Fayetteville resident Jami Maguire easily saves about $200 to $300 per month using coupons when shopping for her family of four, scouring Web sites, circulars and other avenues for the best deals, never coming home empty-handed.

“People assume they aren’t going to save enough money to make it worth their while,” said Ms. Maguire.

She hopes to shatter that misconception with Saving Sensibly, a workshop designed to help everyone, from college-bound students to large families, become skilled bargain hunters.

“As we all know, this is a financially uncertain time for a lot of people and most people spend more on groceries than on all their other utility bills combined,” said Ms. Maguire.

She shops once a week, particularly for fresh produce and milk, and for the weekly deals.

“But I have a chest freezer and pantry that are always full,” said Ms. Maguire.

She is also able to donate food to area charities.

Ms. Maguire spends around three hours per week prepping for grocery trips, all she can manage with two children under age three.

“The great thing about the system I am going to show people is that, really, they can invest as little or as much time as they want,” said Ms. Maguire.

Besides assuming they won’t receive a return on their investment, some people think they won’t eat the foods usually featured in coupon advertisements.

“I feed very few processed foods to my family and I buy as many organic foods as I can and I still save at least $40 per trip just with coupons,” said Ms. Maguire.

In addition to saving on grocery bills, Ms. Maguire will discuss how to budget, save on utility bills, Christmas shopping and other areas.

“I’ve learned a lot just preparing for the class, so I would be surprised if even the most hardcore cheapskates don’t go away having learned something,” said Ms. Maguire.

Saving Sensibly will be held Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at National Heights Baptist Church, 103 Old Norton Road in Fayetteville. Participants must register by Friday at maguire73@att.net. Please include the number of children and adults who will attend, as well as childrens’ ages.