Coupons: They should be part of your Financial Literacy- Part 1

At the Economic Opportunity Program in Elmira, NY the Literacy Volunteers Program is gearing up to launch a Financial Literacy Program in April 2015.  As Program Coordinator for Schuyler County I have had the opportunity to co-lead a workshop for Schuyler's Head Start Program with two couponing mamas.  I thought I was there to teach a workshop but I ended up being an eager learner!  In a show of brilliant planning, the Family Outreach Worker scheduled this as a two part workshop with the follow up scheduled for March 25th.  For 30 days we will be trying to learn the ropes to the couponing lifestyle.

Frankly I was a little worried about embracing the couponing lifestyle because I had visions of overstocking my closets with tons of laundry detergent, tooth paste, paper towels, etc and actually losing money from my monthly budget to indulge my new hoarding tendencies.  When I listened to the couponing mamas I heard that one had not paid for gas since December by only shopping at Tops Friendly Markets in town and using her coupons for gas points.  I heard the other mama say that she has not had to run to the store and pay full price for any household or personal health care items for over a year.  Both these ideas fit well with my personal budgeting philosophy and the new curriculum I had been working on to improve anyone's Financial Literacy.  I made a vow at our first workshop that I would commit to learning how to coupon and relating it to a SMART Goal.

Specific- I want to use coupons to save money.

Measurable- I will track the money I saved with coupons. I want to save $100.

Attainable- I will use only my grocery shopping budget to work on this goal.  This money is already accounted for in my budget. 

Relevant- I will gain better shopping skills. 

Time Based- I will commit to coupon shopping for 30 days. 

The day I left our workshop I went home and signed up on www.coupons.com to get free coupons I could print from home.  I had numerous problems getting them to print.  It turned out that I needed a Java update and their toolbar to make this work.  It finally worked and I printed $42 worth of coupons for products that I normally use.  I did not use them today but I have them in folder so I can match them up when these items go on sale.  I also joined a few Facebook Groups such as "Yes We Coupon" and a private group one of the workshop mother's formed for us.  Online support is priceless!  All the info is out there, you just need to find it.  

Today I did some research and planned my weekly grocery shopping trip to Tops Friendly Markets.  I already had a Tops Bonus Card which I use to get the discount on advertised sales and to collect gas points casually and occasionally get 10 cents off per gallon of gas there.  As it turns out my Tops Bonus Card is far more valuable than I knew!  I logged onto my account online with my last name and Tops Bonus Card number.  They have over 100 coupons that you can load onto you Bonus Card that I already use.  No clipping, filing, or remembering to bring them to the store. Now that's right up my alley.  

Next I found the weekly ad online and a handy shopping list feature.  Now this week Tops does have some extremely wonderful bargains that can help you stock up.  Every now and then they offer items on a Buy 2, get 3 FREE sale.  I happen to love Purex Laundry Detergent so I was happy to see it included with this sale.  What's even better is that I also found a 'click-to-card' $2 coupon for it.  I picked up 5, 32 oz bottles for $8 out of pocket price.  That is a mere $1.60 a bottle compared to the regular price of $4.99 each.  Obviously I scoured the entire flyer and clicked on coupons that matched up with the sale items this week.  You can also add items to your shopping list which can be printed out if you wish.  However, Tops has a free app available and that stores you shopping list for you if you want to go paperless or don't trust yourself to remember the list when you head to the store.  

Late Sunday afternoon I decided that it was time to hit the store and put my plan into action.  With the help of my app and without any family members in tow to distract me, I set off to find the things on my list.  I did not go down every aisle because I did not want to be distracted from my mission or tempted into an impulse buy.  My goal was to buy only the sale items on my list and the staples that would bring the meals together through the week.  Overall I saved $57.50 and paid $65.55 at the register.  Since my original grocery budget was $100 I will add $34.45 to my savings for this month's program.  The only seems fair since it was never in my budget to purchase 5 bottles of laundry soap this week but it was in my budget to spend $100 and I saved $34.45 of that money with my savings at Tops today.  

Now I know you are wondering if I am going to have to feed my family Purex Laundry Detergent for the week to make this work.  Of course not!  That was my stock up item this week and I came home with food for real meals.  I will admit that if you had strict dietary restrictions this might not work for you but luckily no one in my family is currently plagued by health issues.  So now I'm sure you are curious what we are eating this week.  Here's a few meals I'll pull together for this week, check it out!  (BOGO = Buy One, Get One Free)  It will become your favorite new word!  

