Coupon Training

[loves2save]

Okay....how many of you teach classes. Do you offer them Free, a small fee to cover the cost of building rental, copies ect..or do you pay yourself a small fee for your time? Ho long do your classes last, do you have a break with snacks, do you do door prizes? How often do you have them? Do you limit participants? Do you ask people to bring their inserts or other supplies?

Thanks so much in advance....I would LOVE the feedback...I am considering trying this!!!!

[loves2save]

Hmmm, with 34 views....I would've thought I'd gotten a FEW responses! This is something I'd really appreciate some imput on!

[CurtisBeers]

I have thought of doing some coupon training since I can save so much money but still have not done it.

[meangreenie]

I am teaching a class in feb. It is my first time ,but I decided to do it because all of my friends keep asking me questions. I figured it was easier to teach them all at once. I am not charging. I am not doing door prizes this first time through since it will will a trial run for me. I went to one that they did that, and I didn't learn anything honestly. Maybe because I knew a bunch before that I don't know. I would have rather learned more, than play games, but that is just my opinion.

[loves2save]

I am teaching a class in feb. It is my first time ,but I decided to do it because all of my friends keep asking me questions. I figured it was easier to teach them all at once. I am not charging. I am not doing door prizes this first time through since it will will a trial run for me. I went to one that they did that, and I didn't learn anything honestly. Maybe because I knew a bunch before that I don't know. I would have rather learned more, than play games, but that is just my opinion.

Thank you so much!

[Sherosec]

I help teach all my family and friends, or anyone who asks, but in this small town with just a few stores, I'm afraid if I teach a class there will only be less items in the stores than there are now. We have some serious shelf clearers around here already.

[lisabr]

I haven't taught any or been to any yet, so I don't have any advice for you, sorry. I do get stopped at stores often though either by people new to couponing or ones that are thinking about starting it up, to others who just want to know where to get the cpns and/or the baseball card holders/sleeves.

Even my DH's coworkers have asked him if "his wife coupons". And he always answers "oh, yes she does, why?" Then they go into how they need to save money instead of spending so much, especially on food! So, DH tells them if they need help or advice to call. I already gave some advice to one of his coworkers since she lives in our neighborhood, however I don't know if she really got much out of it, cause I was driving and she was in the back seat and I couldn't actually show her what I was talking about. I just hope I didn't confuse the heck out of her! lol!
One of his coworkers mentioned his wife spends over $300 a Week! A week, on groceries! And I believe they only have 4 people in the house. He asked my DH if he thought that was too much per week. And DH responded "yeah." I told him "heck yeah it's too much, unless it was a one time deal for the holidays and they were having a big party or something. Still that's a bit much. I told him for the most part I spend $50- $100 a week on food. And we have for the most part 3 people in the house, sometimes 4 (like over the holidays) when DS comes home from college. We have two large dogs, however since I don't buy it at the same place I get food, and don't need to get it every week, I don't count their dog food into that. And it's not cheap either, but have no choice on the brand, cause we have tried alot of different kinds and this food is the only one that doesn't make them sick, seriously!! Do, you know what it's like to clean up after a boxer or dane after they throw up? Not fun!! That's no small clean up, I can tell you! Or have to let them out at all times, even a few times in the middle of the night, again No fun! So, we have to buy this food that hardly ever goes on sale, hardly ever has coupons for, and around here we can only buy it from 1 store (petsmart).

Well, I guess I talked enough about everything except what you asked for didn't I? lol!!! Oh well,

[Desert Debbi]

I teach coupon classes at my public library. I do not charge anything for them and the library does all my photocopies. We have a coupon basket at each library for coupon club members to use and donate to. Initially I had a one part course, but there was so much information that it was almost 2 hours long with the Q&A at the end and then people felt like they missed some stuff. Now, I teach it as a 3 part seminar.

Week 1 is the basics: extreme couponing vs couponing for the average person, defining the couponing shoppers MO, where to get coupons, how to organize them, different types of coupons, sales cycles and stacking coupons. I give them some homework as well: buying their first coupon inserts, planning their first shopping trip, setting up a couponing storage method, FB acct and email, and getting familiar with the websites that I give them on their handouts for ad matching.

Week 2 starts with reviewing homework and a Q&A session. Then we move into the meat of it. I give them a "deals of the week" hot list of items they can get at a stock up price and we focus in week 2 on drugstores, specifically walgreens register rewards, and how to shop effectively there. We also talk about budgeting, and how to design a personalized budget that fits their family and situation. They get a homework assignment to plan a shopping trip out on paper for WAGS and CVS, another shopping trip for groceries, and of course pick up this weeks inserts.

Week 3 starts with reviewing the homework and making sure they are confident in their drugstore deals. Then we get into the subject of stockpiling. I have a worksheet which I give them to help them figure out how many items they would need on a per year basis, what I paid for those items in 2011, and we discus storage options. I also encourage them to PURGE their homes and have a garage sale or donate items that are in the way and unused. This gives them room for their stockpile and some cash to start their stockpile as well! I finish the class with a last Q&A session, and I also give them a couponing email that they can send questions to.

I hope this helps? If you want to pm me your email I can actually send you a copy of my full presentation and my 3 seminars version as well. They are pretty basic.

[loves2save]

Thank you so much everyone...keep the help coming...I am seriously thinking about this!!!!

[Desert Debbi]

Honestly I would say NO to door prizes. They are already getting enough from you, especially if it is a free class =D You do not need door prizes to help people who truely want to learn. The one thing I have learned is that people always SAY they want to learn but it is more like 1 in 5 that truely listen and follow through.