All Aboard!

TGIF!  No Foodie Friday post today.  I had planned on making Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars with the girls yesterday, but Kennedy came down with a cold & fever so we weren't able to make it to the grocery store to get all of the ingredients.  I definitely want to make these, though, because they look super yummy!

Back in April, I did a post specifically for my sister about creating an efficient & effective coupon binder.  I got a great response from this post with lots of comments & emails asking more specific questions about couponing.  I will say that I am not like those individuals on Extreme Couponing, but I do love to share my tips & ideas to fellow couponers as well as to those who are just getting into couponing.  And that got me thinking.  What if all of my couponing bloggy friends & I started a...

COUPON TRAIN??!!

Did I lose you??!! I hope not!  If you aren't aware of what a Coupon Train is, it is essentially a way to trade coupons that you don't use for coupons that you use.  The person who starts the 'train' (the 'conductor'--which would be me) gathers $50-$100 worth of coupons that she isn't going to use, puts them in an envelope & sends them to the first 'rider' (which would be YOU) on the train.  Rider #1 then takes out coupons that she could use & replaces them with other coupons that she doesn't need but other people on her train may like.  She then sends it to the next rider (Rider #2) on the train.  And it continues like this until the envelope ends back with the conductor.  And the train then starts all over again! 

When you sign up, you would provide your name, address & 'wish list' of coupons that you use (Tide, Huggies, Bounty, etc).  I would then create a list of everyone's information, so when you are replacing coupons you can be sure to add coupons that you may not need but others may want based on their wish list. 

I have been on many coupon trains before.  Some trains have been better than others.  The good trains that last awhile work because 1) people don't put coupons in that are about to expire, 2) they actually look at people's wish list & add valuable coupons to the pile, and 3) they are quick about getting the train (coupons) back into the mail for the next person so there isn't a long lag time between people.

So...who is with me??!!  Coupon trains are a GREAT way to gain extra valuable coupons that you use without having to buy extra newspapers from the grocery stores or purchase desired coupons from coupon clipping services.

If you are interested in joining my train, leave a comment with your email address by Friday, August 26th! From there, I will send out an email with all of the specifics! :)

**And don't forget to enter my giveaway for an adorable Thirty-One Tote!**