I hit up Shaw's and rolled a couple of the Catalinas I earned yesterday, plus earned one more. Here's what I got (a lot of this was for dinner tonight, which was a TON of work, but was delicious!):
6 jars Skippy Natural peanut butter
8 boxes Barilla pasta
1/2 lb. butter
1 pt. heavy cream
1 gallon milk
1 1/2 gallon chocolate milk (free with purchase of the milk gallon)
1 carton bread crumbs
1 container red pepper flakes
1 container steak seasoning
2 cans tuna (at .89 each-- I'm having the HARDEST time getting a good price on tuna!)
1 doz. eggs
1 pack napkins
-------------------------
used $37.99 in Catalinas and coupons, for a total out of pocket price of $9, and I also got a $10 Catalina for my next order.
How did that kind of grocery success feel? AWESOME!! Man, the cashier was even like "how did you DO that?!?" I TOLD you the deals at Shaws this week are awesome!
Then I hit up Rite Aid, because I just can't resist on weeks like this. Even when I'm buying really odd items, and I'm only buying them because they're moneymakers. Is there ANYTHING I wouldn't buy if it made me some money? Not sure... but I tested it today and decided to make a mortifying purchase and hope the cashier (who recognizes me!) didn't pay much attention to what I was buying...
ANYWAY I bought 2 of this not to be named item, used 2 coupons, paid .46 out of my change purse, and was handed a $5 +UP reward for a $4.54 moneymaker. Now if only there was a place I could donate said embarrassing products... I hate throwing new items away but I'm pretty sure they're destined for the trash!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
What a Sunday for sales!
Normally, if you're lucky, ONE store in your area will have good deals in any given week. Somehow the stars aligned for me, and I have THREE stores running big sales, with another two with good prices on things we needed. Let me tell you, I've been driving myself nuts planning for today for the past couple of weeks. My youngest woke up at 5 and wouldn't go back to sleep, so I bundled her up and we went to the 24-hour CVS to pick up some extra papers (4 coupon inserts in each paper today).
So my first shopping trip today was Rite Aid. I got the following items:
6 Afrin sprays
1 Coricidin cold medicine
3 Colgate toothpastes
1 Dawn dish detergent
1 Neuragen gel
3 Lays Stax
2 NY Bagel Crisps
2 Edy's ice creams
2 Dixie plate pkgs.
Retail price for all was $91.80. I used $49 in coupons and paid the remainder in +UPs, then 1.83 in cash. I got back $66 in +UPs and I'll get a $19.99 rebate. In total, my Rite Aid trip was a $43 moneymaker.
Next I went to Walgreens where I'm still learning the ropes. I did 2 very simple transactions. My final haul was:
1 Arnicare arnica gel
1 bottle of Melatonin
2 bottles Renpure conditioner
1 container of Tidy Cats litter
---------------------------------
I paid about $10 OOP for these items (I misplaced my 2nd receipt) and I'll be submitting the 2 Renpures for mail-in-rebates, making my total price around $4 for all the above.
Then I hit Shaw's. They're having a big catalina deal right now and I didn't want to miss out! Here's what I got...
4 2-litre bottles A+W rootbeer
4 boxes Orville Redenbacher popcorn
4 boxes Pillsbury brownies
6 tubs Pillsbury frosting (for VBS this summer)
9 jars Ragu pasta sauce
9 jars Skippy peanut butter
-----------------------------------
The total pre-sale price for these items was $84.87. By combining coupons and the current catalina sale (by breaking up my order into 3 transactions) I spent a total of $17.43.
Finally, and least impressively, I went to Sudbury Farms. They had boneless chicken breast for $1.79/lb, part of a big 3-day sale. Here's what I got...
10 bags of Goldfish
10 pounds (approx.) of boneless chicken breast
-------------------------------------------
Total regular price was $60.76, I paid $27.24.
If you want to be ridiculous (and I always do!) and count the money earned at Rite Aid versus the money paid at the other stores, I spent $4 for all of this. Of course... that's not how the world works ;) But it's fun to pretend!
And with that, I need to go find the missing receipt... happy Sunday everyone!
So my first shopping trip today was Rite Aid. I got the following items:
6 Afrin sprays
1 Coricidin cold medicine
3 Colgate toothpastes
1 Dawn dish detergent
1 Neuragen gel
3 Lays Stax
2 NY Bagel Crisps
2 Edy's ice creams
2 Dixie plate pkgs.
Retail price for all was $91.80. I used $49 in coupons and paid the remainder in +UPs, then 1.83 in cash. I got back $66 in +UPs and I'll get a $19.99 rebate. In total, my Rite Aid trip was a $43 moneymaker.
Next I went to Walgreens where I'm still learning the ropes. I did 2 very simple transactions. My final haul was:
1 Arnicare arnica gel
1 bottle of Melatonin
2 bottles Renpure conditioner
1 container of Tidy Cats litter
---------------------------------
I paid about $10 OOP for these items (I misplaced my 2nd receipt) and I'll be submitting the 2 Renpures for mail-in-rebates, making my total price around $4 for all the above.
Then I hit Shaw's. They're having a big catalina deal right now and I didn't want to miss out! Here's what I got...
4 2-litre bottles A+W rootbeer
4 boxes Orville Redenbacher popcorn
4 boxes Pillsbury brownies
6 tubs Pillsbury frosting (for VBS this summer)
9 jars Ragu pasta sauce
9 jars Skippy peanut butter
-----------------------------------
The total pre-sale price for these items was $84.87. By combining coupons and the current catalina sale (by breaking up my order into 3 transactions) I spent a total of $17.43.
Finally, and least impressively, I went to Sudbury Farms. They had boneless chicken breast for $1.79/lb, part of a big 3-day sale. Here's what I got...
10 bags of Goldfish
10 pounds (approx.) of boneless chicken breast
-------------------------------------------
Total regular price was $60.76, I paid $27.24.
If you want to be ridiculous (and I always do!) and count the money earned at Rite Aid versus the money paid at the other stores, I spent $4 for all of this. Of course... that's not how the world works ;) But it's fun to pretend!
And with that, I need to go find the missing receipt... happy Sunday everyone!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Couponing 201: Organization
Welcome to my series on how to save money at grocery stores and drugstores! If this is your first visit, please view the previous entries in the series, found in the sidebar --------->
I had some requests for a post on coupon organization. I know that it can quickly become overwhelming to coupon when you're sitting at a table covered in sales flyers, coupon inserts, and lists. It's so easy to get frustrated and worn out by the constant checking and re-checking, then losing the coupons you clipped, then picking up the wrong flavor of cereal at the store that isn't on sale, etc... Many people begin couponing but burn out within a month or two because if you're not careful, you can quickly get swallowed up by all of the possible deals, the variable scenarios, the "what if's" and the "why not's". So I'm happy to share with you the 5th secret to couponing success: coupon organization is your new BFF.
Now, before I get into the nuts and bolts of my own ever-evolving system, I'd like to point out that I was the girl who would color code my highlighting in my textbooks. I took great pride in my neat notebooks and my legible class notes. See, I'm by NO means a neat freak (I'm pretty messy) but I love systems-- If anything, I tend to over-categorize. I'm happy to show you how I do it, but coupon orgnization is pretty personal, and the key is to find a system that works best for you. Once I show you my system, I'll also talk about some other systems I've seen and give you links to check them out for yourself.
My coupon system is comprised of three parts: my insert binder, my store organizer, and my coupon organizer.
I had some requests for a post on coupon organization. I know that it can quickly become overwhelming to coupon when you're sitting at a table covered in sales flyers, coupon inserts, and lists. It's so easy to get frustrated and worn out by the constant checking and re-checking, then losing the coupons you clipped, then picking up the wrong flavor of cereal at the store that isn't on sale, etc... Many people begin couponing but burn out within a month or two because if you're not careful, you can quickly get swallowed up by all of the possible deals, the variable scenarios, the "what if's" and the "why not's". So I'm happy to share with you the 5th secret to couponing success: coupon organization is your new BFF.
Now, before I get into the nuts and bolts of my own ever-evolving system, I'd like to point out that I was the girl who would color code my highlighting in my textbooks. I took great pride in my neat notebooks and my legible class notes. See, I'm by NO means a neat freak (I'm pretty messy) but I love systems-- If anything, I tend to over-categorize. I'm happy to show you how I do it, but coupon orgnization is pretty personal, and the key is to find a system that works best for you. Once I show you my system, I'll also talk about some other systems I've seen and give you links to check them out for yourself.
My coupon system is comprised of three parts: my insert binder, my store organizer, and my coupon organizer.
On Sunday afternoons, I sit down with the Sunday paper, a 3-hole puncher, and my insert binder. I take a coupon insert and cut down the center spine to make it all into single pages (works better in a binder that way). I 3-hole punch the insert, write the date on the front page, and then put the whole insert in the back of my binder. I also put a Post-It flag on the front of the insert and label it with insert type and date, so I can quickly find specific inserts when I need them.
If I have more than one copy of the same insert, I repeat so that the inserts are all organized by date and by type.
I then flip through all of the inserts for that week and clip only the coupons I know I'll use right away. 99.9% of the time, the coupons can be clipped so that the rest page can stay in my binder (as you can see in the picture below, on the left page). I'll also rip out all the "junk" pages near the back of the insert that don't contain coupons.
The clipped coupon will then go into one of two places: either my store organizer (if I know it's going to be used at an upcoming sale) or into my coupon organizer (where I keep the good coupons that I clip because I know I can use them at *some* point, but not necessarily for any particular store or sale). I keep my price list, extra Post It flags, coupon books, and Sharpie in the front pocket.
My store organizer is the old coupon organizer that I grew out of. I have it labeled with Post_It flags so I can move around the categories if I want to.
It's a little hard to see, but I break down the categories by store & week. Remember how I showed you how to see what the sales will be in upcoming weeks? This knowledge really helps me to keep my coupons sorted by week. So here you'll see "Rite Aid this week", "Rite Aid next week", etc. I also keep store envelopes in the front of this organizer. These envelopes hold +UPs, ECBs, RRs, Catalinas, store-only coupons-- anything that is store specific, but again, isn't needed for a particular date.
