Group #5: THE DOLLAR STRETCHERS - 21 Things to be an Epic Couponer

[Giving-Small]

Welcome Group 5! Wow -- I'm so happy that so many of you are interested in participating. And thanks for all the comments when you wrote to me about joining.

Some of you may have taken a peek at Group 1, 2,3 and 4. They're only a few days ahead of you.

It's very clear that learning as group is terrific and rewarding. It's fun to share your enthusiasm with people who understand. And to empathize about the reactions of some of the people we know and love but think we've gone off the rails a wee bit.

It's nice to have company and know that others are just like you - concerned that the cashier will be unfriendly or you're uncertain what the wording on the coupon means or ...

Group 5 -- Let's see how far you can go in stretching your dollars. Your group is The Dollar Stretchers and part way through this group, I'll ask you to track how much we can save if we add all of our savings together.

Dollar Stretchers you are in luck - RPNShell has offered to help cofacilitate this group and she's from LaSalle, Ontario. She's traded a lot so I'm sure she'll have some great tips and advice.

Your group has lucked out and we have a second helper who is pretty experienced but is coming along to pick up more points here and there and share what she knows: ILUVMYPUGTOADIE and she's from Kelowna BC.

With the three of us, we'll be able to cover the questions from the West and Ontario exceptionally well.


Our Fabulous Dollar Stretchers are are:

• Airica PEI
• SingingGoose ON
• Susans In the 1000's Islands
• cloudedraven ??
• avoncallingu southwestern ON
• mckbutterfly ON
• CottageGirl ON
• ILUVMYPUGTOADIE BC
• RPNShell ON
• Giving-Small SK

We are all on the learning curve together so please contribute what you've found where you are - things are different regionally, from city to city, and even from store to store. And we have almost all regions of the country covered!!

Here's what I will do for the group:

-I'll facilitate with RPNShell and ILUVMYPUGTOADIE
-I'll post up show and tell photos, pictures, answers to questions, videos, slidecasts etc.
-I'll send out a coupon train assuming I have coupons left after the first 4 groups (no boarding pass for conductor) -- to be explained when we talk about trains


Here's what I hope you'll do:

1. Please participate and share your ideas, opinions, and questions. The idea is that we'll all learn together and hopefully make some coupon buddies along the way.

2. Do the activities. From time to time, I'll post a question or an activity (let's make your first wish list, all related to Smart Canucks and take just a couple of minutes) etc. I'd like everyone to try to answer and share. I know that our families, friends and self care time comes first, so fit it in when you're able, but please fit it in.

3. Have fun. Feel free to discuss more than couponing. We'd do that if we could meet face to face.

4. Give your facilitators lots of feedback and suggestions. Please.

Okay - let's dive in.


FAQs

1. Can visitors (non-group members) post in this thread?
Answer is in this post.

2. Is this group full? Yes, keeping them small.

3. When would the next group start?
Last group was Fall 2011. Not planning to do anymore.

4. How do I sign up for a new group?
Just PM Giving-Small.

[Giving-Small]

Reserved for future

[Giving-Small]

Reserved -future use

[Giving-Small]

I have posted a slidecast (slideshow with audio) that show you my coupon "binder", coupon stash, stockpile and some tips on stockpiling just to get started.

You can jump ahead to the particular slides that are of interest and the sound track will skip along accordingly.

I know this group is diverse - some of you are just starting at square one and others have lots of experience so please share your ideas, questions, and experiences.




Start the slideshow. (16 min)


Your Activities

• Create a post and introduce yourself a bit (ie. from Kamloops, mom with 2 kids ...)

• Tell us how you found out about couponing.

• Share the story behind the Smart Canucks "name/handle" you chose

• Share your thoughts on the tour and whether you think you'll stockpile a little or a lot.

[SingingGoose]

Good morning!! I'll jump right in here. It's so nice to meet other couponers and money savers! It's really not the norm anymore in North America, but it is so so worth it.

Here's my stats, yo! My name is Christine; I'm 23 and I live in London, Ontario... very soon I'll be living in my first HOUSE in London, Ontario! My DH and I (we got married when I was 19!) have an absolutely adorable 6 month daughter and an oversized pit bull who thinks he's a lap dog. I have been using my coupons--and other frugal things too!-- as a way to stay home with my daughter since it cuts down on our expenses so much. I love my life!

Growing up my mom always used coupons here and there, so when I moved out on my own it was something that I took with me as well. Last year I hopped on many trains to build up a good coupon stash, and the beginning of this year I started doing a lot of trading individually. I've moved up to using a binder now for all my coupons and I LOVE IT! Now it's basically my "purse" and I don't have to bring anything else with me--Totally awesome when I'm trying to wrangle a baby as well.

