When I say 'stockpile', perhaps visions of garage shelves full of pasta and laundry detergent, and basements converted into personal mini-marts come to mind. And while some people may have lifetime supplies of razors and enough salad dressing to fill an Olympic size pool, most couponers are content to just have a manageable little stash on hand.
For those who are lucky to have a spare roll of toilet paper under the sink, the notion of stockpiling may seem like a foreign concept. But for those of us who like to stretch our shopping dollars to the limit, we know buying the things we need when they are at their rock bottom lowest price is the only way to go.
Simply put, if you wait until you must have an item, you will be at the mercy of the market at that moment. What do I mean...well...if you are going to run completely out of dish soap this week, you are going to have to buy dish soap this week no matter what the cost. You may find a particular dish liquid on sale at one store, but you may not have a coupon for that brand. Or, you may have a great coupon for a different brand, but it may not be on sale anywhere. Either way, you likely aren't going to get the best deal possible...but because you need it now, you have to pay whatever the price is now.
Stockpiling let's you decide when the price is right for your budget. Because I almost always have extras of staples, non-perishables and things we use every day, I rarely ever 'have' to buy something. This allows me to wait until a great sale price and a good coupon match up with one another to maximize my savings.
For example, rather than buying canned vegetables every week at the grocery store, I wait until a great deal on canned vegetables presents itself, and then I stock up. Case in point, this week I found Libby's vegetables on sale 2/$1 at Alco. I had coupons to save $1/4 cans. This made the final price 25¢ per can. That's cheaper than generic...cheaper than store brand...cheaper than those discount grocers. So I bought 8 cans of vegetables this week...even though I don't need 8 cans of vegetables this week. Now it may be that I won't buy canned vegetables again for several weeks or more because I have plenty on hand. But if another great savings opportunity pops up, I'll take advantage of it again because Libby's vegetables taste the same whether I paid 25¢ or 75¢ for them...so I'd prefer to pay the lesser amount. Wouldn't you?
This is basically what I try to do this on most everything. For instance, I currently have about 15 bottles of body wash in my stockpile. Now 15 bottles may sound a little excessive, but with myself and three males in this house each taking at least one shower per day...often more than one...15 bottles doesn't last as long as one might expect. If I were to buy body wash only when we 'need' it, I would pay around $3.50 to $5 per bottle. Even with a coupon, I might pay $2.50 or more. But because I have a stockpile and can wait for a great deal on it, I never pay anywhere close to that amount.
Last week, I was able to add to my body wash stockpile when a great deal at Kroger came along. It was a deal where with loyalty card savings of 88¢, a manufacturers in-store deal to save another $1 and a $2 coupon, I was able to get Old Spice body wash that normally cost $4.37 at a final cost of 49¢ per bottle. I don't know about you, but I'd always pick 49¢ over $4.37...especially for something that ends up going down the drain no matter what you paid.
In that same trip, I got that dish soap we were talking about earlier...a 28 ounce Dawn...for 49¢ when even on sale, it was $2.99. I got Crest Pro Health toothpaste that was $3.56 at full price for just 19¢. Carefree pantiliners that were $1.09 I got for free and Scotch Brite sponges they actually paid me to take out of the store. So while none of these things are going to be used right away, they will all get used eventually...and they will have cost me only a fraction of the price I would have to pay if they were on an urgent must have now shopping list.
But stockpiling can be your friend in more ways then just saving you money at the register. Another way a stockpile can serve you well is that you aren't likely to ever completely run out of any of the items you use routinely. When you run low on that dish soap under the sink...or toothpaste in the bathroom...or body wash in the shower...or spaghetti sauce in the cupboard...or whatever the case may be...you just head to your stockpile, and voilà !...there's another one (or more)! Ahhh...the convenience.
And finally, having a stockpile gives you more flexibility in both meal planning and with your schedule. How so? Well, the more things you have in your pantry, the more options you have at dinner time. Instead of having to plan and shop for an entire week or month's groceries all at once, you can buy things when they are on sale and you have a coupon and then stockpile them for future meals somewhere down the road. Having extra things on hand also allows you to skip the store altogether, not only if/when money is tight, but when your calendar is full.
So if you haven't considered stockpiling before, perhaps you want to consider it now. Getting started is easy. Just clear a shelf and then start filling it up again. Don't just buy to buy...make sure you're getting things your family will really use. If you use Angel Soft toilet tissue, for example, it's on sale at Meijer this week for $1. There's a 50¢ Redplum coupon from the November 13 Sunday paper that will double, making the toilet paper completely free. If you can get your hands on a couple of those coupons, you can get a nice start on your very own stockpile!
Happy Shopping!!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Loyalty cards/Stacking
If you're anything like me, you have a small key ring full of little plastic loyalty cards. If you don't know what loyalty cards are or if you haven't started putting yours to use, now's the time!!
While I understand that having a collection of cards to have to thumb through every time you're at the grocery, gas station, shoe store, etc. may be a bit of a hassle, I assure you, if you use your loyalty (or shopper's) card faithfully, you will see savings.
At places like Kroger, Marsh and CVS, you will see instant savings when you buy certain products using your loyalty card. You need do nothing more than swipe your card and buy the appropriate products.
Just as a for instance of how loyalty cards can help you 'stack' savings, this week at Kroger, you can get a 50 ounce Tide that's normally $7.99 for just $5.99 when you use your loyalty card. To sweeten the deal, you can save an extra $1 off each participation Proctor & Gamble product when you buy any 4 (mix or match) products and use your shopper's card. So that same 50 ounce jug of Tide that normally costs $7.99 will cost you only $4.99 when you buy P&G products in fours and use your card. Throw one of those $2 coupons on top of that, and you're getting Tide for $2.99...which is less than most 'cheap' detergents will cost you. In addition to all that, Kroger has a digital coupon available to save an extra $4 off your order when you download 4 P&G coupons onto your shopper's card through Kroger.com.
