I have not posted on this blog FOREVER! Thankfully, barely anyone reads it, so it works out. However, I'm going to try and resurrect it, as I need some inspiration to keep couponing. So, to start, let's go with this deal at Target.
Buy 3 Venus Razors @ $6.99 each
Buy 1 Fusion Razor @ $6.99
Buy 3 Olay total effects body wash @ $5.49 each
Total before coupons: $44.43 before tax
- 3 $2/1 Venus qs 2/7PG
- 1 $4/1 Fusion q 2/7PG
- 3 Buy 1 Venus, Get 1 Olay Body Wash FREE 2/7PG
- 1 $2/1 Venus Target Mobile Q (if you get their mobile coupons)
Total after coupons: $15.96
BUT, you get back 3 $5 gift cards! 2 for buying 4 razors (1 $5 gift card per 2 razors), and 1 for buying 3 Olay body washes. It's like paying only .96 for 4 razors and three full size body washes!
BUT it gets even better!! Submit this Olay rebate (for buying 3 Olay products, and get $15 back!
This makes this a $14+ MONEYMAKER! If you have these coupons, get on this NOW!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Out Searching for Apartments
I won't be updated today or tomorrow. Instead Adam and I will be out searching for our new apartment down in Olympia. We're probably moving the end of this month, so we have to find something soon.
If anyone has tips on finding the perfect apartment, let me know in the comments. Wish us luck!
If anyone has tips on finding the perfect apartment, let me know in the comments. Wish us luck!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Deal on Huggies Diapers, Week of 7/12 - 7/18
If you have a child in diapers and have a Walgreens near you, you might be interested in this deal. The week of 7/12 - 7/18, Walgreens is having a sale on Jumbo pack Huggies diapers and training pants. They are $10 each, and when you spend $20, you receive a $5 Register Reward (if you don't know what these are, read this post (ignore part about Easy Saver and Rebates, these don't exist anymore) and this post from Hip 2 Save). So here is the deal:
Buy 2 Jumbo packs of Huggies diapers @ $10 each
Use 2 $3/1 Huggies manf. coupons from Huggies home mailer
Spend $14 out of pocket (OOP) and receive $5 RR
If you factor the RR into the total price paid, then you are really only spending $9 for 2 jumbo packs, which seems to be a good deal.
If you have any questions about the Register Reward program (it is confusing), let me know. I will gladly help out with any questions you may have.
Free Coupon Booklet with Over $30 in Savings
A great coupon booklet is available right now! The Home made Simple booklet contains coupons for Swiffer, Febreze, Dawn, Cascade, and Mr. Clean. These are good high value coupons too, and go great with sales. It even containes a coupon for a free bottle of Cascade rinse aid!
This is a great way to build up your coupon stash. Just go over here, fill in your info, and it will be mailed to you. Enjoy!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Earn Gift Cards and Prizes by Using a Search Engine
I'm sure everyone here searches the internet. Well, did you know you can get points (that are redeemable for prizes, gift cards, and money) for doing this? If not, you will definitely want to check this out.
Swagbucks is a search engine that rewards you with Swagbucks when you use their engine. Swagbucks are then redeemable for prizes, gift cards, and now even cash! All you have to do is sign up and search with their engine. You don't win points every time you search, but I usually will win within the first 5 searches I make. I have never won more than once a day. I'm not sure if this is because I don't search that often, or if it is part of their system.
I use my Swagbucks for gift cards right now. 45 Swagbucks buys me a $5 Amazon gift card. This may not seem like much, but if you earn 1 point a day for something you already do, you can earn $5 in a month and a half. Also, although you usually only earn 1 Swagbuck, some days you get lucky and earn 2, 5, or even 10 Swagbucks. This can make the process of earning gift cards go much faster.
So far, I have earned 90 Swagbucks in about 3 months. I didn't search every day either, since I would get busy and not get on my computer. It is hands down the easiest way to earn money in my opinion, since I don't have to do anything extra to get it.
Ready to sign up? Simply click here and fill out the form. Use the code CASHISKING (case-sensitive), which will give you 2 Swagbucks to start. You will also get 3 Swagbucks just for signing up. That means you'll have 5 to start! Only 40 more until you get your Amazon gift card. So start searching and get earning those Swagbucks!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Word of Mouth Programs
As I mentioned in my last post, I love getting things free. I also love testing products and letting friends and family know what I thought. So when I learned about word of mouth programs, I knew I needed to get on board! I currently am registered at two word of mouth companies (VocalPoint and BzzAgent) and love them both.
Word of mouth companies basically have a bunch of consumers test products and review them. They rely on the consumers testing the products to, by "word of mouth", tell friends and family about their experience with the product. It's a simple way to market a product, but it's extremely effective.
