Super Shaw's Deals (2.26.10-3.4.10)

TIPS:
- Shaw's doubles coupons up to .99 cents (so use your .55 or .75 cents coupons at Shaw's for things on sale- great buys)
- Gas discounts at Irving with purchases of $50 and over (excluding alcohol & tobacco products)
- Use Shaw's coupons online and stack with manufacturer coupons for maximum savings


2 liter Diet Pepsi, Pepsi, Mtn Dew $1

Lean Cuisine Dinners, Paninis or Pizza $1.99 each

Boneless Chicken Breast $1.99/lb

Dole Whole White Mushrooms (8 oz) $1

Farm-stand Baby-Cut Carrots (16 oz) $1

Colgate Toothpaste (4.6 oz) $1

Colgate Toothbrushes (select varieties) $1

Softsoap Premium Hand Soap (8.5 oz) $1

Cooked Perfect Frozen Italian Meatballs BOGO Free

Gorton's Frozen Seafood (select varieties) 50% off

Tribe Hummus $1.99

Red Seedless Grapes $1.99/lb

Empire Apples $1.29/lb

Loreal Lip or Nail Cosmetics 20% off

Sylvania Soft White Lightbulbs (4 ct) .49 cents

BOGOs

Kleenex Facial Tissue (75-200ct) BOGO Free

Edy's Ice Cream (48 oz) BOGO Free

Doritos (11.5- 14.5 oz) BOGO Free

Arnold Grains & More or Country Classics Bread BOGO Free

Thomas' English Muffins (select varieties) BOGO Free


For view the whole flier, visit:

http://www.shaws.com/pages/onlineCircular.php


Here we go...
cc

BOGO FREE- Adult shirts at the GAP -today's the last day

In-store only. Regular OR sale priced merchandise!! GREAT DEALS!

Here we go......

cc

Sign up for e-mail updates!!

Hi friends,
I recently added a feature to get email updates- on the right hand side of my blog. Sign up and enjoy my blog entries! Tell a friend! Let's make a great cc community!!


Here we go....

cc

Feeling overwhelmed?

Hi readers,
It's that time of year where we just want Spring to be here and it's not coming fast enough. At least up here in New England, it's that way. I know a lot of you have been hit with a bunch of snow and are stuck home with the kids (I mean that in a nice motherly way ;)

Maybe go through one cupboard (ie, the Tupperware cupboard) and organize and throw out and RE-USE those without a lid for some other type of organization in your home- maybe your husband needs some organizational help with all his nuts, bolts, etc...

Tackle something small. That's all. You will feel better.

If you're feeling overwhelmed with shopping, couponing, etc... you have to start small. I want you to enjoy it- to save money and feel good about it! Maybe just start with meats, find each week where it's the cheapest and stock up. Meats & produce tend to be the most expensive so if you start there, you'll save a lot. My IGA has chicken legs for .58 cents/lb! Now, I know most people don't like to eat dark meat anymore b/c it is more 'fattening' but if you take off the skin (before cooking it!!!), it takes so good still! And it doesn't get as tough when you bake it. I have such a hard time cooking white meat; especially if I'm baking it, which is what method I use most. Try drumsticks, chicken legs, thighs... they are always on sale and always cheap!!

Happy Saturday!

Here we go....
cc

The next few weeks...

Hi fans & readers:

A new chapter is coming to my life- we are moving to a new house so the next few weeks will be ridiculously busy for me so I ask for your patience, understanding and loyalty to coupon coach-ess. My blog posts will be fewer and fb updates the same so I'll be back up and running 100% in about 3 weeks. Plus I'm starting a new business opportunity that will be so awesome for my family if it takes off... and when it does, you'll be hearing about it :)


Loyalty & Love,

cc

My Favorite Websites- what are yours?

TGIF everyone!!

There are so many great websites, blogs, etc.. out there and I wanted to list some of mine and please feel free to comment with yours!!! I want to see if anyone is actually reading my blog- ha!


1. couponcoachess.blogspot.com/
2. coupons.com
3. mommysavers.com
4. freebies4mom.com
5. neverpayretailagain.net
6. myfrugaladventures.com
7. thekrazycouponlady.com

Also, I'd like to apologize for a slow week on freebies, offers, etc... on facebook. It's been a crazy week.