Now keep in mind, you CANNOT use both a digital coupon and a paper coupon on the same item, and the digital coupons will NOT double. So if you have a higher value paper coupon or a paper coupon that will double to a higher value than the digital one they are offering, do NOT download that particular digital coupon onto your card. Simply choose 4 P&G digital coupons that you do not intend to use to take advantage of the extra $4 offer if you want to use your paper coupons rather than the digital ones. This is what I did, and it works fine. And this $4 is above and beyond the $4 you will save when you buy the P&G products in sets of 4.
Another perk Kroger offers when you use their loyalty card is fuel rewards. For every $1 you spend at Kroger, using your loyalty card, you get 1 fuel reward. For every 100 fuel reward points you accumulate in a single month, you can save 10¢ off per gallon of gas in one fill up at Kroger or Shell gas stations. So if you spend $100 a week on groceries and save your fuel rewards for the whole month, you could take 40¢ off per gallon on your next fuel fill up...or you could save 10¢ off per gallon on four separate fill ups. In addition, if you get your prescriptions filled at Kroger, you receive 50 fuel rewards for each prescription you get filled. Kroger does have a generic prescription program where many medications are available for $4 a month or $10 for three months, so you save that way plus get the fuel rewards on top of that. And periodically, Kroger will offer between $10-$25 in free groceries (in the form of a credit applied to your loyalty card) when you transfer a prescription. So if you have monthly maintenance medications that you would like to move to Kroger, do it during those times when they give you that further incentive...and do it one at a time so you can receive the free bonus multiple times. Back to fuel rewards...now if you are a really big spender, you could actually earn up to $1 off per gallon if you earned 1000 fuel rewards in a month, but I hope with your smart shopping skills, you aren't spending anywhere near enough to reach that number. :-)
Another benefit to having a Kroger loyalty card is that Kroger sends out home mailers from time to time that have coupons that are customized for card holders. So for me, that might mean coupons for Kroger brand sour cream, apple juice and Heinz ketchup while for you if might mean totally different coupons. And best off all, the home mailers more often then not will have coupons for completely free items in them!!
Now that's a small lesson not only on using your loyalty card, but also a lesson in 'stacking'. Stacking is combining offers to get savings on top of savings. Another great place with a loyalty program and terrific stacking opportunities is CVS.
First off, most couponers are aware of the CVS ExtraCare card, their loyalty card. But did you know CVS also has a GreenBag Tag? The GreenBag Tag is a leaf shaped key ring card that you use with your CVS card when you bring your own bag(s). It costs $1 to buy up front, but it pays for itself quickly. (P.S. Marsh supermarkets will give you 5¢ per bag when you bring your own bags there and use your Marsh card at checkout.) You can only use the GreenBag Tag once per day so if you do multiple transactions, you'll only get credit for the first one, but every 4th time you scan your GreenBag Tag, you'll get a $1 ExtraCare Buck.
At CVS, you always want to scan your ExtraCare card at their little in-store kiosk first thing. The kiosk will spit out coupons, sometimes for totally free products!! But the biggest way to save with your CVS card is to combine (stack) their sale prices with coupons on items on which they also are giving you ExtraCare bucks. For example, this week, you can get a gallon of Dean's milk for $2.99. Then, you'll get a $1 ExtraCare Buck. You can turn around and buy Listerine that's on sale for $3.99, use the $1 coupon that was in the paper this past Sunday and use that $1 ExtraCare Buck you got from the milk to pay only $1.99 and then you'll get $2 back in ExtraCare Bucks. Then you can use those $2 in ExtraCare Bucks toward a third purchase or save them until next week. You can do this over and over and over at CVS to really multiply your savings and very frequently, get things totally free. It's just a matter of going through their weekly ad to see what you can stack and in which order you need to run your orders to get the most bang for your buck.
While Meijer doesn't have a loyalty card, they do offer an MPerks program that works basically the same way but you use your cell phone number and a pin code at the register in lieu of a physical card. You simply go to https://www2.meijer.com/mperks/?cmpid=GooglePPC_mPerks to sign up. Then you choose which digital coupons you want and load them to your account. The great thing with the Mperk offers is that, unlike Kroger, these are not considered manufacturer coupons so you can 'stack' them with paper coupons. So for instance, there is an Mperk for $1/6 Spaghettios. I have 50¢/2 paper coupons for Spaghettios. So I could load the Mperk for the $1 off and also use three paper coupons which will each double to $1 at Meijer and save a total of $4 off when I buy six cans. Another nice thing about MPerks is that they are frequently offers for Meijer brand items so you can get items that generally are less expensive to begin with for even less.
But loyalty cards aren't just for grocery and drug stores. Kmart and Sears have a Shopyourway rewards card. This card often nets you special deals in their stores, but it also gives you actual dollar amount rewards that you can use toward purchases. Granted, these are small rewards and would take a long time to amount to much, but if you're making large purchases, such as when we bought our new stove, refrigerator and microwave all at Sears, we were then able to buy over $16 worth of free items at either Sears or Kmart. Alco and Big Lots offer similar programs. The points accumulate slowly, but periodically they will also offer special deals to card holders. So if you're shopping there anyway, why not take advantage of all the savings opportunities they are giving you?
There are clothing/sporting goods/shoe stores etc. that offer reward card programs as well. Dick's, Finish Line, Foot Locker and American Eagle are ones I happen to carry. Each of these stores will send periodic rewards in the form of coupons or vouchers that you can use on purchases in their stores after you spend a certain amount and use your loyalty card. Again, if you're buying things anyway, you may as well be earning any extras or be on the mailing lists to receive coupons and special notices of sales.
