But the box system frustrates a lot of people, so I’ve been mentioning other methods when I do my civic club and community education programs.

One of the popular systems right now is a coupon binder. For example, my friend Candy at Deal with it, Simply! uses a binder. When Candy and I do frugal living programs in the Toledo area, Candy brings her coupon binder and I bring my coupon box so the audience can see there is more than one idea that works.

If you’d like to try a binder system, Dimes 2 Vines has pictures and instructions so you can see how a coupon binder is assembled.

The story is based on the snarky comments that non-couponing customers have made to couponing customers.

A snippet:

As long as one is completely organized with their coupons before getting in to line and is using their coupons properly (for the right product, not trying to slip in expired coupons, etc), then there is no reason to be ashamed, no matter what happens.

Here’s the lead:

Last month, I paid just 42¢ for $211 worth of groceries. Yup, you read that right. In fact, I save around 65 percent every time I shop, and if I really play my cards right, more than 90 percent. Over the course of the year, this adds up to about $5,000 in savings. What’s my secret? My foolproof SuperShopping System. It’s served me so well over the years that I’m known as “The Coupon Queen,” and I’ve written three books about it.

Sounds great, huh?

Susan does have excellent advice in her column including how to understand a 10 for $10 sale, using a calculator and how to build a pantry list. It’s worth reading the article to get her overall tips.

But I will let you in on a tip that’s not so obvious to coupon newbies: articles like this that appear in the national magazines and newspapers are written by shoppers who have access to double and sometimes triple coupon bargains WAY beyond what is common practice in many markets.

For example, the standard policy for the stores I shop at in Monroe, Mich., that will double coupons is doubling up to 50 cents in value. Several of my area grocery and drug stores do not double coupons at all.

My local readers are not alone in that scenario. Here’s what someone with a screen name of Washington State posted on that article:

The stores here will not take competitor coupons nor will they double or triple coupons, seriously, give me real world advice that will work for a majority of people, I dont feel like i need to scam the grocery store either, thats just wierd, but honestly like most the other posts, how can one realistically save money by what a majority of people have available. I find coupon websites are good and the local Sunday paper helps out best!

Do you want some realistic tips that will work no matter where you live?

I wrote a piece called Grocery Shopping on a Budget: the 8 Week Plan. It’s aimed at my local readers in Monroe, Mich., but you can take that plan and adapt it to where ever you live or shop.

A couple weeks ago I taught that program to a community education class in Monroe. I’ve already had two people ask “When will you teach another class? I wasn’t able to go.” (My best guess is after the holiday season, and I will post that information when I have it.)

Now to go back to this Woman’s Day article, I will tell you that I have NEVER paid only 42 cents for $211 worth of groceries.

I have, on several occasions, paid about $15 for about $50 worth of groceries at stores in Monroe.

I will also tell you that my family is eating far better now than we were five years ago, and we are spending less money per person to do it.

And I will tell you that an average of 50 percent off retail grocery pricing is a very realistic goal for my local readers. It’s also the range that Stephanie Nelson of Coupon Mom says is reasonable for her national audience.

If a 50 percent average savings range is possible in Monroe, Mich., where shoppers like me don’t have access to the triple coupon / super double coupon offers that national magazine writers count on to build their brags … you should be able to do that almost anywhere you live in the U.S.

Check out my week-by-week plan.

Here’s how you make that promotion work for you:

• Know what the “going price” is these days for that product on a per unit basis. You will not see always see prices listed in the sales fliers, you’ll have to watch the price tags yourself.
• Divide out your total cost against your total number of items purchased so you know what the product costs per unit. For example, if you know the usual sales price for a box of cereal is $3 a box, the $4.50 price tag you might see on a buy one get one free deal may not be as good of a bargain as it first appears.
• In most cases, you’ll be allowed to use one coupon on that transaction, not two. You’re technically buying only one product, not two, on these deals. But I have picked up four products on a sale that was buy one get one during occasions when I had a coupon that said “Save XX on two items.” Again, do the math.
• This is not upfront savings, which does annoy people who would rather get half off right now. But if this is a product your family uses frequently, you have just saved yourself the purchase price later. That’s a good thing.
• If it’s a product where you don’t mind paying the initial cost for the first item, but have no need for the second one, put that freebie in the bag or box you’ve set aside for food pantry donation drives.

