Coupons and Coffee

Are you looking for a way to increase your coupon load and connect with friends? Well how about hosting a “Coupons and Coffee” get-together meeting?

If you’re like me and have been bit by the coupon bug, then you’re always trying to find new ways of finding more and more coupons to help you keep up with the rising cost of your weekly grocery bill. It’s a known fact that grocery prices will increase in the future and keeping down the cost of grocery prices is now part of every family’s budget. Your grocery budget is the one place that is flexible enough to help you save the most every month. Everyone needs to buy groceries and usually it’s an expense done on a weekly basis. Using coupons eases the sting out of the total amount that you have to pay.

So with that in mind, how about getting a group of other coupon lovers and hosting a get together for coffee and swapping coupons? It’s a fun and easy way to reconnect with your family and friends about current topics, while sharing coupons you are not going to use. This is also a great way to help each other get the savings you need plus offer each other tips and advice on where, when and how you can save more.

To plan this event, you can schedule one get together each month alternating where it is hosted. Your first couple of meetings can be just a group of intimate friends and as each meeting is scheduled, you can add on more guests resulting in lots and lots of more coupons. Some great hosting places are at the hosts’ home, a neighborhood park, library, church meeting room or nearby café. Each person you invite is required to bring in the coupons they do not use and trade with others that are also invited. You can ask each guest to also bring in their grocery store weekly flyer so you can share tips with each other on what is on sale and what you can stock up on. The host serves coffee and each guest can bring in a snack or dessert to share with others. Usually these get-togethers can last about two or three hours, so we usually schedule our meetings sometime in the morning, after the kids get dropped off at school.

During this time, you may ask guests to participate by telling everyone one bit of advice they find to be the most important when saving at the grocery store. Some tips may include:

· Which store is their favorite and why?

· Which store offers the best loyalty rewards?

· Which store offers double coupons?

· What items give you the most for your money?

· How do they stretch their groceries to last as long as possible?

· What recipes work best with items that are on sale?

· What stores have the most flexibility and help you save the most overall?

· What online sites do you get the best coupons from?

· What companies offer the most coupons?

· What company web-sites always have coupons you can download?

· What is the most you have every saved on one shopping spree? How did you do it?

Each meeting can also include a theme for that particular month. With the holidays creeping up on us, you can offer each other advice on how to save on groceries while celebrating the holidays. Each meeting is different and every time you walk away, you leave with a great feeling of bonding with your friends while knowing you have some great saving tips to use on your next shopping trip.

So get motivated and ask some friends over for Coupons and Coffee.