I really missed posting! I don't even know if anyone is still reading, but I have a few friends who asked if I could help them get started with some scenarios, so that's what I am going to try to do for a bit. :)
Let me start by saying that I know there are people who don't have time or the inclination to do a bunch of separate transactions. If you want to buy everything in one swoop, that's totally up to you. Your out of pocket will be higher up front, but then you'll have more rewards to roll or use at the end, but the bottom line will be the same. :)
So, without further ado:
Rite Aid:
You must do this by tomorrow! There is an overlapping deal with the weekly and monthly deals, but the monthly ends tomorrow, 9/27 ( I know? It's not the end of the month? Who knows why they do it this way)
Make sure you have a Wellness Card (loyalty card) and that it's scanned before any items are rung up, ensuring you will get your discounts and rewards.
I am going to do this without any coupons but printables, then list the insert coupons at the bottom, which can further reduce your out of pocket (oop).
Buy
1 Crest Pro-Health $2.69
1 Periobalance GUM OR 1 Doctor's Nightguard $24.99
= $27.68
Use $5/1 printable for GUM here or printable for Nightguard here
=$22.68 +tax
Get back Crest $2.69 +up, $20 Nightguard +up, $5 Oral Care +up (the Oral Care up is the one ending tomorrow)
*If you have insert coupons, go back to the week of 8.28 and pull the $1/1 Crest coupon and save an additional dollar.
You could then purchase the Softsoap body wash, if you are in need, as it's either free or $.24 (depending on the coupon you received in your paper)
Buy:
Softosap Body Wash $2.99
Arizona Tea $.50 (for a filler)
=$3.49
Use
$.75/1 mq (from this weeks paper)
$2.69 +up from first transaction
=-$3.44
=$.05 out of pocket +tax
Receive $2 Softsoap +up
Some areas got a $1/1 Softsoap coupon, so if that's the case, buy something for your filler that will cover the extra. Something you need or want, a drink, candy bar, carton of eggs, loaf of bread, etc.
Showing posts with label Getting Started. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Getting Started. Show all posts
Monday, September 26, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Getting Started: Walgreens
A lot of people have been asking me lately about the coupon game. It's difficult to get to the level I am at without starting easy.
So, if you want to get started, here's your scenario for Walgreens, this week.
Transaction 1:
Buy
Arnicare $5.99
=$5.99
Use
$2/1 Arnicare coupon HERE
=$3.99 +tax
Earn $6rr
Transaction 2
Buy
Neuragen $14.99
Fill $1.01
=$16.00
Use
$10/1 Neuragen mq (Print this q, found in the Diabetes and You booklet HERE - company that makes Neuragen has been called and approved use of printed coupons from online magazine! - not the case for the other coupons in this magazine!)
$6 rr (from Transaction 1)
=$0 + tax
Earn $10 rr
That's it. Now you have $10 to use on something you need, or roll into another deal.
To get a little more advanced:
Transaction 3
Buy
Gillette Fusion $9.99
Arnicare $5.99
Fill $.39
=$16.38
Use
$4/1 coupon from P&G insert
$2/1 Arnicare printable
$10rr from Transaction 2
=$16
-$.38 +tax
Earn $6rr (Arnicare), $4rr (Gillette Fusion)
Then, if you want to go crazy, buy another Neuragen, using the Arnicare rr, saving the $4rr and earning another $10rr.
Walgreens basics:
A Register Reward (RR) is a coupon earned when you purchase specific items. These are manufacturer coupons and are subject to the "One manufacturer coupon per item" rule. Therefore, you must have a "filler" or an item for the rr to "attach to". Your number of manufacturer coupons cannot outnumber your number of items (Walgreens store coupons do not count).
When you earn a rr, if you buy another of the same item with the rr earned, it will not print another rr.
For example, if you buy Arnicare with the $6 rr earned from the previous Arnicare you bought, you will not get another rr back.
RR's cannot have a value more than items purchased. If you want to buy a $5.99 item with a $6rr, you need something else in the transaction to bring your total over $6. (Another use for fillers)
You WILL receive a rr when you purchase an item using a coupon. No matter what the cashier/SS/SM may tell you.
RR's will not print if the Catalina machine is offline, out of paper, or if they have not been programmed properly at corporate.
So, if you want to get started, here's your scenario for Walgreens, this week.
Transaction 1:
Buy
Arnicare $5.99
=$5.99
Use
$2/1 Arnicare coupon HERE
=$3.99 +tax
Earn $6rr
Transaction 2
Buy
Neuragen $14.99
Fill $1.01
=$16.00
Use
$10/1 Neuragen mq (Print this q, found in the Diabetes and You booklet HERE - company that makes Neuragen has been called and approved use of printed coupons from online magazine! - not the case for the other coupons in this magazine!)
$6 rr (from Transaction 1)
=$0 + tax
Earn $10 rr
That's it. Now you have $10 to use on something you need, or roll into another deal.
To get a little more advanced:
Transaction 3
Buy
Gillette Fusion $9.99
Arnicare $5.99
Fill $.39
=$16.38
Use
$4/1 coupon from P&G insert
$2/1 Arnicare printable
$10rr from Transaction 2
=$16
-$.38 +tax
Earn $6rr (Arnicare), $4rr (Gillette Fusion)
Then, if you want to go crazy, buy another Neuragen, using the Arnicare rr, saving the $4rr and earning another $10rr.
Walgreens basics:
A Register Reward (RR) is a coupon earned when you purchase specific items. These are manufacturer coupons and are subject to the "One manufacturer coupon per item" rule. Therefore, you must have a "filler" or an item for the rr to "attach to". Your number of manufacturer coupons cannot outnumber your number of items (Walgreens store coupons do not count).
When you earn a rr, if you buy another of the same item with the rr earned, it will not print another rr.
For example, if you buy Arnicare with the $6 rr earned from the previous Arnicare you bought, you will not get another rr back.
RR's cannot have a value more than items purchased. If you want to buy a $5.99 item with a $6rr, you need something else in the transaction to bring your total over $6. (Another use for fillers)
You WILL receive a rr when you purchase an item using a coupon. No matter what the cashier/SS/SM may tell you.
RR's will not print if the Catalina machine is offline, out of paper, or if they have not been programmed properly at corporate.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
I've been thinking
ETA: I've had several requests to be able to copy this post and/or link to it. That is totally fine. :) If you'd like to copy or link to my post, please just credit me when you do so. Brandy @ ipreferpublix.blogspot.com
One of the things that bugs me the most about being a couponer is that people (and by people I mean, cashiers, managers, other customers) think I am getting away with something, ripping off the store, cheating the system, some even say I am stealing. And it makes me furious.
This attitude comes from a lack of knowledge about how coupons work. If you're here reading my blog, you probably know how coupons work. Here's a quick reminder for all of us...
Manufacturer's coupons: When the stores submit these to the clearinghouse, they are reimbursed FULL FACE VALUE plus $.08 per coupon. So the store makes MORE money by accepting your coupon than by the average shopper handing over cash/credit.