Several gas stations also offer loyalty card programs. I have both a Gas America and Speedway card. Each of these stations offer discounts on fountain drinks and other merchandise and food when you use their card. They also offer bonuses for buying gas and other items. Gas America will periodically send a small 'rebate' check based on my sales using my card to track them. These checks are usually for $3-$4 and must be used at Gas America toward gas or other products in the store, but since I'm a frequent customer there, that's just free money to me. They also send out coupons to use in their stores from time to time. Speedway's program is much the same except that you can accumulate large quantities of points to later redeem for gift cards or large fuel discounts. It takes a lot longer to earn big rewards at Speedway, but if you're a regular customer and you're patient, you can do well.
Staples also offers a rewards card. While Staples doesn't offer too many spectacular rewards when you use their card, they do pay card holders $2 per ink cartridge that you turn in for recycling. This $2 is in the form of a credit on your rewards card that you can use toward other in store purchases. They also offer rewards credits for certain purchases, such as last month, they were giving a 100% refund on 3 ring binders when you bought them using your loyalty card. You just have to watch for the deals.
I know there are people who are concerned about 'big brother' being able to track what we buy and from where and things like that. But for me, the benefits far outweigh the concerns I have over Kroger knowing how many packages of pantiliners I buy every year.
Now, lastly, Target, Kohls and Penney's, among others, offer credit cards that come with special perks. While I am against using credit, I am not opposed to using a store credit card to get a special deal and then immediately...like right there and then...pay it off. Target has their RedCard that gives you an extra 5% off every purchase every day and Kohls and Penney's frequently have 20% or more off deals for card users in addition to periodically sending out coupons for $10 off a $10 purchase or something similar to card holders. The trick to making these 'with card' deals work is to always...always...pay them off before you leave the store that day. They make these offers hoping you will just let the balance ride. When you do, you will likely lose any and all benefit you gained in the interest charges. Just use the card to get the savings and then pay it off that same day right at the register or at the customer service desk.
It just takes a little time and effort to really see your shopping dollars stretch, and using a loyalty card is the easiest way to start. So grab a key ring and start gathering them up!!
While I understand that having a collection of cards to have to thumb through every time you're at the grocery, gas station, shoe store, etc. may be a bit of a hassle, I assure you, if you use your loyalty (or shopper's) card faithfully, you will see savings.
At places like Kroger, Marsh and CVS, you will see instant savings when you buy certain products using your loyalty card. You need do nothing more than swipe your card and buy the appropriate products.
Just as a for instance of how loyalty cards can help you 'stack' savings, this week at Kroger, you can get a 50 ounce Tide that's normally $7.99 for just $5.99 when you use your loyalty card. To sweeten the deal, you can save an extra $1 off each participation Proctor & Gamble product when you buy any 4 (mix or match) products and use your shopper's card. So that same 50 ounce jug of Tide that normally costs $7.99 will cost you only $4.99 when you buy P&G products in fours and use your card. Throw one of those $2 coupons on top of that, and you're getting Tide for $2.99...which is less than most 'cheap' detergents will cost you. In addition to all that, Kroger has a digital coupon available to save an extra $4 off your order when you download 4 P&G coupons onto your shopper's card through Kroger.com.
Now keep in mind, you CANNOT use both a digital coupon and a paper coupon on the same item, and the digital coupons will NOT double. So if you have a higher value paper coupon or a paper coupon that will double to a higher value than the digital one they are offering, do NOT download that particular digital coupon onto your card. Simply choose 4 P&G digital coupons that you do not intend to use to take advantage of the extra $4 offer if you want to use your paper coupons rather than the digital ones. This is what I did, and it works fine. And this $4 is above and beyond the $4 you will save when you buy the P&G products in sets of 4.
Another perk Kroger offers when you use their loyalty card is fuel rewards. For every $1 you spend at Kroger, using your loyalty card, you get 1 fuel reward. For every 100 fuel reward points you accumulate in a single month, you can save 10¢ off per gallon of gas in one fill up at Kroger or Shell gas stations. So if you spend $100 a week on groceries and save your fuel rewards for the whole month, you could take 40¢ off per gallon on your next fuel fill up...or you could save 10¢ off per gallon on four separate fill ups. In addition, if you get your prescriptions filled at Kroger, you receive 50 fuel rewards for each prescription you get filled. Kroger does have a generic prescription program where many medications are available for $4 a month or $10 for three months, so you save that way plus get the fuel rewards on top of that. And periodically, Kroger will offer between $10-$25 in free groceries (in the form of a credit applied to your loyalty card) when you transfer a prescription. So if you have monthly maintenance medications that you would like to move to Kroger, do it during those times when they give you that further incentive...and do it one at a time so you can receive the free bonus multiple times. Back to fuel rewards...now if you are a really big spender, you could actually earn up to $1 off per gallon if you earned 1000 fuel rewards in a month, but I hope with your smart shopping skills, you aren't spending anywhere near enough to reach that number. :-)
Another benefit to having a Kroger loyalty card is that Kroger sends out home mailers from time to time that have coupons that are customized for card holders. So for me, that might mean coupons for Kroger brand sour cream, apple juice and Heinz ketchup while for you if might mean totally different coupons. And best off all, the home mailers more often then not will have coupons for completely free items in them!!
Now that's a small lesson not only on using your loyalty card, but also a lesson in 'stacking'. Stacking is combining offers to get savings on top of savings. Another great place with a loyalty program and terrific stacking opportunities is CVS.