Both of these programs are free to sign up for. VocalPoint has been a great resource for coupons. I was sent coupons for Kashi waffles one day. I received 1 coupon for a free box, and 5 $1.50/1 coupons to give to friends. I ended up loving the waffles, and told family and friends this. See? Easy marketing for the companies, and free stuff for the consumers! Win win! I have also received a Bounce Dryer Bar from VocalPoint. I got it before it was even on the market, and all I was asked to do was give a review.
I have not received anything from BzzAgent yet, but I'm in a campaign right now, so I should receive some Aveeno Shampoo soon.
Both of these companies are reputable and will not send you spam or add you to mass mailing lists. They just want to send you free stuff and have you review it. Simple as that.
Want to sign up?
Sign up here for VocalPoint
Sign up here for BzzAgent
Any questions, let me know in the comments.
Free Samples!
One of my new favorite things is getting free samples in the mail. It's so exciting for me to open the mailbox and find freebies and coupons instead of bills. The best place I have found so far to snag free samples is a part of Walmart.com. You simply sign up and in about 4 weeks, the sample arrives.
Here are the current samples offered by Walmart.com.
I will also list other samples I come across, but be sure to check that site often to see if any new samples are available.
New Coupons on Coupons.com!
Every month, coupons.com resets and adds new coupons to their site. They do this throughout the month as well, but the most seem to be added on the 1st of the month. Here are some coupons that I think could be great:
- $1.25/1 DiGiorno Crispy Flatbread Pizza
- $1/1 Special K Crackers
- $1.50/1 Wanchai Ferry Frozen Dinner
- And many more!
You can check coupons.com out for yourself by clicking the icon on the right-hand side of this blog. Make sure to input your zipcode at the top of the coupons.com site. If you can't see the ones listed above, use zipcode 98229.
A couple things to remember about coupons.com:
- There is a limit on the number of each coupon released. If you see a coupon you want, make sure to print it right away as it may be gone later, especially if it is a high-value coupon.
- You can print each coupon twice. To do this, simply hit the back button on your browser after the first coupon has printed. (If a pop-up comes up when you do that, that says something about needed to resend the information, make sure to hit resend).
- Occasionally, coupons.com will "reset" individual coupons, so that even if you have printed 2 already, you will be able to print 2 more. Check back often so that you don't miss out.
If you have any questions, I'm more than happy to answer them. Just let me know in the comments.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Common Couponing Myths (and why they are just myths)
So I'm guessing some of you may have some pre-conceived notions about how couponing is a waste of time, too much work, and can't give savings on fresh produce and meat. I know I did when I first started. Mainly I didn't want to coupon because I didn't want to put a lot of work in just so I could use a few .25 off and .45 coupons and save $5 on a $100 bill. However, once my fiance Adam and I were both unemployed, I needed to find a way to cut costs. Thankfully, my mom had just gotten into couponing and shared her knowledge, and it stuck. I realized there was a lot to learn about couponing, and that all the things I thought I knew about it were not really true at all.
Let's take a look at some myths people have about couponing, and why they don't hold much truth.
1. Couponing takes too much time.
This is somewhat correct. Couponing does take time, especially when you are starting. You will have to buy Sunday papers, organize the coupons in a system that works for you, print coupons online, make lists for the store and stick to them, and shop when things are on sale, not just when it's convenient. However, I don't believe it takes "too much time". The first few weeks will take some time to get things organized and to learn about coupons, but once you have the basics down, the time needed drops significantly.
When I first started, I probably spent 2 - 3 hours each Sunday clipping coupons out of inserts and organizing them and around 6 hours a week at the stores. I also spent a lot of time on Hot Coupon World (HCW) and on blogs of other couponers. Now I spend about 3 hours a week at stores on average, and on Sundays, I take about 5 minutes pulling out the inserts from the newspaper and writing the dates on them. I don't clip coupons anymore until I need them, which saves me a bunch of time.
2. Couponing isn't worth it because you don't save that much money.
This one could not be farther from the truth. The fact is, since I started couponing, I have cut my grocery and household bills in more than half! You will save a good amount of money IF you use coupons in the right way. This means you shouldn't be:
- Buying things you will never use just because they are a "great deal". If you buy unnecessary things on top of what you really need, you probably won't see many savings.
- Buying items just because you have a coupon for them. Without a sale to combine with the coupon, your savings won't be nearly as high. Also, like I said above, if they are not items you will use, it's generally not worth your time to buy them.*
- Buying items without a sale. In line with the point above, combining coupons with sales is the best way to save a large amount. If you don't wait for a sale, you are missing out on a lot of savings
Basically, as long as you're patient enough to wait for a sale to combine your coupon with, you'll see a major decrease in your grocery bill.