Happy weekend, everyone!!

Here we go......
cc

Incredible IGA Deals (2.22 - 2.28.10)

Sorry for the delay in getting this on here.. it's been quite a week for me!

Perdue Value Pack, Leg Quarters .58 cents/lb

Pork Blade Roast .98 cents/lb

Post cereal (select varieties) $1.78

La Yogurt yogurt 3/$1.00

10 lb. All purpose potatoes $1.49

Folger's Ground Coffee (10.3-11.3 oz) $2.48

Best Yet (IGA Store Brand) Steamable Veggies $1.00

McCain Potatoes (select varieties) 2/$5

Stella Shredded Cheese (5 oz cup) $2.49

Geisha Madarin Oranges (11 oz can) 5/$4

Austin Snack Pack - 8pk (7.4oz) $1.00

XL Pears- Anjou, Bosc, Red .99 cents/lb

Great deals at IGA!!

Here we go....

Happy Hump Day!
cc

Incredible IGA Deals- to be posted later today

Sorry for the delay in this but IGA doesn't have their fliers on-line since they're independently owned & operated so I need to pick up their flier today. Fortunately, their sale week only began yesterday and runs til Sunday.

Here we go.....save with me!

cc

EXTENDED: cc GIVEAWAY!!

Come on cc reader & fans!!

If you're reading this and haven't become a fb fan of coupon coach-ess yet, well, you need to ;) !!! The first current fb cc fan to send me 2 new fb fans, wins a one-year subscription to Weight Watchers Magazine, Woman's Day, Shape or Taste of Home!!

*** Important: In order for the current cc fan to get credit, please have the new cc fan comment to this post on my coupon coach-ess fan page! Good Luck!


Happy Monday!!

Here we go....

cc

Hot Hannaford Deals (2.21.10- 2.27.10)

Cook's Shank Portion Smoked Ham $1/lb

12 oz. Fresh Express Garden Salad Blend $1/lb

Pastene 16 oz. Ziti or Spaghetti $1

1 lb. pkg. Strawberries $2

Freihofer's Country Wheat Bread $2

Select Lean Cuisine Classics $2

Gold Sweet Potatoes 79 cents/lb

Green Seedless Grapes $1.49/lb

16 oz. Radishes 99 cents

Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix 50 cents

Arm & Hammer Dryer Sheets (not the moist cloths)- 40 ct $1.99

Breyer's Yogurt 50 cents

Helavu Good Block/Stick Cheese $2.09 each

Shady Brook Farms 85% Lean Ground Turkey (20.8 oz) $2.79 each

For more information, visit: www.hannaford.com
Here we go...........cc

Great Discounts for AAA members!!!

-10% off GAP Outlet in-store including sale items
-10% off Banana Republic Factory Store in-store including sale items
-20% off Reebok & Rockport Outlet Stores, entire purchase
-10% off Payless Shoe Source, regular price merchandise, excluding gift cards
-10% off Barnes & Noble, all books, CDs, DVDs and more
-10% off Target.com, purchases made through AAA.com/target

For a complete list of "Show Your Card & Save" partners, visit

AAA.com/discounts

Enjoy!

Save with me.........
cc

Buy the Sunday paper today--- mine had over $250 in coupons!!

Super Shaw's Deals (2.19.10-2.25.10)

TIPS:

* If you don't have a Shaw's card, get one! :)
* Spend $50, get 10 cents off per gallon at Irving
* Shaw's doubles coupons up to 99 cents!!!
* Shaw's online coupons can be stacked w/manufacturer coupons (print at home or ask your Shaw's Customer Service desk)
* Look at discounted bread section - freeze bread!! I bought Multigrain 100% Whole Wheat bread for $1.10!
* Use rain checks- if Shaw's doesn't have something from the sale flier, go to CS and ask for a rain check.