*If a coupon is difficult to read/scan at the fault of the manufacturer/design, the store can charge the manufacturer even more for the handling of these q's.
*Most Clearinghouses are huge conveyor belts that scan coupons to tally the reimbursement value, so that cashier that agrees to "give it to you for free, shouldn't that be enough?" by marking your $1 coupon down to $.75? Just made $.25 for the store. That huge scanner doesn't pay a single inkling to that little $.75 the cashier wrote on your coupon.
*Stores even get reimbursed postage for the cost of shipping the coupons to the clearinghouse.
Doubling/Tripling coupons: A gimmick to get you in the door. The store eats the cost of doubles/triples. They consider it worthwhile if it causes you to shop there rather than at... Wal-Mart.
Competitor Coupons: This is truly a loss for a store. There is no reimbursement value for competitor coupons. Like doubling/tripling, accepting competitor coupons is a gimmick to get you in the doors to buy all your other items at their store rather than the competitor. Stores that accept competitor coupons are using a brilliant marketing strategy. They are counting on you wanting to buy all your items in one place, and hoping that if you have a competitor's coupon that you can use at their store, you'll stick around for the other things as well.
Store Coupons: Store coupons are a little tricky to define. Let's take Publix as an example. Regular Publix shoppers will notice that those Advantage Buy Flyers have coupons and sales that rotate on a regular basis. One that appears often is the $6/2 Sundown Vitamins coupon. The CEO of Publix may be a nice guy, but he's not browsing the local store looking for things to give away. I promise. :) What happens is, some head honcho at Sundown gets together with some head honcho at Publix and they strike a deal. The value could be based on number of coupons redeemed, or number of stores that run the sale. Specifically for Publix, the most recent numbers show that Publix is getting reimbursed approximately 75-80% of the Store coupons' face value. So don't let anyone say to you "Publix doesn't get reimbursed for these" "We can't give it to you for free" "We can't pay you to take it". Because that shows lack of knowledge of how these q's work.
BOGO deals (Publix): You may not be aware of this, but like the store coupons, sales like the Mega sales at Kroger and BOGO sales at Publix are also marketing ploys that are reimbursed by the manufacturer! If Publix is selling Scrubbing Bubbles BOGO at $3.99/ea, that means, you, the consumer, will pay half price for the item, or $2.00. At the end of the sale, Publix tells Johnson and Johnson, hey, we sold 100 bottles of Scrubbing Bubbles, costing us $199, now pony up. And Johnson and Johnson PAYS Publix for running the special and promoting the product. It is another form of advertising. Most recent numbers show that BOGO sales at Publix are reimbursed at approximately 70-80%.
ETA: It occurred to me I failed to mention rainchecks. Rainchecks are another loss for a store. The store is reimbursed the difference of the sale to the store, but if a raincheck is issued, the store is the one to eat the cost when you do use the raincheck. The manufacturer will cover the "deal" for the week the item is on sale, but the store is responsible for keeping the items in stock. If a store has to issue a raincheck, then the amount of discount given is lost since it is beyond the sale week. This is a reason you will have limits enforced on rainchecks.
It makes me crazy that people have this mindset that people who use coupons are abusing the system. I hate that. As long as you are an honest couponer, using legit coupons and following the store rules, then you are doing no such thing. Abuse comes from illegal photocopies, stacking two manufacturer coupons on one item, and so forth. That is true abuse of the system. Most of us? We are just honest people looking for a good deal.
And in the end? The store wins. The store wins BIG by catering to couponers. Let me show you what I mean. . .
When I shop at Publix, I use the trick of buying multiple moneymakers to build up overage to afford the items I need. This helps reduce my out of pocket expense. Do I need 10 bottles of Aleve? 8 Rolls of J&J gauze? 10 boxes of Phazyme? Not right at the moment, and I certainly wouldn't walk into Publix and pay for all of that with cash. So Publix makes a higher profit by selling to me than the average person who runs in for a few things.
My most recent shopping trip:
For Items I use regularly that I stockpiled or needed (eggs, Morningstar, fruit, etc)
Total Cost: $125.61
Total store coupons: $5
Total Mq's: $64.15
(Quantity of mq's presented: 51: $4.08 handling fees)
Total doubles: $4.50
Total BOGO: $60.49
For Moneymakers:
Total cost: $108.96
Total store coupons: $103
Total Mq's: $82
(Quantity of mq's presented: 41: $3.28 handling fees)
For this scenario, we'll go with an 80% return on BOGOs and store q's.
So, for this trip, after reimbursement, the store will have received approximately $288.50, losing $38.20 in store coupons, doubles and BOGOs.
BUT If I wasn't a couponer, and only bought the items I needed/wanted, and we're assuming I am still stockpiling... The store would have made $120.62, losing $17.60 in store coupons, BOGOs and doubles.
When I shopped, I cost them $20.60, but I brought in an additional $167.88.
Now. Which stores was it that wanted to turn away the couponers????
*Disclaimer: I worked as a budget/price analyst for four years for a Publishing company, saving my company more than $1.5 million in residual effects in a single year, so I am pretty darn good with numbers.
One of the things that bugs me the most about being a couponer is that people (and by people I mean, cashiers, managers, other customers) think I am getting away with something, ripping off the store, cheating the system, some even say I am stealing. And it makes me furious.
This attitude comes from a lack of knowledge about how coupons work. If you're here reading my blog, you probably know how coupons work. Here's a quick reminder for all of us...
Manufacturer's coupons: When the stores submit these to the clearinghouse, they are reimbursed FULL FACE VALUE plus $.08 per coupon. So the store makes MORE money by accepting your coupon than by the average shopper handing over cash/credit.
*If a coupon is difficult to read/scan at the fault of the manufacturer/design, the store can charge the manufacturer even more for the handling of these q's.
*Most Clearinghouses are huge conveyor belts that scan coupons to tally the reimbursement value, so that cashier that agrees to "give it to you for free, shouldn't that be enough?" by marking your $1 coupon down to $.75? Just made $.25 for the store. That huge scanner doesn't pay a single inkling to that little $.75 the cashier wrote on your coupon.
*Stores even get reimbursed postage for the cost of shipping the coupons to the clearinghouse.
Doubling/Tripling coupons: A gimmick to get you in the door. The store eats the cost of doubles/triples. They consider it worthwhile if it causes you to shop there rather than at... Wal-Mart.
Competitor Coupons: This is truly a loss for a store. There is no reimbursement value for competitor coupons. Like doubling/tripling, accepting competitor coupons is a gimmick to get you in the doors to buy all your other items at their store rather than the competitor. Stores that accept competitor coupons are using a brilliant marketing strategy. They are counting on you wanting to buy all your items in one place, and hoping that if you have a competitor's coupon that you can use at their store, you'll stick around for the other things as well.