The third part of my "system" is my coupon organizer. It was a present from my brother- it's The Coupon Wallet Organizer. I like it, but not as much as I was expecting to-- since it's all fabric, it's not super sturdy, and I'm not confident that I could actually fill it all the way without it exploding if I squeezed it at the bottom. It DOES have a lot of nice pockets, and loops to Velcro it on to my shopping cart (but I have to prop it up on top of my pocketbook for it to stay open without all the contents falling out) and a pen loop, and it came with a calculator, so I'm happy with it.
My coupon organizer currently has 17 categories and 8 subcategories, organized by the order of the aisles in my grocery store. My categories are:
- Produce & Meat
- Drinks
- Pasta & Soup
- Sides & Rice
- Condiments, Spices, Dressing
- Breakfast: Cereal & Bread
- Baking
- Snack Foods
- Surface Cleansers & Air Fresheners
- Laundry
- Dish Washing
- Paper & Plastic Products
- Frozen
- Dairy Case & Eggs
- Medicine, Vitamins & First Aid (subcategories: Vitamins/Supplements, Medicine, Kids' Medicine)
- Hair, Skin & Oral Care, Beauty (subcategories: Skin, Dental, Hair, Shaving, Kids)
- Office- Batteries, Tape
So that's it for my particular system- lots of places to put very specific coupons. I tend to change it a bit every few weeks, but it's what works for me! Seems like every couponer I know of has a slightly different system, though, and I love poking through various blogs and sites to see all the different ways that we accomplish basically the same thing. Here are some other coupon systems:
- Vanessa at Vanessa's Values uses a file folder method. She keeps her inserts in a different place than I do, but I think our systems are pretty similar.
- The Money Saving Mom uses a coupon box method. It wouldn't work for me- too much empty space for the coupons to float around- but it looks like it works well for her!
- Erin at 5 Dollar Dinners uses a coupon binder system. I have to admit that the idea of each coupon in it's own place warms my heart a little, but I can't imagine lugging that whole binder around when I went to the store! On the other hand, keeping all of your coupons with you at all times means you never miss out on a deal...
Hopefully by now you've seen that no matter how you organize your coupons, you need to organize them. Do yourself a favor and start organizing now, and you won't be overwhelmed a month from now!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
yet another snow day in the suburbs.
The kids woke up early. At the moment they're playing together nicely, which is good because it took me a while to place my coupon order. You see, there's a BIG deal going on at Shaw's this upcoming week (free grocery staples!), along with a BIG deal at Rite Aid (I'm talking $38 moneymaker big). I have all the coupons I need for Rite Aid, but I had to order some peanut butter coupons to really stock up at Shaw's.
I'm working on another instructional post for you: organizing your coupons. Seems like everyone has a slightly different system, and I'm happy to let you know in depth how *I* do it, but of course, you need to do what works best for you.
Since I mentioned coupon clipping services, I'm happy to tell you the two I've used so far: Coupons & Things by Dede and We Clip U Save. Remember, you're not paying for the coupons, you're paying for their "time and energy to clip and sort and mail" the coupons. You can absolutely get great savings without ever ordering coupons, but it's nice to have the option in a pinch!
I'm working on another instructional post for you: organizing your coupons. Seems like everyone has a slightly different system, and I'm happy to let you know in depth how *I* do it, but of course, you need to do what works best for you.
Since I mentioned coupon clipping services, I'm happy to tell you the two I've used so far: Coupons & Things by Dede and We Clip U Save. Remember, you're not paying for the coupons, you're paying for their "time and energy to clip and sort and mail" the coupons. You can absolutely get great savings without ever ordering coupons, but it's nice to have the option in a pinch!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Drugstores 101
This is the 4th part in my intro series to getting great deals. It builds on the previous posts (in order): remedial couponing, part 1, remedial couponing, part 2, and couponing 101.
If you've been following along in my series, you've already got everything you need to start playing the drugstore game (a.k.a. Why Nobody Should Ever Pay For Toothpaste. Ever.) Today, I'll teach you how to stack & roll at drugstores so that you can get LARGE quantities of items for free every week.
As I have mentioned before, the top three drugstore chains in the country are Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens, and each store has a rewards program that pays you back when you buy particular items. I suggest that you start by learning the system at ONE of these stores, and then you can apply that knowledge to the other two (if you're lucky enough to have all three in your area). There are some differences between the programs, but the idea is the same: you buy a particular item, and when you get your receipt you also get a printed "coupon" for a certain dollar amount off your next purchase. This "coupon" can be used immediately on your next order.
These drugstores also allow you to stack store coupons on top of manufacturer's coupons for even greater discounts. Do you remember the Afrin deal I posted about at Rite Aid?
This, my lovely friends, is why drugstore chains are a really great place to stretch your buck. If you "buy" the moneymaker items each week, you'll soon amass a good number of +UP Rewards/Extra Care Bucks/Register Rewards that you can use to get something you really need, free.
Of course, there are some important rules to remember when playing the drugstore game. The first rule is that these rewards have expiration dates. Take care to check the dates on your rewards and use them before they go "bad". You don't want to be stuck with $50 in expired coupons that you could have used as cash yesterday! Keep all of your rewards slips in the same place- I keep mine in their own store envelope. You'll also want to take the time to learn the coupon and reward policy at your chosen drugstore. Many sites suggest that you print out the store's coupon policy and bring it with you when you shop, just in case you come across a cashier who is less than helpful. Personally, I can't imagine doing that-- how would it help your odds of placating an ornery store employee if you pulled a packet of text our of your pocketbook and told them they were doing their job wrong? As always, kindness and a smile on your face will go a long way towards having a good experience at any store.
I've mentioned that Afrin deal twice now, and it's a sale that isn't beginning until next week. Are you wondering how I know what sales are going to happen before I get the flyer? Here's my fourth couponing secret: staying one step ahead of the sales flyer will save you big! For all three big drugstore chains, sales flyers are leaked on an average of two weeks before the sale starts- meaning you'll have PLENTY of time to gather coupons, do your math, scout out deals, and get the absolute best return on your drugstore dollar.
The following sites (all run by the same woman) will give you previews of upcoming sales & circulars at the drugstore(s) of your choice- just look in the right column under "weekly deals".
If you've been following along in my series, you've already got everything you need to start playing the drugstore game (a.k.a. Why Nobody Should Ever Pay For Toothpaste. Ever.) Today, I'll teach you how to stack & roll at drugstores so that you can get LARGE quantities of items for free every week.
As I have mentioned before, the top three drugstore chains in the country are Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens, and each store has a rewards program that pays you back when you buy particular items. I suggest that you start by learning the system at ONE of these stores, and then you can apply that knowledge to the other two (if you're lucky enough to have all three in your area). There are some differences between the programs, but the idea is the same: you buy a particular item, and when you get your receipt you also get a printed "coupon" for a certain dollar amount off your next purchase. This "coupon" can be used immediately on your next order.
These drugstores also allow you to stack store coupons on top of manufacturer's coupons for even greater discounts. Do you remember the Afrin deal I posted about at Rite Aid?
The $2 Video Values store coupon above is limited to one per customer, but even if you then went back and bought another Afrin and used one more $3 off coupon, you'd "profit" another $1.01.$5.99- $3/1 Afrin Coupon 1/2/11 SS (this means the coupon is $3 off 1 bottle, found in the Smart Source coupon insert that was printed on 1/2/11)--and--$2/1 Afrin Video Values (this is a store coupon that is for use only at Rite Aid)----------------pay .99, get $4 +UP back (this $4 in +UP Rewards can be used as cash at any Rite Aid) =$3.01 "moneymaker"
This, my lovely friends, is why drugstore chains are a really great place to stretch your buck. If you "buy" the moneymaker items each week, you'll soon amass a good number of +UP Rewards/Extra Care Bucks/Register Rewards that you can use to get something you really need, free.
Of course, there are some important rules to remember when playing the drugstore game. The first rule is that these rewards have expiration dates. Take care to check the dates on your rewards and use them before they go "bad". You don't want to be stuck with $50 in expired coupons that you could have used as cash yesterday! Keep all of your rewards slips in the same place- I keep mine in their own store envelope. You'll also want to take the time to learn the coupon and reward policy at your chosen drugstore. Many sites suggest that you print out the store's coupon policy and bring it with you when you shop, just in case you come across a cashier who is less than helpful. Personally, I can't imagine doing that-- how would it help your odds of placating an ornery store employee if you pulled a packet of text our of your pocketbook and told them they were doing their job wrong? As always, kindness and a smile on your face will go a long way towards having a good experience at any store.
I've mentioned that Afrin deal twice now, and it's a sale that isn't beginning until next week. Are you wondering how I know what sales are going to happen before I get the flyer? Here's my fourth couponing secret: staying one step ahead of the sales flyer will save you big! For all three big drugstore chains, sales flyers are leaked on an average of two weeks before the sale starts- meaning you'll have PLENTY of time to gather coupons, do your math, scout out deals, and get the absolute best return on your drugstore dollar.
The following sites (all run by the same woman) will give you previews of upcoming sales & circulars at the drugstore(s) of your choice- just look in the right column under "weekly deals".
There are lots and lots and LOTS of sites that do drugstore match-ups every week, as well as posting deals they (or their readers) come across on a daily basis. I subscribe to many of these blogs through Google Reader, and I even "like" many of them on Facebook so I find out quickly about any new deal that's going on. You'll learn that many drugstores have "hidden" (unadvertised) reward deals that bloggers stumble upon, and it's to your advantage to keep an eye out for these as a way to increase your rewards bankroll. The following sites are good resources for finding "hidden" deals, deal scenarios, and coupon match-ups for the big three drugstore chains. Be aware that these sites highlight deals at other stores, as well.
- Maven of Savin'
- For the Mommas
- Southern Cali Saver (deals at Rite Aid start 2 days earlier in SoCal!)
- Hip2Save
- Money Saving Mom
That's about it for drugstore deals. Please let me know if you've got questions, and keep me updated on all of your great deals!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Anybody have savings success this week?
