Coupons - NO. Sale Ads - YES!

Sad sad day for us Smart Shoppers. There was no coupon insert in the paper today but...there were sale ads and one that caught my eye was the K-Mart DOUBLE COUPON ad! Make sure you read the restrictions printed at the bottom front page of the ad. (like no internet coupons) Basically K-Mart will double your coupon amount up to and including $2.00 this week 11/30/08 - 12/06/08. For example:
$1.00 coupon = $2.00
$2.00 coupon = $4.00
Here's a couple of K-Mart deals I'm excited about:

• Gillette Body Wash $4.00 ($2/1 Gillette Body Wash P&G 11/30)=FREE!
• Kellogg's 9-20oz selected cereals $2.50 ($1/1 Kellogg's cereal listed on coupon RP 11/9)=$0.50

I'm also going to check and see if there are other items on sale at Super K-Mart that aren't in the sale ad. If I see any deals too good to pass up I'll post them.

Show Off!

So this will probably be my favorite section of the blog. It's the "Show Off" our smart shopper savings area where we can share info and brag about super shopping trips. Here's a show off of mine:

Smith's 11/09/08 Total bill: $115.70 Spent: $38.48 Saved: $77.22 (67%)

You wanna show off too? I'd love to hear about your shopping trips. Email me a picture of the items you purchased with a breakdown of your transaction (date, store where you shopped, total bill amount, savings/coupon amount, what you spent out of pocket) and I'll post the best show offs on my blog.

Saving Without Coupons

Using Grocery Smarts can save you money even if you don't have coupons. You'll find that when you start saving your inserts it takes time to get your coupon stash built up and sometimes there are items on sale with no coupons available for them. My shopping trip today was a perfect example. I prepared my shopping list for Smith's with the Grocery Smarts website. There were quite a few 4 or 5 star items on sale for $1.00 that I needed but didn't have coupons for.

• Total bill: $102.52
• Fresh Values Savings $51.31
• Manf. Coupons $7.02
• Total OOP $44.01
• That's a total savings of $58.51 or 57%.

I even bought a 16-20 pound turkey and 2lbs ground beef. I also had a $30.00 gift certificate which I used on this transaction so I actually only paid $14.01. This was good savings without many coupons. So while you're busy adding coupons to your collection you can use the Grocery Smarts website and know you're getting a good deal.

Coupon Insert Schedule

After attending a Grocery Smarts class, many of you will become subscribers to the Review Journal. We all want those Sunday coupon inserts of course! This last week there was no Red Plum in the mail and I (being coupon obsessed) was so bumbed out. Thank goodness there is a Coupon Insert Schedule on the Grocery Smarts Nevada main page (where you select your store from the drop down bar.) Just scroll down a little and it's there on the right hand side. Now you'll be prepared for those tough no insert days. Here's the schedule for the rest of 2008.
November 23rd: SS
November 30th: No Issue
December 7th: SS, RP, PG
December 14th: SS, RP
December 21st: No Issue
December 28th: No Issue
NOT excited about those 3 no issue days, but hopefully we'll have some smokin' hot sales to make up for it.

Get to Class!

Are you ready to learn how to be a Smart Shopper? Do you want to save more money than you spend at the grocery store? It's never too late to get started! Here are a couple of incentives I offer if you book a class with me.
For hostesses: Schedule a class and have 8 or more new people attend, you receive a $20 gift card to Albertsons or Smiths. If 12 or more new people attend you receive the gift card and a personal tutoring session with me in advanced couponing for you & 1 friend. Attending a class is the best way to learn about Grocery Smarts and how to use the free website. Let's get you going right away. Call or email me for more info.

Watch Grocery Smarts on TV!

Great news! If you want to learn more about what Grocery Smarts is or how to use it, KVBC News 3 (local NBC affiliate, channel 3) interviewed GS Instructor Mandi and went shopping with one of her students to show how it all works. The air dates will be:
Segment 1 (Mandi's Interview): Mon Nov. 24
Morning News - 5 to 7am
Noon News - 11 to noon
Segment 2 (Shopping with Michelle): Tues Nov 25
Morning News - 5 to 7amNoon News - 11 to noon
We are really excited for you to check it out!

I Love Target

O.K. Here's my confession. I am and have always been a Target Girl. That is, I LOVE TARGET! I was thrilled in July 2008 when a new one opened near me in Henderson. This place rocks. It's huge, new, clean and...has an expanded (large) grocery section. The shopping carts alone are worth the trip. You've gotta take a little spin around the store with one. So cool! My favorite time to go there is somewhere between 8:00p.m - 10:00p.m. I head to the Food Avenue to get my REFILLABLE diet coke and start cruising, always starting at the killer dollar section. The store is quiet and almost empty...ahhh my happy place. BUT--since becoming a Smart Shopper I have spent much less time and money at Target. There are still good deals there and Target.com has printable store coupons that you can combine with Manufacturers Coupons and get serious discounts. (Especially when it's a clearance item) So I must dedicate some of this blog space to my beloved Target. I'll let you know the sale prices I'm excited about each week.

