Couponing 101 - Part Two/Three

By LeAnne Taylor, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Ever gone to the store and see shoppers with handfuls of coupons, only to wonder are they really able to save? 

The 918 Coupon Queen Sarah Roe and I headed to the store for a savings challenge. 

Two shoppers, two carts and one store. We'll see who can make the best deals here today.  May the best man win or woman.

"What she doesn't know is that I have a secret weapon.  It is my grocery list and inside, you guess it, my coupons," said Sarah Roe. 

We've made a list of 10 commonly used items.  Anything from toothpaste and toilet bowl cleaner to yogurt and soup.

Sarah Roe has a very specific way to shop and I on the other hand, am just trying to cheat.  On my own again. 

Sarah Roe is the 918 Coupon Queen and she's been clipping coupons for a long time. She even has a web site designed to make couponing easier for beginners like me. 

Between coupons from newspapers, magazines, printable coupons on the web and even ones off a display.

"Here's a tear pad we just found by the frozen pizzas, save a dollar with the purchase of any two. That sounds like a good deal to me," said Sarah Roe. 

There are ways to save if you just change your perspective. 

"One of the things that we teach is to plan around the sales and the coupons so you take out that what do you feel like having this week honey and it's more like here's your ads and your coupons and this is what we decide on what we're going to eat," said Sarah Roe. 

The proof is in the check out.  The 10 items I bought added up to more than $45. For Sarah, after coupons and a gift card she had earned on a previous trip, she was able to get her total to $17.80. 

"That's why I'm the Queen," said Sarah Roe. 

For ways to get started on couponing, click on 918Moms.com and check out the Coupon Queen page.  

I used my coupons during a second trip to the store and I'm very proud and I wanted to show Sarah Roe. 

We talked about 10 products last time that I was to go shopping for and she beat me hands down.  Well, this time I think I did pretty well, we did soup and toothpaste, chips and salsa and yogurt and after all my coupons it came back less than $30. 

"You did a great job," said Sarah Roe. 

The time before I spent $45.  Here's one way I saved.  A can of soup was on sale for $1.40. To that I used a manufacturer's coupon, to save $1.10 on 3 cans. And then I found a Target coupon to save 50 cents on 2 cans.  Final price, 86 cents a can. 

"And that's the whole part of being a strategic shopper, it's taking all the savings methods you can possibly get and you used three different ways to save," said Sarah Roe.

Again, click on 918Moms.com for more information.