Store Coupons: Store coupons are a little tricky to define. Let's take Publix as an example. Regular Publix shoppers will notice that those Advantage Buy Flyers have coupons and sales that rotate on a regular basis. One that appears often is the $6/2 Sundown Vitamins coupon. The CEO of Publix may be a nice guy, but he's not browsing the local store looking for things to give away. I promise. :) What happens is, some head honcho at Sundown gets together with some head honcho at Publix and they strike a deal. The value could be based on number of coupons redeemed, or number of stores that run the sale. Specifically for Publix, the most recent numbers show that Publix is getting reimbursed approximately 75-80% of the Store coupons' face value. So don't let anyone say to you "Publix doesn't get reimbursed for these" "We can't give it to you for free" "We can't pay you to take it". Because that shows lack of knowledge of how these q's work.
BOGO deals (Publix): You may not be aware of this, but like the store coupons, sales like the Mega sales at Kroger and BOGO sales at Publix are also marketing ploys that are reimbursed by the manufacturer! If Publix is selling Scrubbing Bubbles BOGO at $3.99/ea, that means, you, the consumer, will pay half price for the item, or $2.00. At the end of the sale, Publix tells Johnson and Johnson, hey, we sold 100 bottles of Scrubbing Bubbles, costing us $199, now pony up. And Johnson and Johnson PAYS Publix for running the special and promoting the product. It is another form of advertising. Most recent numbers show that BOGO sales at Publix are reimbursed at approximately 70-80%.
ETA: It occurred to me I failed to mention rainchecks. Rainchecks are another loss for a store. The store is reimbursed the difference of the sale to the store, but if a raincheck is issued, the store is the one to eat the cost when you do use the raincheck. The manufacturer will cover the "deal" for the week the item is on sale, but the store is responsible for keeping the items in stock. If a store has to issue a raincheck, then the amount of discount given is lost since it is beyond the sale week. This is a reason you will have limits enforced on rainchecks.
It makes me crazy that people have this mindset that people who use coupons are abusing the system. I hate that. As long as you are an honest couponer, using legit coupons and following the store rules, then you are doing no such thing. Abuse comes from illegal photocopies, stacking two manufacturer coupons on one item, and so forth. That is true abuse of the system. Most of us? We are just honest people looking for a good deal.
And in the end? The store wins. The store wins BIG by catering to couponers. Let me show you what I mean. . .
When I shop at Publix, I use the trick of buying multiple moneymakers to build up overage to afford the items I need. This helps reduce my out of pocket expense. Do I need 10 bottles of Aleve? 8 Rolls of J&J gauze? 10 boxes of Phazyme? Not right at the moment, and I certainly wouldn't walk into Publix and pay for all of that with cash. So Publix makes a higher profit by selling to me than the average person who runs in for a few things.
My most recent shopping trip:
For Items I use regularly that I stockpiled or needed (eggs, Morningstar, fruit, etc)
Total Cost: $125.61
Total store coupons: $5
Total Mq's: $64.15
(Quantity of mq's presented: 51: $4.08 handling fees)
Total doubles: $4.50
Total BOGO: $60.49
For Moneymakers:
Total cost: $108.96
Total store coupons: $103
Total Mq's: $82
(Quantity of mq's presented: 41: $3.28 handling fees)
For this scenario, we'll go with an 80% return on BOGOs and store q's.
So, for this trip, after reimbursement, the store will have received approximately $288.50, losing $38.20 in store coupons, doubles and BOGOs.
BUT If I wasn't a couponer, and only bought the items I needed/wanted, and we're assuming I am still stockpiling... The store would have made $120.62, losing $17.60 in store coupons, BOGOs and doubles.
When I shopped, I cost them $20.60, but I brought in an additional $167.88.
Now. Which stores was it that wanted to turn away the couponers????
*Disclaimer: I worked as a budget/price analyst for four years for a Publishing company, saving my company more than $1.5 million in residual effects in a single year, so I am pretty darn good with numbers.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Getting started...at Publix
When I started couponing, no, scratch that. When I started EXTREME couponing, I started slow. Started with CVS, then added in Rite Aid and Walgreens, then I added in the grocery stores and the big chains (Target and Wal-Mart).
Figuring out how to get my groceries at rock bottom prices took a while. I finally learned how to get the most for my money, and I remember the first time I got overage. I was so excited I called everyone! And they all thought I was so funny.
Anyway, if you're starting out at Publix, and might not have newspaper coupons, this is a great week for you! You can get loads of cheap and free things to start your stockpile with only printables that are available and store coupons. I have created a scenario below to show you just what you can get with only the items available right now, without any newspaper or booklet coupons.
Here is a scenario of these items for you (remember that in most areas of TN, GA and AL, BOGO items ring up half price):
Buy
2 Barber Foods Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Assorted Varieties, 8 or 10-oz pkg, BOGO $4.99
-$1/1 Barber Foods printable HERE or HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
2 Buitoni Pasta Fettuccine, Linguine, or Angel Hair, 9-oz pkg, BOGO $2.39
-$1/1 Buitoni printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
2 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Assorted Varieties, BOGO $2.29
-$1/1 I Can't Believe it's not Butter printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
1 Cool Whip Whipped Topping, Assorted Varieties, 8-oz bowl, BOGO $1.49
-$.55/1 Cool Whip printable HERE
6 Betty Crocker Potatoes, Assorted Varieties, 4.6 to 6.6-oz box, BOGO $1.59
-$.40/1 Betty Crocker printable HERE, HERE and HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
2 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Cake Mix or Cupcake, Assorted Varieties, 17.52 or 18.25-oz box, (Excluding Angel Food and Carrot Cake), BOGO $1.65 (IF your store takes Food Lion competitor coupons)
-$1.50/2 Duncan Hines FLip printable HERE (use one coupon for each two items purchased)
2 Mueller's Pasta, Assorted Varieties, 12 or 16-oz box, or 100% All Natural Whole Wheat Pasta, 13.24-oz box, (excluding Lasagna and Jumbo Shells), BOGO $1.39
-$.55/1 Mueller's Whole Wheat printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
1 Pure Wesson Oil Vegetable, Corn, 100% Natural Canola or Best Blend, 48-oz bottle, BOGO $3.69
-$.50/1 Wesson printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
4 Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk BOGO .99¢
-$.50/2 Carnation milk printable HERE (use one coupon for each two items purchased)
2 Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix, Assorted Varieties, BOGO $1.99 (IF your store takes Target competitor coupons)
-$1/1 Swiss Miss Target coupon printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
2 Kodak PowerFlash Camera, One-Time-Use, 27 Exposures, BOGO $7.09 (IF your store takes Target competitor coupons)
-$5/1 Target coupon (Valid coupon is no longer available. Target changed the wording and if you haven't already printed it, it will say "excludes single-use cameras")
1 Tostitos Tortilla Chips, Assorted Varieties (Excluding Baked, Light or Natural), 9 to 13-oz bag or Tostitos or Fritos Dip, 15 or 15.75-oz jar, 2/$6 (IF your store takes Rite Aid competitor coupons)
$1/1 Rite Aid coupon (use one coupon for each item purchased)
Total oop: $4.18 + tax
Now, this is only using current printables. If you have inserts from papers, you'll have coupons to stack with some of these (see previous post about good deals). There are also matching q's from several booklets, if you make a habit of snagging a few of each that you see, you'll have some of those as well.
