Inspiring Conversations with Myrah Duque of Mamacita On The Move

Today we’d like to introduce you to Myrah Duque.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
From being a realtor to the owner of a transportation company and a multi-tasking, passionate Blogger/Digital Content Creator and businesswoman, I put my diverse skill set to work for my readers!

I have a passion for coupons—those magical little pieces of paper—started a journey to make a radical life change by beating the system, providing and feeding my family by paying less.

The financial crisis of 2007-2008 forced many of us into frugality. I was one of them. Before this crisis, I was a Realtor and worked with two reputable real estate companies, and I was living a lovely life. Given the situation, my income reduced dramatically overnight and my husband’s.

My coupon obsession took me to become an “extreme couponer” (yes, just like the reality show!). I would visit the local grocery stores (Publix, Winn Dixie, Walmart, etc.) and drugstores (CVS, Walgreens) at least twice per week! The obsession was such that my garage looked like a warehouse in a matter of weeks.

My stockpile included all types of products: Detergent, paper, food cans, cleaning products, pet food, medicine, seasonal, you name it. I started donating the excess free items to a local food pantry/community centers and making garage sales. When I visited my relatives in Miami, I would pack up the car filled with bags of items for them at least once a month.

After learning the ins and outs of “couponing”, in 2009, Coupon Mamacita was born. I turned a negative situation into a positive one. It was my mission to help and teach families and individuals money-saving tips using coupons, store incentives, and rebates to not only save money but enjoy a less stressful and better life. Many families in my community could feed their loved ones during these difficult times.
Once I got the hang of teaching others through my website, I started doing FREE coupon classes!

This was a huge deal back then as classes were in high demand everywhere. I would host classes at least 2-3 a week at home, community centers, libraries, parks, friends’ houses. You name it! The Simple Truth Foundation reached out to offer a partnership between my classes and their newspaper in seeing my success. This was a massive milestone in my life as it allowed me to help others by offering direct access to coupons, helping promote my website, and gaining an income at the same time.

In 2011, Mamacita La Cuponera was created to cater to my Spanish-speaking readers more directly. While many Latinos are responsible for our finances, our community still lacks money mentors and financial literacy resources teaching us how to save money in our everyday lives properly. At this time, the Hispanic community had little experience in using coupons. I decided to take my readers by the hand and teach them how they too could embolden their family’s finances through couponing.

It was challenging but so worth it. It was a satisfaction when families stopped me at the grocery stores to hug me and thank me for the knowledge I was sharing. PRICELESS. Through my websites and social media channels, I educated others on how to beat the system and feed their families for less, all while having fun. This website created a multilingual social media presence. Since I had the best of both worlds, brands wanted to attract and capture the attention of the Hispanic market, and I was that connection for them.

My savvy advice and being the only blogger to teach money-saving tips in not one but TWO languages: English and Español led to many unique opportunities. These include appearances on NBC Latino, The Simple Truth Foundation, Baby Center, Cricket Wireless, and Latina.com. In 2014, I received the Best Parenting Latina Blogger award, and in 2015 Best Latina Bilingual Blogger. Additionally, it led to partnerships with Procter & Gamble, CVS, Disney, Chevrolet, Ford, Carnival Cruise Lines, Verizon Wireless, Sears, and many more.

Being a social media influencer has led to some fantastic adventures. One of these includes my partnership with Disney, which I will cherish forever. Not only did I meet other Digital Content Creators in my niche whom I now call friends, but I met tons of celebrities with who I rubbed elbows, walked red carpets, watched movie scenes being filmed, and interviewed actors during press junkets.

One memorable event was filming a scene with Chris Evans for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” what an eye-opening experience! Walking the red carpets were priceless moments stumbling upon Kevin Costner, Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, or even Emily Blunt. After ten great years of sharing coupon deals and watching my community make wiser decisions by using coupons to save money, I felt they were set! They learned how to play the “coupon game!”

I felt it was time for a change, and in 2019, I rebranded my social media presence to Mamacita On The Move. A rapidly growing travel and lifestyle blog focused on providing valuable tips, inspiration, and advice to people who want to see the world and maximize their vacation time. We have a loyal following, and an engaged audience attributed to my expertise in community building and social media.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road hasn’t always been smooth, but the journey has always been a blessing. Having to become an extreme couponer to keep our finances in order was difficult, but it led me to where I am now.

Starting Coupon Mamacita was a “learn by doing” experience on every level.

The process was frustrating and confusing creating my own website in the early days of blogging and learning how to manage all the technical aspects, but it was also incredibly rewarding because I was able to watch a community of people grow to love the art of couponing.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Mamacita On The Move?
With over 15 years of blogging and social media experience, I have seen how the industry has evolved across platforms since its inception. I’ve evolved my unique skill set to meet the needs of brands and various travel destinations interested in reaching an engaged audience. I started as a mommy blogger writing about coupons and frugal life and have expanded my blog to encompass so much more of life’s adventures.

What started as a passion for coupons has enabled this frugal blogger and exceptional businesswoman to have it all! These days, you can catch me sharing couponing deals, recipes, movie reviews, and travel adventures. My content has evolved to include a broader audience interested in seeing the world and maximizing their vacation time.

Plus, thanks to my daughter who is currently living in Ireland, I get to visit her and hop over to nearby countries! There’s so much to explore outside of coupons that I want to share with my following.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was very shy to the point that my mother would accompany me everywhere (until the age of 18!). I was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and at a very early age, emigrated to NYC with my mother (divorced), brothers, and grandmother.

Times were different then. Upon arrival, we were all lawful permanent residents and didn’t have to deal with the immigration problems of today. In the 1970s, I was sent back to the Dominican Republic to attend high school due to severe economic stagnation, violence, drugs, vandalism, etc., in NYC.

Due to my shift in upbringing from my childhood to teenage years, I grew up fully immersed in both my Latino/Hispanic heritage and in all the things that make us proud Americans.

Contact Info:

• Email: couponmamacita@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.mamacitaonthemove.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamacitaonthemove
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mamacitaonthemove
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mamacitaOTM
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/myrahduque