*Sometimes it is worth it to buy things you do not need. Here's an example: Say Easy Mac cups are on sale for .50 each, and when you buy 10, you get a $4 on your next order (OYNO) coupon. You have 5 $1/2 coupons, making the Easy Mac free. However, even though you get it all for free, you will still get your $4 OYNO coupon, basically PAYING you $4 to buy the Easy Mac. So even if you won't use the Easy Mac, it's worth buying, since it pays you $4 to buy it, and that $4 can be used to buy something you do need.
3. Cashiers and other customers will hate you for using coupons.
Although you may run into a few difficult cashiers who scrutinize your coupons and make you feel like you're doing something illegal or wrong, most cashiers are indifferent to couponers. It makes no difference to them that you have coupons for all your items. To them, it's just another thing to scan. Some cashiers even get excited for you when they see how much you have saved. I have a cashier at Walgreens who is always happy to ring up my multiple transactions and always wants to know where I get certain coupons. I make sure to give her some coupons when I go in, because she's so nice to deal with. If you do end up with a bad cashier, just remember their face and name, and avoid them in the future.
As far as other customers go, I have never seen anyone get angry at couponers. I'm sure if you were doing a transaction with 300 items and 300 coupons, some might get annoyed, but that's not because of the coupons only. If I have a large transaction, I generally split it up, take each order out to the car after I've paid, then go back in to do another transaction. This way, nobody behind me has to wait for a long time.
4. Store brand is always cheaper than the name brand equivelant, even when it has a coupon for it
Sure this can be true...if you don't combine the coupon with a store sale. Couponing is all about waiting for a great sale, combining this with coupons, and stocking up on products. I don't mean that you need to buy 100 cans of spaghetti sauce, but if you have 10 coupons and you think you'll use 10 cans within a few months, buy 10. That way, instead of running to the store in a few weeks and buying it at a regular price, you can just grab it from your pantry knowing you paid a rock bottom price for it. As long as you are waiting for a sale and using your coupons with that, then the store brand really shouldn't be a better price.
5. You can only get sugar cereals and over processed food with coupons.
Well, there are a lot of coupons for that sort of thing, but it isn't all that there is. I have coupons for organic sugar, flour, organic butter, peanut butter, nuts, fresh fruit, olive oil, apple sauce, cheese, eggs, and more. That isn't anything I consider "over processed". There are always going to be coupons for snack foods and treats. If you don't want them, ignore those and find the ones you do need.
Even if you can't find coupons for any food items you want (and that would be extremely hard to do), there are tons of coupons for household things. I haven't paid more than .33 for a bottle of shampoo or conditioner in over 3 months (and John Frieda Root Awakening was the one that cost .33, the rest were free). I got paid .08 to buy Degree deodorant at Target a month ago. St. Ives body wash paid me $1.50 to take it out of the store! So trust me when I say you can get a lot more than snacks with coupons.
In the end, the people who believe these things are usually the ones who have never shopped with coupons. We eat extremely well, even though we are paying 50 - 60% less on groceries than we used to. Do you know of more myths that should be discussed? Have a question? Leave a comment and I'll help you out.
Resources for Couponers
There are so many blogs, websites, and forums out there on couponing that you could spend weeks browsing them all. If you are like most people, you don't have that kind of time. That's why I'm here. Here is a list of sites that I have found useful in my couponing adventure:
Albertsons Deal Match-ups:
Frugal Living NW (Oregon and S. Washington)
Cub Foods Match-ups:
Jewel-Osco Match-ups:
Meijer Match-ups:
National Chain Store Match-ups:
**She covers CVS, Rite-Aid, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart, plus MORE!**
Coupon Database (by far, the greatest resource you will have in couponing, at least in my opinion)
Couponing Forums:
Hot Coupon World Forums -- HUGE active forums include all grocery, drugstore, and department store deals, plus office supplies, online deals, freebies, coupon trading, and so much more
Organic Grocery Deals -- Forums discussing organic food deals, sister site of Hot Coupon World
Tips/Help/Suggestions for the New Couponer:
Getting Started - Hot Coupon World Forum -- Dedicated to helping people learn how to coupon
Couponing Tips from It's Hip 2 Save -- Great pointers on how to avoid common mistakes made by newbie couponers
Organizing Coupons
Hot Coupon World Forum on Organizing Uncut Coupons
Coupon Clipping Service -- Sometimes if you need multiples of a specific coupon, a clipping service is much cheaper than buying multiple papers
Printable Coupons -- always check the product's website to see if the manufacturer offers a coupon there
Did I miss your store? Do you have a resource you want to share? How about a question for me? Let me know in the comments and I will help you out!
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