Does The Monroe Evening News host a coupon swap box?

Not at this time, however …

Coupons from the Monroe, Toledo and Detroit Sunday papers that circulate among my co-workers and I are going to good homes. Here’s what I do with the coupons after we’re done swapping:

• Donate them to other families I know who are interested in coupons. This hand-me-down network depends on when I can meet up with those families, and so it’s a hit-and-miss situation.
• Create coupon “grab bag” packets for those who attend my public speaking and meet-and-greet events. Depending on how closely my appointments are booked, I may or may not have enough coupons to do this on a particular day. But I’ve set out grab bag packets on three or four occasions.
• Donate them to the Dorsch Memorial Branch Library coupon swap box. This is my usual option when I need to move out a stack of coupons while they are still in date. I’ve taken several boxes of coupons to the library in recent months.

So if you would like to have any coupons that might be available from the newspaper staff, check out the box at the library. That’s usually where our leftover coupons end up.

The library is at 18 E. First St., just two blocks east from the newspaper building, near the Monroe County Courthouse.

With just the coupons I know we’ll use, I’ll save $4.10 off purchases. Being paid $4.10 for seven minutes computes to an hourly rate of $35.14.

Yes, both Charles and I work for the same newspaper. One could argue that it’s in our best interest to promote money-saving tactics that rely on newspapers.

However, consider this detail:

The Monroe Evening News staff are not just newspaper employees, or, in our case, employee-owners. We also have children to raise, students to send to college, elderly relatives to help care for, spouses who are worrying about their jobs, and our own homes to maintain during a nasty recession in southeast Michigan.

If a money-saving tactic works for our families, of course we’re going to tell you about it.

1. What is the purpose of coupons?
A. To advertise a product.
B. To save you money.

2. There’s a coupon on 2 for 1 single serve candy bars. At what store do you use that coupon?
A. The store that has candy bars for 50 cents each.
B. The store that has candy bars for 88 cents each.

3. The store is having super double coupon sale up to $2 value. You have a 75 cents off coupon for a product that has a retail price of $1.25. How much will you pay for that product?
A. You will get a refund of 25 cents.
B. The product will be free.

4. If you prefer or need to cook from scratch or use homemade mixes, don’t bother with coupons. It’s all junk food.
A. True.
B. False.

5. Generic products are always cheaper than brand-name products.
A. False.
B. True.

6. You live in a market where some stores double coupons up to 50 cents and some stores take all coupons at face value. Where will you use the $1 off coupon?
A. At the double coupon store.
B. At the store that does not double coupons.

7. There’s a product you normally never buy because you think the cost is outrageous. Do you save the coupon for that product?
A. Yes.
B. No.

8. You have a coupon for $1 off a product. The smaller package costs $3, the bigger package costs $5. Which is the better one to use with your coupon?
A. The bigger package. Buying in bulk is always smarter.
B. The smaller package. The percentage off works in your favor.

9. Meat products such as hamburger, steak, pork chops, ham, turkey and chicken rarely have coupon deals available. How do you handle the cost of meat?
A. Use coupons for buns and condiments.
B. Buy your meat in “family packs” and split the product up into meal-sized portions when you get home.
C. Watch for the butcher’s specials and holiday promotions.
D. Purchase meat from the “grocery by the box” programs such as Angel Food Ministries.
E. Make friends with a hunter.
F. All of the above.

10. You’re finding a really good bargain on cereal. You have all the right coupons, the sale price is good, and you can even trade in some receipts or UPC codes for a rebate. How much cereal do you buy?
A. As much as the store will let you carry out the door in one transaction.
B. A three-month supply so you can start on an emergency stockpile plan.
C. Only as much cereal as your family will eat before the expiration dates come up.

