Coupon shoppers, don't clip those coupons just yet. You might want to hear what Kim Julian has to say about them at the coupon parties she hosts.

That's right. Forget Pampered Chef and Tupperware. In this economy, BeCentsAble coupon parties are where it's at.

Kim, of www.stlmommy.com, throws parties where she educates coupon shoppers on how to become savvy coupon shoppers. "With the right resources anything is possible," Kim said.

Recently, Kim held a party at the home of Rita Procasky in Columbia. Appetizers and snacks lined the countertop and guests grabbed a plate of munchies, a cold drink and plopped on the couch. A packet of paperwork was handed to each guest, highlighting Kim's advice.

Guests sat enthralled as she dispensed tip after tip on how to save money. Co-host Angie Little said, "The best thing I took away from the party was how to maximize my savings; using newspaper coupons, printable coupons and sale ads all together. I also learned that coupons have a schedule, as do store ads. Now I am following Kim's advice about stocking up."

Kim hosted her first party three months ago. Kim was a stay-at-home mom who loved surfing the Internet. One day, she ran across becentsable.net, and her life changed.

"My love for coupons became my financial contribution to my family," she says.

Recently she became a contributor to becentsable.net and a senior director for the St. Louis region. The site features hot deals, printable coupons, and a grocery gathering that is updated weekly for your area. This site does your coupon homework, including finding the best sales of the week in your area before you even use your coupon.

Once you're a member, visit the site weekly. Becentsable.net lists the coupons from all the coupon inserts found mostly in your Sunday newspaper. If you clip them too early, you won't be able to match them with the best sales. Kim suggests you file your coupon inserts and save them in date order.

For example, the week of March 29, becentsable.net listed that Walgreens had a sale on Softsoap body wash for $3.99. They also listed on their site that a 75-cent coupon could be found in your 3/29 Smartsource coupon insert. But here's the best part. The site also listed that when you check out at Walgreens on Sunday and Monday of that week, you'll receive a checkout coupon for a FREE Softsoap body wash.

But there's more. Now you have your free checkout coupon, so you could run back and forth and keep getting Softsoap body washes, all for free or until the shelves are bare.

KAREN DEER is a reporter at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a sister paper of The Southern; both newspapers are owned by Lee Enterprises.

What you need to know

1. If you're interested in throwing a coupon party in your home, e-mail Kim Julian at stlmommy@gmail.com.

2. Don't throw away your expired coupons. Give them to the overseas coupon program at www.ocpnet.org/base_list.htm. Kim sends her expired coupons to the U.S. Air Force in Alconbury, United Kingdom. The military personnel can use them at the commissaries up to two months after the coupon has expired.

3. Do not clip your coupons right away. File the entire insert. Clip the coupon after your weekly online visit at becentsable.net. Once you have found the best sale on the item, then clip the coupon and go shopping. This way you can find the best deal before the coupon expires.

4. If you throw a party, you'll learn which stores allow stacking and price matching.

- Karen Deer