Italian: Perdue Short Cuts (BOGO) and a Linguine (Buy 2, Get 2 Free) for Chicken Alfredo. 

Fish and Chips: Van De Kamp's Fish Fillets (BOGO) and McCains French Fries

Breakfast for Dinner:  Eggs (BOGO), Bacon $2.99, McCains Baby Cakes (BOGO and $1 off 2 bags coupon) Orange Juice

Kielbasa (Buy 2, Get 3 Free), 5lb bag of potatoes (BOGO), Carrots (BOGO), Onions (BOGO), Cabbage

Tuna Melts and Soup BumbleBee Tuna on sale 10 for $10, Kraft Mayo (Super Coupon), Cheese (BOGO) Soup on sale 10 for $10. 

Pork Tenderloin $5.99 with super coupon, potatoes and carrots again. 

I got some extra items for breakfast and lunch and skipped some great sales because my family does not care for them.  If you are thinking about setting a goal to save some money on your grocery bill, it is an excellent week to check out the deals at Tops!  I don't think they can keep these deals up forever but with sales like this and the ease of their website I sure will keep an eye on it! 

Those little lessons you really wish you had

I can't tell you the number of times I have seen posts on social media ranting about how important life skills are not being taught.  We could begin a debate that could go on for eternity but pointing fingers and placing blame is not going to change opportunities people have missed out on in the past.  Luckily there is a solution, its FREE, easy and at your finger tips!  I have discovered GFC Learn Free, a fantastic website that has easy to follow lessons on everyday life skills. The only thing you need is the ability to read and internet access and if you don't already have those you can get those FREE too simply meet one of my Literacy Volunteers at any public library.

The GCF Learn Free website is a product of Goodwill Community Foundation and for ten years they have been providing content online to help people better their lives.  They offer lessons in easy to follow tutorials on topics that matter most in the 21st Century.  The needs of education have changed drastically over the last few decades and nearly everyone could benefit from gaining new skills.  If you are curious about how their website works poke around the lessons or take one of their technology classes,  who couldn't use some extra information about Internet Safety or Windows 8?

I plan on incorporating some of these lessons into my adult literacy program here in Schuyler County.  I think some people hesitate to join Literacy Volunteers as learners because they did not have a good experience in traditional school and aren't enthusiastic about repeating that experience but learning as an adult is much different.  My tutors meet with learners 100 hours in year, only 2 hours a week.  That is certainly not enough time for us to tie you to a chair and force you to learn to read Moby Dick or War and Peace.  We really just want to help adults gain literacy skills that are needed in their life. That is EXACTLY what this website is offering.

Classes are divided into five catagories:
Living in the Online World
Technology Basics
Microsoft Office
Essential Skills
Work and Career

I enthusiastically encourage you to check out these FREE classes if you are a life long learner, parent, educator or a home schooling family.  Its often said that you get what you pay for but with this site what you get is priceless!

The History of Literacy Volunteers: Yet another New York Story

Like many amazing accomplishments such as the Kodak Camera, Potato Chips, Jell-O, and Women's Rights, Literacy Volunteers of America was conceived in the great state of New York.

After reading an article in Syracuse Post-Standard in 1961, Ruth J. Colvin was shocked to hear that 11,000 people in Syracuse, NY could not read or write well.  She began connecting with service agencies, churches, and community leaders to find a solution to the problem of illiteracy plaguing her community.  She began developing materials, with the help of reading experts, to train volunteers to help adult learners improve their literacy skills.  In true Grass Roots fashion, Literacy Volunteers of America was born in her basement in 1962.  Ms. Colvin has been honored by two US Presidents, in 1987 she received the President's Volunteer Action Award and in 2006 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.  She was also inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993, which you can also visit in Seneca Falls, NY.

In 2002, after collaborating on many projects and initiatives together Literacy Volunteers of America merged with Laubach Literacy International to form ProLiteracy.  The merger expanded the national network of literacy programs and created new international initiatives to increase educational opportunities for adult learners all over the globe. To learn more about ProLiteracy visit their website www.proliteracy.org.

Laubach Literacy International has deep and meaningful roots that touch New York history as well.  Dr. Frank C. Laubach was a missionary serving in the Philippines in 1930.  He recognized that their poor living conditions could be improved if they gained the ability to read and write.  His message was clear, "Each One, Teach One,"  meaning that one adult would teach one adult on an individual basis and the chain would continue if each learner then became the teacher.  He continued to travel to 105 countries addressing their literacy needs and developed reading lessons in 315 languages.  He officially founded Laubauch Literacy International in 1955.