I know of at least 2 of my friends who were planning to start couponing this weekend. Want to share how it went? How'd you do- get any good savings?
I did something new today- tried Walgreens for the first time. It was... entertaining. I knew more about their coupon system than the cashier and the manager on duty, and I wasn't trying any sort of fancy complicated deal- I just wanted my $2 RRs on Pull Ups.
I hit CVS, but they were out of the freebie mouthwash, and the magic coupon machine gave me a pretty useless coupon.
It's a slow week at Rite Aid (probably just as well since next week is going to be a deal bonanza there) but I did get 4 free 4-packs of lightbulbs.
How'd YOU do? Have any questions? My comments section now allows anyone to comment, not just those with Blogger accounts, so there's no need for you not to reply!
(p.s.- the next post in my series, Drugstores 101, will be coming in the next day or two...)
I did something new today- tried Walgreens for the first time. It was... entertaining. I knew more about their coupon system than the cashier and the manager on duty, and I wasn't trying any sort of fancy complicated deal- I just wanted my $2 RRs on Pull Ups.
I hit CVS, but they were out of the freebie mouthwash, and the magic coupon machine gave me a pretty useless coupon.
It's a slow week at Rite Aid (probably just as well since next week is going to be a deal bonanza there) but I did get 4 free 4-packs of lightbulbs.
How'd YOU do? Have any questions? My comments section now allows anyone to comment, not just those with Blogger accounts, so there's no need for you not to reply!
(p.s.- the next post in my series, Drugstores 101, will be coming in the next day or two...)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Couponing 101: are you ready?
Before diving right in, you might want to make sure you've read Remedial Couponing, part 1 and part 2. These posts tell you what materials you'll need to start off with, how to pick your first store to begin couponing, and how to do a match-up.
Today we're going to go in depth about different coupons- where to find them, what they're called, how to use them, and why responsible and ethical coupon use is your BFF. Grab a hot beverage (what? it's a snow day here!) and your scissors and store envelope- we're ready to start!
There are lots and lots of places to find coupons these days, but the tried and true source that everyone is used to is the Sunday paper. It comes out once a week (really Rachel? I had no idea) and can contain anywhere from 0 (ouch) to 5+ coupon inserts every week. The major "brands" of coupon inserts and their abbreviations are:
This means you can hold your head up high when you use a coupon, and ignore your cashier's loud sigh when you hand over your stack. The store is MAKING money on your coupons. Of course, they'll only make money on the coupons you use correctly. This is why it's never OK to photocopy a coupon, or try to force a cashier to take a coupon that you know is for the wrong item or has already expired. Don't abuse the system!
Other general coupon etiquette rules that I want to quickly discuss:
Today we're going to go in depth about different coupons- where to find them, what they're called, how to use them, and why responsible and ethical coupon use is your BFF. Grab a hot beverage (what? it's a snow day here!) and your scissors and store envelope- we're ready to start!
There are lots and lots of places to find coupons these days, but the tried and true source that everyone is used to is the Sunday paper. It comes out once a week (really Rachel? I had no idea) and can contain anywhere from 0 (ouch) to 5+ coupon inserts every week. The major "brands" of coupon inserts and their abbreviations are:
- Smart Source (SS)
- Red Plum (RP)
- General Mills (GM)
- Proctor & Gamble (PG)
You'll find different products in each insert. The Proctor & Gamble insert usually only arrives once a month- the rest seem to vary in how often they're published. In some weeks, you'll get 2 versions of the same brand of insert, and they'll contain completely different coupons. If you're the kind of person who likes to hunt for birthday presents hidden in your house so you know what you're getting before you open them, you'll enjoy Sunday Coupon Preview, which will tell you how many inserts to expect in the coming week, and what coupons might be in them.
The thing to remember about coupon inserts is that they're regional. They vary greatly, even from paper to paper within the same city. Recently an insert came out with $4 off of Afrin. Other people got the same insert with a $3 off Afrin coupon instead, and others got the insert but it had no Afrin coupons. So preview sites can give you a general idea of what you'll get in the upcoming week, but remember that the coupons you get might be different.
You can also print manufacturer's coupons online. Ever look at your Facebook news feed and see two friends suddenly "liking" the same company at the same time? If your grandma and your 32 year old coupon freak friend both pop up as "liking" Minute Maid, you can bet Minute Maid is offering a coupon to their Facebook fans. You can also find coupons on the brands' websites, or on these printable coupon sites:
When you clip a coupon, you'll want to give it a once over. Try to ignore the product picture on it- read the wording carefully. This is a trap that a lot of couponers and cashiers get stuck in- quite often people assume that the item pictured on the coupon is the only item it can be used for. The company might use a picture of their newest flavor of chips, for example, but the coupon will say "any flavor", or the coupon will show you a six pack of soda but the coupon will say "any size". You'll need to train your brain to skip the picture and only pay attention to the wording, which can be hard at first, but you'll get much better deals if you don't just purchase whatever item the company pictures on the coupon.
The vast majority of the time, you'll only be able to use one manufacturer's coupon per item. However, many grocery stores will automatically double coupons that are under $1. You will need to check the coupon policy for whichever store you've decided to shop at. For me, Shaw's automatically doubles under $1, so if I have a coupon for .75 off one box of Cheerios, the register will subtract that number twice. That means that this week, Cheerios are on sale at Shaws at 1.75 a box, so I'll be bringing them home for .25 each! Score!
Your store might occasionally print dollar doublers in their weekly flyer. Usually these have a limit- say, 4 or 5 per order- but they can be used to double a $1 coupon to $2. Read the fine print on the doubler before you try to use it.
Besides manufacturer's coupons, you'll also come across store coupons. These coupons are to be used only in this particular store, and if you're lucky, your store will allow you to "stack" it with a manufacturer's coupon. "Stacking" means that you're combining different coupons on the same item, thus getting it at a deep discount. Drugstores are very good at letting you stack coupons, as is Target. Supermarkets all have their own rules on stacking, so your experience is going to be different than mine- another good reason to read your store's coupon policy.
Is your head spinning yet? Because we're about to discuss the third type of coupon you'll come across at stores. This one has different names depending on the store you shop at, but it's a coupon that is printed at the register after you buy a certain number or dollar amount of items. If it comes out of a separate machine at the grocery store, on a thin strip of paper, it's called a Catalina. At CVS it's an Extra Care Buck, at Rite Aid it's a +UP Reward, at Walgreens it's a Register Reward. These coupons are typically for a certain dollar amount off your next order. Next order means the next time you ring something up- if you separate your items into 2 transactions, and pay separately twice, you can use this catalina/ECB/etc. immediately on that second transaction.
Enough talking. Want to see how this works?
I mentioned Afrin earlier in this post. It's not a product I ever buy, but if a store is going to give it to me for free, will I take it? Sure. If you'll PAY me to take it home, will I "buy" it? You bet I will! In a couple of weeks Rite Aid will have a sale on Afrin. The sale price is $5.99, and when you purchase it you receive $4 in +UP rewards printed at the end of the order. Here's how I'm going to have Rite Aid pay me to take the Afrin home:
5.99
- $3/1 Afrin Coupon 1/2/11 SS (this means the coupon is $3 off 1 bottle, found in the Smart Source coupon insert that was printed on 1/2/11)
--and--
$2/1 Afrin Video Values (this is a store coupon that is for use only at Rite Aid)
----------------
pay .99, get $4 +UP back (this $4 in +UP Rewards can be used as cash at any Rite Aid) = $3.01 "moneymaker"
And here, my friends, is secret #3 to saving huge money with coupons: Stack your coupons and roll your rewards for the biggest savings. Stack and roll, baby, stack and roll. Using the transaction above, I earned $4 in +UP Rewards, which I can then use in the following transaction, on Coricidin cough medicine, which is on sale the same week for $5.99, get $4 +UP back. I'll also throw in a tube of Colgate toothpaste to bring my out of pocket expense as close to $4 as possible. Colgate is $2.99, with a $2 +UP back.
$5.99 Coricidin
-$2/1 IP MQ ($2 internet printable manufacturer's coupon)
-$2/1 Coricidin Video Values coupon (this is a store coupon that is for use only at Rite Aid)
$2.99 Colgate Total
-$1/1 Colgate coupon SS 1/16/11 ($1 off 1 tube coupon, found in the Smart Source insert from 1/16/11)
-----------
you pay $3.98 with your $4 +UP reward and get back $6 +UP ($4 for Coricidin and $2 for Colgate)
Did you see how I stacked & rolled in those two transactions alone? I now have 1 Afrin, 1 Colgate, and 1 Coricidin, for which I paid .99 in cash AND walked away with $6 in +UPs to use on my next transaction.
"But Rachel!" I hear you thinking to yourself-- to me-- "how can that be OK? Doesn't that seem like stealing? Doesn't the store lose money when you use a coupon?" Nope, the store MAKES money every time you use a coupon. Look very very closely at coupon fine print.
RETAILER: (company) will reimburse you for the face value of this coupon plus 8¢ handling if submitted in compliance with (company) Coupon Redemption Policy.So if you use a $1 off coupon, your store gets paid back that $1 plus 8 cents. Your store will generally eat the cost of any store coupons they offer, but manufacturers will often pay for any after-purchase rewards that are earned as well. On my above two transactions, Rite Aid only "loses" the $4 for the two store coupons, and still makes the $7 from the manufacturer coupons and the $10 for the +UP Rewards.
This means you can hold your head up high when you use a coupon, and ignore your cashier's loud sigh when you hand over your stack. The store is MAKING money on your coupons. Of course, they'll only make money on the coupons you use correctly. This is why it's never OK to photocopy a coupon, or try to force a cashier to take a coupon that you know is for the wrong item or has already expired. Don't abuse the system!
Other general coupon etiquette rules that I want to quickly discuss:
- If you are doing multiple transactions, always do one, then get in the back of the line to do your next one. It's not cool to hold up the check-out line so you can work your magic. It gives couponers a bad name!
- NEVER "smash & grab". It's rude to clear the shelves of a particular product UNLESS there are only a couple of items on the shelf, or it's the last day of a sale. Always leave enough for others. If you have awesome coupons and know a great deal is coming up, talk to your store manager about ordering you a case of that product.
