Couponing 101 by Rachel Atwood

SET A GOAL TO ESTABLISH A STOCKPILE - As you collect coupons, keep in mind that you are purchasing to build a stockpile of non-perishables: canned goods, paper products, toiletries, etc.

Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve admonishes, “One of the better ways to simplify our lives is to follow the counsel we have so often received to live within our income, stay out of debt, and save for a rainy day. We should practice and increase our habits of thrift, industry, economy, and frugality.”

The first presidency also encourages us with these words. “Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others. We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."

“Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” (D&C 88:81).

Think about setting a goal to have 6-12 months of these products on hand. By doing this, you eliminate buying out of necessity, which is when you pay the most. For example: if you have a stockpile of shampoo, you'll be able to wait three months until it's at its rock bottom price before buying more. In contrast, if you are out of shampoo and buy one at a time, you'll most likely pay the shelf price for it!

START YOUR COUPON STASH - The two best places to find coupons are the internet and newspaper inserts but there are a few more I have listed as well.
-Newspaper Inserts:
-Internet Printables:
-Ask Friends and Family:
-Coupon Clipping Service:
-Recycle Bin Digging:

MATCH COUPONS WITH SALES - For example, if Softsoap hand soap is $2.29 and you have a $.35 off coupon, that's not going to do you much good right? But if you wait for the soap to go on sale for $.99 THEN use your coupon, your OOP will be $.64 or 72% off the regular price! If you have 3 coupons for Softsoap, you will pay less for 3 than you normally do for 1. The extra two go into your stockpile and you don't have to buy hand soap until it goes on sale again! Taadaaa!

Just a few important tricks and tips from Rachel:
· Our Safeway does not double so ignore that on websites.

· When purchasing anything but food, remember the tax. Things won’t be completely free.

· Don’t be numb to the idea of going with different brands. Sometimes we are stuck with what we like but will always have to pay full price when something out there might be equally as good for cheap or even free.

· For Ebay coupons, look for sellers that live closer to you in the country. This makes it less likely that you will miss a sale and the sooner you get your coupons, the more likely you will get the quantity at the store. My favorite ebay coupon seller is fairladycoupons. She lives in Marysville, WA and will always have it to you within 24 hours.

The sellers name is "fairladycoupons" Here's the link to her store on

ebay:http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Fair-Lady-Coupons-Plus

· Even though Walgreens coupons states a limit, the registers do not enforce it, get as many as you want. You only need one Walgreens coupon for all you buy but one manufacturer’s coupon per item. On the other hand, Rite Aid requires you have one store and/or one manufacturer’s coupon per item.

· QFC has markdowns on Dairy ALL THE TIME. They call them “Manager’s Specials.” Look for yogurts, sour cream, milk, cottage cheese and eggs. When you go through your Sunday inserts, always cut out dairy coupons and keep them with you for those quick trips in to QFC. My favorite tip at QFC-I rarely buy milk at full price. I go through the dairy items I want to purchase and look at the expiration date. If the item expires within 4 days, you can ask the dairy manager to mark it down for you. I usually pay 99 cents for my gallons of milk and with the continuous coupons that come in the Sunday paper, I usually get my yogurt for pennies. (I have spoken to the dairy manager and he is more than happy to do this for you. Just taking the time to ask and wait for them to mark it down is worth the savings. Devote time twice each week to really looking over the deals. Tuesdays for the upcoming grocery store ads and Sundays for the Drug Store Ads. (At least those are the days for our area.)

· Wal-Mart and Target will both price match competitors so bring in the competitor’s ads and get cheaper stuff all in one stop. Wal-Mart also will give you the final price that Walgreen’s or Rite Aid will only give you after rebate. So, avoid the rebates, get the low price today by showing either store the ad.

· The Auburn Way Albertson’s is the only Albertson’s in the area that will allow you to do multiple double coupon transactions in a row. They are fantastic there!!!

Things I CANNOT emphasize enough:
1. Start small, one deal at a time. Baby steps. If you get in too deep right away, you will end up making mistakes that will discourage you.
2. Read the small print in ads and coupons. Don’t forget to compare product sizes and quantities or you could end up ordering coupons for an item that they will not work on.
3. Don’t go shopping with your kids unless you absolutely have to. (self explanatory)
4. Don’t hesitate to call or email me!

This is just a small sample of what I spoke on but I will be holding a community wide beginner course coming up on October 5th through the Tahoma Learning Community.

There will also be a Intermediate couponing class on November 2nd.

Be on the watch out for the TLC catalog in your mailbox in the next few weeks for more information and the chance to sign up. Space is limited.