First off, most couponers are aware of the CVS ExtraCare card, their loyalty card. But did you know CVS also has a GreenBag Tag? The GreenBag Tag is a leaf shaped key ring card that you use with your CVS card when you bring your own bag(s). It costs $1 to buy up front, but it pays for itself quickly. (P.S. Marsh supermarkets will give you 5¢ per bag when you bring your own bags there and use your Marsh card at checkout.) You can only use the GreenBag Tag once per day so if you do multiple transactions, you'll only get credit for the first one, but every 4th time you scan your GreenBag Tag, you'll get a $1 ExtraCare Buck.
At CVS, you always want to scan your ExtraCare card at their little in-store kiosk first thing. The kiosk will spit out coupons, sometimes for totally free products!! But the biggest way to save with your CVS card is to combine (stack) their sale prices with coupons on items on which they also are giving you ExtraCare bucks. For example, this week, you can get a gallon of Dean's milk for $2.99. Then, you'll get a $1 ExtraCare Buck. You can turn around and buy Listerine that's on sale for $3.99, use the $1 coupon that was in the paper this past Sunday and use that $1 ExtraCare Buck you got from the milk to pay only $1.99 and then you'll get $2 back in ExtraCare Bucks. Then you can use those $2 in ExtraCare Bucks toward a third purchase or save them until next week. You can do this over and over and over at CVS to really multiply your savings and very frequently, get things totally free. It's just a matter of going through their weekly ad to see what you can stack and in which order you need to run your orders to get the most bang for your buck.
While Meijer doesn't have a loyalty card, they do offer an MPerks program that works basically the same way but you use your cell phone number and a pin code at the register in lieu of a physical card. You simply go to https://www2.meijer.com/mperks/?cmpid=GooglePPC_mPerks to sign up. Then you choose which digital coupons you want and load them to your account. The great thing with the Mperk offers is that, unlike Kroger, these are not considered manufacturer coupons so you can 'stack' them with paper coupons. So for instance, there is an Mperk for $1/6 Spaghettios. I have 50¢/2 paper coupons for Spaghettios. So I could load the Mperk for the $1 off and also use three paper coupons which will each double to $1 at Meijer and save a total of $4 off when I buy six cans. Another nice thing about MPerks is that they are frequently offers for Meijer brand items so you can get items that generally are less expensive to begin with for even less.
But loyalty cards aren't just for grocery and drug stores. Kmart and Sears have a Shopyourway rewards card. This card often nets you special deals in their stores, but it also gives you actual dollar amount rewards that you can use toward purchases. Granted, these are small rewards and would take a long time to amount to much, but if you're making large purchases, such as when we bought our new stove, refrigerator and microwave all at Sears, we were then able to buy over $16 worth of free items at either Sears or Kmart. Alco and Big Lots offer similar programs. The points accumulate slowly, but periodically they will also offer special deals to card holders. So if you're shopping there anyway, why not take advantage of all the savings opportunities they are giving you?
There are clothing/sporting goods/shoe stores etc. that offer reward card programs as well. Dick's, Finish Line, Foot Locker and American Eagle are ones I happen to carry. Each of these stores will send periodic rewards in the form of coupons or vouchers that you can use on purchases in their stores after you spend a certain amount and use your loyalty card. Again, if you're buying things anyway, you may as well be earning any extras or be on the mailing lists to receive coupons and special notices of sales.
Several gas stations also offer loyalty card programs. I have both a Gas America and Speedway card. Each of these stations offer discounts on fountain drinks and other merchandise and food when you use their card. They also offer bonuses for buying gas and other items. Gas America will periodically send a small 'rebate' check based on my sales using my card to track them. These checks are usually for $3-$4 and must be used at Gas America toward gas or other products in the store, but since I'm a frequent customer there, that's just free money to me. They also send out coupons to use in their stores from time to time. Speedway's program is much the same except that you can accumulate large quantities of points to later redeem for gift cards or large fuel discounts. It takes a lot longer to earn big rewards at Speedway, but if you're a regular customer and you're patient, you can do well.
Staples also offers a rewards card. While Staples doesn't offer too many spectacular rewards when you use their card, they do pay card holders $2 per ink cartridge that you turn in for recycling. This $2 is in the form of a credit on your rewards card that you can use toward other in store purchases. They also offer rewards credits for certain purchases, such as last month, they were giving a 100% refund on 3 ring binders when you bought them using your loyalty card. You just have to watch for the deals.
I know there are people who are concerned about 'big brother' being able to track what we buy and from where and things like that. But for me, the benefits far outweigh the concerns I have over Kroger knowing how many packages of pantiliners I buy every year.
Now, lastly, Target, Kohls and Penney's, among others, offer credit cards that come with special perks. While I am against using credit, I am not opposed to using a store credit card to get a special deal and then immediately...like right there and then...pay it off. Target has their RedCard that gives you an extra 5% off every purchase every day and Kohls and Penney's frequently have 20% or more off deals for card users in addition to periodically sending out coupons for $10 off a $10 purchase or something similar to card holders. The trick to making these 'with card' deals work is to always...always...pay them off before you leave the store that day. They make these offers hoping you will just let the balance ride. When you do, you will likely lose any and all benefit you gained in the interest charges. Just use the card to get the savings and then pay it off that same day right at the register or at the customer service desk.
It just takes a little time and effort to really see your shopping dollars stretch, and using a loyalty card is the easiest way to start. So grab a key ring and start gathering them up!!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Little ways to get more for your money
Getting more for your money is always a good thing. And while coupons are my #1 way to stretch my shopping dollars, there are a lot of simple little things you can do to get more bang for your buck.
