Coupons

In her past few weeks shopping with coupons, Diane Linn of Greencastle, Pa., got 12 rolls of Bounty paper towels for free and "a ton" of Chinet plates for 50 cents a pack. She bought four boxes of Kellogg's cereals and a gallon of milk for $2.40, and scored seven Schick Hydro razors each with two cartridges for about $8. A friend of mine met Diane and learned about her passion for couponing while retaining her services as a physical therapist. Knowing I dabble in coupons and revel in saving a buck, she tipped me off. I promptly tracked Diane down to pick her brain.

Coupons are big business: More than 3,000 manufacturers distribute nearly 330 billion coupons worth an estimated $280 billion every year in an effort to help consumers save money. Coupons are useful when they save you money on what you're already planning to buy. When using coupons, buy only those items that you normally select for your family. Just because you have a coupon doesn't mean you have to use it. Don't allow coupons to cause you to buy on impulse.  Comparison shop. Don't assume bigger is better.

Times are tough for just about everyone, but two stay-at-home moms have learned how to stretch a buck in today's tight economy. Judy Chatterton of Greencastle and Millicent Frick of Cascade started clipping coupons about five years ago out of pure necessity. Since then, their pantries are overflowing, and they are sharing their secrets with others. “We basically were trying to make the most of our money because both of us live off one income - our husbands' income,” Chatterton said.

Millions of people have been getting federal coupons for boxes to convert televisions from analog to digital as the Feb. 17 deadline approaches when all broadcasts will switch. The U.S. Department of Commerce has received requests for about 47 million coupons, of which more than 19 million have been redeemed, Todd Sedmak, a spokesman for the program, said Friday. Each government-issued coupon is worth $40 toward the cost of a converter box needed for televisions now using antennas.

Hickory Elementary School participated in the Overseas Coupon Program, which provides military families with manufacturer's coupons to be used in military commissaries. Hickory collected $34,743.36 worth of coupons. The winning classroom, Kate Tusten's kindergarten class, collected $23,090.86 worth of coupons. Class members included Angelina Rivera, Isabella Wegman, Kaiden Echevery, Rhyan Kifer, Jackson Carrazco, Madison Dundus, Ayanna Trumpower, Autumn Thrift, Hailey Bui, Aleya Bullard, Haley Baber, Abigail Gricks, Zoe Severt, Dallas Yeatts, Steven Burker and Will Quebedeaux.

Many consumers use coupons and rebates to reduce their total spending and to get more for their money. Consider these suggestions to make using coupons work for you. o Buy only those items that you normally select for your family. Just because you have a coupon doesn't mean you have to use it. Make a grocery list, then match your coupons to what you need to purchase. Don't buy anything that's not on your list, whether you have a coupon or not. o Comparison shop. Don't assume bigger is less expensive.

By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer Kristi Davis was pulled over by Washington County Sheriff's Deputies last year even though she had not done anything wrong. Instead of writing her a ticket, however, the deputy gave her a gift certificate for Hagerstown Junior College and congratulated her for extra-good driving. "I was really nervous when I was pulled over. When the officer explained that he was rewarding me for being a good driver, I couldn't believe it. It was great to have a police officer say I was doing something good," she said in a news release from the college.

It might be the digital age, but when it comes to pinching pennies, Stephanie Brandt does it the old-fashioned way. She clips paper coupons. That's not to say she doesn't find discounts on the Internet, too. She leaves no page - or site - unturned in an effort to save money. Brandt has always been concerned about how to get the most for her dollar, she said, but more so after she and her husband adopted their 6-year-old son from Guatemala. "You have to make serious financial sacrifices to adopt and this forces you to learn other ways of saving," she noted.

Coupons are big business. More than 3,000 manufacturers distribute nearly 330 billion coupons worth an estimated $280 billion every year in an effort to help consumers save money. Consider these suggestions to make using coupons work for you: · Buy only those items that you normally select for your family. Just because you have a coupon doesn't mean you have to use it. Don't allow coupons to cause you to buy on impulse. · Comparison shop. Don't assume bigger is better.

By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro photo: JOE CROCETTA / staff photographer SHADY GROVE, Pa. - Kathy Sease is such a whiz at clipping coupons and mailing refund offers that she feeds her family of four on $100 a month. "That includes milk and meat," said Sease, 32, of Hades Church Road in Shady Grove. She has become so adept at shopping with coupons and other product promotions that she not only gets some items for free, she often makes a profit.

