This morning I am feeling the depletion of any energy I have left in my body. After attending this class, I was on such an all time high on being able to save money, and in some cases make money. I didn't go to sleep until after 1:00 this morning. As soon as I finished the class at Macey's, Little Theater, I went to Wal-mart to begin organizing my coupons. Seeing how Amy, savvyshopperdeals.com, spent a little over $100 of food, and then saving over $700 from one store really motivated me to find the deals. I feel like I walked away with so much in just an 1 1/2 hours time. So here are some main points that I jotted down in case you want to try and do this. Amy said things go on sale in cycles. Most of the time, you will see sales for Campbell's soup, Pillsbury rolls in the canister, cereal, toiletries aka deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste. About a month ago, I got cereal for $1.00 a piece. I thought that was a good deal. But Amy said that she never buys cereal for over 75 cents. She mostly gets cereal for 50 cents!! One thing you need to be is patient. If you can hold off on that favorite cereal until it's on sale for a screamin' deal, just wait.
Next, you know those red machines that stick out from the shelf? Those are coupons! A while ago, Scott's toilet paper had those blinky's next to them. And you know what?? With those coupons, the toilet paper turned out to be free! So instead of trying to get the kids to stop playing with them. Take a look and see what they are and save money.
Amy gave us a binder/coupon recipe as a guideline to help us get organized.

• Category Section: 10 categories (Amy used tab dividers to keep things simple. I plan on getting mine the next time I'm at the store.)

1. Baby (Diapers/Shampoo, Baby Food)
2. Bread and Cereal (Cereal, Breakfast Foods, Breads, Rice/Pasta, Chips & Crackers)
3. Cleaners (Floor Cleaners, Dish Cleaners, Fabrics, Standard Cleaners, Bathroom Cleaners, Air Fresheners)
4. Dairy (Cheese/Butter/Oil, Yogurt, Misc. Dairy)
5. Dessert (Cookies, Frozen Desserts, Cake/Brownie Mixes, Fruits/Jello/Pudding, Drinks, Candy, Baking Goods
6. Meat (Fresh/Frozen Poultry, Lunchmeat, Breakfast Meats, Misc. Meats, Seasonings, Sauces)
7. Medicine (Cold/Allergy, Pain Relievers, First Aid, Stomach Aids, Vitamins, Misc. Medicines)
8. Paper Goods (Facial Tissues, Garbage Bags, Foils/Wraps/Containers, Plates/Paper Towels, Toilet Tissue)
9. Personal Hygiene (Facial Cleaners, Body Wash, Lotion, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Misc. Tooth Products, Deodorant, Shaving Needs, Makeup, Shampoo/Stylers, Hair Color, Personal Items, Misc. Hygiene)
10. Misc (Sauces/Salsa/Ketchup, Canned Goods, Frozen Goods, Salads/Dressings, Misc. Foods, Pets, Misc. Household Items

Phew!! That's a lot to take in. Buy things little by little and your food storage will grow. Take advantage of printable coupons. Keep in mind that Associated Foods like Macey's and Kohler's do not accept printable coupons due to coupon fraud. Because hygiene products are on sale a lot, you can get toothpaste or toothbrushes for penny's. That's a good way to stock your storage along with donating to shelters or humanitarian projects. Hopefully I've been able to pass along information that I learned last night to you that you can use.

Our area has an online service to help us organize all the store sales with coupons.  I know there are some stores that charge for this service.  But we've been blessed to have this free.  Although there may be a fee to join where you are, check into it.  The savings could outweigh the cost.