MEXICO — The best way to save money is to always plan ahead.

Whether stocking up on frequently used items, preparing for the cold days of winter or knowing what will be served for supper, just a little planning can make all the difference.

Dozens of people learned that rule Saturday when they attended the first-ever Stretch-A-Dollar Day and visited some of the several workshops or local vendors who offered their money-saving advice.

Carol Vienneau of Jay was one of them.

She attended a couponing workshop by Hope Ciccone on how to make better use of the popular money-stretching process.

“Anything to save money,” she said.

Joe and Marjory Richard of Mexico wanted to learn more about how to better weatherize their home and reduce energy costs.

Marjory, who has always budgeted household funds, said she never spends money from her budget that wasn’t earmarked for a specific use. But she learned that she and her husband might want to have an energy audit conducted to find the areas in their home that could use some work to improve its efficiency.

They were also invited by the Energy Challenge group, a part of United Way, to attend a workshop in Farmington to learn how to make window inserts.

Peter Cook of the Energy Challenge said the organization built 838 window inserts for 171 households in the Farmington area, leading to an energy savings of $41,000.

A group of potential college students took part in learning how to set aside funds for college, while other visitors to the event found out that shopping around can result in finding a credit union or bank that still offers free checking or ways to build a household budget, including the Oxford Federal Credit Union.

The advantages of using a reverse mortgage were explained by Rae Ann Rice of MetLife, while Rhonda Ouellette of Primerica discussed budget building. Community Concepts offered a variety of services, including how to apply for energy assistance.

Many gathered for Ciccone’s couponing workshop and Maria James’ workshop on planning ahead for meals.

Among Ciccone’s advice:

* Buy weekly specials and try to use coupons when possible.

* Most coupons come in the Sunday newspaper; she advised buying two or three so the family can stock up on staple items and work out a system to buy nonperishable items when they are on sale so full price won’t have to be paid later.

* People should talk to each other to learn where the best buys are.

* Among the Internet sites with free, printable coupons is coupon.com; she said she sometimes types in different zip codes to check out coupons that may be offered in other parts of the country.

* Look for stores that offer double coupons.

* Stock up on pasta in the summer when it is cheaper and soups in the winter, and watch for food deals in non-grocery stores.

Ciccone, who teaches couponing classes at Region 9 and in Windham, said she got serious about couponing when her husband lost his job and the family had to get by on much less.

James suggested cooking enough of the primary ingredients for a meal so that it can be used in three meals. The extra is frozen, and she writes other ingredients needed on the plastic freezer bags.

“People use prepared foods because it is easy. This is a way to get fresh food,” she said, as well as to save money.

She often washes out and reuses those bags to add even more savings to low-cost, easy-to-make meals.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension offers a variety of pamphlets outlining more tips on saving food dollars, such as always shopping with a list, checking the unit pricing for various-sized items and not shopping when hungry.

The extension, said representative Kate Chiasson, also offers newsletters and eat-well lessons by mail to those who want to improve their meal planning.

Partnership for Success at the University of Maine at Farmington sponsored the daylong event. Funds raised at the lunch went to the Western Foothills Kids After School program.

Its director, Dori Fellman, said she was very pleased with the turnout, so much so that a second Stretch-A-Dollar Day is being planned for March 24 in the Farmington area. The location has not yet been determined.

Copy the Story Link