Answer key:

1. A. The purpose is advertising. The food companies and supermarket chains don’t care if you save money or not, although the fact you are saving money can result in good public relations for their company. They want their products off the shelves and into shopping carts.
2. A. You only “saved” 50 cents instead of 88 cents. But the bottom line is that you bought those two candy bars for 25 cents each instead of 44 cents each.
3. B. In most cases, stores double or accept at face value coupons only up to the cost of the product. If you want to get money back for buying products, you need to be adding other money-saving tactics such as rebates into the mix.
4. B. The coupon mix depends on the season of the year. You will find “cook from scratch” products such as flour, sugar and spices promoted during the weeks just before Thanksgiving  / Christmas and Easter. Besides, the year-round coupon mix includes pet food, vitamins, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, toothpaste and pain relievers – products that most families use regardless of their taste in food.
5. A. If you don’t use coupons or pay attention to the sales fliers, generic products will be better priced than the name-brand products. But save that trick for when you are caught off-guard by a necessary purchase. There have been many times when I purchased name-brand products for free or very huge discounts compared to the cost of generic products. But in order to do that, I am often making those purchases in advance of actual “need”.
6. B. In most cases, you are better off saving the higher-value coupons for use at the stores that do not double coupons.
7. A. If the only reason you don’t buy the product is the price, save the coupon. There may be a sale that will surprise you during the coupon run. Now, if it’s a product you would never use because you don’t like the taste or the results, then put the coupon in your giveaway box.
8. B. Do the math per unit, ounce, serving size, etc. But in most cases, the smaller package is the one you want to put a coupon on. This is why warehouse-sized packages are not necessarily the best choice for a product that frequently has coupons in circulation.
9. F. You want to use as many of those tactics as possible. All of the above tricks can work, but it depends on the week or time of year. Pay attention to what and how much meat you use on a monthly basis, and you’ll have a pretty good idea what meats to purchase and freeze for future use on when deals are available.
10. C. Regardless of whatever the product is, do not buy more than your family will eat or use before the expiration date. The only exception is when you are intending to make a food pantry donation and will be donating that food or personal care product long before the expiration date.

What’s your score?

1 to 3 right answers: Is there a bargain-loving friend or relative you can “job shadow” on a couple of her grocery shopping trips?

4 to 6 right answers: You are on the right track. Make the effort to fine-tune your grocery acquisition skills and you’ll see the savings that the coupon queens brag about. I’m spending less per person on groceries, cleaning products and personal care items than I was five or six years ago – and I thought I was doing a good job then.

7 to 10 right answers: Oh, enlightened one. You probably have your own blog.

(P.S. Hello to the MSN Smart Spending readers!)

I don’t get the Toledo Blade delivered at home, but the Toledo paper usually has the same number of coupon booklets as the Monroe and Detroit papers even though individual coupons can, and occasionally do, vary in each market.

If you don’t usually get a newspaper unless you know the coupons are good, you will want to get one today. Some people buy more than one newspaper on single copy sales for the extra coupons (why do you think I subscribe to the Detroit paper when I work at the Monroe paper, hmmmmm?)

Hint: if you are in search of coupons today, buy your newspaper inside a grocery or convenience store rather than at the unattended vending machines. You do not know who was messing with those rack papers before you arrived.

Mike Driehorst wrote the piece, and included both myself and Toni-Lynn Barber, who hosts shopping and bargain web sites in the Toledo area. The focus of the news article was on tips that work no matter what city you live in or where you shop – and realistic expectations for your grocery bills.

Here’s a link to the article.

I took the presentation that I gave this spring at Monroe Community Education and several other events about grocery shopping techniques and tips, … and reworked the material into an 8-Week Plan. You’ll find the step-by-step list here on my web site, and it’s been a very popular addition to my collection of resources.

Because we’ll have a two-hour time slot at the Community Ed class, we can talk in more detail about how and why these tips work. I’ll show you my coupon box, shopping lists, rebate catalogs and menu order forms for the groceries-by-the-box programs that I refer to. I’ll also bring lots of grocery coupons for students to share and start or feed their coupon boxes or binders.

The cost for the Community Ed class is only $5. Sign up at MPS office, 1275 N. Macomb St., or call (734) 265-3120.