- Be polite and kind to your cashier. Make friends with them! Smile big, be kind, be gracious, and use common courtesy. Their job is hard enough as it is. Kindness on your part will make your shopping ten times easier, especially if you frequent the same store. The cashiers at my Rite Aid recognize me and give me smiles when I walk in. Some people will leave coupons for their favorite cashiers if they express interest in an item. Just be kind, and it'll get you far.
Woah...I think that's enough for today. Please leave any questions you have for me in the comments and I'll be happy to answer them!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
remedial couponing, part 2: the art of the match-up
Match-ups-- when you line up a store sale with a coupon-- are at the heart of saving big money when you shop. Today I'll explain to you how to do your own match-ups with the help of online coupon databases, as well as give you links to blogs and sites that post match-ups weekly for various chain stores.
When you sit down with your store's sale flyer, your first job is to take a look at the front and back page. These items are often called "loss leaders"- and they're usually better deals than the ones inside the flyer. Loss leaders are items that the store may lose money on, but the gamble is that once you're in the store, you'll buy enough stuff at a profit to make up for the loss on the featured items.
I'm going to use the Stop & Shop circular in front of me to walk through a match-up with you, so I'll start at top left. Lean Cuisine Entrees, Lean Pockets, and Hot Pockets are on sale, 5 for $10, which we'll abbreviate as 5/$10. That means they're $2 each.
So I say to myself, self, would I pay money for these items, even if it's not a product I normally purchase? No? If these were free, would I "buy" them? If you'd never want it no matter what, skip over to the next item. If you answer "yes" to the first two questions, it's time to look for a coupon.
There are quite a few coupon databases online, which makes it a lot easier to find a current coupon than flipping through every coupon insert over and over. The coupon database by Coupon Mom is very thorough, and includes internet printable coupons, store coupons, and insert coupons you'd find in the Sunday paper, as well as magazine coupons. You do need to register for the site (it's free) to use their coupon database, and I suggest searching by region rather than by state for your coupons. As you can see in the example below, I searched in the New England database and came up with 2 coupons- one in All You magazine, and one in a newspaper insert from 1/2/11.
Here's another coupon database I like to use, that doesn't require registration: the i heart cvs coupon database. You'll see in my screenshot below that this database found me an internet printable coupon for lean cuisines. Awesome!
So the sale is $2 each for Lean Cuisine. This coupon is for $1 off 3 boxes of Lean Cuisine. That makes your price $1.67 each, but you'll need to buy 3. Sound good to you? Print that sucker!
Not so great? Skip it and head on to the next item you see that you'd be willing to pay for, or you'd "buy" if it was free.
You'll see Birds Eye Vegetables in the next row. They're 5/$4, and you must buy 5 to get the .80 each price. A quick search of the coupon database tells me that if I look in my Smart Source coupon insert from 12/12/10, I'll find a coupon for .50 off 2 Birds Eye Vegetables. And I'm in luck: Stop & Shop automatically doubles coupons up to $1, which means this .50 coupon will take $1 off my order.
If you have 2 of this coupon (meaning you'd need to have 2 of the same coupon insert) then you could take $2 off the advertised price of the 5 boxes. Now you're getting 5 boxes for $2 total, which makes your price for each box .40. THAT, my friends, is a stock up price.
This will be a case of striking when the iron is hot. And I'm about to tell you the second secret of couponing: sales cycles are typically about 3 months long. That means that if something is on sale right now, that particular brand and item will probably go on sale again in about 3 months. So if your family only ever eats Birds Eye frozen veggies, you'd do well to get a LOT of them right now, ideally enough to last you around 3 months.
"But Rachel!" you yell at your computer screen. "That's a lot of money out of my pocket right now, I'm supposed to be saving!" Ah yes, and here is a reason that many people stop couponing- and that I myself was very disheartened in my first month of couponing. In the beginning, as you build your stockpiles, you may spend more as you stock up on good deals. In real life I'd never buy 20 boxes of anything. Of course the $1.25 a week on ONE box of Birds Eye looks like it's not much in a $150 grocery bill, versus the $8 I'd spend in that one week to buy 20 boxes and stick them in my freezer. But for the next 20 weeks, I'd save the $17 I would have spent on 19 more boxes at full price. In the beginning, you won't see a lot of savings as you stock up on items your family uses. But as you shop each week, and you need to buy less each week because your freezer and pantry are well stocked, you will feel AWESOME. Trust me on this.
OK, ready to pick up your circular and find another great deal? Why are you making that funny face? Does this already seem like too much work to you? Match-ups get you great deals, but they can be time consuming. Luckily, there are lots and lots of people out on the internet who do this kind of thing FOR you, every week, and post it on their sites.
This is why I told you in the beginning that your best bet is to begin couponing at a chain store. The bigger the chain is, the more likely that someone out there is already doing your match-ups for you. Your challenge is going to be to find the blog or site that is easiest for you to follow.
There are some large sites that do match-ups for most national chains. Coupon Mom is free, and posts match-ups weekly for most national chains. It does require registration, and there's a bit of a learning curve involved to learn how to read the match-up list (though there are lots of FAQ and help links available on the site). The Grocery Game is a similar service, but it's not free- you pay $10 every 8 weeks for one store's match-ups, $15 every 8 weeks for 2 stores, etc. in $5 increments. I've never used them, but I'd imagine it's a good way to go for those of you who just don't have the time to do detailed searching yourselves- and they've been around forever.
Personally, I like to get my match-ups through blogs. I feel like a person sitting behind his/her computer, putting the effort into running a blog, is more invested in finding you a great deal because they'll post something that THEY would be interested in, not just any deal that runs through a computer. I'll post my favorite blogs with match-ups below, and if you don't see your chain listed here, leave me a comment and I'll see if I can find you a match-up blog for that store.
When you sit down with your store's sale flyer, your first job is to take a look at the front and back page. These items are often called "loss leaders"- and they're usually better deals than the ones inside the flyer. Loss leaders are items that the store may lose money on, but the gamble is that once you're in the store, you'll buy enough stuff at a profit to make up for the loss on the featured items.
I'm going to use the Stop & Shop circular in front of me to walk through a match-up with you, so I'll start at top left. Lean Cuisine Entrees, Lean Pockets, and Hot Pockets are on sale, 5 for $10, which we'll abbreviate as 5/$10. That means they're $2 each.
So I say to myself, self, would I pay money for these items, even if it's not a product I normally purchase? No? If these were free, would I "buy" them? If you'd never want it no matter what, skip over to the next item. If you answer "yes" to the first two questions, it's time to look for a coupon.
There are quite a few coupon databases online, which makes it a lot easier to find a current coupon than flipping through every coupon insert over and over. The coupon database by Coupon Mom is very thorough, and includes internet printable coupons, store coupons, and insert coupons you'd find in the Sunday paper, as well as magazine coupons. You do need to register for the site (it's free) to use their coupon database, and I suggest searching by region rather than by state for your coupons. As you can see in the example below, I searched in the New England database and came up with 2 coupons- one in All You magazine, and one in a newspaper insert from 1/2/11.
Here's another coupon database I like to use, that doesn't require registration: the i heart cvs coupon database. You'll see in my screenshot below that this database found me an internet printable coupon for lean cuisines. Awesome!
So the sale is $2 each for Lean Cuisine. This coupon is for $1 off 3 boxes of Lean Cuisine. That makes your price $1.67 each, but you'll need to buy 3. Sound good to you? Print that sucker!
Not so great? Skip it and head on to the next item you see that you'd be willing to pay for, or you'd "buy" if it was free.
You'll see Birds Eye Vegetables in the next row. They're 5/$4, and you must buy 5 to get the .80 each price. A quick search of the coupon database tells me that if I look in my Smart Source coupon insert from 12/12/10, I'll find a coupon for .50 off 2 Birds Eye Vegetables. And I'm in luck: Stop & Shop automatically doubles coupons up to $1, which means this .50 coupon will take $1 off my order.
If you have 2 of this coupon (meaning you'd need to have 2 of the same coupon insert) then you could take $2 off the advertised price of the 5 boxes. Now you're getting 5 boxes for $2 total, which makes your price for each box .40. THAT, my friends, is a stock up price.
This will be a case of striking when the iron is hot. And I'm about to tell you the second secret of couponing: sales cycles are typically about 3 months long. That means that if something is on sale right now, that particular brand and item will probably go on sale again in about 3 months. So if your family only ever eats Birds Eye frozen veggies, you'd do well to get a LOT of them right now, ideally enough to last you around 3 months.
"But Rachel!" you yell at your computer screen. "That's a lot of money out of my pocket right now, I'm supposed to be saving!" Ah yes, and here is a reason that many people stop couponing- and that I myself was very disheartened in my first month of couponing. In the beginning, as you build your stockpiles, you may spend more as you stock up on good deals. In real life I'd never buy 20 boxes of anything. Of course the $1.25 a week on ONE box of Birds Eye looks like it's not much in a $150 grocery bill, versus the $8 I'd spend in that one week to buy 20 boxes and stick them in my freezer. But for the next 20 weeks, I'd save the $17 I would have spent on 19 more boxes at full price. In the beginning, you won't see a lot of savings as you stock up on items your family uses. But as you shop each week, and you need to buy less each week because your freezer and pantry are well stocked, you will feel AWESOME. Trust me on this.
OK, ready to pick up your circular and find another great deal? Why are you making that funny face? Does this already seem like too much work to you? Match-ups get you great deals, but they can be time consuming. Luckily, there are lots and lots of people out on the internet who do this kind of thing FOR you, every week, and post it on their sites.
This is why I told you in the beginning that your best bet is to begin couponing at a chain store. The bigger the chain is, the more likely that someone out there is already doing your match-ups for you. Your challenge is going to be to find the blog or site that is easiest for you to follow.
There are some large sites that do match-ups for most national chains. Coupon Mom is free, and posts match-ups weekly for most national chains. It does require registration, and there's a bit of a learning curve involved to learn how to read the match-up list (though there are lots of FAQ and help links available on the site). The Grocery Game is a similar service, but it's not free- you pay $10 every 8 weeks for one store's match-ups, $15 every 8 weeks for 2 stores, etc. in $5 increments. I've never used them, but I'd imagine it's a good way to go for those of you who just don't have the time to do detailed searching yourselves- and they've been around forever.
