When Jessica Williams’ husband lost his job last February, she picked up blogging to provide a distraction from life. But her blog, Utah Deal Diva, grew quickly since more and more people were looking for ways to save money. Jessica also tweets about her money saving ideas at @UtahDealDiva. The California native has called Utah home for the last decade. She and her husband met in elementary school but didn’t date until their senior year of high school. Now these long-time sweethearts have three little ones that Jessica loves caring for.

OODC: How did you get started blogging and tweeting?
@UtahDealDiva: I started blogging in February, 2009 when my husband was out of work. In all honesty, I started it to provide a distraction for myself during a really tough time. I had no idea it would grow so quickly! I’ve always been frugal by nature, but I’ve never thought to share my ideas. With the economy in the current state, being frugal is now trendy!

OODC:You write very candidly about your family’s experience with unemployment. Can you fill in our readers and explain how the experience changed you?
@UtahDealDiva:It was one of the most stressful experiences in my life! I’ve been through some pretty tough stuff too, but it’s different when you have children you’re responsible for. My husband and I stuck together and made it a goal to not be victims to the ailing economy. It took an incredible amount of hard work, prayer and determination, but I feel we succeeded. I guess I should say we’re still succeeding. He took a nice pay cut with his new job, so we’re still budgeting carefully. Above all, the experience taught us how far old fashioned hard work and creativity could benefit us financially!

OODC:What are your top three favorite money-saving tips?
@UtahDealDiva:First and foremost, start tracking your spending. I’m amazed at how many people simply have no idea where their money is going. You can’t formulate a plan to save money until you know how you’re spending it! Second, give coupons a chance. They’ve come so far! No longer are you going to save $.35 here or $1 there. I save hundreds and hundreds each month by strategically using coupons. Lastly, stop eating out so much. I think Americans as a whole eat out too often. It’s a very expensive habit. Stay at home and cook a healthy meal for your family. It will benefit your relationships, waistline and pocketbook.

OODC:What do you hope people get out of your Tweets and blog posts?
@UtahDealDiva:I hope people are inspired to do things a little differently in the name of saving money.

OODC:Who are some of your favorite money tweeters?
@UtahDealDiva:All my favorite bloggers are on Twitter: @athriftymom, @krazycouponlady, @cheapchick

Thanks again to Jessica (@UtahDealDiva) for being our Twitter Tuesday Profile this week! Want to be considered for an upcoming profile? Just tweet me!