Coupon Classes

I have been reflecting recently on how amazing a journey I have been on since I began formally teaching coupon classes this past January. Words cannot express the joy that I receive from hearing story after story of lives changing- especially in this economy. I have loved meeting, teaching, receiving emails and even shopping alongside many of you, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life!

Sharpen Your Scissors has really become a hot spot to share with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers, thank you so much for spreading the word! I sometimes am overwhelmed by the number of people who are interested in attending and/or hosting classes. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am passionate about teaching, and I am honored to bring hope to those who are financially struggling. Coupons, funny as is sounds, are changing lives, in our families, in our community food banks through donations made by many of you, and around the globe with SYS class fee raising funds to bring potable water to some of the poorest villages in Haiti through Raincatchers (http://www.raincatchers.org/).

With the overwhelming interest in learning to shop with coupons, I am trying to meet every opportunity to teach, but I am doing so in a less than efficient manner. I would like to begin teaching larger classes, possibly in churches, community centers or libraries.

Larger classes in non- home locations would allow classes to be extended to a greater number of people in two ways: 1. many SYS readers would love to attend a class without hosting, but I feel unable to invite additional guests into my host homes, and 2. classes would not need to be limited to in home seating space.

I would love to be able to reach a community, like Farmington Hills for example, by offering a larger location site and inviting SYS readers through my blog. I have currently taught 6 classes in Farmington Hills- which is awesome, but very time invasive on my end. For each class I spend a minimum of 5 hours collecting/printing the class supplies, driving and teaching. If I could teach larger groups of people less frequently (currently I teach 2-4 times per week) I hopefully would be able to reach the same number of people who are interested in pursuing a coupon education, plus possibly reaching even more families.

All of this to say that I would really appreciate any feedback or suggestions on how to continue reaching more families without me spending so many evenings and weekends away from my family.