To reduce the out of pocket, start looking for "moneymakers". Currently there are a few in the Green Advantage Buy flyer. As you walk in, pick up a few of those (bring your scissors :) ) and then head to the cosmetics aisle. Look for Revlon beauty tool- nail clippers, emery boards, that sort of thing. Look for the cheapest ones.
Clip out the $2.50/1 Publix coupon in the flyer for any Revlon product. Buy a pair of $1.49 clippers, use this coupon, and you'll get $1.01 off your total. Buy four pair and get $4.04 off your total. See how this works?
If you go HERE and print the $1/1 Revlon tool coupon (it's a manufacturer's coupon with a Target logo on it) and use that with your Publix coupon, you've made an additional dollar to add to your total.
If you're lucky and are shopping a store that does not have a lot of couponers, you'll have no trouble finding these, if your store has a lot of couponers, you'll know it because they'll be gone! LOL!
Also take a look and see if there are any bottles of Sundown Vitamin D @ $2.99/ea. If so, and if they have coupons on the caps for $1/1, grab two, take off the peelie coupons to use, and also clip out the $6/2 Sundown Publix coupon from the flyer. This will give you $2.02 overage for each two bottles with both manufacturer and Publix coupons.
Figuring out how to get my groceries at rock bottom prices took a while. I finally learned how to get the most for my money, and I remember the first time I got overage. I was so excited I called everyone! And they all thought I was so funny.
Anyway, if you're starting out at Publix, and might not have newspaper coupons, this is a great week for you! You can get loads of cheap and free things to start your stockpile with only printables that are available and store coupons. I have created a scenario below to show you just what you can get with only the items available right now, without any newspaper or booklet coupons.
Here is a scenario of these items for you (remember that in most areas of TN, GA and AL, BOGO items ring up half price):
Buy
2 Barber Foods Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Assorted Varieties, 8 or 10-oz pkg, BOGO $4.99
-$1/1 Barber Foods printable HERE or HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
2 Buitoni Pasta Fettuccine, Linguine, or Angel Hair, 9-oz pkg, BOGO $2.39
-$1/1 Buitoni printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
2 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Assorted Varieties, BOGO $2.29
-$1/1 I Can't Believe it's not Butter printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
1 Cool Whip Whipped Topping, Assorted Varieties, 8-oz bowl, BOGO $1.49
-$.55/1 Cool Whip printable HERE
6 Betty Crocker Potatoes, Assorted Varieties, 4.6 to 6.6-oz box, BOGO $1.59
-$.40/1 Betty Crocker printable HERE, HERE and HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
2 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Cake Mix or Cupcake, Assorted Varieties, 17.52 or 18.25-oz box, (Excluding Angel Food and Carrot Cake), BOGO $1.65 (IF your store takes Food Lion competitor coupons)
-$1.50/2 Duncan Hines FLip printable HERE (use one coupon for each two items purchased)
2 Mueller's Pasta, Assorted Varieties, 12 or 16-oz box, or 100% All Natural Whole Wheat Pasta, 13.24-oz box, (excluding Lasagna and Jumbo Shells), BOGO $1.39
-$.55/1 Mueller's Whole Wheat printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
1 Pure Wesson Oil Vegetable, Corn, 100% Natural Canola or Best Blend, 48-oz bottle, BOGO $3.69
-$.50/1 Wesson printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
4 Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk BOGO .99¢
-$.50/2 Carnation milk printable HERE (use one coupon for each two items purchased)
2 Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix, Assorted Varieties, BOGO $1.99 (IF your store takes Target competitor coupons)
-$1/1 Swiss Miss Target coupon printable HERE (use one coupon for each item purchased)
2 Kodak PowerFlash Camera, One-Time-Use, 27 Exposures, BOGO $7.09 (IF your store takes Target competitor coupons)
-$5/1 Target coupon (Valid coupon is no longer available. Target changed the wording and if you haven't already printed it, it will say "excludes single-use cameras")
1 Tostitos Tortilla Chips, Assorted Varieties (Excluding Baked, Light or Natural), 9 to 13-oz bag or Tostitos or Fritos Dip, 15 or 15.75-oz jar, 2/$6 (IF your store takes Rite Aid competitor coupons)
$1/1 Rite Aid coupon (use one coupon for each item purchased)
Total oop: $4.18 + tax
Now, this is only using current printables. If you have inserts from papers, you'll have coupons to stack with some of these (see previous post about good deals). There are also matching q's from several booklets, if you make a habit of snagging a few of each that you see, you'll have some of those as well.
To reduce the out of pocket, start looking for "moneymakers". Currently there are a few in the Green Advantage Buy flyer. As you walk in, pick up a few of those (bring your scissors :) ) and then head to the cosmetics aisle. Look for Revlon beauty tool- nail clippers, emery boards, that sort of thing. Look for the cheapest ones.
Clip out the $2.50/1 Publix coupon in the flyer for any Revlon product. Buy a pair of $1.49 clippers, use this coupon, and you'll get $1.01 off your total. Buy four pair and get $4.04 off your total. See how this works?
If you go HERE and print the $1/1 Revlon tool coupon (it's a manufacturer's coupon with a Target logo on it) and use that with your Publix coupon, you've made an additional dollar to add to your total.
If you're lucky and are shopping a store that does not have a lot of couponers, you'll have no trouble finding these, if your store has a lot of couponers, you'll know it because they'll be gone! LOL!
Also take a look and see if there are any bottles of Sundown Vitamin D @ $2.99/ea. If so, and if they have coupons on the caps for $1/1, grab two, take off the peelie coupons to use, and also clip out the $6/2 Sundown Publix coupon from the flyer. This will give you $2.02 overage for each two bottles with both manufacturer and Publix coupons.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Rite Aid, week of 10/25
Or, get free diapers at Rite Aid this week...
A few good deals, and a way to get free diapers.
Here you go:
Huggies 9.99
GE Lightbulbs 1.00
GE Lightbulbs 1.00
Vaseline Sheer Infusion 4.99
St. Ives 3.99
Kotex Maxi pads or tampons 2.99
Nestle Fun/Snack size candy 2.44
=$26.40
Use:
$5/25 HERE
$2/1 Huggies Video Values from last month
$3/1 Huggies Pure and Natural (if included) 10/25 or HERE
$1.50/1 Vaseline HERE or $1/1 Vaseline lotion 10/18
$1/1 St Ives 9/20
$1/1 Kotex HERE
$1/1 Nestle HERE
Total oop: $11.90 (or $12.40 depending on Vaseline q used)
Total earned: $14
Profit: (around) $2
If Pure and Natural are not included, there are other q's out there- both for pull-ups (also part of the deal) and regular dipes. The oop will be a little more. This weekend's paper will have a Huggies insert in it so you can use the q from there. There are also various printables.
A few good deals, and a way to get free diapers.