This week's specials:

Shaw's Deli- skinless turkey breast or American cheese $4.99/lb

Shaw's German Bologna $2.48/lb

Chilean yellow peaches or nectarines $1.49/lb

Calif. Navel Oranges 99 cents/lb

Progresso Classic Soups 99 cents

Hood ice cream $2.49 each

Haagen Daaz Pints $2.99 each

Redi-serve Chicken Entrees $1.49 each

Van de Kamp Seafood 50% off

Barilla Pasta (select varieties) 99 cents

Pennsylvania Dutch Noodles (12 oz regular or whole grain) 99 cents

40% off Sundown or Osteo Bi-flex or Equaline Dietary Supplements

20% off Nivea Body Lotion

20% off Loreal Cosmetics

Selsun Blue (11 oz) or Pantene Pro-V Hair Care (12.6 oz) $2.99

15% off Lanacane Pain & Intense Itch, Anti-Itch Creams


BOGOs

Shady Brook Farms Fresh Ground Turkey

Philly Gourmet Sandwich Steaks

transOcean Crab or Lobster Classic

Wise Potato Chips (6.5-9 oz) or Pretzels (16 oz)

Hostess Donettes

Gold Peak Tea or Fuze Beverages (select varieties)

That's it!

Enjoy your weekend!
Save with me.....
cc

GAP Sale- through Sunday 2/21

All Gap stores are doing 25% off all full price merchandise (excluding denim), 30% off if you use your Gap brand credit card.

** Also, if an item is on promo (2 for $30, 3 for $15), the 25 or 30% is taken off the promo price! not the original price.

AWESOME DEALS!!!

Here we go.........

cc

Guest Blogger: Susan Hill talks library cards.....

Behold the Power of a Library Card.

Do you have a library card? They're free, but the benefits are priceless. You can check out books, magazines, movies, CDs, and more. Libraries have event calendars that are filled with fabulous events for all ages...and most events are free! At my local library we offer: chess club, knitting club, community play space, yoga, history talks, art exhibits, movies, crafts, story times...and the list goes on. We also provide free access to laptop computers with wi-fi...all you need to do is show your library card.

I am in a book club, and we select a new book each month. I also reserve a copy of our selection from my library. If my library does not carry the title, I can request the book from another library within our library system via inter-library loan. The book is delivered to my library within a few days...all for free with my library card. Fellow book club members purchase their books each month. The average price of a trade paperback (fiction) is approximately $16.00. I am saving close to $200 each year on book club books just by using my library card.

These are just some examples of what libraries offer to their patrons. Visit your local library today to see what it can offer you. All you need is a free library card!


Susan Hill is the President of the Gardiner, New York Library Board of Trustees.

Use the link below to locate your local library
www.publiclibraries.com/

coach-ess Extra: Three-Herb Drumsticks

I always buy my proteins by what's on sale and THEN plan my menu- that is KEY! So, when chicken drumsticks were on sale for .78 cents/lb at my local IGA. I bought some, of course!!

Anyway, I found this recipe in Weight Watchers magazine and plan on making it tonight and thought I would share it with all of you. VERY basic and easy ingredients that most of us have on hand. I am using dried herbs instead of fresh (which means I use less). Enjoy! And if you do make it at some point, leave me a comment here or on my fb page for coupon coach-ess!!

Three-Herb Drumsticks

8 skinless chicken drumsticks (about 2 lbs)
juice of 1 lg. lemon
2 lg. garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 (1-pt) container grape or cherry tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 425. Spray large rimmed baking sheet w/nonstick spray.
2. Place drumsticks on baking sheet. Mix lemon juice, garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, oil, mustard, s&p in small bowl. pour over drumsticks and toss to coat. Add tomatoes.
3. Roast until drumsticks are cooked through and tomatoes are softened, about 40 mins, turning drumsticks once halway through roasting time.

WW points: 5 (serving of 2 drumsticks and 1/4 cu tomatoes)

231 cal;8g fat;2g sat fat;0g trans fat;123mg chol;310mg sod;5g carbs; 1g fiber;34g prot;52mg calc

Basic coach-ess Lesson-SHOP STORE FLIERS

If you're new to couponing, my recommendation would be to start gathering your coupons and organizing them. And if the thought of utilizing all those coupons right away is overwhelming (and it IS, at first), don't fret...Try shopping from fliers first--- meaning don't buy everything at Publix, Sam's or Wal-Mart. That will not save you money.

I have heard so many people say they don't have time to shop at more than one store- well, then you're paying for convenience and that's ok; you may find other ways through this journey to save money. But for this blog post, we're going to focus on shopping from fliers (or is it flyers- I don't know! I could google it, right?)