Always look for products that offer you a bonus. It can be a something like getting 25% more free in a bottle of shampoo or a bonus product, like a trial size lotion attached to a full size lotion. When you're shopping, scan the shelves for these little pluses. With shampoo, body wash and similarly packaged products, just looking to see if there are bottles that are taller than the rest can lead you to the bonus packages. It doesn't make sense to go to the effort of clipping your coupons, shopping the ad and waiting for the deal if you're going to let free bonuses sit on the shelf while you take the same product without the bonus.
Always be on the look out for products with coupons attached to them. These are called peelies, and sometimes they can give you an unexpected score in the shopping aisle. Even if you have a higher value coupon you'd like to use now, choosing a product with an attached peelie will give you a coupon to use later when you may not have a higher valued one available. Often peelies will be for cents off another product when you buy the product with the peelie on it. For instance, during the recent Marsh triple coupon event, I bought two bottles of cranberry juice using a coupon to save $1 off 2 that I already had. But on each bottle was a coupon to save $1 on Crystal Light singles when I bought the juice. With the triple event (which is an incredible but rare time to really score big with coupons), I was able to save $1.50 off each bottle of juice and I got two boxes of Crystal Light totally free with the coupons off the juice bottles. As a footnote, never take the peelie from a product you aren't buying. It's bad couponer etiquette and more importantly, it's stealing.
Never let a buy one get one free (B1G1F) or buy one get one half off slip through your fingers if it's on a product you use. When you're buying one item and getting the second one free, most stores will allow you to use one manufacturers coupon on each item. So let's say Hostess Twinkies are $3.99 per box but are on sale B1G1F, and you have two manufacturers coupons to save 25¢ on one Hostess product. You can use one coupon on the item you're paying full price for and the second coupon for the item you're getting free. This is generally true because the coupon is a deal with the manufacturer for which the store will be reimbursed but the B1G1F deal is between the store and it's customer. Now if you're at a store that doubles coupons, you would save $1 when those two coupons double so between the B1G1F deal and the two doubled coupons, you would get $7.98 worth of Twinkies for just $2.99!! Do check, however, to make sure your store will allow you to use two coupons with a B1G1F offer before you plan on it.
Catalinas are the coupons you get at the register when you check out. These are generated when you buy specific products in specific quantities. For example, you might get a catalina for $1.50 off your next purchase compliments of Heinz because you purchased three bottles of ketchup. These don't just happen by accident. Your store should have a list of all the available catalinas that you can 'earn'. You can also go to http://www.couponnetwork.com/ to see some of the available catalinas out there. If you're going to use these products anyway, why not buy them in quantities that give you a little something extra when you do?
Sometimes you will be lucky enough to find a product that the store will pay you to buy. These are big scores!! Anytime you walk out of the store will a totally free item or one you actually have made money on, it's a reason to be happy. This is why I personally take my entire coupon binder with me on every shopping trip and it's why I clip any and all coupons for anything I would buy if that price were right...because FREE is always the right price!! For instance, this past week I found Bengay in the massaging roll-on tube on the clearance rack at Target for $4.78. I had a coupon for $5 off that product. Since Target allows overage (we will discuss overages later), they paid me 22¢ to take it out of their store!! I only wished I had had more of those coupons.
If you stumble across something that's going to be free, or even better, that they are going to pay you to buy, I say get it. If you won't personally use it, you can always find someone who will or you can donate items to shelters or other agencies.
While we're talking about free coupons, a lot of companies will send you free or very high value coupons for giving them feedback on their products. If a company has a website or email address on the packaging, feel free to shoot off a few comments to them. Both positive and negative feedback helps them tweak their products and marketing, and if they elect to send you coupons (some do some don't), well, it's just a bonus for you.
While free coupons are great, keep in mind that most stores will not accept free internet printable coupons. There's just too much room for fraud with that type of coupon so most places just refuse to take them. But there free coupons out there, and if you have them, they're awesome!! Some companies will send you totally free item coupons for feedback, but others offer free coupons via other kinds of promotions. Sometimes you have to send in so many UPC codes to get something free, but often, companies offer free coupons through their websites just for the asking. Companies like Stouffers have 'clubs' online where you enter the codes off packages to earn points that you can then redeem for free product coupons or other merchandise. I recently was able to get two free Stouffers product coupons...one for an item up to $3.99 and the other for a free item up to $8.99!! Join a few FB pages like Tami's Saving Sense for links to these kinds of deals.
Another great sources for coupons, and very frequently a free coupon, is the ALL YOU magazine. It's only available at Walmart or by subscription. I have a subscription and I find it always pays for itself and then some.
When you're buying items, look for ones that you not only have coupons for but that have coupons in them. Proctor & Gamble does this a lot. For example, when I recently bought Charmin, there were high value coupons for other P&G products inside the package. These coupons typically have a higher face value then the coupons you find in the Sunday supplements.
In my opinion, the single most important savings tool you have besides coupons is your store loyalty card. We will talk more in depth about loyalty cards in the next message, but if you don't a key ring full of little plastic cards, you probably aren't saving as much as you could. They are something I never leave home without.
I hope you're catching the savings bug...if you weren't already completely infected. :-)
Always look for products that offer you a bonus. It can be a something like getting 25% more free in a bottle of shampoo or a bonus product, like a trial size lotion attached to a full size lotion. When you're shopping, scan the shelves for these little pluses. With shampoo, body wash and similarly packaged products, just looking to see if there are bottles that are taller than the rest can lead you to the bonus packages. It doesn't make sense to go to the effort of clipping your coupons, shopping the ad and waiting for the deal if you're going to let free bonuses sit on the shelf while you take the same product without the bonus.