North Hagerstown Lions Club members are selling Sheetz coupon books for $10 with an expiration date of Jan. 1, 2016. There are a few bonus books, as well, that cost $32 with an expiration date of Dec. 2, 2013. The books can be used in the Tri-State area. Proceeds will be used to help nonprofit agencies. For more information, call Carolyn at 301-223-8207. Yard sale The Mason-Dixon Barbershop Chorus, along with many other vendors, will participate Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the annual yard sale at Western Maryland Hospital Center on Pennsylvania Avenue in Hagerstown.

Ward to talk about finding coupons for sales A coupon class with Jennifer Ward, “The Nifty-Thrifty Lady” blogger, will be held Tuesday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the Sharpsburg Library. She will show participants how to find and use coupons to save on their monthly shopping bill.   Fire company to hold basket bingo Potomac Valley Fire Co. will hold a basket bingo Saturday at 1 p.m. at the fire hall in Dargan, seven miles south of Sharpsburg on Harpers Ferry Road.

“This being Presidents Day and all, I got a little tidbit for everybody. My wife, my wife's great-great-great aunt was Mary Todd Lincoln. So she's got the Lincoln blood through her. Fascinating, isn't it? She's related to the Todds.” - Hagerstown “Nice article on the 17th, about the local financial and economic factors and indicators. Wake up, Washington County, city of Hagerstown, and state of Maryland. Look what's happened in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, especially, with the Intermodal.

An area resident recently submitted a question regarding how local restaurants are permitted to apply sales tax to orders when a customer uses a coupon, specifically a “buy one, get one free” offer. In an email, the woman said she has used “buy one, get one” coupons at several area restaurants, but one in particular applies sales tax to the full amount of the bill prior to taking out the discount. “When questioned on this, they say their accountant says they are allowed to do this,” the woman said in her email.

Coupons are big business: More than 3,000 manufacturers distribute nearly 330 billion coupons worth an estimated $280 billion every year in an effort to help consumers save money. Coupons are useful when they save you money on what you're already planning to buy. When using coupons, buy only those items that you normally select for your family. Just because you have a coupon doesn't mean you have to use it. Don't allow coupons to cause you to buy on impulse.  Comparison shop. Don't assume bigger is better.

Waynesboro High School FBLA Chapter members are getting experience in salesmanship and money management this school year.  The group is selling bonus books as its first fundraiser of the school year. Bonus books are coupon books full of savings to such places as restaurants, amusement parks, leisure activities and golf courses. To make sure the fundraiser is profitable, the FBLA advisers started giving lessons on how to efficiently sell the books. One technique that is being utilizing is telling potential buyers that they are not buying a bonus book, but they are buying the savings that the coupons will provide them.

 "The Q101: The Basics" is at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at Boonsboro Library, 401 Potomac St., Boonsboro. Susan Atkisson will discuss the who, what, when, where, why and how of couponing. Admission is free.  For more information, contact call the library at 301-432-5723 or email bns@washcolibrary.org .

Times are tough for just about everyone, but two stay-at-home moms have learned how to stretch a buck in today's tight economy. Judy Chatterton of Greencastle and Millicent Frick of Cascade started clipping coupons about five years ago out of pure necessity. Since then, their pantries are overflowing, and they are sharing their secrets with others. “We basically were trying to make the most of our money because both of us live off one income - our husbands' income,” Chatterton said.

In her past few weeks shopping with coupons, Diane Linn of Greencastle, Pa., got 12 rolls of Bounty paper towels for free and "a ton" of Chinet plates for 50 cents a pack. She bought four boxes of Kellogg's cereals and a gallon of milk for $2.40, and scored seven Schick Hydro razors each with two cartridges for about $8. A friend of mine met Diane and learned about her passion for couponing while retaining her services as a physical therapist. Knowing I dabble in coupons and revel in saving a buck, she tipped me off. I promptly tracked Diane down to pick her brain.

Girls on the Run of Washington County is looking for volunteer coaches for the spring season.     Girls on the Run is a 10-week, after-school running program for third- through fifth-grade girls in Washington County.   There will be an informational session Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Ruff Fitness Training Center, 13204 Fountainhead Plaza. The one-hour session will include information about the program and requirements for coaching.   To RSVP or for more information, call 240-217-4803, send an email to gotrwashco@yahoo.com or go to gotrwashco.org .    Running experience is not required.