My handle/user name is just a silly random mix. Nothing special, but something I knew wouldn't be taken anywhere so it's easy to sign up places. Anytime you see "SingingGoose" it's probably me!

Since I'm moving soon, I'm trying to reduce my stockpile right now and not buy anything for the next month or so. I try to stock as much as I can afford and store if the items don't expire (or as much as I can buy at one time without being embarrassed!!). Right now I have lots of granola bars, soup, TP, cleaning products, sidekicks, detergent... I'm sure there will be a chance for a picture sometime in the future. Normally, I will stock items for a few months and then buy nothing for a few months. It seems that the good sales go that way too, so it works out well!

One of my goals this year is to use couponing to help me donate more. When stuff is free is such a good idea to grab a few more than I need so I can pass it on. So far I've been giving stuff to friends and family, but I'm getting some things together for a big shelter donation soon. It all ready feels good to save so much money, but it's like a double whammy of goodness when I can donate too! So good!

I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone else has to say! It should be fun to learn more about each other and about how many different ways there are to do things. Yay!

[Airica]

Hi everyone!! I am so

My name is Airica, lol (if it looks funny to anyone, it's pronounced the same as Erica) I'm on PEI and it would be so nice to have a LD.

I started couponing because I loved the idea of being able to get more for my money and my mom was really good at it, watched her and shopped with her growing up. But now that we’re all older, she’s kind of stopped, but I’m getting her back into it

My sisters laugh at me, a lot, but then I show them my shopping receipts (and the money I've saved) and their always floored about the deals. I think there's a slight stigma here about using coupons...
I’ve been on SC before, but have never joined. So, I was really excited when I finally had the opportunity to sign up and become part of the group!!

Since we’ve moved, I now have a couponing room and a place for my stockpile, which is now nice and organized instead of sitting in plastic bags. Just need to get shelving, but that will have to wait.
My bf, when he first met me was worried that I was going to run around buying all kinds of stuff we didn’t need because I could get such good deals on it. I assured him that this wouldn’t happen, if we don’t use it, I’m not going to buy it, or I would buy it to donate. He was okay with this and despite my love of coupons; he’s been handling it very well!! I think he secretly likes the stockpile.

When I first started couponing I also had envelopes, but as I started to get more coupons, it became way too much.

I currently have three of the coupon holders from Dollar Store, kind of bulging and divided up into food, health and beauty and household. I’m working on setting up a binder, but I can’t seem to find what I need, sleeves mostly, may have to check Michaels.

My trade box is and old Biotherm box, lol.

I feel very disorganized since the move, so by the end of the week, I should be all set up.

I hardly ever see the flyer inserts here, but I was told that a lot of people will go in, buy a paper and then take all the inserts from the other flyers, soooooooooo, I may have to start going earlier to buy a paper.
My goal is to get the next SmartSource insert, lol.

Sorry about the long post and a big HI! to the group.

[cloudedraven]

Hey everyone! Super excited to start learning about couponing, who better to learn from than seasoned pros? I loved that slideshow Giving-Small it was fantastic!

My name is Patti, 'cloudedraven' is just a really old email address I had (like 10 years ago haha) that I still just use because it's easy to remember = P Oh and I'm in Winnipeg.

I actually got interested in couponing after that TLC show, I was amazed how much these people were able to save. My grandma always offered me coupons in the past and I've turned them down thinking I would either not use them or just toss them...Now she knows to start collecting for me haha.

I'm wanting to start couponing because I'm 23, finished school and have that big debt to pay down. I graduated as a paramedic, I have my license and I'm currently looking for employment. Oh, and I have the crappiest car you'll ever see in your life haha but I love my 'little green turd' (93 Ford Festiva!)

My goal in the next 5 years (hopefully less) is to pay down all my debt, get a new car (little green turd is on its last limb and could break down at any given moment...literally ha) and get a down payment for a house with my boyfriend. (who, in 5 years, I hope will be my DH )

Look forward to learning because I know pretty much nothing, and I hope soon I can be the person to show off my receipts to someone else!

[Giving-Small]

I had a couponing buddy with an old (now retired) green car she called the Green Demon.

[avoncallingu]

Hello folks! First, thanks VERY much to Darlene for getting us all together. I first joined SC because I was searching around on the net to find things I could get free for my birthday! LOL!

Although I'm on here every day, I don't consider myself to be much of an expert - I haven't yet learned how to post those great little avatar thingies/ pictures. Just laziness, I think!

I really appreciated the information in the mini-video - gave me some new ideas.

I use an old unused photoalbum which I have divided by theme. I put a variety of coupons in the 4 sections. It works, pretty well, but I'm looking for a more effective way to catalogue the coupons I get.