I am a mom of 2 young children and I work part-time and we only have one vehicle BUT you can find the time to do quick shop trips. I love doing this.

Most store fliers are on-line but I find having the actual paper flier helps me. I take an 8/5 x 11 piece of paper and fold in half; twice, so I have four sections. Each section is for a different store and what I will be purchasing from that store. I keep it folded and in my coupon organizer I keep in my purse. I use both sides of the paper so you technically have 8 squares. This may sound elementary but it is a great way to keep many lists separate. And if I happen to have a coupon for an item, I put a c with a circle around it beside the item (My college roomies and me started this back then!!! Remember Jan, Jodi and K?)

This is a great way to start- even before coupons. Also, utilize your drugstores!!! CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreen's- they are GREAT resources for even food-related items. I get my basic spices at Rite-Aid for 79 cents! I also just got Softsoap 7.5 oz for 79 cents each at R-A too- cheaper than the dollar store!!!

So be flier, flyer friendly!!!!

Here we go............

cc

Incredible IGA Deals (2.15.10- 2.21.10)

TIPS:

-All IGAs are independently owned and operated so prices may vary; my IGA is in Randolph, Maine- Goggin's IGA

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.78/lb

Betty Crocker Hamburger, Chicken & Tuna Helpers .98 cents

Cabot Block Cheese $1.98

Whole Roaster Chicken .78 cents/lb

Boneless London Broil $1.99/lb

Tribe Hummus $1.99 each

Chock Full O'Nuts Coffee $2.99 each (use newspaper coupon $1.00/2= $1.99 ea)

Carolina or River White Rice 2/$4 (if you use .50 off coupon = $1.75 ea)

Nabisco Cheese Nips $1.69

Breakstone's Cottage Cheese Doubles .99 cents

Edy's Ice Cream $2.99 each

Little Debbie's Snacks (select varieties) $1.00 each

Garelick 1/2 & 1/2 (32 oz) $1.99


Here we go..........
cc
-

GAP: President's Day Sale 40% entire purchase (sale & regular price)

In-store only- ONE DAY - 40% entire store at the GAP!!

No coupon needed.

Enjoy!

Here we go..........

Happy Valentine's Day and enjoy your President's Day holiday!

cc

Hot Hannaford Deals (2.14.10-2.20.10)

Hannaford Tips:
-Look for close-out items. They are sort-of hard to find but they have an attached bluish tag to the price tag labels on the shelf or the hook they are hanging on. I got an awesome apple corer for $2.00!!
-Hannaford usually has a fixture with 50-75% off items- the stores in my area have a bin fixture thing-y in from the Pharmacy section. I got travel tissue for .17 cents!
-Don't know if all Hannafords do this but the Gardiner, Maine Hannaford meat is marked down on Wednesday mornings (or Tuesday nights).


Haddock Fillets $4.99/lb (frozen at sea)

5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes $1.49/ea (Rachel Ray uses these a lot in her recipes)

Smithfield Pork Picnic .99 cents/lb

Perdue Ground Chicken $2.49 each (16 oz)

Hannaford Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs .89 cents/lb

Hannaford Leg Quarters .79/lb

Carrots- 1 lb bag .99 cents

Mangoes .99 cents each

Anjou Pears $1.29/lb

Smart Option Pizzas (6.1-6.5 oz) .69 cents - These are great for an occasional easy dinner for the kids.

Uncle Ben's Country Inn Rice & Sauce .99 cents each

Here we go.........

cc

Super Shaw's Deals (2.12.10-2.18.10)

TIPS:
-Shaw's doubles coupons up to .99 cents
-Print Shaw's on-line coupons (or some stores have print-outs near flier stand and/or at Customer Service)
-My local Shaw's (Augusta, Maine) also takes Hannaford coupons (haven't tried it YET but they told me)


Green or White Asparagus $1.88/lb

Prince brand pasta .88 cents (select varieties)

Perdue drumsticks, thighs or whole fryers .99 cents/llb

Bumblebee Tuna-Solid White Albacore .88 cents

Gorton's Seafood 50% off

Red Seedless Grapes $1.99/lb (2/12-2/14 only)

Calif. Navel Oranges .99 cents/lb (2/12-2/14 only)