Here you go:
Huggies 9.99
GE Lightbulbs 1.00
GE Lightbulbs 1.00
Vaseline Sheer Infusion 4.99
St. Ives 3.99
Kotex Maxi pads or tampons 2.99
Nestle Fun/Snack size candy 2.44
=$26.40
Use:
$5/25 HERE
$2/1 Huggies Video Values from last month
$3/1 Huggies Pure and Natural (if included) 10/25 or HERE
$1.50/1 Vaseline HERE or $1/1 Vaseline lotion 10/18
$1/1 St Ives 9/20
$1/1 Kotex HERE
$1/1 Nestle HERE
Total oop: $11.90 (or $12.40 depending on Vaseline q used)
Total earned: $14
Profit: (around) $2
If Pure and Natural are not included, there are other q's out there- both for pull-ups (also part of the deal) and regular dipes. The oop will be a little more. This weekend's paper will have a Huggies insert in it so you can use the q from there. There are also various printables.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Rite Aid week of 10/18
It's another great week at Rite Aid!!
ETA: I've been researching the NeilMed q's and they are q's emailed from the NeilMed site. All emailed files have the same barcode and Rite Aid is a participating location. I don't know why it states that third parties are not reimbursed, but based on the info available on the site, Rite Aid will get reimbursed. So YAY!! Good coupons! :D (Thanks for bearing with me! :) )
Here are the freebies for the week and a few scenarios that I will be doing.
Moneymakers (with coupon):
*Blink Tears Lubricant Eye Drop 15 mL get Up to $7.99 SCR #23
-$4 Blink Tears or Blink GelTears Lubricating Eye Drops, any V 8/2/09
-$1.50 Blink Tears Lubricating Eye Drops HERE
*Children’s Coldcalm Pellets 80 ct or Chestal Honey Cough Syrup 8.45 oz get Up to $7.99 SCR #24
-$1 On Children’s Oscillococcinum®, Children’s Coldcalm®, or Children’s Chestal® (any size) HERE
*Little Allergies Allergen Block 150 applications get Up to $9.99 SCR #28
-$3 Little Allergies Allergen Block SS 5/3/09
*Zantac 150 or 24 ct, or Cool 24 ct, or 75 30 ct get up to $8.99 SCR #2
-$5 zantac, any HERE
-$1 Zantac SS 8/23/09 or SS 5/17/09
*Zucol Lozenges Orange Cream Flavored 18 ct get Up to $5.99 SCR #22
-$2 Zucol Cold Care or SS 3/8/09
*Neilmed Sinuflo Ready Rinse 8 oz or NasoGel Drip Free Gel Spray 45 mL get Up to $5.99 SCR #20
-$2/1 printable HERE
*Neilmed Nasal Mist Saline Spray 6 oz get Up to $9.99 SCR #21
-$2/1 printable HERE
Freebies:
*Cepacol Fizzlers Just for Sore Throats 12 ct get Up to $4.99 SCR #31
*Chloraseptic Kids Grape Kids Throat Spray 6 oz or Grape Kids Sore Throat Relief Strips 40 ct get Up to $4.49 SCR #27
*EOS Lip Balm .14-.25 oz get Up to $1.99 SCR #30
*Little Colds Mucus Relief Melt 12 ct or Sore Throat Melt 12 ct get Up to $5.49 SCR #26
*Little Colds Multi-Symptom Formula 1 oz get Up to $3.99 SCR #25
*Sambucol Lozenges 30 ct get Up to $7.99 SCR #29
*Rice Krispies bogo- price unknown
-Rice Krispies "FREE" from Vocalpoint = 2 free!
ETA: I've been researching the NeilMed q's and they are q's emailed from the NeilMed site. All emailed files have the same barcode and Rite Aid is a participating location. I don't know why it states that third parties are not reimbursed, but based on the info available on the site, Rite Aid will get reimbursed. So YAY!! Good coupons! :D (Thanks for bearing with me! :) )
Here are the freebies for the week and a few scenarios that I will be doing.
Moneymakers (with coupon):
*Blink Tears Lubricant Eye Drop 15 mL get Up to $7.99 SCR #23
-$4 Blink Tears or Blink GelTears Lubricating Eye Drops, any V 8/2/09
-$1.50 Blink Tears Lubricating Eye Drops HERE
*Children’s Coldcalm Pellets 80 ct or Chestal Honey Cough Syrup 8.45 oz get Up to $7.99 SCR #24
-$1 On Children’s Oscillococcinum®, Children’s Coldcalm®, or Children’s Chestal® (any size) HERE
*Little Allergies Allergen Block 150 applications get Up to $9.99 SCR #28
-$3 Little Allergies Allergen Block SS 5/3/09
*Zantac 150 or 24 ct, or Cool 24 ct, or 75 30 ct get up to $8.99 SCR #2
-$5 zantac, any HERE
-$1 Zantac SS 8/23/09 or SS 5/17/09
*Zucol Lozenges Orange Cream Flavored 18 ct get Up to $5.99 SCR #22
-$2 Zucol Cold Care or SS 3/8/09
*Neilmed Sinuflo Ready Rinse 8 oz or NasoGel Drip Free Gel Spray 45 mL get Up to $5.99 SCR #20
-$2/1 printable HERE
*Neilmed Nasal Mist Saline Spray 6 oz get Up to $9.99 SCR #21
-$2/1 printable HERE
Freebies:
*Cepacol Fizzlers Just for Sore Throats 12 ct get Up to $4.99 SCR #31
*Chloraseptic Kids Grape Kids Throat Spray 6 oz or Grape Kids Sore Throat Relief Strips 40 ct get Up to $4.49 SCR #27
*EOS Lip Balm .14-.25 oz get Up to $1.99 SCR #30
*Little Colds Mucus Relief Melt 12 ct or Sore Throat Melt 12 ct get Up to $5.49 SCR #26
*Little Colds Multi-Symptom Formula 1 oz get Up to $3.99 SCR #25
*Sambucol Lozenges 30 ct get Up to $7.99 SCR #29
*Rice Krispies bogo- price unknown
-Rice Krispies "FREE" from Vocalpoint = 2 free!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Walgreens, week of 10/18
Getting started, week two
All deals should print rr's. You CAN use coupons on rr deals and still get rr's. If you use a coupon, buy the correct product and you do not get an rr, call Catalina and they will issue you a rr. OR tell the manager your rr didn't print. If they are coupon savvy, they will help make it right. If not, you may end up calling Cat anyway. *shrug* It's one of the drawbacks to Wags and Catalina- many/most stores do not know how Catalina works and make up whatever excuse they can think of as to why it didn't print.