This I keep in a re-usable bag which I try to schlep with me most trips to the store - I then transfer my wallet from my purse into it and it fits nicely into the front - Child holder part of the trolley. I can open it sideways and find the coupons that I can use fairly fast.

It's amazing how - to the newbies- you WILL, eventually really get to know by memory which coupons you have and the "small print" on how you can use them.

I rely very much on the weekly post in the "DEALS" section which shows "Great Deals of the Week" and/or "Which coupons to use with which sales". This helps me to decide which stores to go to.

I admire folks who keep their flyers organized so they can price match - my dh, the epic tidier-upper - usually turfs our fliers before I get a chance to organize myself!

So - why "avoncallingu"- I bet you can't guess...... but I've decided to stop selling Avon for a while - so I gues I should change it to .......avon-used-to-call-u - but it's kind of like a "maiden name" - after people get to know you as a certain name - sometimes you don't want to change it.

I have 2 bins that contain a lot of personal-care products which my family calls the "Treasure Box". I also donate to the Salvation Army and to the Outreach at my church.

My biggest thrill is finding something in the Clearance section of either RCSS or SDM which has then been marked down by another 50% and then, I have a mysterous coupon that I never thought I would use!!!!

Some of my friends think I'm NUTS! Some of them think I've succombed to old age! Some just quietly look the other way when I launch into "coupon" stories! But you people just KNOW why we're all here, don't you!

I've retired andmarried a child-hood sweetheart that disappeared for 38 years and then resurfaced 8 years ago after we both had racked up a lifetime of "stories" and experiences and still found each other fascinating.

Our life is simple - saving $$ is important - Medical and life issues has taught us to appreciate the "fun", "awe", and "excitement" of everyday things.

There are heros and mentors and brilliant "plotters" all over this site. I haven't explored all the parts of it in the 2 years I've been on here.

I am looking forward to picking your brains and borrowing your strategies! Thanks in advance!

[cloudedraven]

Green demon huh? That's totally better than little green turd haha my car comes with many names from people...energizer bunny (keeps goin and goin after breaking down over and over), the toaster, the little sh*t that just won't die, spud....haha

[ILUVMYPUGTOADIE]

Howdy ya'll glad to meetcha! I guess you guessed it Toadie's Mom, Vicki...
She's my 8+ yr old pug and I love her ALOT! ... thus my handle ILUVMYPUGTOADIE
I'm 39+ forever (since I turned 50 last month ~ fortunate enough to spend it in Quebec with my daughter and her family ~ she spoile me & I will treasure the memories for a lifetime!)
Anyhoo, yup I live in Kelowna (with a LD), have two grown lovely daughters, 4 beautiful grandbabes, and Toad!
I started couponing just over a year ago, I was shown SC by a neighbour. Moved shortly thereafter, but was so intrigued by reading the posts ...I just kept learning by my self and with help from others here.
I absolutely LOVE how friendly, nice and helpful ppl here are.
My goal is a car too... Toadie has short legs and doesn't walk too fast LOL
I look forward to sharing with you all I have learnt so far.
Tommorow I will take a pic of my 'coupon box' not too pretty but is working quite well. I got a compliment from a couple of Smart Canucks shopping at the double your coupon value at Pharmasave on Friday for something I do to keep me organized at the til upon checkout! ~ and that is
I BRING SCOTCH TAPE WITH ME AND TAPE MY COUPONS TO THE PRODUCTS AS I PUT THEM IN THE CART I used to fumble at the cash register & thought I was all organized and most the time it was not the case...

I look forward to seeing/meeting you all here and sharing posts and ideas.
Thankyou Giving-Small for having me onboard!
Have a great week upcoming week ahead everyone.
Vicki

[Airica]

I BRING SCOTCH TAPE WITH ME AND TAPE MY COUPONS TO THE PRODUCTS AS I PUT THEM IN THE CART

I think that is such a good idea! I'll have to try that the next time I'm out.

[avoncallingu]

That's a great idea, LUVPUG! I usually put the coupons I will be using in my LEFT Pocket, after I've found the deal. But I like your idea a lot!

I'm a big SDM (Shoppers' Drug Mart) shopper and my 1st little tip is: always buy an SDM gift card for an amount a big larger than what you think you'll be buying that day as you go in. (Make sure you have your Optimum Points Card ready, as, they sometimes don't ask you for it, but you DO get Optimum Points on purchases of that card) Other giftcard purchases do NOT get you Optimum Points unless there is a special deal going on.
Then USE the GIFTCARD to pay for your purchase and you automatically get DOUBLE Optimum Points on all the s purchase and sometimes, like if you buy another giftcard, you will have received points where you wouldn't normally. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE???

[Giving-Small]

Great tips!

[avoncallingu]

Giving Small- Your video was SPECTACULAR - with so many great ideas and tips - your are Ms Organization! for sure!