Couponing

I loved going shopping with my mom when I was younger. She was very good at using coupons to help lower the bill. Together we would flip through the Sunday paper, figure out which ones we needed (and wanted), and cut them out. Now, Wal-Mart has introduced price-matching. They will match any ad of local stores on top of the coupons that you receive.

Finances often get tight with a family between diapers, blankets, books, and food. We all want the best for our family from new books to healthy foods. Couponing and price matching helps stretch a budget to include much more than it ever could before! It is very helpful in many homes, but often, the time to look through the ads takes too long so here is a website that lists the ads in the area:

http://bit.ly/HHQpWu 

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There are two stores in the Provo/Orem area do price matching or ad matching: Wal-Mart and Buy Low. For Wal-Mart you just tell them the ad you are matching, and for Buy Low, you have to bring in the printed ad. At Buy Low you cannot match ads with Rite-Ad and Walgreens because they are more like pharmacies. At both places on Tuesday you can double your coupons up to a dollar, and you can put an ad match together with the coupon. Check your local Wal-Mart because they have had a few price matching classes if you would like more help!

Price matching and couponing may take a while at first, but it will be worth it! Include your children by first explaining to them what you are doing. They will enjoy helping you go through the coupons in the mail (mostly to spot their favorite snacks) and grab the peel-offs and other coupons on store shelves. Allow your older kids to cut a few coupons out for you. Cutting paper with scissors is a great time at age five! At the store, give them some of the ads so they can match the picture with the product on the shelf. They will love taking it off the shelf, putting it in the cart, and then on the checkout counter. Ask your younger children to help you count out items that you need more than one of and your older kids which one is cheaper such as Kleenex in the store for $1.50 or the Kleenex coupon for $1.20. This activity will help build skills for your kids such as fine motor, gross motor, and cognitive learning.

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 So take your kids shopping with you! Enjoy an afternoon at the store. They will become wonderful helpers!