1. WHY COUPON?

• Save Money! - #1 Reason to use COUPONS!!!!

On average you could be saving 50-80% over average retail prices by watching sales and matching coupons to those sales when possible. Simple things like, eating produce and stocking up on goods seasonally are also great ways to save money.

• Help Others!

So many of use are able to get food/goods for free or dirt cheap! Food Banks, Battered Women/Children's Shelters, Non-Profit Organizations are in need of these items that cost us very little, but save them so much.

• Prepared Pantry/Food Storage!

Being ready for Emergencies like a family crisis or a natural disaster is an added bonus of this program. Stocking your pantry of necessities also prepares you on daily basis when time flies fast! Creating meals for your family from food on hand saves time and money!

2. WHERE CAN I GET COUPONS?

• The Daily Herald: is the #1 source for coupon values in UTAH!!! There are 3 inserts/coupon booklets that come in your Sunday Daily Herald: Smart Source, Redplum and Proctor & Gamble. You will not necessarily get all 3 each week. Proctor and Gamble typically comes once a month on the first Sunday. The Daily Herald offers reduced rate Savvy Shopper Multiple Sunday Subscription Packages!!! Call 375-5103 to start your subscription savings.

• Online: Coupons are available for online printing at websites like: Boodle.com, Smartsource.com, Pillsbury.com, Bettycrocker.com

You are Limited to the number # you can print -- usually 2 per site! You cannot copy these coupons!

• Manufacturers Phone #: If you have a legitimate compliment or complaint call the manufacturer. Often times they will offer you coupons just for calling. It helps them determine research and marketing options.

• Catalina - These are coupons printed out of a machine near the register when you buy a predetermined product or combination of products. They can be a manufacturers coupon or like cash for store purchase.

• Blinky - These coupons are spit out of a black machine oftentimes with a blinking light attached to store shelving or other areas.

• Tear Pad - These coupon can be torn off a glued stack and are often rebate forms found in the beer aisle of your local grocer. Most rebates are limit one, so multiple copies are not necessary.

• Peelies - These are coupons which are attached to products. Do not remove these coupons unless you are purchasing the item to which it is attached. A cashier can refuse to accept a peelie you have personnaly removed. You can always ask the cashier to remove the coupon themselves at the register.

3. HOW DO I ORGANIZE MY COUPONS?

• Cutting & Sorting Methods:

Before you can organize your coupons you need to cut them out. We use the Stack & Cut Method to cut multiple copies out at a time. Simply stack the same page of coupons from multiple copies one on top of the other, and cut them all out at the same time. My philosophy is "Cut the Best & Throw the Rest", meaning, cut out only the coupons your family would use if the product was free, cheap or a family favorite. You have to move away from brand loyalty and be willing to try something new! If a brand of toothpaste you don't normally use would be free with a coupon, would you use it?

• Portfolio Method:

I use the Coupon Portfolio/Binder Method to organize coupons. After having done this for over 10 years I have found it to be the best coupon storage method available.

There are 3 main benefits to this method:

• Because it is made up of clear baseball card/trading card pages and 3 pocket photo holders you readily see all coupons/rainchecks and remember what you have.

• Because it is made up of clear baseball card/trading card pages you clearly see all coupons expiration dates and they are easily removed on a weekly basis.

• Using a zippered 3 ring binder makes your coupon storage system accident resistant and convenient to carry.

BINDER/COUPON PORTFOLIO RECIPE:

2 1/2"-3" Zippered Binder w/Strap!!!

STORE SECTION:

Your Favorite Stores (3-pocket Photo holders for rainchecks, Shopping List & Store coupons with a Sticker Tab Attached and Store name inserted followed by one Baseball card holder so you can organize the coupons for the store for the week.