Always be on the look out for products with coupons attached to them. These are called peelies, and sometimes they can give you an unexpected score in the shopping aisle. Even if you have a higher value coupon you'd like to use now, choosing a product with an attached peelie will give you a coupon to use later when you may not have a higher valued one available. Often peelies will be for cents off another product when you buy the product with the peelie on it. For instance, during the recent Marsh triple coupon event, I bought two bottles of cranberry juice using a coupon to save $1 off 2 that I already had. But on each bottle was a coupon to save $1 on Crystal Light singles when I bought the juice. With the triple event (which is an incredible but rare time to really score big with coupons), I was able to save $1.50 off each bottle of juice and I got two boxes of Crystal Light totally free with the coupons off the juice bottles. As a footnote, never take the peelie from a product you aren't buying. It's bad couponer etiquette and more importantly, it's stealing.
Never let a buy one get one free (B1G1F) or buy one get one half off slip through your fingers if it's on a product you use. When you're buying one item and getting the second one free, most stores will allow you to use one manufacturers coupon on each item. So let's say Hostess Twinkies are $3.99 per box but are on sale B1G1F, and you have two manufacturers coupons to save 25¢ on one Hostess product. You can use one coupon on the item you're paying full price for and the second coupon for the item you're getting free. This is generally true because the coupon is a deal with the manufacturer for which the store will be reimbursed but the B1G1F deal is between the store and it's customer. Now if you're at a store that doubles coupons, you would save $1 when those two coupons double so between the B1G1F deal and the two doubled coupons, you would get $7.98 worth of Twinkies for just $2.99!! Do check, however, to make sure your store will allow you to use two coupons with a B1G1F offer before you plan on it.
Catalinas are the coupons you get at the register when you check out. These are generated when you buy specific products in specific quantities. For example, you might get a catalina for $1.50 off your next purchase compliments of Heinz because you purchased three bottles of ketchup. These don't just happen by accident. Your store should have a list of all the available catalinas that you can 'earn'. You can also go to http://www.couponnetwork.com/ to see some of the available catalinas out there. If you're going to use these products anyway, why not buy them in quantities that give you a little something extra when you do?
Sometimes you will be lucky enough to find a product that the store will pay you to buy. These are big scores!! Anytime you walk out of the store will a totally free item or one you actually have made money on, it's a reason to be happy. This is why I personally take my entire coupon binder with me on every shopping trip and it's why I clip any and all coupons for anything I would buy if that price were right...because FREE is always the right price!! For instance, this past week I found Bengay in the massaging roll-on tube on the clearance rack at Target for $4.78. I had a coupon for $5 off that product. Since Target allows overage (we will discuss overages later), they paid me 22¢ to take it out of their store!! I only wished I had had more of those coupons.
If you stumble across something that's going to be free, or even better, that they are going to pay you to buy, I say get it. If you won't personally use it, you can always find someone who will or you can donate items to shelters or other agencies.
While we're talking about free coupons, a lot of companies will send you free or very high value coupons for giving them feedback on their products. If a company has a website or email address on the packaging, feel free to shoot off a few comments to them. Both positive and negative feedback helps them tweak their products and marketing, and if they elect to send you coupons (some do some don't), well, it's just a bonus for you.
While free coupons are great, keep in mind that most stores will not accept free internet printable coupons. There's just too much room for fraud with that type of coupon so most places just refuse to take them. But there free coupons out there, and if you have them, they're awesome!! Some companies will send you totally free item coupons for feedback, but others offer free coupons via other kinds of promotions. Sometimes you have to send in so many UPC codes to get something free, but often, companies offer free coupons through their websites just for the asking. Companies like Stouffers have 'clubs' online where you enter the codes off packages to earn points that you can then redeem for free product coupons or other merchandise. I recently was able to get two free Stouffers product coupons...one for an item up to $3.99 and the other for a free item up to $8.99!! Join a few FB pages like Tami's Saving Sense for links to these kinds of deals.
Another great sources for coupons, and very frequently a free coupon, is the ALL YOU magazine. It's only available at Walmart or by subscription. I have a subscription and I find it always pays for itself and then some.
When you're buying items, look for ones that you not only have coupons for but that have coupons in them. Proctor & Gamble does this a lot. For example, when I recently bought Charmin, there were high value coupons for other P&G products inside the package. These coupons typically have a higher face value then the coupons you find in the Sunday supplements.
In my opinion, the single most important savings tool you have besides coupons is your store loyalty card. We will talk more in depth about loyalty cards in the next message, but if you don't a key ring full of little plastic cards, you probably aren't saving as much as you could. They are something I never leave home without.
I hope you're catching the savings bug...if you weren't already completely infected. :-)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
How to shop with coupons
So you've clipped some coupons, and you're ready to shop. The first thing to know is, willy nilly is the enemy of savings. Hitting the store with no plan, no idea what's on sale and not a clue as to what a store's coupon policy is will not serve you well when you're playing the savings game.
1.) Know the coupon policy.
Coupon policies vary widely from store to store or even from region to region. For instance, in my area (Kokomo, IN), Kroger, Meijer and Marsh supermarkets all double coupons up to 50¢. That means a 25¢ coupon will be worth 50¢ and a 50¢ will be worth a $1. So let's say, just for example, that Hamburger Helper was on sale for $1 a box at both Kroger and Walmart. If you have a coupon that's worth 50¢ off when you buy three boxes, those three boxes will cost you $2.50 at Walmart with your coupon. But the same three boxes will only cost you $2.00 at Kroger because they will double the value of your coupon.
Now, the Kroger stores in Fort Wayne, IN triple couples up to 50¢. So those same three boxes of Hamburger Helper with that same coupon would only cost you $1.50 there...or 50¢ a box. That's a 50% savings!!
