Couponing presentation given to student paraprofessional staff

1. Couponing 101 with Mama Mel
Money In General
• This is a mindset, one of which took me years to figure out
• Experience has told me that if I plan every dollar in advance, it’s much more freeing
and I can confidently make that purchase I had planned on making the whole time
• Get rid of the unnecessary – I still allow myself some luxuries, but for the most part I
am not brand picky any more – get rid of clothes, books, movies you don’t want by
selling or donating
• Be ok with thrift stores and yard sales – again, depends on the items, but do you really
need to buy new?
• DIY – OMG I love DIY!!!
Basic Couponing Tips
• Start Small
• Focus on one store at a time and gradually progress
• Make a Plan
• Make sure you have printer ink
• Use sites to prepare your list – they do the work for you!
• Be patient – you’ll need to take your time with this
• Don’t ever buy anything online without looking for a discount code again
Stack Stack Stack!
• Target is the place I’ve found so far where this works best. Use Target Coupons,
Manufacturer Coupons, and sales to get things for super cheap.
• This also works really well at CVS, Walgreen’s, and Kmart
• Plan ahead with your CVS and Walgreen’s trips especially. With proper planning, you can
get Rewards dollars on things you already have coupons for – sometimes making them
free. Try rolling your Rewards dollars into subsequent weeks too. (Make sure to have
the same amount of coupons as you do items at Walgreen’s though – i.e. cheap filler
items).
• Price Match at Wal-Mart – oh buddy does this work well!
Online Coupon Sites
http://www.coupons.com/
http://smartsource.com
http://target.com
http://redplum.com
http://retailmenot.com
http://couponnetwork.com

2. Coupon Odds and Ends
• Coupons are regional – if you are out of town on a Sunday, make sure to get the local paper.
You usually find coupons that we can’t normally get here in Lafayette.
• If it’s a coupon you may even potentially use – keep it! I’ve found killer deals on products I
normally wouldn’t buy – but if it’s free, then why not?!?
• I cut everything out of the paper so that I can share coupons with friends, or donate
somewhere local or overseas (WalMart, military bases, etc…).
• If you’re cutting multiple inserts, stack like pages together to cut out at the same time –
saves time!!
• Those annoying sales ads you get in the mail every Wednesday – keep them! There’s
coupons in them!
• When printing coupons online – logos mean nothing as long as it says “Manufacturer
Coupon” at the top.
Basic Budgeting
• Start now – I’m serious!
• Limit your credit card use
• Do whatever possible to buy that tv, couch, car, etc… outright
• Be honest with yourself – this was probably the hardest part of the process for me
• With larger expenses, plan ahead. Christmas and Birthdays come at the SAME time every
year.
My Favorite Couponing Sites
http://thekrazycouponlady.com
http://livingrichwithcoupons.com
http://totallytarget.com
http://couponmom.com
Couponing Databases
http://www.totallytarget.com/coupon-database/
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/print-coupons