Mama Rosie's pasta 40% off

McCain Oven Fries 40% off (2/12-2/14 only)

Cabot Vermont Block Cheese $2.49

Rinaldi Spaghetti Sauce $1.49

Near East Pilaf or Couscous $1.29

$1.00 off Thomas' bagels

20% off Cover Girl Last Blast cosmetics

20% off Revlon Cosmetics

Scotties Facial Tissue .99 cents

25% off Sylvania CFL Bulbs



ONE DOLLAR SALE!!!:

2-liter Coke, D. Coke, Sprite, 7-Up, A&W Rootbeer and Poland Spring Water

Tony's Crispy Crust Pizza - select varieties

Daisy Sour Cream (8oz)

Shaw's Grated Cheese (3 oz)

Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn- 4 pack

Shaw's English Muffins

Banquet Dinners (5-11 oz)

Duncan Hines Cake Mix

Duncan Hines Brownie Mix

Shaw's Giant Bread

Shaw's Bread Crumbs (15 oz)

Baby Cut Carrots

Shaw's Frozen Veggies- select varieties


Here we go..........

cc (coupon coach-ess!)

Samples! Samples! Samples!

Samples are a great way to try new products, rediscover old favorites or just get free stuff!! I never used to take advantage of samples thinking, "why?" - they were usually smaller than normal sizes and it was just plain annoying and/or not worth it.

WELL... times they are a-changing.... start getting samples.... it saved me one day when I didn't have any coffee left and remembered some samples of coffee I received in the mail--- SCORE!! Plus sometimes with samples, you get great coupons!

TIP: One of the biggest samples out there are toiletries/health & beauty type stuff- shampoo, conditioner, etc... I save all of these for guests. Then they have a plethora (one of my favorite SAT words!!) of choices if they forgot something; just like a nice hotel!

Anyway, a couple of my favorite websites for this are:

www.freebies4mom.com
www.freesamplefreak.com
www.walmart.com (type free samples in the search box)

I will incorporate freebies, samples, etc.. in my blog and facebook page for coupon coach-ess.

Here we go.....
cc (coupon coach-ess!)

Reward Cards

It pains me to hear customers in a check-out line say they don't want to sign up for a FREE rewards card. " I don't have time..." Oh my God! PLEASE don't do that. If it is FREE, then do it. Put the little key chain thing-y on your key chain --- PLEASE :)
It takes maybe 30 seconds and you can take most applications home and do it. But if you do that, you have to fill it out.

They do save you money especially at grocery stores! You can get special coupons, promos, etc...

Stores that I have reward cards from: AC Moore, CVS, Kmart, Rite-Aid, Shaw's, Regal Cinemas. When I lived in the South, I had: Ingles Supermarket and Kroger Supermarket reward cards too.

The key is to keep them all in one place and always in your wallet, purse or key chain.

Details on each:

AC Moore- get reward points for every dollar spent

CVS- you need it to get the published prices in fliers. You can also scan your card at the 'coupon kiosk' in-store daily for immediate random coupons that print out. Card is needed for Extra Bucks Rewards- which are bucks that print out on your receipt to be used at next purchase.

K-mart- get reward points for every dollar spent.

Rite-Aid- this is not advertised nor pushed very much for some reason but I just started using this. It's a rewards card and every 1st Tuesday of every month, you can get 20% off all day on any non-sale products and every Tuesday, you get 10% off all non-sale Rite-Aid items. This is a hard one to remember, at least for me but this month was the first time I went on the 1st Tuesday and I was so proud to have remembered!!!

Shaw's- this is needed for all advertised flier purchases and if you spend $50 (excluding alcohol & tobacco products) you get 10 cents off/gallon of Irving Gas and the cents off increase with $75, $100 etc... by 10 cents.

Regal Cinemas- My husband just picked this up last week so I'm not too familiar but I assume you get reward points with each dollar spent.

Please add any comments if you have experienced any other reward card programs and I'll add them.

Happy Hump Day!

Here we go.........And I'm already at 100 views!! Yeah! Thanks for your support!

How'd you do Sunday with clipping?

Well, I've only clipped out part of my coupons as I'm going to start a coupon match-up for Hannaford, Shaw's & IGA for my regional readers. So... that means I need to keep track of every coupon- which I'm going to do in a spreadsheet.