Let Me Explain

Hi! I'm starting this blog to keep you up to date with the latest scoop on good deals, smart shopping, and ways you can save money. I'm a Certified Grocery Smarts Instructor and I'm excited to share info and tips with you. I can teach you how to lower your grocery bill and stock up the pantry without breaking your budget. It works for me, my family members, and lots of my friends. I'll have some "Show Off" posts where we can share our Smart Shopper savings. You'll be amazed at how much you can buy without spending a fortune. You can call or email me for more info or to schedule/attend a class.
If you are new to shopping smart, this is the best place to begin...How do I shop smart? It is so easy! I use a free website service that helps me plan my weekly shopping list. Then, I get coupon inserts from the Sunday paper (1 for each person in my family, I get 4). And, by combining the online shopping lists with the coupons, I save hundreds of dollars each month on my groceries! Four papers seems like a lot, but don't worry... at my classes I teach you how to cut your grocery bill in half AND can also hook you up with a sweet deal on the Review Journal! Continue reading or check out my "FAQ's" post to learn more. Did you already attend a class? So, you just attended my Coupon Class and you're pumped up to save and are excited to get started! This blog is a good way for me to stay connected with you, give ongoing support and post ideas to keep you as motivated next month as you are today.
Where do you go from here?First things first... you need to get over to the Grocery Smarts website and print off a shopping list! If you just started a newspaper subscription to get the coupons, you'll have to be patient for the first few weeks while your collection of coupons grows. Each Sunday you'll get more inserts and each week you'll find yourself saving more. Within about a month to six weeks, you will have a nice pile of inserts to pull coupons from and will start noticing a real difference on what you spend at the store.
Then, over the course of the next few months, you'll notice your panty will start filling up. Your drawers will start filling up and every spare spot you have on a shelf or in a cupboard will be filled with the food and products your family consumes each day. You will love how much you are saving and that you have a nice stash of family supplies and food storage that builds each week. It'll be so satisfying to know you did it for less, much less!
So, bookmark my blog and check back often for info, tips and to see what I buy each week from the lists. By seeing my scenerios, it'll help give you ideas on how you can better use the list to maximize your savings. Welcome aboard!

FAQ'S

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Grocery Smarts?

Many shoppers who want to save money at the grocery store spend hours scouring over the ads and digging through piles of coupons to find what matches up. Grocery Smarts puts an end to all of that craziness and simply matches local store ads to current coupons (found in the Sunday paper) in an easy to use list. The list is updated each week as new ads are released and even links you instantly to any online printable coupons that are out there. Using an easy "5 Star" rating system, the list even tells you which deals are the BEST deals! And, the greatest part about these lists is they are free! Free for anyone to use, anytime... and you don't even have to register or fork over your email address to use the service. Nice, huh?

How can I learn how to use the lists?

The best way to learn how to use the store lists is to attend a class. If you haven't ever been invited to one, consider hosting your own! In-home classes work the best, so grab your friends and family to attend and contact me to book one anytime!

What's a class like?

Classes generally last about an hour (depending on how chatty the ladies get). In that time, I teach you the benefits of shopping the sales, show you how to do it, and give you recommendations on how to stay organized. It's not complicated or difficult to learn because the list does all the hard work for you.

How much time will I have to spend clipping coupons?

Virtually none! Seriously, the Grocery Smarts big wigs came up with literally a "5 minute" method that'll keep you organized, yet not feeling overwhelmed. You only cut what you need, when you need it!

Is it really worth it?

It is for me (and lots of my friends and family)! I've been couponing for awhile and my grocery budget is in good check and my pantry is full. My favorite part about shopping this way is I actually get to buy nicer brands. No more generics for me... nothing beats a name brand item when it's on sale and has a coupon to boot! Just check out my trophy receipts (the ones where I save more than I spent)! Seriously, I love to show them off!

So... What's the catch?

Several other similar online shopping services charge users a monthly membership fee to access their coupon matching service. However, in an effort to be a head above the rest, the founders of Grocery Smarts didn’t think charging a monthly fee to families who are trying to save money made any sense at all. They started thinking outside the box and realized that regardless of what service you use, in order to shop smart and to do it right, you need multiple sets of coupons from the Sunday paper. They thought, "Why charge a fee to the user… when the newspaper sits right in the middle directly benefiting from the concept we teach?" So, the Grocery Smarts big wigs presented their concept to the Review Journal. They quickly realized that when we teach our classes, we naturally refer new subscribers to the paper. So, you can imagine how quickly they jumped on the opportunity to open their market up to moms like us who typically wouldn't be getting the paper at all.
So here's the long and short of it... At the class, as I teach you the concept of shopping smart and show you how you can use the website to save money at the store. And, because having the right amount of coupons (1 set for each person in your household) is such a key part of saving big, it makes sense for me to hook you up with the papers you need at the class. I offer the Review Journal at amazing prices to anyone not currently taking the paper, plus can get you up to 4 more additional Sunday papers delivered to your door for less than a buck a week! And that's why the class is free... I make money based on how many new subscriptions I turn into the Review Journal. So, I guess we can all thank them for stepping up, getting involved and helping Grocery Smarts keep the classes and website FREE for everyone!