Personally, I like to get my match-ups through blogs. I feel like a person sitting behind his/her computer, putting the effort into running a blog, is more invested in finding you a great deal because they'll post something that THEY would be interested in, not just any deal that runs through a computer. I'll post my favorite blogs with match-ups below, and if you don't see your chain listed here, leave me a comment and I'll see if I can find you a match-up blog for that store.
- Maven of Savin does match-ups for Shaws, Stop and Shop, CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens.
- For the Mommas does match-ups for a large list of stores including Acme Markets, Dollar General, Giant Eagle, Hannaford, Kroger, Meijer, Pathmark, Safeway, Shoprite, Target, and a bunch more places that I've never heard of.
- Penny Pinchin Mom does match-ups for Hen House Market, Hy-Vee, and Price Chopper. She also maintains a list of blogs who post match-ups for other grocery stores.
If you're starting your couponing quest at a drug store instead of a grocery store, or a national discount/department chain like Target, K-Mart or The Evil Empire that Shall Remain Nameless on My Blog Because Damn It, It's My Blog and I Hate Them, there are tooooons of sites that post match-ups, clearance deals, and other interesting tidbits. The ones I use the most are:
- Totally Target
- the trifecta of i heart cvs, i heart rite aid, and i heart wags (Walgreens).
- we don't have K-Mart here anymore so I don't have a particular site to recommend, but Common Sense with Money posts K-Mart deals.
And this, my friends, concludes Remedial Couponing. You are armed with this week's sunday paper inserts, you have your store circular handy, and you know how to do a match-up and where to look for someone who will do the match-ups for you. You have an envelope to store the coupons you're planning to use at your chosen store this week. You're ready to move on-- to explore the wonderful world of Couponing 101- coming up next!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
How you can do it, too. (remedial couponing, part 1)
I started this blog in October as a way to have accountability for our spending and budgeting, and it has already led me to a place I didn't expect to go-- mainly, learning to get awesome deals every week on items I'm used to paying full price for. I do need to re-focus on family budgeting, but I've realized that most of the people who read my blog are friends, friends of friends, church people, etc. who are curious about how I get these insane deals.
Thing is, I'm not too different than you. If I can do it, you can do it. I've been mulling over a sort of "how to" for a couple of weeks now... a remedial course in couponing, leading to couponing 101 and drugstores 101. But first things first! Today I'll tell you how to gather the tools you'll need to consistently save big, as well as what to expect when you start out.
NOTE: at some point in here, you're going to need to pick up the Sunday paper. That's where you'll find the week's coupon circulars, as well as the store sales circulars. You CAN save money without the paper (by using store websites, various deal blogs, and printable internet coupons) but trust me, after a week or two you're gonna want the coupons you missed out on two weeks ago when you decided not to get the Sunday paper. Just get it this week, even if you do nothing else related to couponing. When you get further on this journey, you'll thank me.
The very FIRST thing you're going to need is a place to put your couponing stuff. You're going to amass a good amount of paper that you'll need to keep close by, so you might want to designate yourself a drawer, a small cabinet, or even a plastic storage tote. As you begin, throw EVERYTHING you need in this storage space. Trust me when I say that you'll thank yourself later.
I also suggest that you keep a ziploc bag for your receipts. Keeping track of your receipts is a big morale booster in the beginning, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed and like your work isn't making a change. Check your pocket book, dresser, etc and see if you can locate your most recent grocery receipt from your last "normal" shopping trip. This will be a really helpful tool to have because you can see what you normally pay for your household staples.
Now stop for a minute and decide what store you're going to start working on. Listen, don't believe the mommy blogs you read- you can't just up and run to 15 stores in your first week and throw $75 in your pocket after carrying home bags and bags full of free items. It takes a bit of work to figure out the systems at each store, and I highly suggest that you start by concentrating on ONE store and learning how to work deals there.
I began with my local grocery store, which is a chain. In general, chain stores are easier to "deal" at because they advertise sales, work out promotions with manufacturers, and the bigger the store chain, the more likely that you'll find blogs online who do your coupon match-ups for you (more on that later). If you choose a chain drugstore to start with (ideally one of the big 3: CVS, Rite Aid or Walgreens) you'll find that there are probably hundreds of blogs out there, doing most of your match-up work for you.
What else? Oh. Scissors. Grab a pair, keep them in your coupon hiding spot. Don't let your kids find them-- they'll inevitably end up hidden under the couch, or used to give the cat a haircut. Having your own dedicated pair of scissors makes you feel like a grown up. Make sure you've got some printer paper, too, and printer ink. You don't want to miss out on a hot coupon because your black ink cartridge is empty. And yes, I know how silly that sentence sounds, but if you get further along in this process you WILL run across hot coupons and you WILL be mad if you miss out on it because you used your last piece of printer paper to print directions to that place that you never ended up going to anyway!
Grab an envelope, too. Write your chosen store's name on the outside. You may also want (or need) to write NOT TRASH or DO NOT THROW AWAY all over it in big red letters just in case you're like me and you occasionally leave your store envelope on the counter by accident.
Now that you've got all your stuff gathered, and your Sunday paper (you did get it, right?) and your scissors and a plastic baggie and an envelope, I want to tell you what to expect in your first couple of weeks of shopping. You MAY have the resources to get one or two things for free. You MAY even get a "moneymaker" on your first trip. More likely, you'll come across 3 or 4 good deals on items you need, and you should absolutely count that as a success. People who consistently get tons of freebies are people who collect coupons for months, pay attention to sales cycles, and have the funds and time to strike when the iron is hot. You CAN be one of those people, but you likely won't be in your first couple of weeks of couponing.
Maybe you've tried clipping coupons from the Sunday paper before. What did you do? What most people do- cut out the coupons for products you need, and use those same coupons that week at the store when you're picking up the food that lasts you for the next week. You'd save a few bucks this way, but it wouldn't feel like enough to justify the clipping, so you'll end up saying "coupons aren't worth it" or "they only release coupons for stuff I never buy" or "why should I do all that work just to save .25 off a jar of peanut butter?"
Here's the first secret of couponing that I'm going to share with you: if there's a coupon for something, it'll probably be on sale within the next month. You can use a $1 off coupon on a box of brownie mix today and still pay $2 for it, or you can wait a couple of weeks and use that coupon when the brownie mix is on sale for $1, making that brownie mix free. What's better- $2 brownie mix or FREE brownie mix?
The key to every deal I get, and all the savings you see out in blog land, is to combine sales and coupons to reach the lowest possible price on any item. Having a bit of patience in couponing will get you far!
And with that, I'm done for the day. Keep an eye out for part 2 of remedial couponing: the fine art of the match-up!
If you read this post and liked it, or hated it (yikes) please leave a comment and let me know! After all, I know this stuff already, so I'm not gonna bother typing it all out if I'm the only one who reads it ;)
Thing is, I'm not too different than you. If I can do it, you can do it. I've been mulling over a sort of "how to" for a couple of weeks now... a remedial course in couponing, leading to couponing 101 and drugstores 101. But first things first! Today I'll tell you how to gather the tools you'll need to consistently save big, as well as what to expect when you start out.
NOTE: at some point in here, you're going to need to pick up the Sunday paper. That's where you'll find the week's coupon circulars, as well as the store sales circulars. You CAN save money without the paper (by using store websites, various deal blogs, and printable internet coupons) but trust me, after a week or two you're gonna want the coupons you missed out on two weeks ago when you decided not to get the Sunday paper. Just get it this week, even if you do nothing else related to couponing. When you get further on this journey, you'll thank me.
The very FIRST thing you're going to need is a place to put your couponing stuff. You're going to amass a good amount of paper that you'll need to keep close by, so you might want to designate yourself a drawer, a small cabinet, or even a plastic storage tote. As you begin, throw EVERYTHING you need in this storage space. Trust me when I say that you'll thank yourself later.
I also suggest that you keep a ziploc bag for your receipts. Keeping track of your receipts is a big morale booster in the beginning, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed and like your work isn't making a change. Check your pocket book, dresser, etc and see if you can locate your most recent grocery receipt from your last "normal" shopping trip. This will be a really helpful tool to have because you can see what you normally pay for your household staples.
Now stop for a minute and decide what store you're going to start working on. Listen, don't believe the mommy blogs you read- you can't just up and run to 15 stores in your first week and throw $75 in your pocket after carrying home bags and bags full of free items. It takes a bit of work to figure out the systems at each store, and I highly suggest that you start by concentrating on ONE store and learning how to work deals there.
I began with my local grocery store, which is a chain. In general, chain stores are easier to "deal" at because they advertise sales, work out promotions with manufacturers, and the bigger the store chain, the more likely that you'll find blogs online who do your coupon match-ups for you (more on that later). If you choose a chain drugstore to start with (ideally one of the big 3: CVS, Rite Aid or Walgreens) you'll find that there are probably hundreds of blogs out there, doing most of your match-up work for you.
What else? Oh. Scissors. Grab a pair, keep them in your coupon hiding spot. Don't let your kids find them-- they'll inevitably end up hidden under the couch, or used to give the cat a haircut. Having your own dedicated pair of scissors makes you feel like a grown up. Make sure you've got some printer paper, too, and printer ink. You don't want to miss out on a hot coupon because your black ink cartridge is empty. And yes, I know how silly that sentence sounds, but if you get further along in this process you WILL run across hot coupons and you WILL be mad if you miss out on it because you used your last piece of printer paper to print directions to that place that you never ended up going to anyway!
Grab an envelope, too. Write your chosen store's name on the outside. You may also want (or need) to write NOT TRASH or DO NOT THROW AWAY all over it in big red letters just in case you're like me and you occasionally leave your store envelope on the counter by accident.
