Getting Started

After attending a class you are ready to get started!

Now you just have to go for it! 

This is a basic outline of what I teach at my classes.  

Hopefully it can help you if you have any questions!  Feel free to email me if you have other questions.

Using grocerysmarts correctly, 

you will save 50-100%  

on your groceries, household, and personal care items!

These are the methods generally used to save money:

*Coupons—save $1 here and there

*Purchase only off-brand items

*Purchase only sale items

*Shop at warehouses/clubs

Do any of those sound familiar?  All of these are great ways to save some money, & you will save about 10-20% using the above methods to do your shopping.

GROCERYSMARTS combines these to make the most of your savings!  You will be amazed when you discover that you really can save 50-100% when you use the grocerysmarts way!

Remember:

*The 3 tricks to the trade:

1. Buy in bulk--Everything cycles through sales, so when it is a 4 or 5 star sale--stock up with as many coupons as you have! It may be another 2-4 months before that item is on a great sale again, so get what you need and you will soon be "shopping from your pantry"!  Buying bulk from warehouse clubs and case lot sales, you will save 10-20%.  Buying bulk the grocerysmarts way you will save 50-100%!!

2. Maximize your coupons by using the coupons only on sale items: sale + coupon = 50-100% savings--you will be surprised when you realize how many things you can get for FREE!!

Example: Toothpaste on sale for $1--you have a coupon for $1 off. This makes the toothpaste FREE! One of my favorites is when crackers are on sale for 3/$5 (makes them $1.67 each)--you have a coupon for $1 off 1 box--making the box of crackers $.67!!

Those are AMAZING deals at 50-100% savings!!

Rule to remember:  NEVER USE COUPONS JUST TO USE THEM--make the most of your coupon by using coupons ONLY on sale items--this is the key to getting 50-100% savings.

3. Use multiple coupons--This is how you will stock up! It sounds crazy, but the more newspaper subscriptions you have, the more coupons you will be able to get (coupons come in the Sunday paper).  This means that when the crackers, toothpaste, laundry detergent, diapers, or whatever the items you buy, are on sale--however many coupons for that item that you have is how many of that item you will be able to get at 50-100% savings!  Likely the item will not come on sale again for a few months--so you will need more than one coupon per item.

Here are some of the items I have been able to stock up on with my coupons at 50-100% savings!  Using coupons with the sales,  
the toothpaste was FREE,
the dish soap was $.49 each,
the Old Spice was $.89 each,
the Aussie was $.99 each
the tuna was FREE 
the cereal was $.75 each!!
I spent $12.48 total on the above 28 items!

The price of the newspaper subscriptions will be paid for in what you save within 1 month or less (and don't go out and just sign up for the paper--grocerysmarts sells the paper for a better deal than the regular price--just ask me if you are interested)!  

I take 4 newspapers and for my family size, that is just about right.  Then I have 4 of every coupon and therefore, at least 4 of each item--great way to stock up without spending very much money!!

AND REMEMBER, REMEMBER:

**NEVER** go through your coupon insert and cut out coupons you think you will use and then throw it out or it will make couponing miserable and difficult!!
There is an "alphabetical coupon index" above the "select your store" box on the grocerysmarts website.  If you have to buy something that's not on sale and you want to know if there is a coupon, just look up the item in the "alphabetical coupon index" and it will tell you if there is a coupon for that item and where to find it!

**ALWAYS** write the date on the top corner of the insert so you can easily see it (the date is in fine print on the edge of the insert, so if you don't do it the day you get it, that is just fine--stack it in a pile until you can write the date on it and file it).

Then file it in a file box according to the date & insert &
keep it for 4-6 months.

**To make the actual shopping easier and especially to help you not forget to use the coupons you have cut out--place your grocerysmarts print-out of the items you plan to buy and the coupons that go along with them in a plastic protector sheet.  Then when you get to the register, they are all right there!  You don't even have to set out the coupons with each item!  You just hand your pile of coupons to the cashier after everything has gone through.  If you didn't get an item, the coupon won't go through when the cashier rings it up and it will remind you to ask if you are able to get a rain-check on the item.

For detailed information how to read & use the shopping list from the website, go to this link:

Instruction Sheet 

(if you attended my class, this is the handout you received).  

Here is a brief explanation of the coupon column of the shopping list.

The right column of your shopping list refers to the coupons--telling you where to find the coupon to match the sale.

There will be 2 letters representing which coupon insert they come from (ie: SS).

There will be a date following the letter which is the Sunday the insert came in the mail (ie: 3/8--meaning March 8th) .

There will be a brief description of the coupon (ie: Huggies Diapers, $1.50/1)

And there will be the expiration date of the coupon in parenthesis (ie: 6-5-10).

It will look like this all together:  Huggies Diapers, any $1.50/1 (6-5-10) SS-3/8

These are the different letters you will see and what they mean:  

SS=Smartsource

RP=Redplum

PG=Proctor & Gamble

What to expect in the Newspaper:

Every Sunday paper will have a SmartSource coupon insert in it--unless it is a holiday--when there is a holiday, you will receive 2 SmartSource inserts either the week before the holiday or the week after.  You will keep these for at least 4 months at a time, throwing away the ones you didn't use after they are 4 months old.

Monthly you will receive a Proctor & Gamble (P&G) insert--this will expire about monthly, so you can throw it away after 2 months.

Periodically you will receive a General Mills insert.

In the mail you will receive a Redplum, though there are some areas in which this comes in the newspaper.

As you start grocerysmarts don't forget:

*It will take time to get it all down--be patient with yourself and don't kick yourself if you "make a mistake"--
KEEP GOING FOR IT and YOU WILL SUCCEED!

*Keep in mind that every week won't have hundreds of amazing deals--you will gradually stock up on the things you want at 50-100% savings.  Though there will be times when there are AMAZING sales and you will get a huge amount of stuff at
50-100% savings!!

*This will be SO worth it and you will LOVE it!