Transaction 1
Dentek floss 2.00
Robitussin To Go 2.49
Chapstick 2.99
Total $6.48
Use
$1 Dentek mq from 10/11
$5 rr
Total oop: $1.48 +tax
Earn:
$2 rr Dentek
$2.50rr Robitussin
$3rr Chapstick
Transaction 2
Theraflu 4.99
Theraflu 4.99
Theraflu 4.99
fill .20
Total: 15.19
use:
$2/1 Theraflu mq 10/18
$2/1 Theraflu mq 10/18
$2/1 Theraflu mq 10/18
$2/1 Theraflu Wagsq (from Healthy Living booklet found in store- have cashier scan it, it will automatically multiply by three to reflect the three purchased) = $6
$3 rr (Chapstick)
Total oop: $.19 + tax
Earn
$8rr (Theraflu)
Transaction 3
Zantac 8.99
Trident 2/$2.00
Trident 2/2.00
fill .20
fill .20
Total: 11.38
use:
$5/1 Zantac mq printable HERE
$.75/1 Trident printable HERE
$.75/1 Trident printable HERE
$2 rr (Dentek)
$2.50rr (Robitussin)
Total oop: $.38 + tax
Earn
$9rr (Zantac)
$1rr (Trident)
*With these transactions, you'll have spent under $2.00 and have leftover a $8rr, $1rr and a $9rr. You just made $17. How does that feel? :)
All deals should print rr's. You CAN use coupons on rr deals and still get rr's. If you use a coupon, buy the correct product and you do not get an rr, call Catalina and they will issue you a rr. OR tell the manager your rr didn't print. If they are coupon savvy, they will help make it right. If not, you may end up calling Cat anyway. *shrug* It's one of the drawbacks to Wags and Catalina- many/most stores do not know how Catalina works and make up whatever excuse they can think of as to why it didn't print.
Transaction 1
Dentek floss 2.00
Robitussin To Go 2.49
Chapstick 2.99
Total $6.48
Use
$1 Dentek mq from 10/11
$5 rr
Total oop: $1.48 +tax
Earn:
$2 rr Dentek
$2.50rr Robitussin
$3rr Chapstick
Transaction 2
Theraflu 4.99
Theraflu 4.99
Theraflu 4.99
fill .20
Total: 15.19
use:
$2/1 Theraflu mq 10/18
$2/1 Theraflu mq 10/18
$2/1 Theraflu mq 10/18
$2/1 Theraflu Wagsq (from Healthy Living booklet found in store- have cashier scan it, it will automatically multiply by three to reflect the three purchased) = $6
$3 rr (Chapstick)
Total oop: $.19 + tax
Earn
$8rr (Theraflu)
Transaction 3
Zantac 8.99
Trident 2/$2.00
Trident 2/2.00
fill .20
fill .20
Total: 11.38
use:
$5/1 Zantac mq printable HERE
$.75/1 Trident printable HERE
$.75/1 Trident printable HERE
$2 rr (Dentek)
$2.50rr (Robitussin)
Total oop: $.38 + tax
Earn
$9rr (Zantac)
$1rr (Trident)
*With these transactions, you'll have spent under $2.00 and have leftover a $8rr, $1rr and a $9rr. You just made $17. How does that feel? :)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Great deals not to miss!
If you're starting out, these high value coupons are q's you want to SAVE! Don't run out and use them right away! Usually a release of a high value q means a sale is coming soon. When you use a coupon with a sale you get the best deal. Think of it this way- You can always buy the item full-priced with the coupon the day before the q expires. But if you wait for a sale, you can get super-cheap, free, or make money off it!
$1/1 Honey Nut Cheerios and free sample HERE
$.55/1 Snapple drink HERE (great for triples)
$1/2 Kraft Naturals Cheese HERE (Firefox) or HERE (Internet Explorer)
$1/1 Honey Nut Cheerios and free sample HERE
$.55/1 Snapple drink HERE (great for triples)
$1/2 Kraft Naturals Cheese HERE (Firefox) or HERE (Internet Explorer)
Monday, October 12, 2009
Getting started...at CVS
Here are some basic rules for CVS:
CVS uses a loyalty card. Limits are set based on card purchase. Get yourself a CVS card and use it with every transaction. This is how you earn special promotional discounts and Extra Care Bucks (ecb's).
ECB's print out at the bottom of your receipt. ECB's are like cash and can be used on anything (except the usual excluded items, alcohol, tobacco, etc). You can roll them into your next deal, including the same item (unlike Walgreens). You can buy one thing, get an ecb, turn around and use that ecb on the same thing. Since CVS uses a loyalty card system and can limit the amount of "deals" you get per card, they don't have to worry about all the catalina hijinks that Walgreens has to do with not being able to use an rr to get an rr for the same product, etc.
After I do my first transaction, I use the edge of the counter to tear off my ecb's from the bottom of the receipt and then use them in the next transaction- or if I'm on the last transaction, I put the ecb in my CVS envelope so I know where it is. (those receipts tend to get lost)
This is not a great week to start at CVS.
So I'll tell you this- If you're starting out, and will be near a CVS, go ahead and stop in and get a CVS card. Register with it online and enter an email address and they will email you a $4/$20 coupon.
If you shop before Tuesday, pick up these free after ecb deals (only good Sunday through Tuesday):
Transaction 1
Halloween Nylon Treat Bag $.99
Total: $.99+tax
Earn $.99 ecb
Transaction 2
4-in-1 Carving Tool $1.99
Use:
$.99 ecb (from trans.#1)
Total: $1+tax
Earn $1.99 ecb
Transaction 3
4-in-1 Carving Tool $1.99
Use:
$1.99 ecb (from trans.#2)
Total: $0+tax
Earn $1.99 ecb
This is a good intro to CVS. You'll spend around $2 and have $1.99 ecb's to roll next week.
We're starting small.
CVS uses a loyalty card. Limits are set based on card purchase. Get yourself a CVS card and use it with every transaction. This is how you earn special promotional discounts and Extra Care Bucks (ecb's).
ECB's print out at the bottom of your receipt. ECB's are like cash and can be used on anything (except the usual excluded items, alcohol, tobacco, etc). You can roll them into your next deal, including the same item (unlike Walgreens). You can buy one thing, get an ecb, turn around and use that ecb on the same thing. Since CVS uses a loyalty card system and can limit the amount of "deals" you get per card, they don't have to worry about all the catalina hijinks that Walgreens has to do with not being able to use an rr to get an rr for the same product, etc.
After I do my first transaction, I use the edge of the counter to tear off my ecb's from the bottom of the receipt and then use them in the next transaction- or if I'm on the last transaction, I put the ecb in my CVS envelope so I know where it is. (those receipts tend to get lost)
This is not a great week to start at CVS.
So I'll tell you this- If you're starting out, and will be near a CVS, go ahead and stop in and get a CVS card. Register with it online and enter an email address and they will email you a $4/$20 coupon.
If you shop before Tuesday, pick up these free after ecb deals (only good Sunday through Tuesday):
Transaction 1
Halloween Nylon Treat Bag $.99
Total: $.99+tax
Earn $.99 ecb
Transaction 2
4-in-1 Carving Tool $1.99
Use:
$.99 ecb (from trans.#1)
Total: $1+tax
Earn $1.99 ecb
Transaction 3
4-in-1 Carving Tool $1.99
Use:
$1.99 ecb (from trans.#2)
Total: $0+tax
Earn $1.99 ecb
This is a good intro to CVS. You'll spend around $2 and have $1.99 ecb's to roll next week.
We're starting small.
Getting started...the basics.
I want to take a moment to start from the beginning.
What are Coupons?
Coupons are essentially a promissory note from the manufacturer to the retailer. Once they are in your possession they are your property until you exchange them for products.
