Welcome!!

I gave a coupon class at my church last night, so if any of you are new to my site after attending the class I just want to say Welcome!

Public speaking is not my calling, but I know how using coupons has changed our family's finances and it is something I am passionate about...passionate enough to get over my fears of public speaking for an hour or two to try to help others understand how coupon shopping really works.

There are a few things I really want you to remember:

-Start small!! If you jump into this with both feet, then chances are you are going to get overwhelmed. Start with one store, once you get comfortable with that store then move onto another one.

-Don't feel like you need to save a huge amount of money when you are first starting out. Saving $1.00, is $1.00 more in your pocket. Give it a few weeks and you should start seeing a significant decrease in your grocery budget.

-ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use your coupons ethically. Manufacturer's do not have to issue coupons. If people begin abusing the system then coupons could become a thing of the past.

-NEVER, NEVER, NEVER photocopy a coupon. I know I mentioned this last night, but wanted to state it again. This is coupon fraud...stores will not get reimbursed for coupons that are photocopied.

-Always be kind and courteous while you are shopping. Share coupons with other shoppers, leave some on shelves for the person coming into the store later. Be friendly to your cashier. A smile and a kind word go a LONG way...this goes for shopping even without coupons. :)

-Don't clear shelves. There will always be another deal, so don't feel bad if you miss out on one.

-When you start building up a stockpile of items, keep what your family will reasonably use before the items expire and GIVE the rest away. There are so many people that are struggling right now. What a blessing it is to be able to give things away. I guarantee that if you do this, that you will be blessed more than you can imagine!

-HAVE FUN! Take a friend and go looking for deals together. Coupon shopping doesn't need to be stressful. It's a learning experience. Give yourself time and grace while you are figuring this all out.

Once again, thank you to all that came last night. I am looking forward to hearing about how you have started saving money!!

Please feel free to leave comments on the blog, or email me any questions/success stories. I would love to hear how you are doing.