Smile Team 11: 21 Things to to be an Epic Couponer

[Giving-Small]

Welcome all Team 11 Members



Some of you may have taken a peek at the other groups so you have an idea of what's coming. Some of you have quite a bit of experience so please chime in, answer questions, share ideas.

Learning as group is terrific -- it's fun to share your enthusiasm about what you find out and ask questions and swap stories.

I'm looking around for a co-facilitator. Any senior interested? PM me.
Hurrah - tdjca is our co-facilitator for this group.

Love to have a volunteer facilitators for future groups so any one with lots of coupon experience or running groups - pm me.


Our Group 11 Team Members are:

• ippy Timmins ON
• Trillium15 Belleville, ON
• squark London ? ON
• blueeyetea Ottawa ON
• mamajules ON
• Abbymom Abbotsford BC
• sasksaver St. Walburg SK
• lucy16076 Sarnia ON
• kimzcouponz Pickering ON
• LissaLovesCoupons Victoria BC
• Mom-mom town outside Smith Falls, ON
• tdjca Calgary AB

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.

Here's what I will do for the group:

-I have volunteered to facilitate
-I'll post up show and tell photos, pictures, answers to questions, videos, slidecasts, interviews, etc. and I invite you to do so too
-I'll send out a coupon train (no board pass for conductor) -- to be explained when we talk about trains [may take a little longer than the other groups, I need to replenish my stash of coupons]


Here's what I hope you'll do and your fellow team members are expecting:

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

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 me, your facilitator, lots of feedback and suggestions. Please.

Okay - let's dive in.

FAQs for Visitors

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

2.Is this group full? Yes but no worries see #3

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 send me a message and let me know your town or city and province.

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[Giving-Small]

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[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.




Start the slideshow. (16 min)


Your Activities

1. Create a post and introduce yourself a bit (ie. from Kamloops, mom with 2 kids ...). Just hit "reply" on this thread and type away.
   
2. Share the story behind the Smart Canucks "name/handle" you chose
3. Tell us how you found out about couponing.
4. Do you have a pet(s) and if so tell us about them and post a pic if you like ...
5. Share your thoughts on the tour and whether you think you'll stockpile a little or a lot.

Bonus Question

Anyone have ideas for a great name for Team #11? Please post your idea(s) here and then we'll pick one.

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[Trillium15]

oooh. I'm first! LOL.

Hi all. I joined SC like many others after watching Extreme Couponing on TLC but I had been using coupons long before then. I just wasn't using as many because I didn't know how many were out there.

I don't work and my husband does so on 1 income things can be tight. I tend to get creative and make large batches to freeze. Coupons definitely come in handy especially when they can be used on trial size toiletries! My husband is a long haul truck driver so they are great for bringing on the road with him.

We live 40min north of Belleville ON. We are originally from Hamilton so small town living was a HUGE adjustment for me. You tend to miss the convenience of running in and out of different stores when other than a Valu-mart, the nearest store is 40 min away. I usually do my groceries once a week in Belleville and try to get as many deals as I can since most stores are clustered together.

I have 2 stepkids every other weekend and an 8 mos. old kitten, so most of the time it's just me, myself and I. LOL.

Since joining I have ridden 5 trains or so and have conducted 4 of my own. I am addicted!! I've always loved getting things in the mail, even if it was bills. It's like getting a present! Now that I get coupons almost every day it's like Christmas!

Ok. Enough rambling...

Team Name suggestions: Double Digits or Heaven's Eleven...can't think of anything else that rhymes with eleven.

[Mom-mom]

Hi Darlene and fellow Team 11-ites!

My name is Irene and I'm from a small town near Smiths Falls, ON (half way between Ottawa and Kingston). I am 53 and married. I have 4 grown daughters and 4 grandchildren.

I go by "Mom-mom" because that's what my grandkids call me.

I recently had a change in my financial situation where I had to be even more frugal than I have been all my life. I have always sought after sales and have been a good shopper - made our grocery dollar stretch - and occassionally applied a coupon to my grocery purchases. I had to find other ways of being thrifty and came upon the SC site and the world of couponing! I have been applying the coupon/sale stategy for several months now and have been very successful in my new way of shopping! Several of the cashiers at the stores where I shop at in town know me now and have been very supportive when I go thru their cash. I have been asked by soooo many people as to how to do this couponing thing and have directed them to this site and online coupon sites.
My husband (bless him) is very supportive of my new 'hobby' and listens graciously when I come home to share all about the deals that I was able to find ... and kindly sits through the show and tell.
I am so grateful for all the posts, finds, helps that others are continuely sharing on SC. I also want to say a big thank you to several knowledgeable SC members from this area that have answered my many questions over the past few months and have given me great couponing advice!
Looking forward to the Team 11 adventure.

