Jump Start Your Summer Savings

New to grocery smarts? The best way to jump start your savings is by hosting a FREE class! In your free class you'll learn how to use the free grocery smarts website, tips on how to save big at the store by combining coupons and sales, and if you need coupons I can help set you up with a sweet deal for the Sunday only paper! Contact me to book your class.

Monday, September 21, 2009

A little about me and grocery smarts...Part II


PART II- LEARNING GROCERY SMARTS

The luckiest paper boy ever...
After reading Becky's post I used the grocery smarts link on her blog to go to the site and read more about it. As I was reading about how to get the Sunday paper and the site matches the coupons with store sales a paper boy knocked on my door. I'm not kidding. It was as I was reading about grocery smarts. Wow, he really was at the right place at the right time!! He was selling the weekender and I bought a copy. My thought was I'd get one paper try it and see how it went.

My first shopping trip...
I was very excited but since I hadn't been to a class I was still quite clueless! I kept getting my coupons in the mail and dissecting them, cutting them apart. (I guess I had missed the part about not having to cut them on the website) I waited a couple weeks for my paper to start and then got a tip from Becky about this awesome sale at Albertsons where you buy $30 of P&G product and get a voucher for $15. My thinking "YES!!" Becky also told me that I could print coupons off the site. So still somewhat clueless I just started printing EVERYTHING. I didn't realise how to use the lists quite right or that I could print it. I ran to the store with no list, a HUGE pile of coupons and just started shopping. Somehow I got really lucky and my trip went really well. (Mainly because I was a "thrifty" spender before so I could tell when I looked at a price if it was good or not.) I ran home and set up my first display and did a huge post on my family blog. If you'd like to see it go here. I ended up that night spending $106 and saving $111. Plus I came home with free stake, $.20 off every gallon of Albertsons gas and $40 of vouchers to use at Albertsons.

More information from Becky...
Of course I had to call Becky and tell her how it went and I had about 100 questions for her. Thanks for putting up with me and all my excitement and questions that first week Becky! Becky walked me through how to use a list what different things meant, like the star rating system, why promotion items had two prices listed, DON'T CUT your coupons save the inserts whole, etc., etc. Essentially Becky gave me a whole class over the phone. (good practice because shortly after this she became a certified instructor!) I was also sold at that point on the value of having multiple Sunday papers. I could see how my savings could be multiplied by 4 if I had the correct amount of papers.

My First Class...
I just HAD to go to a class. I thought I had a pretty good handle on everything but I wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything. The first class I went to was taught by Mandi York. I was able to pick up a few things I didn't know before (like the date that I should write on my inserts is written in tiny print on the side of the insert). Thank YOU so much MANDI!


TO BE CONTINUED...

Question to my readers:
Who was your "Becky" that really helped you get into grocery smarts?


Do you need a class to refresh or catch some points you may have forgotten? I am teaching a class in my home September 29 @ 7. This is open to anyone, no matter if you have already been to a class before or not.

1 comment:

Becky said...

Thanks for the shout-outs Nancy! I am glad I could help you get so excited about saving. You will always be my official coupon buddy!