Couponing 101 Archive

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As part of my goal to help as many people as I can save money, I teach couponing classes. I highly recommend attending a class if you can. I cover everything from how to use coupons effectively, to how to work grocery and drug store deals, and everything else in between. The class runs for about two hours and gives you the basics of how to get started. I’ve had every type of person – male and female – in my classes from the very experienced couponer to the complete novice. I’ve never had anyone leave saying they didn’t learn something. Plus, I really pride myself in being engaging and entertaining – I am a teacher after all!

• Couponing 101 - Class Description

• Keeping the Stress Out of Holiday Shopping with Coupons – Class Description

• I suggest calling ahead to reserve a spot.

• Classes at Asnuntuck Community College and any adult ed sites require you to be pre-registered and require a fee for participation.

• All Classes, unless otherwise indicated, are 2 hours long.

• Classes held at libraries are free because the libraries pay my fee and do not pass the cost on to participants. Classes at other venues are priced according to the venue’s discretion.

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March 14th – 6:30 PM – New Britain Public Library – New Britain, CT 860-224-3155

March 15th - 6:30 PM – North Haven Adult Ed – North Haven, CT (203) 239-1641 ext. 1913

March 19th – 6:30 PM – Terryville Library – Terryville, CT 860-583-4467

March 22nd - 6:00 PM – Linda Gordon Beardsley Library – Winsted, CT 860.379.6043

March 29th – 6:30 PM – Portland Library – Portland, CT – 860-342-6770

April 5th - 7:00 PM – Durham Public Library – Durham, CT – 860-349-9544

April 11th – 6:00 PM – Windsor Locks Library – Windsor Locks, CT – 860-627-1495

April 12th – 6:30 PM – Elmwood Community Center – West Hartford, CT 860-561-8180 (Cost is $12)

• Pre-registration is required. Call or sign up online (Registration opens on 3/19)

April 18th – 7:00 PM – Prudential CT Realty, 860 North Main St. Ext., Wallingford, CT 860-621-6821 (Cost is $5. All proceeds benefit Sunshine Kids national charity, which benefits kids with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.)

• Pre-registration is recommended. Walk-ins will be taken only if space available.

April 26th - 6:00 PM – Asnuntuck Community College – Enfield, CT 860-253-3066/3034

May 9th - 6:00 PM – Valley Regional Adult Education – Shelton, CT 203-924-6651

May 10th – 7:00 PM – Clinton – Location TBA

May 16th – 3 PM – The Hospital of Saint Raphael, CareCard Program, – New Haven, CT 203-789-3275 for registration.

May 31st – 6 PM – Beacon Falls Library – Beacon Falls, CT 203-729-1441

June 6th – 6:00 PM – Prosser Public Library -Bloomfield, CT 860-769-3558

July 16th – 6 PM – Wilson Branch Library – Windsor, CT 860-285-1931 (1.5 hours)

September 13th – 6:30 PM Southington Library – Southington, CT 860-628-0947

October 4th – 6:30 PM Brookfield Library – Brookfield, CT 203-775-6241 HOLIDAY CLASS

October 11th – 7:00 PM Windsor Library – Windsor, CT 860-285-1925 HOLIDAY CLASS

If you don’t see a class near you, please contact your local library or community center and ask them to contact me about a class. I can be reach at ginaskokopelli@yahoo.com or through the Connecticut Library Consortium. Just click on “performers catalog” and then search for “couponing”.

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I’ve gotten a few questions about eCoupons and how to use them, so I figured I’d give everone a brief rundown of what they are and how to accesss and use them.  Please feel free to ask addtional questions!

Cellfire:  These coupons are specifically for ShopRite only.  (At least in CT.)  When you register, you need to give them a cellphone number.  If you don’t have a cellphone, just use a land line number.  They have never sold my number to anyone and I don’t get telemarketers calling me ever.  Once you register withe Cellfire, you register your ShopRite loyalty card number on the site.  Then you can select coupons you want to download onto your card.  I usually download all of them because I never know what I might buy.  When you buy a product that has a Cellfire coupon attached to it, the amount of the coupon comes off your bill.  You can also use paper coupons on the same item, so it’s like getting a bonus!

Upromise:  You can register loyalty cards for all the drug stores and grocery stores on Upromise.  When you download the coupons, they get attached to any of all of the cards you register.  However, once you buy the product and the coupon gets used, it is not longer available.  For example, if you have a Upromise eCoupon for Bountry towels and then purchase Bounty towels at CVS, the coupon is used.  If you then purchase Bounty towels at ShopRite, you won’t be able to “get” the coupon again.  Please note the amount of a Upromise coupon does not come off your bill.  The money is deposited into an account, which you can then use to pay off a student loan, pay for tuition, or request a check be mailed to you.  Just like with Cellfire coupons, you can also use paper coupons.

Savingstar:  Savingstar eCoupons are similar to Upromise eCoupons in that you can register all your loyalty cards.  In addition, the money for the coupons doesn’t come off your bill, but goes into an account.  Once you reach $5.00 in your account, you can request a PayPal gift card, a bank deposit or an Amazon.com gift card.  Like Cellfire and Upromise, you can use paper coupons, too.

Personally, I am registered for all three programs and download all the eCoupons whenever new ones pop up.  I don’t go out of my way to redeem them, but sort of forget they are on my cards.  When I do see I have indeed used one, it’s like an added bonus!

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In my new series, “Couponing 101″,  I will address some of the basics of using coupons effectively. Although I highly recommend you attend one of my couponing classes, I realize this isn’t possible for everyone.

Stacking coupons is one of the best ways to get the best deals in stores.  Stacking coupons entails using store coupons with manufacturer’s coupons on the same item.  You can tell the difference between the two by what it says at the top of the coupon.  A store coupon will often say things like the store’s name or “super coupon”.  A manufacturer’s coupon will say “manufacturer’s coupon” on the top.

Many people think you can only use a store coupon OR a manufacturer’s coupon on an item you buy.  This is simply not the case. As long as the coupons you use are not two manufacturer’s coupons, stores will take both their own coupons PLUS a manufacturer’s coupon for any item.

As an example, look at the picture above.  Notice there is a ShopRite “Super Coupon” and a manufacturer’s coupon for Scott paper towels.  I was able to use both of the coupons at once to get the paper towels for just $5.99.

Sometimes you can even use multiple manufacturer’s coupons if the store coupon is for multiple items.  Look at the picture below for an example

The store coupon was for three bags of candy.  Because three items were listed on that coupon, I was able to stack three manufacturer’s coupons, which were good for one item each, with it.  Stacking coupons like this made each bag of candy only $.67!

There are many stores that have their own coupons, so take advantage of them.  Target, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and most grocery stores all produce their own store coupons which you can stack with manufacturer’s coupons.