Now that you've got all your stuff gathered, and your Sunday paper (you did get it, right?) and your scissors and a plastic baggie and an envelope, I want to tell you what to expect in your first couple of weeks of shopping. You MAY have the resources to get one or two things for free. You MAY even get a "moneymaker" on your first trip. More likely, you'll come across 3 or 4 good deals on items you need, and you should absolutely count that as a success. People who consistently get tons of freebies are people who collect coupons for months, pay attention to sales cycles, and have the funds and time to strike when the iron is hot. You CAN be one of those people, but you likely won't be in your first couple of weeks of couponing.
Maybe you've tried clipping coupons from the Sunday paper before. What did you do? What most people do- cut out the coupons for products you need, and use those same coupons that week at the store when you're picking up the food that lasts you for the next week. You'd save a few bucks this way, but it wouldn't feel like enough to justify the clipping, so you'll end up saying "coupons aren't worth it" or "they only release coupons for stuff I never buy" or "why should I do all that work just to save .25 off a jar of peanut butter?"
Here's the first secret of couponing that I'm going to share with you: if there's a coupon for something, it'll probably be on sale within the next month. You can use a $1 off coupon on a box of brownie mix today and still pay $2 for it, or you can wait a couple of weeks and use that coupon when the brownie mix is on sale for $1, making that brownie mix free. What's better- $2 brownie mix or FREE brownie mix?
The key to every deal I get, and all the savings you see out in blog land, is to combine sales and coupons to reach the lowest possible price on any item. Having a bit of patience in couponing will get you far!
And with that, I'm done for the day. Keep an eye out for part 2 of remedial couponing: the fine art of the match-up!
If you read this post and liked it, or hated it (yikes) please leave a comment and let me know! After all, I know this stuff already, so I'm not gonna bother typing it all out if I'm the only one who reads it ;)
Monday, January 17, 2011
clip. clip clip.
Yesterday rocked because my second mom Melinda brought her coupon inserts to church and left them on my seat. I was SO excited to see them! Don't get me wrong, I was excited to see Melinda too, but I was expecting to see her- the coupons gave me an extra shot of joy.
I did a RA run right after church, and of course, the store had been cleaned out of the free tissues at 9 AM. I did manage to get 10 rolls of free toilet paper, along with some free snacks and cold medicine for the kids, and a .40 Patriots Christmas ornament.
I guess the .40 was foreshadowing, since the Pats got their butts handed to them by the Jets in the playoff game later in the day. I drowned my sorrows in coupon clipping and once the trouncing was over, I'd clipped over $550 in coupons to send to the troops overseas. See, expired coupons can be used on military bases for up to 6 months past their expiration date. I know how much coupons help me- I can only imagine how much they could help a serviceperson shopping at the Commissary. It was sort of soothing to sit there and clip, clip, clip, only paying attention to whether the item was food or non food. No thinking bout expiration dates, or doubling, or if we'd use the item... just clip the thing!
I did a RA run right after church, and of course, the store had been cleaned out of the free tissues at 9 AM. I did manage to get 10 rolls of free toilet paper, along with some free snacks and cold medicine for the kids, and a .40 Patriots Christmas ornament.
I guess the .40 was foreshadowing, since the Pats got their butts handed to them by the Jets in the playoff game later in the day. I drowned my sorrows in coupon clipping and once the trouncing was over, I'd clipped over $550 in coupons to send to the troops overseas. See, expired coupons can be used on military bases for up to 6 months past their expiration date. I know how much coupons help me- I can only imagine how much they could help a serviceperson shopping at the Commissary. It was sort of soothing to sit there and clip, clip, clip, only paying attention to whether the item was food or non food. No thinking bout expiration dates, or doubling, or if we'd use the item... just clip the thing!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
quickie RA run and great deal on printer paper!
Tonight I did one final sweep of RA when I ran out for some milk. My store stocks on Saturdays, so I thought they may have re-stocked on items that sold out immediately when the new deals started last Sunday. I was right, a little anyway: they had more Special K in. I got 4 boxes. This week they were buy 1, get 1 free, plus I had 2 buy 1, get 1 free coupons. I also threw in a pack of Mini Eggs to get my final total over $1 so I could use a +UP. My end price was $1.46, I paid .46 in cash and got $4 in +UPs back. Good profit and man... my house has a LOT of Special K now!
Earlier I was bringing the girls to The Ecotarium in Worcester (after getting a 50% discount pass from the library, of course, because I CANNOT fathom spending $28 for myself and two kids to go anywhere but a theme park) but I stopped first at Office Depot. See, they were having a couple of promotions running at the same time, and today (and yesterday) they hit a sweet spot! I got a box (10 reams) of HP printer paper. It broke down like this:
HP Copy paper $42.99
-40% off one item coupon -$17.20
--------------------------
$25.79
submit for $20 rebate -$20
-------------------------
$5.79 OOP
PLUS earned 10% back in Worklife Rewards- $2.58 (I'm assuming?)
so my final price for this massive amount of paper will be $3.21
Yeah. $3.21. And compare that to the fact that I paid TWICE that amount for ONE REAM of paper a couple of weeks ago.
A funny tidbit- the store manager rung me out and he said "oh good, you have your rewards card too. Those Fat Wallet people are so funny- they come in with the 40% off coupon and then I tell them they need a Reward card too or they can't use the coupon. They're shocked! People need to pay attention!" It's always funny to me when store management is aware of all the deal sites out there... I was just glad I knew what Fat Wallet was. Can you imagine if I didn't? Gosh, what does he have against rich people?
Earlier I was bringing the girls to The Ecotarium in Worcester (after getting a 50% discount pass from the library, of course, because I CANNOT fathom spending $28 for myself and two kids to go anywhere but a theme park) but I stopped first at Office Depot. See, they were having a couple of promotions running at the same time, and today (and yesterday) they hit a sweet spot! I got a box (10 reams) of HP printer paper. It broke down like this:
HP Copy paper $42.99
-40% off one item coupon -$17.20
--------------------------
$25.79
submit for $20 rebate -$20
-------------------------
$5.79 OOP
PLUS earned 10% back in Worklife Rewards- $2.58 (I'm assuming?)
so my final price for this massive amount of paper will be $3.21
Yeah. $3.21. And compare that to the fact that I paid TWICE that amount for ONE REAM of paper a couple of weeks ago.
A funny tidbit- the store manager rung me out and he said "oh good, you have your rewards card too. Those Fat Wallet people are so funny- they come in with the 40% off coupon and then I tell them they need a Reward card too or they can't use the coupon. They're shocked! People need to pay attention!" It's always funny to me when store management is aware of all the deal sites out there... I was just glad I knew what Fat Wallet was. Can you imagine if I didn't? Gosh, what does he have against rich people?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
tomorrow is Open Pantry day at Charlie's school.
Once a month, Charlie's school offers the kids an incentive to bring in one item to donate to the town's open pantry. Tomorrow is Patriots day, and all the kids can wear their Pats gear to celebrate NE's spot in the play offs. We're a Pats loving family, but Charlie doesn't have any Patriots gear, so I'm going to try to send her in wearing red, white & blue instead.
In any case, she'll be bringing this with her:
In any case, she'll be bringing this with her:
A little more than one item! The class with the most items collected "wins". Hopefully the 17 items I'm sending in (all but one were free, or free plus overage, at Rite Aid) will help get her class to the top of the list AND help the recipients of the open pantry's services!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Menu Plan Monday, here we go...
I fell behind on meal planning during December, but I'm back & ready to do this the right way again. Thanks to my well stocked pantry and fridge, I only have to buy a few things to make this week's menu work- unsalted butter, soy sauce (how do we not have any soy sauce?) cheese and a deli meat, and a couple of french bread loaves.
Here's my menu list, in no particular order:
Berdean's Cube Steak with mushrooms, sliced potatoes, & salad (ETA: Don't make this recipe. Trust me.)
Chicken pot pie with savory crumble topping
Tom's macaroni & cheese (the girls could eat this 14 times a week and still ask for it the next day)
Rebekah's pork chops, sugar snap peas
Turkey or ham grinders
LEFTOVERS!
Tom is also eating at church one night this week, the girls and I will have sandwiches.
On a side note... I'd done SO well shopping for meat in bulk last fall. My freezer was stuffed to the gills with meats, packaged and labeled in about a pound per package so it was super easy to grab what I needed. We've always done this with our meats, but I'd hit some great sales and it was so nice to not NEED to buy meat. I mean really... I hit ONE good sale on ground beef & turkey and I didn't have to buy any more for 3 months!
Well, the freezer supply is certainly dwindling. I'm down to 2 packs of ground beef/turkey, 2 of pork chops, and one of chicken breasts. Eek! We now have an awesome chest freezer so I'm ready for those meat sales to come around again... aaaaany time now... please?
Here's my menu list, in no particular order:
Berdean's Cube Steak with mushrooms, sliced potatoes, & salad (ETA: Don't make this recipe. Trust me.)
Chicken pot pie with savory crumble topping
Tom's macaroni & cheese (the girls could eat this 14 times a week and still ask for it the next day)
Rebekah's pork chops, sugar snap peas
Turkey or ham grinders
LEFTOVERS!
Tom is also eating at church one night this week, the girls and I will have sandwiches.
On a side note... I'd done SO well shopping for meat in bulk last fall. My freezer was stuffed to the gills with meats, packaged and labeled in about a pound per package so it was super easy to grab what I needed. We've always done this with our meats, but I'd hit some great sales and it was so nice to not NEED to buy meat. I mean really... I hit ONE good sale on ground beef & turkey and I didn't have to buy any more for 3 months!
Well, the freezer supply is certainly dwindling. I'm down to 2 packs of ground beef/turkey, 2 of pork chops, and one of chicken breasts. Eek! We now have an awesome chest freezer so I'm ready for those meat sales to come around again... aaaaany time now... please?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sunday is Rite Aid day!
Well, I mean... first Sunday is church day, then hang out after church day, THEN Rite Aid day, but you get the picture, I'm sure. This morning's RA run included one fairly expensive item we needed in the house, and a couple of items I submitted for rebates, so it doesn't look like a great deal on paper but I'm still very pleased. Here's what I got!