Most stores have limits on how many 'alike' coupons they will accept. For instance, Kroger in my area will only allow me to redeem five alike coupons in any one transaction. Additionally, they will only allow you to double two alike coupons in a transaction. So let's say I have five 25¢ off coupons for Duncan Hines brownies. Kroger would allow me to buy five brownies and use all five coupons, but only the first two would double. The remaining three would only be worth their face value of 25¢.
Different stores also have different policies about internet printable coupons and 'stacking' (something we will discuss in another post). It's wise to know what each store's policy is before you start shopping so you can plan for maximum savings. Simply call the store or stop at the customer service desk and ask about their policy. Do this routinely to make sure nothing has changed, especially if you are planning a large shopping trip or are traveling to a further away location.
2.) Know what's on sale.
Shopping the ads is one of the best ways to maximize your shopping dollars. This is usually something that's requires a big shift in how people both shop and plan their meals. What do I mean by that? Well, a lot of people plan this week's menu and then go shop for it. And that's a perfectly fine way to do it. But just because you want to serve spaghetti and meatballs this week doesn't mean spaghetti, meatballs or sauce will be on sale this week. So to serve that meal this week, you will have to pay whatever the asking price is for those items. If you're lucky, you'll have a coupon for at least one of the things you need.
But, the truly successful bargain shopper will look at this week's ad and match her coupons to what's on sale, thinking not only about this week, but the future as well. Using a coupon on a sale item is obviously going to give you a better price than using that same coupon on a full priced item. So let's say spaghetti sauce is on sale this week and you have a coupon for it. Buy the sauce this week, and wait for the other elements to go on sale before penciling spaghetti and meatballs on your menu.
If something you use regularly has a really good sale price and you have multiple coupons for it, consider stocking up. Having extra items on hand will give you a lot more flexibility when planning meals down the road, and having paid less will be a great bonus.
By simply looking over the Sunday ads or viewing ads online, you will know which stores are offering the best deals at any given time. If you're willing to invest a little more time and effort, you may find that shopping at several different stores will net you the most bang for your bucks. I know in my area, Meijer, Walgreens, Target and Walmart are all within a block or so of each other. If toothpaste will be less at Walgreens than anywhere else, why not make that extra stop? But even if you do prefer one-stop shopping, buying what's on sale when you have a coupon is always going to stretch your dollar further than buying what you want when you want it.
3.) Have a plan.
The grocery store...well any store really...is designed to encourage you to spend. When you hit the front door, everything is working against you and your wallet. From the music they play to the positioning of the products, from the colors on the hangtags to the size of the shopping cart...everything is stacked against you and your efforts to save money. If you don't have a plan, you're going to lose the battle.
While a list isn't a must, it definitely is a plus. Using the ad as a guide, plan your list and know which items you have coupons for. Have a plan for how to keep track of your coupons in the store. It stinks to get out to the car and realize that $1 off toilet paper coupon never made it to the register. Try to avoid backtracking through the store by marking things off your list as you go. Every trip down an aisle presents the temptation to buy something else. Skip rows when you can. If you don't need anything in the paper product aisle, why go down it?
Don't fall for 'store speak'. For instance, just because the ad or hangtag says '2/$5' doesn't mean you have to buy 2 to get that price. You can buy just one and pay only $2.50. This is pretty much always true unless the ad says 'when you buy'. For example, pop 12 packs frequently will be 4/$10 when you buy 4. If it says 'when you buy', you must buy items in those quantities to get that price. But if it just says 4/$10, then you can buy one for $2.50.
Stores often offer 10/$10 sales that can be confusing. Most of the time, you can buy items during a 10/$10 sale for $1 each, whether you buy 10 or 11 or 16 or whatever. But sometimes, it will say 10/$10 when you buy ten or Meijer will often have a buy 10 get the 11th free sale. In those cases, you must buy items in sets of ten (or 11, in the case of the Meijer get 11th free deal). Now that doesn't mean you have to buy ten of the same item. Unless it says otherwise in the ad, you can mix and match any of the 10/$10 or buy 10 get 11th free items to take advantage of the deal. With the Meijer buy 10 get the 11th free deals, you will only pay $1 for each item you buy even if you buy more or less than 10, but you'll miss out on the free item if you don't purchase items in the correct quantities.
The Kroger Mega Events are an awesome time to stock up and save, but many people are confused as to how to maximize their savings there as well. The Mega Event will typically offer $5 off when you buy any 10 participating items. Basically what happens is when you buy 10 items from the Mega Event selections using your loyalty card, 50¢ will come off each item. This will add up to $5 off your total. However, if you don't keep your purchases in sets of 10, you will lose that extra 50¢ off each item that isn't part of a set of ten. For instance, if I buy twelve Mega event items, I will save the extra 50¢ off the first ten items, but I will be charged the higher price for the other two. It is always to your advantage to make sure you keep your Mega Event purchases in the correct amount for this reason. A simple system of making a hash mark on your shopping list every time you put a qualified Event item in your cart is a great way to stay on top of your deal.
When you add coupons to all these $1 or Mega deals, you can really make out well at the register!!
Rumor has it the Kroger Mega Event will start this Thursday (Jan. 5). They will likely offer many of the Proctor & Gamble products on the Mega that had coupons in the paper today. It makes it a great time to get in there and start saving. So start clippin' and get ready to save!!
1.) Know the coupon policy.
Coupon policies vary widely from store to store or even from region to region. For instance, in my area (Kokomo, IN), Kroger, Meijer and Marsh supermarkets all double coupons up to 50¢. That means a 25¢ coupon will be worth 50¢ and a 50¢ will be worth a $1. So let's say, just for example, that Hamburger Helper was on sale for $1 a box at both Kroger and Walmart. If you have a coupon that's worth 50¢ off when you buy three boxes, those three boxes will cost you $2.50 at Walmart with your coupon. But the same three boxes will only cost you $2.00 at Kroger because they will double the value of your coupon.
