Lessons learned in Johnsonville couponing class

Darren Timmons of Johnsonville presented a workshop on "couponing" recently at the Crossover Church located on Seaboard Avenue to an enthusiastic group including a number of men. These courses are being offered to audiences elsewhere for a fee, but this workshop was free to the public as a program of the church.

Timmons said through careful management and taking advantage of store specials, store coupons, those coupons clipped from newspapers (especially Sunday issues), magazines and those available on line, he saves 20-50 percent of his family's shopping cost on groceries and hygiene each and every week.

Timmons admitted he is the main shopper for his family, saying his wife, Melisa, gave up that job several years ago and at that time it became his responsibility. He said he spends approximately one-hour a week in organizing his shopping list and his coupons. That is not much time compared to his savings!

"Why would we want to go to the bother to use coupons?" Timmons asked.

The audience's quick response was, "To save money!" He then asked why one would see such urgency in saving money? Some of the responses were to get out of debt, to be bled to give mo re to various causes or as gifts to friends and relatives, to put money into savings, for children's education and to go on vacation.

He said the basic terms in couponing include manufacturer’s coupons, store coupons, Catalina, stacking, doubles, super doubles, rain checks, competitor coupons and e-coupons. Some of the places to look for coupons include the Sunday newspapers, on the Internet, on packages, magazines and product packaging.

How to use your coupons?

Timmons said you should pay attention to the wording versus the picture. Often times they will show the most expensive variety, but the coupon says "any". You should also pay attention to the number of items you must buy in order to use the coupon, for instance, ($1 off 2 means you must buy 2). "One per purchase” means one coupon to one product of however many the coupon states you must purchase. You may, in that instance, buy as many products as you have coupons. "One per transaction" means you may only use one coupon per shopping visit. "Redeem only at CVS", for instance, means only CVS will get reimbursed for the coupon (unless it is a manufacture's coupon. In this case, it can be used anywhere.

You may maximize your savings by using coupons with on-sale items. Be aware that stores build inventory and make rotations on an average of every 12 weeks. Use both with competitors’ coupons and use them based on individual store policies.

Your shopping companion should be your shopping list with a column beside it for those items you have coupons for.

Timmons said, "I spend a short time each week clipping and organizing, so the buildup of coupons to be clipped is not too great. I use a binder and baseball card organizers-individual slots for my coupons. I also use labeled page dividers. You will save time by knowing your favorite store layout and organize your shopping list to correspond with that layout. It isn't difficult once you get in the habit.”

In locating the best place to shop, consider if coupons are doubled or tripled. If so, to what value and how often are they doubled or tripled? Are store coupons available and if so, are they doubled. Sometimes, store coupons are accepted even if they have expired; check on that. Ask if the store accepts competitors' coupons. Check to see how many coupons may be used on one item and if they offer rain checks for out of stock items. Also, consider travel cost to the store and back in your total savings.

Timmons said there are other things available through web sites in addition to groceries and personal hygiene items. He gave some as discounts at upper scale restaurants, travel such as frequent user airline miles and special attractions one might want to visit while traveling.  He gave a good source for clipping coupons as Red Plum and Smart Source pamphlets in most Sunday newspapers. Some websites listed for groceries and personal hygiene items are: www.southernsavers.com; www.thekrazycouponlady.com; www.coupons.com; www.smartsource.com; www.redplum.com and www.pg.com.

Websites to save with other than groceries include: www.hip2save.com; www.restaurant.com; www. couponcabin.com and www.couponsherpa.com, although there may be others.

Timmons gave examples of visits his family had made to upscale dining restaurants where the bill was way less than half by the use of couponing by Internet.

Just try couponing, you might find you like it and can save a bundle, also.