15 years into a few paragraphs.
XOXO – Aubrey