When I walk out of Publix with a cartful of groceries (or two ;) ) in which I paid $4 cash, that looks like I got something for free. I assure you, this is not the case. In my transaction I exchanged several hundred dollars worth of promissory notes for my items. These notes will be sent to a coupon clearinghouse to count and sort. Then a few more things happen (I'll spare you the gory details) and the end result is the manufacturer reimburses the retailer face value of the coupon plus $.08 per coupon for handling.
The trick is to find a store with a Manager who understands this. Many of them look at you and think, look at all that stuff that woman got for free. (And they get jealous, or mad, or something...) But once you find a store with a manger who understands how coupons really work, I recommend you shop there. And nowhere else.
Types of coupons.
There are several types of coupons, and these are released in different venues. I've covered the places to find coupons, papers, tearpads, blinkies, etc. I now want to talk about types.
The main type of coupon is a manufacturer's coupon. A manufacturer's coupon (or manuq, or mq for short) is a coupon released by the manufacturer to be used by the consumer at a retail outlet. A manufacturer puts out coupons to encourage purchase of specific products. Often these are new products on the market- so that people try these items at a discount, love them, and continue buying them. Coupons from manufacturers are generally released seasonally. You're not going to find soup coupons in the summer or charcoal coupons in the winter.
Store coupons. Store coupons are coupons that are store specific. The way these work is that a big-wig at the Manufacturer gets together with a big-wig at the retailer. They work up a deal where the store puts out a coupon specific to that item at only their store. In return, the retailer gets... something. The "something" will depend on the deal. It might be 50% of face value of coupon turned in. It might be a specific amount of money. Whatever the deal, the store generally does get reimbursed something for the store coupons used.
Coupon Usage.
Coupon usage will differ depending on the store you are shopping at, but there are a few steadfast rules.
1) You may only use one Manufacturer coupon per item. Period. Ever. If your coupon states "Save $1 on 2 Ragu pasta sauces" then that coupon applies to two jars of sauce. You may not buy two jars of sauce and use one $1/2 coupon and also a fifty cents off one coupon. These may have different values, but the rule of one coupon per item applies. The coupon that is "off of two" applies to both items.
2) Never, EVER photocopy coupons. It is illegal. Period.
Then we move into the other info that will vary by store.
Many stores will allow "stacking" of coupons. This means you may use one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon per item. This is where you get the best deals.
Some stores that allow this? Publix, Target, Kroger, Whole Foods, Food Lion, Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS.
When stacking, read the fine print on coupons to make sure the coupons do not exclude this usage.
Some stores will accept competitor's coupons. Publix. Some Kroger stores (ask at your store). Some Wal-Mart stores.
If your store accepts competitor coupons, ask Customer Service who that store considers a competitor- you will find out it varies by store, but it is worth asking.
What are Coupons?
Coupons are essentially a promissory note from the manufacturer to the retailer. Once they are in your possession they are your property until you exchange them for products.
When I walk out of Publix with a cartful of groceries (or two ;) ) in which I paid $4 cash, that looks like I got something for free. I assure you, this is not the case. In my transaction I exchanged several hundred dollars worth of promissory notes for my items. These notes will be sent to a coupon clearinghouse to count and sort. Then a few more things happen (I'll spare you the gory details) and the end result is the manufacturer reimburses the retailer face value of the coupon plus $.08 per coupon for handling.
The trick is to find a store with a Manager who understands this. Many of them look at you and think, look at all that stuff that woman got for free. (And they get jealous, or mad, or something...) But once you find a store with a manger who understands how coupons really work, I recommend you shop there. And nowhere else.
Types of coupons.
There are several types of coupons, and these are released in different venues. I've covered the places to find coupons, papers, tearpads, blinkies, etc. I now want to talk about types.
The main type of coupon is a manufacturer's coupon. A manufacturer's coupon (or manuq, or mq for short) is a coupon released by the manufacturer to be used by the consumer at a retail outlet. A manufacturer puts out coupons to encourage purchase of specific products. Often these are new products on the market- so that people try these items at a discount, love them, and continue buying them. Coupons from manufacturers are generally released seasonally. You're not going to find soup coupons in the summer or charcoal coupons in the winter.
Store coupons. Store coupons are coupons that are store specific. The way these work is that a big-wig at the Manufacturer gets together with a big-wig at the retailer. They work up a deal where the store puts out a coupon specific to that item at only their store. In return, the retailer gets... something. The "something" will depend on the deal. It might be 50% of face value of coupon turned in. It might be a specific amount of money. Whatever the deal, the store generally does get reimbursed something for the store coupons used.
Coupon Usage.
Coupon usage will differ depending on the store you are shopping at, but there are a few steadfast rules.
1) You may only use one Manufacturer coupon per item. Period. Ever. If your coupon states "Save $1 on 2 Ragu pasta sauces" then that coupon applies to two jars of sauce. You may not buy two jars of sauce and use one $1/2 coupon and also a fifty cents off one coupon. These may have different values, but the rule of one coupon per item applies. The coupon that is "off of two" applies to both items.
2) Never, EVER photocopy coupons. It is illegal. Period.
Then we move into the other info that will vary by store.
Many stores will allow "stacking" of coupons. This means you may use one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon per item. This is where you get the best deals.
Some stores that allow this? Publix, Target, Kroger, Whole Foods, Food Lion, Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS.
When stacking, read the fine print on coupons to make sure the coupons do not exclude this usage.
Some stores will accept competitor's coupons. Publix. Some Kroger stores (ask at your store). Some Wal-Mart stores.
If your store accepts competitor coupons, ask Customer Service who that store considers a competitor- you will find out it varies by store, but it is worth asking.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Getting started... Where to sign up for coupons.
Start thinking of all your favorite brands. Then go to their websites. See if they have a "join" or "register". If they do, they will often email or mail you coupons. It's a start.
Next, start clicking on those "contact us" links. Send an email telling them how much you love their products. By doing this, I have received coupons 95% of the time. I do not ask for coupons. I just tell them how much I love "x" product and they respond saying thank you and can we have your mailing address to send you coupons? Often these coupons are for "Free" products.
There are some places to register for freebies also. See links below.
VocalPoint - this is a GREAT one! I get great coupons from this. These q's are either for "free" items, or are so high that with a sale, they = free.
Homemade Simple - This is a neat site that often has good printables. They also periodically have a sign-up for a mailed booklet that has a bunch of coupons in it. Last time there was a "Free" Cascade jet dry-thing coupon in it. High value q's! Check back occasionally for that.
Next, start clicking on those "contact us" links. Send an email telling them how much you love their products. By doing this, I have received coupons 95% of the time. I do not ask for coupons. I just tell them how much I love "x" product and they respond saying thank you and can we have your mailing address to send you coupons? Often these coupons are for "Free" products.
There are some places to register for freebies also. See links below.
VocalPoint - this is a GREAT one! I get great coupons from this. These q's are either for "free" items, or are so high that with a sale, they = free.
Homemade Simple - This is a neat site that often has good printables. They also periodically have a sign-up for a mailed booklet that has a bunch of coupons in it. Last time there was a "Free" Cascade jet dry-thing coupon in it. High value q's! Check back occasionally for that.