Now, the Kroger stores in Fort Wayne, IN triple couples up to 50¢. So those same three boxes of Hamburger Helper with that same coupon would only cost you $1.50 there...or 50¢ a box. That's a 50% savings!!
Most stores have limits on how many 'alike' coupons they will accept. For instance, Kroger in my area will only allow me to redeem five alike coupons in any one transaction. Additionally, they will only allow you to double two alike coupons in a transaction. So let's say I have five 25¢ off coupons for Duncan Hines brownies. Kroger would allow me to buy five brownies and use all five coupons, but only the first two would double. The remaining three would only be worth their face value of 25¢.
Different stores also have different policies about internet printable coupons and 'stacking' (something we will discuss in another post). It's wise to know what each store's policy is before you start shopping so you can plan for maximum savings. Simply call the store or stop at the customer service desk and ask about their policy. Do this routinely to make sure nothing has changed, especially if you are planning a large shopping trip or are traveling to a further away location.
2.) Know what's on sale.
Shopping the ads is one of the best ways to maximize your shopping dollars. This is usually something that's requires a big shift in how people both shop and plan their meals. What do I mean by that? Well, a lot of people plan this week's menu and then go shop for it. And that's a perfectly fine way to do it. But just because you want to serve spaghetti and meatballs this week doesn't mean spaghetti, meatballs or sauce will be on sale this week. So to serve that meal this week, you will have to pay whatever the asking price is for those items. If you're lucky, you'll have a coupon for at least one of the things you need.
But, the truly successful bargain shopper will look at this week's ad and match her coupons to what's on sale, thinking not only about this week, but the future as well. Using a coupon on a sale item is obviously going to give you a better price than using that same coupon on a full priced item. So let's say spaghetti sauce is on sale this week and you have a coupon for it. Buy the sauce this week, and wait for the other elements to go on sale before penciling spaghetti and meatballs on your menu.
If something you use regularly has a really good sale price and you have multiple coupons for it, consider stocking up. Having extra items on hand will give you a lot more flexibility when planning meals down the road, and having paid less will be a great bonus.
By simply looking over the Sunday ads or viewing ads online, you will know which stores are offering the best deals at any given time. If you're willing to invest a little more time and effort, you may find that shopping at several different stores will net you the most bang for your bucks. I know in my area, Meijer, Walgreens, Target and Walmart are all within a block or so of each other. If toothpaste will be less at Walgreens than anywhere else, why not make that extra stop? But even if you do prefer one-stop shopping, buying what's on sale when you have a coupon is always going to stretch your dollar further than buying what you want when you want it.
3.) Have a plan.
The grocery store...well any store really...is designed to encourage you to spend. When you hit the front door, everything is working against you and your wallet. From the music they play to the positioning of the products, from the colors on the hangtags to the size of the shopping cart...everything is stacked against you and your efforts to save money. If you don't have a plan, you're going to lose the battle.
While a list isn't a must, it definitely is a plus. Using the ad as a guide, plan your list and know which items you have coupons for. Have a plan for how to keep track of your coupons in the store. It stinks to get out to the car and realize that $1 off toilet paper coupon never made it to the register. Try to avoid backtracking through the store by marking things off your list as you go. Every trip down an aisle presents the temptation to buy something else. Skip rows when you can. If you don't need anything in the paper product aisle, why go down it?
Don't fall for 'store speak'. For instance, just because the ad or hangtag says '2/$5' doesn't mean you have to buy 2 to get that price. You can buy just one and pay only $2.50. This is pretty much always true unless the ad says 'when you buy'. For example, pop 12 packs frequently will be 4/$10 when you buy 4. If it says 'when you buy', you must buy items in those quantities to get that price. But if it just says 4/$10, then you can buy one for $2.50.
Stores often offer 10/$10 sales that can be confusing. Most of the time, you can buy items during a 10/$10 sale for $1 each, whether you buy 10 or 11 or 16 or whatever. But sometimes, it will say 10/$10 when you buy ten or Meijer will often have a buy 10 get the 11th free sale. In those cases, you must buy items in sets of ten (or 11, in the case of the Meijer get 11th free deal). Now that doesn't mean you have to buy ten of the same item. Unless it says otherwise in the ad, you can mix and match any of the 10/$10 or buy 10 get 11th free items to take advantage of the deal. With the Meijer buy 10 get the 11th free deals, you will only pay $1 for each item you buy even if you buy more or less than 10, but you'll miss out on the free item if you don't purchase items in the correct quantities.
The Kroger Mega Events are an awesome time to stock up and save, but many people are confused as to how to maximize their savings there as well. The Mega Event will typically offer $5 off when you buy any 10 participating items. Basically what happens is when you buy 10 items from the Mega Event selections using your loyalty card, 50¢ will come off each item. This will add up to $5 off your total. However, if you don't keep your purchases in sets of 10, you will lose that extra 50¢ off each item that isn't part of a set of ten. For instance, if I buy twelve Mega event items, I will save the extra 50¢ off the first ten items, but I will be charged the higher price for the other two. It is always to your advantage to make sure you keep your Mega Event purchases in the correct amount for this reason. A simple system of making a hash mark on your shopping list every time you put a qualified Event item in your cart is a great way to stay on top of your deal.
When you add coupons to all these $1 or Mega deals, you can really make out well at the register!!
Rumor has it the Kroger Mega Event will start this Thursday (Jan. 5). They will likely offer many of the Proctor & Gamble products on the Mega that had coupons in the paper today. It makes it a great time to get in there and start saving. So start clippin' and get ready to save!!
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