4 boxes Barilla pasta
1 Brita Faucet Filter, 1 pack (this was what we needed and it's $14.99 for ONE. Yikes!)
2 Tylenol Precise Pain creams
4 Tylenol Precise Pain patches
2 Motrin PM 20 ct.
1 Blink Tears
1 Burt's Bees Holiday Lip Balm Kit (75% off plus $1 coupon made it too hard to pass up!)
---------------------------------------------------------
4 boxes Barilla pasta
1 Brita Faucet Filter, 1 pack (this was what we needed and it's $14.99 for ONE. Yikes!)
2 Tylenol Precise Pain creams
4 Tylenol Precise Pain patches
2 Motrin PM 20 ct.
1 Blink Tears
1 Burt's Bees Holiday Lip Balm Kit (75% off plus $1 coupon made it too hard to pass up!)
---------------------------------------------------------
Regularly $107.55, sale price $66.47
Coupons I used:
-$1 off Burt's Bees gift sets
-$1 off Blink Tears
-$6/2 Motrin
-3x $5/2 Tylenol Precise products
------------------------------------------------
subtotal $43.47, paid $39 in +UPs, $9.78 in cash... earned $27 in +UPs, will get $10.99 in rebates
I ignore how I paid for a transaction and just subtract my +UPs and rebates from my final subtotal. That said, I got all of these items for $5.48 total.
On a related note, why does Rite Aid hand out free Motrin PM every 2-3 weeks? What exactly do they have against the stuff? It's hysterical! I've gotten it as a moneymaker 3 times since I started shopping Rite Aid! Is there something I don't know about the product? Is it made out of recycled shopping bags?!?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
1 day, 3 stores, 4 transactions.
I did a fairly quick shopping run today and hit 3 stores- Stop & Shop, Shaws, and (of course) Rite Aid.
Stop & Shop- transaction #1
4 Juicy Juice 8 ct. juice box packs
4 Juicy Juice 64 oz. bottles
----------------------------------
$16 OOP, earned $7 OYNO Catalina
Transaction #2
2 gallons milk
4 Lean Cuisine Market Creations
3 Tombstone frozen pizzas
Stop & Shop- transaction #1
4 Juicy Juice 8 ct. juice box packs
4 Juicy Juice 64 oz. bottles
Normally $25.16, on sale for $20
-2x $2 Juicy Juice coupons----------------------------------
$16 OOP, earned $7 OYNO Catalina
Transaction #2
2 gallons milk
4 Lean Cuisine Market Creations
3 Tombstone frozen pizzas
Normally $38.01, on sale for $25
-2x $1 Lean Cuisine coupons
-$7 catalina from order #1
--------------------------------
$16 OOP, earned another $7 catalina AND a $2 off 4 Tombstone pizzas catalina
The best part of this deal is when I go back another day, I can buy 6 more Tombstones, use my $7 and $2 catalinas, and get another $7 OYNO catalina!
Total OOP for all of the above food: $32, saved $13 with coupons and earned $9 in coupons for next order
Shaws
6 boxes of GM cereal
2 Betty Crocker cookie mixes
2 bags of Chex Mix
1 big jug of white vinegar
2 loaves of bread
Normally $39.99, sale price $30.25
-3x .55 off cheerios (doubled) =3.30
-3x .55 off Cinnamon Toast Crunch (doubled)=3.30
-$1 off chex mix
-$1 off cookie mix
-------------------------------
total $20.65 OOP
Rite Aid
2x Ban Roll-On
6x Twin Lab energy drinks
Normally $18.94, sale price $11.20 (incl. tax)
-2x .50 off Ban coupons
--------------------------------
paid $10 in +UP Rewards, .50 in cash, earned $16 in +UP Rewards= $5.50 moneymaker!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Let me explain Extreme Couponing to you.
Some of you (and really if you're reading my blog, probably most of you) might have caught a special that aired on TLC in the past couple of weeks called Extreme Couponing. It was an hour long reality show that interviewed 4 shoppers, then followed them to the grocery store to watch how they saved using coupons. I watched the show this past week, and I've had a few days to mull over my feelings about the way the show was produced- and the people being highlighted in the show.
First of all, everyone needs to remember that Extreme Couponing was on TLC, land of "reality" shows like "MY NAME IS BUDDY FOGETTABOUTIT!" Cake Boss, "I eat chalk because it tastes great" My Strange Addiction, "I want my Nee Nee" Toddlers & Tiaras, and Sarah Palin's Alaska. Ahem. You really can't take anything on this channel seriously, because as the National Enquirer of TV channels, the aim of each show is-- wait for it... entertainment. So right off the bat, you need to take Extreme Couponing with a dash of (free) salt.
Can we talk about the things that TLC didn't mention? Let's see... that at least two of the four highlighted individuals make money as re-sellers of the items you saw in their stockpiles. One of the other stars of the show donates whatever her family can't use to various charities, and does so regularly (not just when there are TV cameras around). But the thing that annoyed me the most about the show was the misconception that you, too, can walk into a grocery store armed with a tote bag of coupons and walk away with hundreds or thousands of dollars of merchandise for close to nothing. This is the thing that I really want to make clear: it does NOT work that way.
Yes, couponing can be a lot of work and it can save you a ton of money. Yes, you can get great deals. But you can't just walk into a store and scoop up hundreds of toothbrushes in a display. The show neglected to mention that ALL of these couponers were told by producers that they should plan for the biggest shopping trip they've ever done. The couponers called their grocery stores and pre-ordered products through store management. This, you can do, and it's a great way to do your favorite store a favor. If you know you've got 50 coupons for macaroni & cheese, call the store before the sale begins and ask if you can order a case of the item so that you're not wiping their shelves clean.
But on Extreme Couponing, the producers asked the stores to put all this pre-ordered product on the shelves and make the couponers load the product into their carts. Think about it- does your local grocery store have 260 packages of the same brand of noodles on the shelf? Mine sure doesn't! Some of the couponers who appeared on the show have since written blog posts explaining that they didn't actually clear the shelves of everything in stock. I think it's important for people to realize that just like so many other TV shows, this show was set up in a lot of ways, and that this kind of haul is NOT normal, certainly not on a regular basis.
If you had a chance to look closely at the coupons being used in the show you'll see that at least one person on the show split up her shopping into separate transactions and used catalinas (the coupons that print out at the register) to pay for part of the next order. One other person was pictured using coupons that didn't cover the items he was buying- not sure why the store let him do it... maybe for the publicity? Did you notice that 2 of the shoppers shopped at the same exact store? Did you know that some of these stores have since changed their coupon policy, so even if you went back to the SAME store with the SAME coupons, you couldn't re-create the deal? Did you notice that at least some of the shopping was done in a state with no tax on groceries?
Extreme Couponing is like most other shows on TLC-- it takes a facet of reality and portrays it in a way that makes it entertaining. I love Toddlers & Tiaras, but I don't believe that all pageant moms are nuts and all pageant kids are maniacs. I enjoy watching hoarding shows, but I don't believe that the true motivation behind the shows is to help people who have a problem getting rid of items in their homes. I don't believe for a second that Sarah Palin spends every day canoeing around Alaska and talking about how simple her life is. And I for sure don't believe that I could walk into Shaws tomorrow and get $1000 worth of grocers for 50 bucks-- and I hope you don't, either.
By the way... Extreme Couponing did well in the ratings and was picked up for 12 episodes, so if you enjoyed it, you'll be able to see lots more in the future. Just remember to have your salt nearby when you watch.
First of all, everyone needs to remember that Extreme Couponing was on TLC, land of "reality" shows like "MY NAME IS BUDDY FOGETTABOUTIT!" Cake Boss, "I eat chalk because it tastes great" My Strange Addiction, "I want my Nee Nee" Toddlers & Tiaras, and Sarah Palin's Alaska. Ahem. You really can't take anything on this channel seriously, because as the National Enquirer of TV channels, the aim of each show is-- wait for it... entertainment. So right off the bat, you need to take Extreme Couponing with a dash of (free) salt.
Can we talk about the things that TLC didn't mention? Let's see... that at least two of the four highlighted individuals make money as re-sellers of the items you saw in their stockpiles. One of the other stars of the show donates whatever her family can't use to various charities, and does so regularly (not just when there are TV cameras around). But the thing that annoyed me the most about the show was the misconception that you, too, can walk into a grocery store armed with a tote bag of coupons and walk away with hundreds or thousands of dollars of merchandise for close to nothing. This is the thing that I really want to make clear: it does NOT work that way.
Yes, couponing can be a lot of work and it can save you a ton of money. Yes, you can get great deals. But you can't just walk into a store and scoop up hundreds of toothbrushes in a display. The show neglected to mention that ALL of these couponers were told by producers that they should plan for the biggest shopping trip they've ever done. The couponers called their grocery stores and pre-ordered products through store management. This, you can do, and it's a great way to do your favorite store a favor. If you know you've got 50 coupons for macaroni & cheese, call the store before the sale begins and ask if you can order a case of the item so that you're not wiping their shelves clean.
But on Extreme Couponing, the producers asked the stores to put all this pre-ordered product on the shelves and make the couponers load the product into their carts. Think about it- does your local grocery store have 260 packages of the same brand of noodles on the shelf? Mine sure doesn't! Some of the couponers who appeared on the show have since written blog posts explaining that they didn't actually clear the shelves of everything in stock. I think it's important for people to realize that just like so many other TV shows, this show was set up in a lot of ways, and that this kind of haul is NOT normal, certainly not on a regular basis.
If you had a chance to look closely at the coupons being used in the show you'll see that at least one person on the show split up her shopping into separate transactions and used catalinas (the coupons that print out at the register) to pay for part of the next order. One other person was pictured using coupons that didn't cover the items he was buying- not sure why the store let him do it... maybe for the publicity? Did you notice that 2 of the shoppers shopped at the same exact store? Did you know that some of these stores have since changed their coupon policy, so even if you went back to the SAME store with the SAME coupons, you couldn't re-create the deal? Did you notice that at least some of the shopping was done in a state with no tax on groceries?
