I am excited to announce that kicking off this week, Val-Pak.com will introduce The Couponizer to its nationwide subscriber base of more than half a million homes nationwide by extending a special e-mail offer of FREE SHIPPING! Currently, Val-Pak.com invites consumers to become members by signing up for FREE and then receiving exclusive e-mails from merchants in the local area as well as access to dozens of money-saving grocery coupons for brands and products used every day. Additionally, every week for 20 weeks, Val-Pak.com will randomly select one new member to receive a Couponizer.

With Thanksgiving at the end of the month, many families will stock up on groceries and other supplies. Start now by matching your coupons with items you know you will need more of over the holiday especially if you are hosting guests.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving,

Take a few minutes before the holiday season hits to fill out this handy worksheet which is really a calculator and a real eye opener! By filling in the amounts for holiday expenses with either last years expenses or estimates of possible spending, then you will get a picture of the total bill. Often times we think holiday expenses are just gifts, but it is much more than that and planning ahead can help keep you from going into unnecessary debt.

As a young married woman (sans offspring), I usually spend less than fifty dollars during a single grocery visit (my husband does not consume quite the provisions required to feed a passel of growing children). With only two mouths to feed, I found it easy to sidestep the art of meal management. I would often swing by the grocery store after work to pick up a few things for dinner rather than maintaining a regular shopping list. This habit led to overspending, sale oversights, excess pantry inventory and other coupon-related crimes of this nature.

I hail from a long line of thrifty folk, all of whom would writhe in their graves if they knew how many squandered coupons that I have allowed to expire in the abysmal depths of my handbag. My grandparents have never eaten dinner in a restaurant after the five o?clock early bird special. As newlyweds with a tiny budget, my parents recorded five-dollar birdseed bags in the ?entertainment? section. I was not raised to be lax with money.

My childhood is filled with memories of consignment shop dressing rooms, second-hand storybooks, summer canning afternoons, hand-me-down toys, used cars and well-scraped plates (rumor has it my mother washed the plastic wrap from our school lunchboxes and reused it). If I am to be perfectly honest, my negligent attitude most likely originates from an unconscious rebellion toward a family tradition of frugality.

When I finally realized this problem was affecting my capacity for new shoe purchases, I decided to start grocery shopping more wisely. With the advice of a smart mom inventor, I acquired a new tool, dubbed the Couponizer.

The Couponizer has not only helped me to organize coupons, but actually use them. Long gone are the days of buying detergent full-price on Monday only to cut Sunday?s coupons on Thursday and find another potential fifty cents lost, or the evenings spent pounding the freezer doors in despair as my eyes sweep over the expiration date for an ice cream coupon.

This handy shopping buddy has also created a new sense of accountability. As I gleefully scan my bill to track coupon savings before driving away, I now check to make sure I was not overcharged (for instance, my family of two allegedly purchased 13 heads of lettuce at a popular grocery chain recently).

Coupon clipping is now a family affair. Last night I even tucked pizza coupons for a favorite lunch spot in my husband?s wallet. Though my savings do not come close to the ones I read about in the website testimonies, eight dollars here and seven dollars there can equal an extra tank of gas. Well, make that half.

Many people ask me how The Couponizer Company got started with and to tell you the truth - I just put one foot in front of the other. However, there is more to it than that and referring people to great resources that give more detail in starting a business can help fill in the gaps.

Excerpt from Amazon.com: Whether in early career or at midlife, budding entrepreneurs will gain insight and sound advice from wonderful mentors who have "been there" and "done that." Starting from Scratch provides readers with clear and concrete action steps, explaining how to turn an entrepreneurial dream into reality.

Highlights Readers will find answers to their biggest business questions: ?Out of so many unique entrepreneurial ventures which one would work for me? ?What steps does it take to leave a job to start a business? ?Do entrepreneurs gamble everything, or take a step-by-step process? ?What are the success rates?

Wes Moss truly embodies the spirit of an entrepreneur and most recently participated in the reality TV show "The Apprentice." I am honored to be invited to his book launch party tonight!