His son, Dr. Robert Laubach followed in his father's footsteps and expanded the reach of the "Each One, Teach One" method.  While he was a high school student in the Philippines he learned to set type and run the printing press that produced the reading material for the learners in Laubach Literacy programs.  Not long after enrolling in Syracuse University, Dr. Bob developed a course there, "Writing for New Literates" and began teaching in the School of Journalism there.  This lead to him founding the Syracuse University Literacy Communications program which taught hundreds of educators from all over the world to prepare literacy materials.  In 1959, he began publishing News for You, which is a high interest, low level news source for adult literacy learners.  Check out this YouTube video to see how News for You has evolved with technology to become a unique and interactive experience for learners. News For You Online.  He also founded New Readers Press, located in Syracuse as well, which we use for a good majority of our adult literacy curriculum.  Today New Readers Press is the leading resource for adult literacy, publishing over 150,000 instructional titles.

Literacy Volunteers of Chemung and Schuyler Counties is part of a gigantic global mission to improve lives through increased literacy skills.  I am honored be part of something so tangible and meaningful and in awe of the big picture I am helping to paint from my little community here in Schuyler County, New York.  I invite anyone reading this to join me on this mission, if you are not in my community, contact me anyway and I will help you connect with your own!

Volunteering takes as little or as much time as you have.

Part of my job, a part that I very much love, is promoting Literacy Volunteers.  I share our mission and vision in hopes to gain more support for our organization.  While sharing my enthusiasm for Literacy Volunteers I often find people who think our mission is worthy but are concerned that they can not make a long term commitment to becoming a tutor, two hours a week for one year.  This is completely understandable, the strength of the tutor/learner relationship is a major factor in the success of the pairing.  However we are finding a greater need for shorter programs such as financial literacy or health literacy so the length of these relationships do not seem to be the determining factor for success.  An underlying theme for successful tutors or learners is ENTHUSIASM!

So if you have enthusiasm and an urge to help support our mission but not the time to commit to being a tutor consider participating in one of our fundraising events.  Our first fundraiser this year is Horsehead Rotary's Annual Spelling Bee at Arnot Mall.

To learn more about our program visit our website www.literacyeop.org

A Favorite Fridays - www.k12reader.com

For those of you I have yet to meet, let me introduce myself.  I am a Program Coordinator for Literacy Volunteers of Chemung and Schuyler County.  My focus is on Schuyler County, a group of small villages hugging the south end of Seneca Lake.  While our community is famous for Watkins Glen State Park and award winning wineries, we are infamous for keeping our problems like poverty and illiteracy a secret.  This fall I committed myself to growing the Literacy Volunteers program here.

We serve people who need to improve their Basic Literacy Skills or learn English as a Second Language.  We can also offer tutoring support to adults who wish to further their education but need extra help reading and studying material needed to pass a class or obtain a certification.

When I get a new Basic Literacy learner I administer  a TABE test to pinpoint the grade level at which a new learner is skilled.  Today I am using a fantastic website, www.k12reader.com to print lesson materials for 2 learners on completely different levels.  Lessons and material can be found for learners from a kindergarten level all the way through tenth grade.

One of my learners is working on a 1.3 grade level.  Her goal is to be able to use Facebook to communicate with her children and grandchildren but she can not read or write responses to their posts.  For her I will be using their spelling lists which are based on word families at this level such as -un family (bun, gun, fun, run, etc).  I will also use the reading lessons that compliment this word list.  It will use the Dolce sight words and add focus words to provide a story that I will be able to assess for comprehension.

Another learner is working at a 3.9 grade level.  His goal is to get a better job.  He does not currently hold a driver's license which is a requirement listed in many job descriptions.  I will use the third grade spelling lists to start his lessons but this will be a much quicker process because he already has many skills in phonics and word decoding.  I will spend much more time with him in the 'Reading Skills' section.  We are focusing on Reading Comprehension, so he can read and understand study materials such as the Driver's Manual.  We will also use many of the Context Clues lessons so he will learn to find meaning in sentences even when he comes across a word he does not know how to decode.

These are examples for just two of my learners.  I highly recommend this website to find lessons for your learners at any level.  This is one of the best FREE websites I use!