CATEGORY SECTION:

10 Categories (Tab dividers labeled on both sides & Baseball card holders)

• Baby - 2 baseball pages (Diapers/Shampoos, Baby Food)

• Bread & Cereal - 5 baseball card pages (Cereal, Breakfast Foods, Breads, Rice/Pasta, Chips & Crackers)

• Cleaners - 8 Baseball pages (Floor Cleaners, Dish Cleaners, 2 Fabrics, Standard Cleaners, Bathroom Cleaners, 2 Air Fresheners)

• Dairy - 4 Baseball Card Pages (Cheese, Butter/Oil, Yogurt, Misc Dairy)

• Dessert - 8 Baseball pages (Cookies, Frozen Desserts, Cake/Brownie Mixes, Fruits/Jello/Pudding, 2 Drinks, Candy, Baking Goods)

• Meat - 6 Baseball pages (Fresh/Frozen Poultry, Lunchmeat, Breakfast Meats, Misc. Meats, Seasonings, Sauces)

• Medicine - 8 baseball pages (2 Cold/Allergy, Pain Relievers, First Aid, 2 Stomach Aids, Vitamins, 1-2 Misc. Medicines)

• Paper Goods - 4 baseball pages (Facial Tissues/Garbage Bags, Foils/Wraps/Containers, Plates/Paper Towels, Toilet Tissue)

• Personal Hygiene - 14 Baseball pages (Facial Cleansers, Body wash, Lotion, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Misc. Tooth products, Deodorant, Shaving Needs, Makeup, 2 Shampoo/Stylers, Hair Color, Personal Items, Misc. Hygiene)

• Misc. - 9-10 Baseball pages (Sauces/Salsa/Ketchup, 2 Canned Goods, 2 Frozen goods, Salads/Dressings, Misc. Foods, Pets, 1-2 Misc. Household Items)

TIPS:

* You don't necessarily need the same # of pages I do! Customize your portfolio to fit your needs!

* 90% of coupons will already fit the baseball pages when cut close to the dotted lines. If they don't, slightly fold them w/expiration date and product photo still showing.

4. HOW DO I USE COUPONS?

• Online Coupons: (Printing limits)

Because there is sometimes fraud associated with online coupons, some stores will accept the and others won't! Remember not to photocopy or print more coupons fraudulently.

• Store Coupons vs Manufacturer:

You can often combine a store coupon with a manufacturers coupon for additional savings. There is a strict limit of 1 manufacturer's coupon per product purchased.

• RainChecks:

A raincheck is a promise from the store that when the item is restocked, they will sell it to you for the price on the raincheck (the original sale price). You can still use coupons with your raincheck.

• You can only get a raincheck if a store is out of product and it was advertised in their sale ad.

• You cannot get a raincheck on "While Supplies Last" or "Limited Quantities" products.

• Rainchecks have time limits - usually 2 weeks to 30 days.

5. HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?

a. Weekly Emails

Each week I send out emails detailing the best deals at most local grocers and retailers. These emails/list are sorted by store, aisle of the store, % savings before and after coupon use and ultimately my rankings.

- Monday's email includes deals for: Kmart, Shopko, Target, RiteAid, Walgreens, Harmons, Reams Foods Springville and Buy Low Market

- Wednesday's email includes deals for: Albertsons, Smith's, Maceys and Sunflower Farmers Market

b. SavvyShopperDeals.com

Another great resource is the website www.savvyshopperdeals.com. Here you will find additional information on ways to same time and money at the store like:

• Shopping Boards: Find great Grocery, Retail, Entertainment and Online Freebie deals, as well as recipes and preparedness discussions.

• Coupon Index: Where you can find a listing of all currently Valid Coupons - This list is Searchable!

• Shopping Wizard: The Shopping Wizard works together to match coupons with sale items to help you get organized and maximize your savings.

You can browse and select products and coupons and then add them to your custom list and print or email them to a friend!

SEARCH: You can search the Shopping Wizard by Category, Product, % Savings, Store or my rankings to find the very best deals at each store weekly.

CUSTOMIZE: Create a personalized shopping list, sorted by store!

6. HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

Shopping should be fun for everyone, so remember these rules:

1. Be courteous to other customers

2. Be courteous to store employees

3. Use coupons correctly - Don't use expired coupons, Use coupons on correct products, One manufacturers coupon per product, Don't photocopy printables!