But I hope you don't get discouraged- this was a BIG coupon week so it may be a bit overwhelming. Did you find a master stash container and a working stash holder? If you need help, let me know.

Even if you are more AWARE of certain things I'm discussing here that is SO awesome b/c it really does help!

Here we go.........

Happy Tuesday, my readers, and thank you for just being you!!

Savings State-by-State

I wanted to do something fun this beautiful Monday morning in Maine - I know I can't be the only one dragging this morning :) Actually this came to me in the middle of the night last night and thank God I remembered it when I woke up. I need to do the 'notebook by the nightstand' thing!

Anyway- please leave a comment to this post with a great money-saving tip, website, idea, super-cheap recipe- anything that you want to brag about :) and include your state, too!

Happy Monday!

Here we go...............

Super Shaw's Deals (2.5.10-2.11.10)

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers $1.00!!!!

Split Chicken Breast .99 cents/lb

Friendly's ice cream 2/$5

Mama Lucia Meatballs BUY ONE GET TWO FREE! ($4.99/12 oz pkg)

Green Mtn. Farms Spreadable Cheese $2.99

Breakstone's Sour Cream 16 oz. 99 cents

Spike's Salsa 99 cents (SO good- we had Black Bean & Corn Salsa)

SmartOnes & Boston Market entrees & sides- $1.99 (select varieties)
*** Plus buy 5 SmartOnes and get a checkout coupon for free one

Drake's Devil Dogs $1.99

Nabisco Snack Crackers $1.99

Chock Full of Nuts Ground Coffee $2.99 (excludes decaf)

Langer's Juices $1.99

50% Rubbermaid Food Storage products

BOGOs:

Fresh Express Salad Blends
Tribe Hummus
Steak-umms
Rondele pub cheese- 8oz.
Ready Pac Bistro to Go Salad Bowl
Canine Choice Doglicious Rawhides

Hot Hannaford Deals (2.7.10-2.13.10)

Boneless Chicken Breast $1.88/lb

Green Seedless Grapes $1.99/lb (good price this time of year)

22 oz. Hannaford Giant Bread $1.49 each

Turkey Pastrami (Deli) $3.49/lb

Hot Rotisserie Chicken $5.99
*Guaranteed available 4-7pm or next one is free

Hannaford Italian Sausage $2.49/lb

Boneless Pork Sirloin Steak (my husband loves this!) $1.99/lb

T-bone Steak $5.99/lb

Biery Domestic Swiss Cheese $4.99/lb


*** Please note: this is for Augusta, Maine area- Please check your local flyer online at Hannaford.com or in-store.

Maine readers: Free Car Inspections & Oil Changes!!!

This is a quick post for those locally--- DNK Select in Farmingdale, Maine is one of my favorites places!!

They have free car inspections- nothing needed- that is their 'policy'!

Plus if you received the local Town Planner Community Calendar in the U.S. Mail, they are monthly coupons for FREE OIL CHANGES (at least in the '09 it was in there)! I didn't pay for one oil change last year! I have a call into the local distributor as I haven't received my '10 Calendar yet.

Here's the website for the Town Planner Calendar which is printed nationally in different small towns- check to see if your town is included!!

http://www.townplanner.com/

Here we go...............

How to do 'coupon match-ups'

Now that you've cut out your coupons and have your flyers. What now?

Coupon match-ups are what you do with your coupons and your flyers. But there are blog and/or websites that people have done it for you- isn't that a beautiful thing????

I mainly follow matchups for Walgreen's, CVS and Rite-Aid but you can find blogs for any other store in most states. The following websites are seasoned shoppers and I have learned so much from them! Please leave them a comment letting them how you found them.

A couple of my favs:

http://myfrugaladventures.com/
http://neverpayretailagain.blogspot.com/


For those regional readers (mostly New England), I will be doing my own coupon match-ups for Hannaford, IGA (yes, we still have one here!) and Shaw's, starting with Hannaford so stay connnected with me.

Here we go.................

$50 Giveaway at SavingMoneyPlan.com

Basic Coach-ess Lesson- How do I start?

1. Start by buying 3 or 4 Sunday newspapers (or whatever you can afford; even if it's just one) and cut out the coupons. Do not throw out any coupons even if you KNOW you will not use them. Keep all sales flyers, also.