Getting started ... Where to find coupons.
If you're just getting started, you're wondering where all these coupons come from. Some do come from the Sunday paper, but there are other places these coupons come from as well.
Rule of couponing
Never get rid of any coupon. EVER. Collect any coupons you see. Even if it's not something you'd ever use. You may not be diabetic but if you had Bayer meter coupons and tossed them out, yuo'd be kicking yourself now since these have been free and yielding $5-$10 in ecb's and rr's over the last 6 months.
Inserts:
Sunday paper. This is where most people think of coupons being. You don't have to pay for the Sunday paper to get inserts. I buy between 4-10 papers per week depending on how good the papers are. You can also find the closest recycling center and go and dig around in the newspaper bin. Some people think "EWWWW" but it's all papers and nothing gross. I always look in if the bin is near full and just pull out any glossy papers I see and sort through them later to see if there's any inserts. On a slow day you may pull out a few, a good day could yield 20-50 inserts!! I also have a deal with the Store Manager at Food Lion that I can go in on Saturday afternoon and he will let me have any inserts leftover from the previous Sunday's papers. Be creative!
Blinkies:
Blinkies is a term for the coupons that spit out of those little machines attached to the edge of the shelves that have a blinking light. These will spit out one, then another fairly quickly. You will have to wait a few seconds for the next set to pop out. If it looks like a hgih value coupon, get at least 5 or 6. Anything else, take at least two. EVEN IF IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU USE!
Booklets:
Some stores periodically have booklets out with coupons in them. When you go in the store, look around. Look for any booklets or flyers near their sales ads. Publix routinely puts coupon booklets out in the rotating kiosk at the fornt of the store and on stand-alone displays. I've seen stand-alone displays at Kroger and Food Lion. I have also seen booklets at Food Lion with coupons in them. It may not look like it has coupons, but surprise! you. So if you see a booklet, pick it up and flip through it. If it has coupons, take some. I also picked up a whole booklet of coupons at KMart once, so you just enver know.
Tearpads:
Tearpad coupons are everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and start seeing the grocery store differently. Look up and down at shelves. Look on cooler doors. Tearpads are everywhere. I've even seen them hanging on endcaps.
Peelies:
Alright, I'm going there. Peelies. Peelies are coupons located on the product itself. There is a whole moral thing going on with peelies. Some people believe it's ok to take the coupons stuck to the product, some think if you don't buy it, you shouldn't take the peelie off. My opinion? I don't have a problem with it. I think it's kind of lame to take EVERY peelie off every product unless you're going to use them right away. A lot of times those peelies are for a completely different product- for example peelies on Tortilla chips for "$1/1 ground beef". What, huh? This is a good example. I bought bags of tortilla chips with these peelies on them. We don't eat meat. I could have cared less if someone had taken those peelies b/c we wouldn't use them. I peeled them off and left them on the shelf for someone else, but most people probably wouldn't do that.
Coupon ettiquette
There's the etiquette for peelies and for tearpads. Taking an entire full tearpad and not leaving any for anyone else is not very nice, but I don't have a problem with taking 30 from a full pad. Really? It's all about what you're comfortable with.
Hidden tearpads.
Don't just look for tearpads at grocery stores. Look for them in gas stations. Gas stations yield the BEST drink tearpads, $.50/1 Vitaminwater, $1/1 Snapple and so forth. These are good used at the gas station, but taken to a grocery store and you'll get free drinks if you wait for a sale.
Now, you may say, I've never seen a tearpad at a gas station. Where do I look?
Hint: Open the cooler and look on the inside of the door. Those gas stations are SNEAKY!!
Rule of couponing
Never get rid of any coupon. EVER. Collect any coupons you see. Even if it's not something you'd ever use. You may not be diabetic but if you had Bayer meter coupons and tossed them out, yuo'd be kicking yourself now since these have been free and yielding $5-$10 in ecb's and rr's over the last 6 months.
Inserts:
Sunday paper. This is where most people think of coupons being. You don't have to pay for the Sunday paper to get inserts. I buy between 4-10 papers per week depending on how good the papers are. You can also find the closest recycling center and go and dig around in the newspaper bin. Some people think "EWWWW" but it's all papers and nothing gross. I always look in if the bin is near full and just pull out any glossy papers I see and sort through them later to see if there's any inserts. On a slow day you may pull out a few, a good day could yield 20-50 inserts!! I also have a deal with the Store Manager at Food Lion that I can go in on Saturday afternoon and he will let me have any inserts leftover from the previous Sunday's papers. Be creative!
Blinkies:
Blinkies is a term for the coupons that spit out of those little machines attached to the edge of the shelves that have a blinking light. These will spit out one, then another fairly quickly. You will have to wait a few seconds for the next set to pop out. If it looks like a hgih value coupon, get at least 5 or 6. Anything else, take at least two. EVEN IF IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU USE!
Booklets:
Some stores periodically have booklets out with coupons in them. When you go in the store, look around. Look for any booklets or flyers near their sales ads. Publix routinely puts coupon booklets out in the rotating kiosk at the fornt of the store and on stand-alone displays. I've seen stand-alone displays at Kroger and Food Lion. I have also seen booklets at Food Lion with coupons in them. It may not look like it has coupons, but surprise! you. So if you see a booklet, pick it up and flip through it. If it has coupons, take some. I also picked up a whole booklet of coupons at KMart once, so you just enver know.
Tearpads:
Tearpad coupons are everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and start seeing the grocery store differently. Look up and down at shelves. Look on cooler doors. Tearpads are everywhere. I've even seen them hanging on endcaps.
Peelies:
Alright, I'm going there. Peelies. Peelies are coupons located on the product itself. There is a whole moral thing going on with peelies. Some people believe it's ok to take the coupons stuck to the product, some think if you don't buy it, you shouldn't take the peelie off. My opinion? I don't have a problem with it. I think it's kind of lame to take EVERY peelie off every product unless you're going to use them right away. A lot of times those peelies are for a completely different product- for example peelies on Tortilla chips for "$1/1 ground beef". What, huh? This is a good example. I bought bags of tortilla chips with these peelies on them. We don't eat meat. I could have cared less if someone had taken those peelies b/c we wouldn't use them. I peeled them off and left them on the shelf for someone else, but most people probably wouldn't do that.
Coupon ettiquette
There's the etiquette for peelies and for tearpads. Taking an entire full tearpad and not leaving any for anyone else is not very nice, but I don't have a problem with taking 30 from a full pad. Really? It's all about what you're comfortable with.
Hidden tearpads.
Don't just look for tearpads at grocery stores. Look for them in gas stations. Gas stations yield the BEST drink tearpads, $.50/1 Vitaminwater, $1/1 Snapple and so forth. These are good used at the gas station, but taken to a grocery store and you'll get free drinks if you wait for a sale.
Now, you may say, I've never seen a tearpad at a gas station. Where do I look?
Hint: Open the cooler and look on the inside of the door. Those gas stations are SNEAKY!!
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