Extreme Couponing Class 101 – Lesson 1

“…Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” -Luke 12:22-24 NIV

My financial goals:

Honor God with my finances.

Encourage & equip others to be good stewards.

Discover new & creative ways to save more, spend less, & increase giving.

Balance this exciting journey with my marriage & my family.

It is my hope that by the end of this class I will have all of you- nervous, overwhelmed and dedicated fence-sitters converted to the ways of frugal living!

First step to becoming a Coupon Queen is to CHANGE THE WAY YOU SHOP!!!

How do you do that?

Throw everything you know about grocery shopping out the window.

-No more stopping by the store after work to grab a few things.

-No more running to the store at 4:00pm everyday to buy what you need for dinner.

-No more making one list every week to buy the meals you are going to prepare-regardless of the price.

-No more HUGE monthly shopping trips where you spend your entire month’s grocery budget.

-No more running to the store because you are out of toothpaste and deodorant.

Say Goodbye to those days!

And Say Hello to the COUPON QUEEN WAY!

Here’s what you need to know…

• You will be going to the store a lot, and you will most likely have a very intimate relationship with certain stores and the checkers who are employed there (this is a good reminder to Always be friendly).
• You will have a Year Supply of toothpaste, soap, shaving cream, disinfectant wipes (among others) before you can blink!!!  Enjoy the added security.
• Before you know it you will be saving between 50-90% at the grocery store!

• It’s all about shopping with coupons while a product is on sale- and STOCKING UP so you don’t have to buy something when it’s not cheap or free.

Vocabulary to Learn (or at least familiarize yourself with)

AR: After rebate, the cost of an item after you receive your rebate.

Blinky: Grocery or drugstore coupon dispensers with blinking lights.

BOGO: Buy One Get One

B1G1F: Buy 1 Get 1 Free

BTFE: Box Tops For Education

Cat/Catalina: Catalina coupon, a machine near the cash register that prints coupons when your receipt prints.

CRT: Cash Register Tape – Coupons that print with the receipt

DH: Darling Husband.  Not exactly a couponing term but one I’ve been asked a lot about. : )

DND: Do Not Double, sometimes found on manufacturer coupons.

ECB: Extra Care Bucks from the CVS’ loyalty rewards program.

ESRs: EasySaver Rebates, Walgreens monthly rebates program

FAR: Free After Rebate.

IVC : Instant Value Coupon – Walgreens’ store coupons found in ads

MFR: Manufacturer

MIR: Mail-in rebate

MIR: Mail-In Rebate

NAZ: Name Address and Zip Code

NED: No Expiration Date – I like those!

OOP: Out Of Pocket. Meaning the actual cash you pay after any discounts & coupons have been redeemed.

OOS: Out Of Stock

OYNO: On your next order

P&G: Proctor & Gamble Company or sometimes referring to P&G’s Sunday insert

Peelie: Coupons on the product packaging that you peel off.

POP: Proof of Purchase

PP: Purchase Price

PSA: Prices starting at

RC: Rain Check

RP: Red Plum – Sunday Newspaper Insert (fabulous coupons!)

RR: Register Reward – Walgreen’s name for their Catalina’s.

SMP: Specially Marked Package

SCR: Single Check Rebate, Rite Aid monthly rebates program

SS: Smart Source – Sunday Newspaper Insert (more fabulous coupons!)

TMF: Try Me Free, some products have a mail-in rebate that refunds the total money you spent to purchase the item, so you can “Try It Out” for free. (I won’t use this abbreviation)

UPC: Universal Product Code, bar code on a product

V: Valassis – Sunday Newspaper Insert

WYB: When You Buy

YMMV : Your mileage (or manager) may vary, some stores may allow you to score a deal, some may not.

So, how are you feeling? Are you ready to commit?

View other lessons in this Extreme Couponing series:

Lesson 1:  Change the Way You Shop & Coupon Vocabulary

Lesson 2:  10 Coupon Myths Debunked

Lesson 3:  Where to Find Coupons

Lesson 4: Get Organized

Lesson 5: Creating Your Price-List

Lesson 6: How to Maximize Coupon Savings