Guest Post: Not-So-Extreme Couponing

Today's Guest Post comes to us from MS Simplicity, Melissa Schmalenberger, from I did it with MS. Simplicity. She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found here.  I find great value in her blog posts and FREE tips shared over on MS. Simplicity's Facebook page!


Melissa and I met recently to talk about hosting these lunch and learn classes.  She, like many of you had questions about the real benefits of using coupons.  It is worth the time?  Can you buy healthy foods?  Do you have to be an "extreme couponer" to see the savings?  How can I stay organized while saving money?  I'll let her post say the rest...  And, we hope to see you soon at one of our one of our upcoming classes!

Have you seen the show Extreme Couponing yet? I have not but boy have I been hearing a lot of buzz around town about it. I go through phases of clipping coupons but I have some preconceived notions on clipping coupons. 


So two weeks ago I sat down with local coupon diva FM Cheapskate and I talked with her about some of my concerns. Because of my concerns or misconceptions I decided we needed to hold some lunch and learns to educate more in our area on the ways to save money, and this is where I come in....and to help them stay organized. Here are some of the things that we will be discussing during our scheduled lunch and learns on June 4 and June 9.

1. It is too much work: Reality, spend the time doing it and practice and you will start to be faster at it. Figure out how much time it takes you and how much per hour you save. If it takes you 2 hours to save $100 would it be worth it? But really, if I could save $100 off my grocery bill I would be thrilled!
2. Our local grocery stores don't triple coupons here: If you are smart there are still ways to take advantage of the coupons when combining them with the local adds and markdowns in the store.
3. I don't have time to go to every local store to find the best deals: Did you know that there are local facebook pages dedicated to the deals in your area? They do the leg work for you and then tell you where to shop for the best deal.
4. I don't want to buy crap: Did you know that there are sites that are dedicated to organic food coupons? I didn't know that either. I am going to learn how to buy organic milk or dairy free alternatives at a discount as I have 3 boys who need their own proverbial cow in our backyard.
5. What about organic beef? Did you know that you can buy from local farmers and pay less by cutting out the middle man, aka the grocery store?
6. How do I keep all the coupons organized and use them before they expire? I think we can show you a thing or two about staying organized while saving money!
7. What about trading services? Could you mow someone's yard for them to babysit your kids. Could you write a your hair salons newsletter for getting free haircuts for your family? Find ways to think outside of the box when trying to save money.

So grab your sister, mother, girlfriend, spouse and get ready to learn how to save money. Click on the links below for more details! Hope to see you saving money with us!

Did I mention that the cost of the class includes a delicious lunch from Mosaic Catering?

Did I mention that their are door prizes valued at $115?

June 4: Not-So-Extreme Couponing 

June 9: Not-So-Extreme Couponing 

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity offers monthly classes, click here to find out the latest offerings!  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page here.   Contact her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  Thanks for sharing with us today Melissa!