Extreme Couponing is like most other shows on TLC-- it takes a facet of reality and portrays it in a way that makes it entertaining. I love Toddlers & Tiaras, but I don't believe that all pageant moms are nuts and all pageant kids are maniacs. I enjoy watching hoarding shows, but I don't believe that the true motivation behind the shows is to help people who have a problem getting rid of items in their homes. I don't believe for a second that Sarah Palin spends every day canoeing around Alaska and talking about how simple her life is. And I for sure don't believe that I could walk into Shaws tomorrow and get $1000 worth of grocers for 50 bucks-- and I hope you don't, either.
By the way... Extreme Couponing did well in the ratings and was picked up for 12 episodes, so if you enjoyed it, you'll be able to see lots more in the future. Just remember to have your salt nearby when you watch.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
A couple of quick Rite Aid trips.
Yesterday I went out to snag some Ban roll-on for my brother, who thinks I'm a magical coupon grand master because I like to tell him my totals every time I do a Rite Aid run. Unfortunately my teeny RA only had a few of the deodorants in stock so it wasn't nearly as impressive as I wanted it to be. I ended up getting 4 of them "free" with an end profit of a measly .03. I had wanted to get 8, at which point I would have paid about 10 cents each.
This morning I headed back before I went to grab Mia at school. I purchased 8 boxes of Special K using 4 buy 1 get 1 free coupons. The boxes each printed a $1 +UP, plus every $15 worth of them you bought was another $5 +UP. I ended up "spending" $17.24 in +UP Rewards and getting $18 in +UP Rewards back, for an end profit of .76. Not bad considering the normal price is $4.79 a box!
I'll be donating most of the cereal, either to the food pantry in town or Rosie's Place in Boston, a soup kitchen/emergency shelter for women children in Boston. I was able to volunteer at Rosie's Place a few times over the summer with my church. We prepared and served dinner every other Tuesday night to around 100 people each evening. It was always fun, sometimes frustrating, and very rewarding each time I went. My church takes donations (clothes, perishable food for the food pantry, etc) for Rosie's Place throughout the year and delivers them every time we go to work at the soup kitchen, and I already have a pile of toiletries that are also headed to Rosie's on the next volunteer trip.
This morning I headed back before I went to grab Mia at school. I purchased 8 boxes of Special K using 4 buy 1 get 1 free coupons. The boxes each printed a $1 +UP, plus every $15 worth of them you bought was another $5 +UP. I ended up "spending" $17.24 in +UP Rewards and getting $18 in +UP Rewards back, for an end profit of .76. Not bad considering the normal price is $4.79 a box!
I'll be donating most of the cereal, either to the food pantry in town or Rosie's Place in Boston, a soup kitchen/emergency shelter for women children in Boston. I was able to volunteer at Rosie's Place a few times over the summer with my church. We prepared and served dinner every other Tuesday night to around 100 people each evening. It was always fun, sometimes frustrating, and very rewarding each time I went. My church takes donations (clothes, perishable food for the food pantry, etc) for Rosie's Place throughout the year and delivers them every time we go to work at the soup kitchen, and I already have a pile of toiletries that are also headed to Rosie's on the next volunteer trip.
Monday, January 3, 2011
I took some pictures for you!
I finished up my insert binder today, after putting in the 8 inserts I'd ordered last week, and I thought I'd take a couple of pictures of all my couponing stuff together. For posterity's sake. Yeah, that's it.
SO top left is my fancy new coupon organizer (a Christmas present from my brother who diligently went out and bought exactly what I asked him to). Top right is my old coupon organizer, which I now use to separate out which coupons I'll use at which store.
I got some write-on, removable filing tabs so I could change around my coupon organizer as needed until I got it exactly how I wanted it. At this point it's got 16 categories in it. I could do with more category dividers, but I'd have to order (or make) more so I'm going to live with it like this a couple more week and see how it works out for me.
My binder is just for storing coupon inserts. All the sites I use to look up deals will list exactly what coupon insert each coupon comes from, so I generally don't have to clip them up until I need something. I keep them in my binder until they're pretty decimated. The expired coupons will be donated (hopefully I'll talk more about this soon) and any coupons that are still good will get clipped and put in my coupon organizer, just in case I stumble upon a deal.
I also keep freebie coupons separate (like free Excedrin, free hair dye, etc) so I can get to them easily if there's a good deal out there. Store & restaurant coupons go in the purple coupon organizer.
You know, when my brother saw the coupon organizer I'd picked out, he said the print didn't seem like my style at all.
My Kindle skin and Netbook case beg to differ.
SO top left is my fancy new coupon organizer (a Christmas present from my brother who diligently went out and bought exactly what I asked him to). Top right is my old coupon organizer, which I now use to separate out which coupons I'll use at which store.
I got some write-on, removable filing tabs so I could change around my coupon organizer as needed until I got it exactly how I wanted it. At this point it's got 16 categories in it. I could do with more category dividers, but I'd have to order (or make) more so I'm going to live with it like this a couple more week and see how it works out for me.
My binder is just for storing coupon inserts. All the sites I use to look up deals will list exactly what coupon insert each coupon comes from, so I generally don't have to clip them up until I need something. I keep them in my binder until they're pretty decimated. The expired coupons will be donated (hopefully I'll talk more about this soon) and any coupons that are still good will get clipped and put in my coupon organizer, just in case I stumble upon a deal.
I also keep freebie coupons separate (like free Excedrin, free hair dye, etc) so I can get to them easily if there's a good deal out there. Store & restaurant coupons go in the purple coupon organizer.
You know, when my brother saw the coupon organizer I'd picked out, he said the print didn't seem like my style at all.
My Kindle skin and Netbook case beg to differ.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Sunday drugstore run...
I prepped to do CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens this morning. I've never tried shopping Walgreens, but I figured it was a good time to start... after spending over an hour at CVS and Rite Aid, though, I decided to just go home and try Wags another day.
CVS
1 Excedrin Extra Strength, 1 Excedrin Migraine, 2 Excedrin PM
- 2 FREE Excedrin coupons (cashier rung these up at 4.99 instead of the 5.49 they should have been, but for the deal I was getting I didn't feel the need to complain!)
-2 $2.50 off Excedrin PM coupons
6 packs Extra Desserts gum (these are buy 3 for $2, get $1 ECB, and I didn't realize it was limit 1... again, still a good price and I love this gum)
-$4/$20 email coupon from CVS
I rolled $5 in ECB and paid a little under $2 in cash, earned $11 ECB back.
Rite Aid
My local RA NEVER has the tags up until at least Tuesday. A few of the cashiers have grumbled to me that they're hard to put up. So despite my best intentions to go in with a list and the flyer all circled, I still sometimes (often?) mess up deals. This week there was a Scunci hair accessories deal, so I did a small transaction to see if the Scunci girls products counted. Nope. Then I did my main transaction, and after it was over I realized I hadn't met the minimum for Air Wick products, so I decided to just return the Air Wick stuff instead of trying to return it and run the deal the right way.
In the end I'm not really sure how the numbers worked out. In my first transaction I used all of my +UPs plus paid $10 in cash- then after the return I got $20 back. Ended up earning $14 in +UPs. I'd started with $20 +UPs in my worn out little Rite Aid envelope, so I guess it was about a $4 moneymaker. What did I get? Good question... 2 L'oreal concealers, 1 tube of Wet Ones, 1 75 oz. laundry detergent, 2 packs of Post It flags, 2 packs of Quilted Northern, 4 various packs of scunci hair accessories.
There were a few Rite Aid deals I didn't end up doing- stuff that was unadvertised and too hard to pull off without the price tags on the shelf. I'll probably go back in a couple of days to pick up anything I missed. And maybe I'll try Walgreens, too... if they don't continue to intimidate the heck outta me..
ETA:: I couldn't help it, I went back out to try the AirWick deal again. This time I was armed with a scenario and the proper coupons. I walked out with 6 AirWick kits and a profit of $2. I also ran to CVS (again!) and picked up 2 nail clippers and $1 in profit. No big moneymakers today, but I love picking up freebies to donate! Total profit today: $5 at CVS and $5 at Rite Aid.
CVS
1 Excedrin Extra Strength, 1 Excedrin Migraine, 2 Excedrin PM
- 2 FREE Excedrin coupons (cashier rung these up at 4.99 instead of the 5.49 they should have been, but for the deal I was getting I didn't feel the need to complain!)
-2 $2.50 off Excedrin PM coupons
6 packs Extra Desserts gum (these are buy 3 for $2, get $1 ECB, and I didn't realize it was limit 1... again, still a good price and I love this gum)
-$4/$20 email coupon from CVS
I rolled $5 in ECB and paid a little under $2 in cash, earned $11 ECB back.
Rite Aid
My local RA NEVER has the tags up until at least Tuesday. A few of the cashiers have grumbled to me that they're hard to put up. So despite my best intentions to go in with a list and the flyer all circled, I still sometimes (often?) mess up deals. This week there was a Scunci hair accessories deal, so I did a small transaction to see if the Scunci girls products counted. Nope. Then I did my main transaction, and after it was over I realized I hadn't met the minimum for Air Wick products, so I decided to just return the Air Wick stuff instead of trying to return it and run the deal the right way.
In the end I'm not really sure how the numbers worked out. In my first transaction I used all of my +UPs plus paid $10 in cash- then after the return I got $20 back. Ended up earning $14 in +UPs. I'd started with $20 +UPs in my worn out little Rite Aid envelope, so I guess it was about a $4 moneymaker. What did I get? Good question... 2 L'oreal concealers, 1 tube of Wet Ones, 1 75 oz. laundry detergent, 2 packs of Post It flags, 2 packs of Quilted Northern, 4 various packs of scunci hair accessories.
There were a few Rite Aid deals I didn't end up doing- stuff that was unadvertised and too hard to pull off without the price tags on the shelf. I'll probably go back in a couple of days to pick up anything I missed. And maybe I'll try Walgreens, too... if they don't continue to intimidate the heck outta me..
ETA:: I couldn't help it, I went back out to try the AirWick deal again. This time I was armed with a scenario and the proper coupons. I walked out with 6 AirWick kits and a profit of $2. I also ran to CVS (again!) and picked up 2 nail clippers and $1 in profit. No big moneymakers today, but I love picking up freebies to donate! Total profit today: $5 at CVS and $5 at Rite Aid.
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