Thursday, January 20, 2011

Couponing 101


Just wanted to pass along a great post! It doesn't get much better than this insight into the couponing world!! Thanks so much Stephanie!
For those of you who live far away,  here is the information on how I organize my coupons.

Pinching Your Pennies is a free website that lists weekly deals with coupons. Click on the current list. I love that they give the deals STAR ratings. You know that 4 or 5 stars is a great deal.

If you live outside Arizona, click here to see the deals listed by other States!


Click here for information on organizing and couponing in Arizona.

Want to Increase Your Couponing Savings even more?
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If you are wanting to seriously coupon, there are websites that charge to see a more intense list of coupons matched with what is on sale. Couponsense is the most used here in Arizona. They have a more comprehensive list for the serious couponer. They teach you how to combine online loadable coupons with manufacturer coupons to get even better deals. Right now they have a promotion for those who want to try it. $4 for the first month and $15 each month after. You can cancel at any time.  


I think I save at least $15 extra each week using Couponsense than I did using Pinching Your Pennies.
I also saved so much time using Couponsense.  Before I was copying and pasting each individual deal I wanted to use from Pinching Your Pennies to make my list.  Then, I'd go by each deal and cut out the individual coupons.  Couponsense cut at least 2-3 hours off my couponing last week.  You click on the deals you want to use, it generates you a shopping list per store and a coupon cutting list that tells you that from this specific Sunday insert, you need these coupons for your deals.  I'm LOVING this.

If you choose to try Couponsense, use the promo code:  enjoy the savings

Select Referred by friend and enter Stephanie Ashcraft.  It should show Andrea VanHorn as your instructor.  She lives here in Arizona and is one of the top 10 couponers in their company.

Newspaper Subscriptions

AZ Daily Star- $4.30 per month for Sunday paper. www.azstarnet.com
AZ Republic- Multiple Sunday Papers available. More expensive. More coupons. https://subscribe.azcentral.com/circpromos/promopages/pinchingyourpennies.php
AZ Republic- $1 per week for 1 Sunday paper https://subscribe.azcentral.com/circpromos/promopages/2010_deal_blogger.php

Printable Coupon Sources

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There are so many ways to get coupons. 

Lately I realized that I am using more printable coupons than coupons from the Sunday paper. You can get printable coupons from so many sources for pretty much everything you need for your family. FYI-Most of these websites reset their coupons and add coupons at the beginning of each month. Some even reset coupons on the 15th so you can print them again.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Power of Moms: Learning Circle

Okay I can't procrastinate it anymore I have been wanting to get started on this with the new year! Please comment to this post, or respond by email carlynewburn at gmail dot com. If you are the least bit interested and maybe we can really get this rolling by the end of Janurary. So with that if anyone has suggestions as to what night of the week or which week of the month would work the best. Feel free to let me know! I will have it at my house for sure Jan is going to be a PJ party it will be around 8pm for us to all be able to sneak away after the kiddos are put to bed. I will definitely have more details to come...Until then here is the general idea: pic - circle of faces.jpg
According to a recent study, "joining a meaningful group that meets just once a month produces the same happiness gain as doubling your income" (New York Times, David Brooks, March 29, 2010). A Learning Circle can make a huge difference in your life.  

What is a Power of Moms Learning Circle?  
  • part girls' night out (with a meaningful purpose - in addition to having a great time)
  • part book group (with a lot less pages to read...yep, you can complete the reading for each month in about 30 minutes)
  • part support group (we all need more opportunities to learn from, encourage, and even sometimes commiserate with other moms)
  • part motherhood course (because you deserve a monthly class to help you grow yourself, build your fellow mothers, and shape the future that starts right in your own home)
A Learning Circle involves 5-12 mothers who gather each month for great conversation centered on an important motherhood topic (click here to check out the topics).
  • step-by-step instructions to start up a very fun and effective group
  • brief articles, great discussion questions and simple assignments to go with each month's topic