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Her secret is a large filing system

Here’s a wa

JACKIE RIOUX admits she may
not be a favourite of food com-
panies.

Bul all she does is take ad-
vantage of coupons, refund offers
and the like offered by the com-
panies to dramatically reduce her
food bill.

It revolves around an extensive
filing system in which she tracks
promotional offers, swaoping
down al just the right timc.

And it’s a system Rioux says
can- work fo sirctch the food
budgets of those on fixed or low
incomes.

“T’ know. .1 was on welfare a
few years apo. On welfare the
cheques come at the end of the
month and often that wasn’t
‘enough,”’ said Rioux.

“tI never had ta go back in the
middle of the month. The refund
cheques managed to keep us
‘going ‘until the end of the
month,’

It’s not unusual for Rioux to
save $15 on a grocery bill in the
$50 to $100 range to fced her
family of six.

Her:sceret is a filing system,
organized by the names of food
companies, in which the offers
are kept,

"Backing that up is a small card
index divided into months so
Rioux knows the expiry dates of
the various offers.

-- One key is keeping all soris of

UPCs (Universal Product Codes),
giving her the edge when promo-
tional offers are made.

~ Rioux’s received 200 boxes of
cereal, 40 cans of tuna — all Free
and all using her system.

“It’s more of a hobby now
that’s .overtaken me. I’m just a
sirange person, | guess,’’ said

“Rioux,

“There’s now a computer in her
household and Rioux is planning

_on entering all her information on

it.
. Even if people don’t want to set
up-a sysiem as comprehensive as

’ Rioux’s, they can realize savings

just by using coupons that arrive
al their homes cach week, she

_ Says,

Rioux’s perfect shopping expe-
rience incorporates several levels
Of savings.

Windshields

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 23, 1994 - A3

re

ALL IT takes Is a comprehensive filing system and some time for

Jackie Rioux ta save considerable amount of money on her food

bills: An added incentive is enterin

big dividends for Rioux.

g contests and that’s also paid

Collision Repair

She notices a product on sale,
and checks her files for a further
reduction by using a coupon,

Rioux then saves the product’s
UPC and the cash register tape.
These are required for subsequent
refund offers or for contests.

“This way you triple the return
or bencfit,”’ she says,

Rioux has even used special of-
fers to buy clothes at less: than
their market prices.

She also recommends planning
for food needs by buying in bulk
which then provide additional
savings.

Rioux had a small freezer —

purchased for $50 — to help her.

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Specializing in Unibody
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store perishables.

When it quit working, Rioux
went looking for a new and larger
one.

‘This was one of the times
when I haven’! followed my

Rioux has had better luck on
other contests, She has already
been to Mexico and returns again
next month on a cruise,

Since she began her hobby in
1987, Rioux has noticed a shift.in

“It’s more of a hobby now that’s overtaken me. I’m just a

Strange person, I guess.”’

methods to shop around. I wanted
one right away,’ she said,

But Rioux did find a freezer
with a rebate on it. She even en-
tered a contest which, if her name
was drawn, would have given her

-the freezer for free.

how food companies promote
their praducis,

‘*Refunds have dwindled in the
past few years. There's been a
switch to more in-store coupons.
Now you can find $1. off coupons

and if you have 10 of those, that’s
a lot off your grocery bill,”’ says
Rioux,

She says grocery store plans
resulting in refund points or air
lickets can also provide bonuses.

Christmas food hamper causes
have also benefited from Rioux’s
methods because she passes along
some of what she has received.

Rioux is giving a workshop
March 29 on how to use refunds,
rebates and coupons. It takes
Place 7:30 pam. at the women's
centre.

Mere information is available
by calling the centre at 638-
0228. , 4.

7

News
In Brief

Liberal
buddies

THE PROVINCIAL Skecna
tiding now has a buddy Lib-
eral Member of the Legisla-
tive Assembly (MLA).

He's Ken Jones, the MLA
for Surrey-Cloverdale, and
he’s part of a plan by the
provincial Liberal party to
have its MLAs become
more familiar with issues
and areas in which the party
does not have elected mem-
bers.

“We think there’s great

potential in that part of the
province,” said Joncs of
northwestern B.C, He also
has three buddy ridings on
the lower mainland, —
.A BC. Tel employes,
Jones is on a leave of ab-
sence since his election in
1991, Jones has worked in
ihe northeast and on the
north end of Vancouver Is-
land.

Jones is the Liberal party’s
crilic for a number of areas,
including gambling.

Jones has been a city
council member jin Port
Hardy, a deputy fire chief in
Hudson Hope and is now a
member of the board of the
Surrey Credit Union,

Say it

again
THE TERRACE Child De-
velopment Centre is getting
$5,000 to make improve-
ments to its facility. At least
thal’s the story from the
provincial women’s equality
ministry in a recent press
release.

In reality, the money ar-
rived last summer and went
to putting a new roof on the
development centres, says
execulive director Margot
Hayes.

Hayes added that the min-
istry allowed the centre to
apply for the money after,

the project was underway.

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