[lucy16076]

Wow!!! I read the first 2 posts & am thrilled to be helping out Team 11 this is my second team, the first being Team 10...which by the way, has helped me tremendously in learning all about SC.
I love couponing & like you, have done it here & there to save a few bucks! Now it has become an obsession to see how much I can gather for free or very close to it! I am a single mom of 2 tweens, ages 12 & 14 (who laugh at me clipping my little coupons) but they love it when I can afford to get them something they want because I've saved elsewhere. They are learning the value of a dollar & truly get a kick out of what I'm doing with my coupons.
Sales + coupons = a high! There's nothing better than getting things for free with coupons & sales. I look forward to helping anyone with their questions, although this is still a learning curve for me too!
Onwards with Team 11! GO TEAM!
Rhonda

[mamajules]

hello everyone my name is Julie my sc name is mamajules i chose that because i just love being mommy and my hubby calls me jules, anyways i think ive always known about couponing and used one here and there it wasnt until recently and after watching extreme couponing a bunch of times i decided to search for a way i could use more coupons here, i know that the coupon policy in canada is way different that the one in the states so i decided to do a little research and a friend of mine said that she got a coupon once off a site called smart canucks so i looked it up and so far ive emailed a bunch of companies (and have coupons "in the mail") ive also realized how addictive this is! i never thought it would be but here i am! hmm i guess i should say a little more about me, me and my boyfriend have been together 6 years (not married yet) and we have 2 kids 8 & 2 both boys, when i introduce my youngest i call him "mommy's little terrorist" haha he gives terrible 2s a whole new meaning!

anyways im super excited to learn more about couponing and do some more trading, ive done a few trades so far! and i hope to make some new coupon buddies in here as well!

thanks for reading! and thanks giving small for creating this group!!

Edit: I forgot to mention i live in Oshawa,Ontario!

[kimzcouponz]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Kim and I live in Pickering, Ontario. I am married and we have a wonderful little boy about to turn 1.

My handle of course just came from my name and coupons (kimzcouponz). I started using coupons while I was on Mat Leave. You really have to learn to stretch your dollar with all of the added baby expenses.

I did not get really serious about couponing until a few months ago. I am still learning but I started out by price matching all of my grocerys and now added the coupons to that I am starting to see some real saving.

We don't have any pets.

I have already started a small stock pile of toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap, fabric softener, deoderants, soaps, toothpaste etc. I don't plan on having a huge stock pile but just enought so we never run out!

Looking forward to this adventure and getting to know all of you

[Giving-Small]

Awesome intros. And with such a big group I'm super happy to have a couple of helpers (and all of you will be pitching in I'm sure).

lucy16076 thanks for helping out and participating.

tdjca aka Tracy will be our co-facilitator. Thanks so much!

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[squark]

Good Day all!Well my Name is Shawn and I like many others have join up just recently after watching “THAT SHOW”. I am married with 4 loving children that range from 15 to 27. 3 girls and one boy. (being the oldest I guess I should call him Man now). I have also enjoyed our first grandchild who is 15 months and my eldest is due in December for number 2. I got into doing this because yes I realize “the show” is American and we can’t get away with half the stuff they do. But after spending approx 150$ a week in groceries, other products, and Eating out I figured enough is enough. I don’t believe I can get that down to 0$ but I’d like to see it get down to at least 95$. I have set a goal and hope to have saved a two week paycheck in just coupon savings alone. Since Mid April I have saved over 150$ already in couponing alone.I have never gotten a trade done yet…… sent off 2 envelopes with stamps last week and just awaiting the return. Have not had the opportunity to board a train yet and just attended my first Coupon party on Saturday. What a blast. Felt very overwhelmed and even laughed because my kids think I’m on crack but my binder was maybe a quarter of the size of the next lowest person’s total coupons. Here to learn, here to have fun, have watched the videos through group # 1 and #2 but have not had the time to finish group #2 or start groups #3-#10.

[ippy]

Hi everyone!

I'm Ippy - a handle that I have had since Jim Carrey's movie 'The Mask' - he played Stanley Ipkiss and well, it's just stuck. I am new to this site. I started to coupon a little when I actually sat down and realized I was spending $200 every week on groceries for 4 people (myself, husband and two kids). That's over $10,000 a year! My joining this group, I hope to be able to cut that down a bit - even by say 10%. I have just started trading (sent envie's today) and am joining a train. I am hoping that I can get a hold of the terminology before too long. Sometimes I feel a little lost when reading posts.

Anyways, I am a bit of a geek. I keep my coupons organize in a binder in alphabetical catergories with a main listing in the front itemizing by catergory and expiry date. For group names - again, I'm a geek- Pocektbook Protectors, Money Mavens, Crazy Couponing Canucks...

[ippy]

to Trillium15 - my husband is from your neck of the woods. Beautiful area.

[LissaLovesCoupons]

Hi Everyone! I'm excited to be part of this group.

I have been couponing since January, and I am totally addicted...my friends and family are probably tired of hearing about it, even though they are too nice to say it, so I am really glad to have some other folks to chat with that will understand my obsession!

About me...I'm 29, I live in Victoria BC, I'm an accounting student and DH and I have five children ages 5-17. Yes, we are busy! Before couponing, I used to spend $1200 monthly on groceries, and last month I was able to spend less than half of that amount! I just can't believe I didn't start doing this a long time ago!
It makes me cringe now when I think of how much I was spending on things that I now get for free or almost free. I can't wait to learn more!
As for the group name, I can't think of anything right now, but if something great comes to me, I will post it.
Thanks Darlene, for starting this group and letting me join!

Lissa

[LissaLovesCoupons]

Ippy..I like the name Pocketbook Protectors! Makes me smile