2. You will need at least one type of container to store your coupons. Something somewhat durable as this will be your 'master stash'. Use even an old child's shoebox, an old Tupperware-type container that has lost its lid (we ALL have those!), or even one that has a lid but is stained beyond belief from spaghetti sauce :). I have a plastic container with an attached lid (about 7"Lx7"Wx5.5"D)

3. Make category dividers. Nothing fancy- I used old greeting cards and construction paper. Write the category name at the top of each divider with a black magic marker. I used a different color paper for each category.
My categories are: Paper/Plastic/Foil, Dairy, Frozen, Chips/Snacks/Candy, Beverages-Hot & Cold, Sauces/Condiments/Dressings,Baby-related, Toiletries/Health & Beauty, Pantry, Cereals, Miscellaneous, Coupons to Trade (This category will be discussed in a future blog)

4. Put your cut out coupons in the corresponding category. This is again, your 'master coupon stash'.

5. Working Stash- You will need to keep the coupons you will be using in something, as well. You could start even with a business size envelope or a leftover greeting card envelope. Something that is easy to carry. Several years ago, I purchased one from eBay and it came with dividers (7"L x 3.5"W), it's made of soft vinyl- it's great. You can great $1 ones at Staples (thanks Danielle!), Michael's, AC Moore, etc....

Coupon Workshop 1.27.10

This post is what I talked about during a parent meeting at my daughter's preschool. After this meeting, I began to realize how much MORE I wanted to talk about it. As I try to organize this blog and customize to how I want it, all this workshop information will be in my blog.



Coupon Workshop
January 27, 2010



How do I start?

What do I need?

How do I organize?



Target
• Get 5 cents off for every reusable bag
• Printable coupons available at Target.com
• Flyer comes in Sunday newspaper

Shaw’s
• Shaw’s card
• Doubles coupons up to 99 cents
• Printable coupons available at Shaws.com
• Discounted bread section by the eggs
• At the end of the frozen aisles, discounted items
• Gas discounts for purchases over $50 (excluding alcohol and tobacco products)

CVS
• CVS Rewards
• Buy 99 cents tag for your reusable bag and get money off every 4th purchase
• Earned Cash Back on some purchases

Walgreen’s
• Flyer available online and in-store
• Coupons in flyer

Rite-Aid
• Join Rite-Aid Rewards program
• Flyer comes in weekly free newspaper in the mail
• Rebate program

Hannaford
• Gardiner- section in front of pharmacy with 50%-75% off items

Wal-mart
• Free samples available on Walmart.com
• Flyer available online

K-mart
• Coupon books available in-store
• Flyer available in Thursday’s newspaper, in-store or online


AC Moore/Michael’s
• Flyer and coupons in Sunday’s newspaper
• AC Moore Rewards


Freebie websites
1. Mommysavers.com
2. Freesamplefreak.com
3. Myfrugaladventures.com
4. Freebies4mom.com
5. Neverpayretailagain.blogspot.com
6. Savingmoneyplan.com

Coupon websites
7. Coupons.com
8. Smartsource.com
9. Redplum.com
10. Afullcup.com
11. Retailmenot.com (online discount codes)

Reward-type websites
12. MyPoints.com
13. Inboxdollars.com
14. Shespeaks.com

Helpful tips:

1. Wal-mart/Store brand/BOGO isn’t always cheaper (but with coupons it is!)
2. Buy milk and bananas at gas stations
3. Stacking coupons
4. Go to manufacturer and/or product websites, leave comments
5. Look for coupons in the holders in the aisles
6. Look for peel-off coupons and use another time
7. Use coupons on back of receipts
8. Use coupons printed separately at grocery stores (Catalina)
9. Utilize rain checks

2.4.10

WELCOME to Coupon Coach-ess!! I am at the beginning of a wonderful adventure and I'm so glad you're here to join me and help each other along the way.

I think I'm having blogger block because I'm trying to come up with something catchy, fun and inviting to begin all this with but it's just not comin' :)

This blog is to help, teach, COACH all of us who are trying to have the best life possible and utilize every dollar to the max. No more old-school couponing!

Thank you for joining me on this journey. If you only take one thing from my blog, it will help you!

Here we go............................