Couponing!

Lara and I taught a class on how to use coupons at our mother's retreat over the weekend and I thought I'd share the handout I created in case you weren't able to attend but are still interested in saving a lot of money. Honestly, it is the best natural high around.


Pinching Your Pennies: How to use coupons

1. You need to subscribe to the Sunday paper. It is recommended that you purchase one paper per person in your household. Alternatively, you can purchase a Sunday two pack (Tribune and Deseret News) for $2 at most gas stations but you need to go early because they go fast.

2. There are three different types of coupon inserts included in the Sunday paper: Red Plum, SmartSource, and Proctor & Gamble (P&G is not weekly). You need to organize your inserts by week, date them (use a Sharpie to write the date on the front cover) and store them together.

3. Go through your local store inserts to see if there are other deals you want to take advantage of (I usually clip my Michael's Arts & Crafts coupon and since I get four papers I receive four 40-50% off coupons per week).

4. The key to savvy couponing is to match your coupons to the weekly sales and there are several websites that do all of the work for you. Oh, and many of them are FREE. The website will rate the sales by store (per state) and then tell you which insert to clip your coupons from. They also provide links to online and in-store coupons. So you don't need to clip a single coupon until you are preparing for your grocery trip. This means you don't have piles of coupons you are trying to track and organize.

5. Find a website that you like and stock up when you see a five star deal come along (there are several each week). Below you will find instructions and tips for using grocerysmarts.com


Grocery Smarts Instructions & Tips

1. Go to http://grocerysmarts.com and enter your PASSPORT (password for Utah is g84csg, if you aren't in Utah you can contact grocery smarts and or search their message board for the passport for your state).

Click Submit.



2. Select your store from the drop down menu.



3. Click the Start button in the upper right hand corner of the page.



4. Select the items you want to add to your grocery list (they will turn white).



5. Type in any notes or other items you want to purchase to create a complete grocery list.



6. Click the Shrink button in the upper right hand corner of the page.


This will compress your list to include only those items you have selected as well as any notes you have typed. If you need to start over click the Un Shrink button.



7. Click the Print Now button to print your grocery list.



8. Print out coupons from the links provided.



9. Clip coupons from your inserts.


This tells me that in the 8/17 Smart Source (SS) insert there is a coupon for $1 off of 10 Dannon Light & Fit Nonfat Yogurt Cups. If I have four 8/17 SS inserts I can buy 40 / 6oz cups for $0.40 each and depending on how much yogurt my family eats and when they expire I may want to max out on this deal.


10. Tip: Go through your printed grocery list and write the number you want to buy next to each item. The number will likely be based on the number of coupons you have and what you think you will use. Do Not Buy Things Your Family Does Not Use.


11. Tip: Put all of your coupons in one envelop per grocery store and throw it in your purse along with your grocery list. For example, if you are going to more than one store and have printed more than one shopping list you should have a separate envelop for each store.


12. Tip: Once the cashier has wrung up all of your items, pull out your envelop and hand her/him your stack of coupons.


Good luck and let me know if you have any questions or additional tips! Also, one last thank you to Jane who taught me everything I know.