Couponing class extolls ways to save June 4 in Ringgold

Couponing 4 Busy Lives owner Shelley Fow, of Ringgold, is hosting a coupon class June 4. Photo by Katie Ward

Couponing 4 Busy Lives owner Shelley Fow, of Ringgold, invites everyone to learn how to save money at her coupon class June 4 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hampton Inn on Battlefield Parkway in Ringgold.

"Most people's budgets are tight," said Fow. "You have a mortgage or rent and in general grocery bills can be as high as a house payment. You can cut your grocery bill in half. My class teaches you how to save your family money."

Coupon class students will learn about retailer coupon rules and how to find and use coupons. Fow said those who take just one class generally see a 50 percent savings on their grocery bill.

"It's eye-opening what you can learn about couponing," said Fow. "I paid full price prior to taking the class. I did not understand how a coupon can turn into free merchandise and it can."

Fow said she recently purchased 12 boxes of brownies for almost the same price as one box. She said she also likes to buy 15 boxes of cereal at a time for her sons; instead of paying $5 a box, she pays 68 cents, she said.

"I tell my students to stockpile enough items for a 10-week period because that item may not go on sale for another 10 to 12 weeks," said Fow. "I stockpile body wash, detergent, toothpaste, beauty supplies and toiletries. You can get it all with coupons for just pennies."

Thanks to Fow's double couponing, she was able to donate four bags of toiletries to Cherokee Valley Baptist Church to be distributed to tornado victims.

She said most people assume that women who coupon are stay-at-home mothers. She said she works full-time in marketing at McKee Bakery while taking care of her three small children; her husband travels for business.

"People can see that if I have time to coupon then they do too," said Fow.