COMMENTS (1)

Local teacher uses coupons to save tons at grocery store

By Kim Michel
Her

Monday, February 16, 2009

"I have always wanted to save money, but I couldn't figure out exactly how to do it. Even when I clipped coupons, I would forget them when I was going to the store or I would let them expire and then be embarrassed when I realized it at the checkout, so I was very frustrated and decided that it was not worth the hassle.

"Six months ago I started a new job at Jamesville Elementary School and Jamesville High School, and one of the teachers at the school was into coupons. She said something to me about it and I told her that I would like to do it but I wasn't really sure how to start. The next week she brought her coupon binder and showed me how to do it. She also brought me a stack of coupons that she didn't need.

"I still wasn't sure, but I thought I would try, so I went and got a notebook (three-ring binder) and some dividers and put the coupons she gave me into categories and put them in some picture sleeves. I then took the binder to the store with me and I ended up saving a little bit of money, so I thought with the economy the way it currently is I really should look into this and try to save my family some money.

"My fellow teacher also told me about two Web sites that I should check out for more information about clipping coupons, so I went online and started researching information. I didn't understand all the lingo and abbreviations, but I would go to work the next day and ask and she would explain it to me. The more I read, and the more shopping I did, the better I got at it and I really started enjoying the deals.

"Not only is my family saving money (most months I save between 50 percent and 75 percent on our monthly grocery bill), but we are also eating better and I am not using generics much anymore. I can get name brand cheaper than I can get generics with sales and coupons.

"I have also started really enjoying the 'hunt' for deals. It is a challenge to see how much money I can save each month."

Couponing tips

"One of the biggest things about couponing is to be organized. If you don't have a system that works for you then you will become frustrated and stop.

"For me, the best thing I found was a notebook. I really enjoy organizing things into categories, so this really fit me well. Some people use other methods, so you can find what works best for you. I started with a small three-ring binder and photo sleeves to organize the coupons, but eventually I found that the photo sleeves didn't work so well for me because I could only put four coupons in a page — and that was just a waste of space. I read on one of the sites about using baseball-card sleeves, and I found some at my local Wal-mart and I started using them. These sleeves have nine pockets that you can put your coupons in and they hold more per page which saves space.

Also, I have my notebook separated into categories and sub categories. For example, I start my notebook with frozen foods and in that category I have subcategories of frozen vegetables, frozen meals, frozen pizzas, desserts and snacks. At first I just used the general category of frozen foods, but it became difficult to navigate and find things. I found out that the easier I made it to find the coupons when I needed them the more likely I would use the coupons. When I am in a store I don't want to take a lot of time searching. This way, I can turn right to the correct page and search for the coupon very quickly.

Where to find coupons

There are several places to find coupons. Most people know coupons come in the Sunday paper. This is the best place to find coupons, but there are several other options. I have found out that the more resources I have, the better deals I get. I currently get my coupons the following ways:

1. I purchase several Sunday papers every week.

2. Every month I purchase the All You Magazine (found at Wal-mart) and, if I like the coupons, I usually purchase about four or five of these — they are loaded with coupons.

3. I print coupons off the Internet. Some of the best sites are www.coupons.com, www.smartsource.com and www.bettycrocker.com

4. I also request coupons from companies whose products I enjoy. Sometimes, the company Web site will have coupons you may print off or a place to request a coupon. If they don't have either of these, then just go to their contact page and send them an e-mail telling them how you enjoy their product and would like some coupons if they could send them to you. Make sure you give them your mailing address.