Well FINALLY I got some stuff worked out (like a place to hold it that didn't require rental fees because I don't have the money...) to do a coupon class in the Valley.
I will be teaching a coupon class at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, October 13th in Wasilla at the LDS Church (on Bogard by the high school). I'd like to invite anyone who wants to attend to come. Members of the local community have asked me to do this class (not to mention church members), and it sounds like my sister-in-law (who is also into couponing obsessively ;-) will be there to help me field any questions you might have. It will only be about 50 minutes maximum (since I'm going to be part of a schedule of events that night at the Church), so it won't take up your entire evening. I'll try to print off some easy to follow hand outs for everyone to make your life easier later on as well, and I'm debating doing some cool prizes, but that depends on what I can find and get around to (since I'm super busy right now with other stuff too).
So, please if you wish to attend do come and hang out with us. This will be fun...I'll make sure of that *laugh*, so if you have nothing better to do come on over and join the fun!
Showing posts with label Coupon basics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coupon basics. Show all posts
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Coupon Organization...
Image courtesy of, Utah Deal Diva.
Once you get into coupons hot and heavy you'll quickly notice that you are going to have a TON of coupons. What do you do with them all? Well, that's a loaded question really.
There are a lot of different methods out there. The box method (Money Saving Mom advocates that method) is popular with some, which is basically taking a plastic shoe box and putting envelopes in as dividers for your coupons. Personally? I tried this for a while. If you get your coupons from the ADN odds are this is a waste of time. We don't get enough coupons to really worry about, and I also found this HORRIBLY akward with two young children. I'd always end up putting my coupons into my wallet and leaving the actual box in the car (since I'd have one kid in the front of the cart and one child IN the cart...coupons would get destroyed if I took them in the box). I gave up on this method pretty quick.
Second is the "acordian" method. This is where you take one, to multiple, coupon accordian organizers, stick them into a box if necessary to put in your cart and use those as a method of organization. I like the IDEA of this method. Actually, in a way I use it. I have one coupon organizer that I keep in my diaper bag/tote bag that I keep any coupons that I KNOW I want to use before they expire (food coupons especially). I divide those categories up like this...
Food
Household (paper goods and chemicals)
Health and Beauty
Baby/kids
Pets
Misc
Restaurants/probably not going to use
I have three left over slots that I use to stick coupons as I find them for my shopping trip for the week(s) by grocery store...
Fred Meyer
Target
Wal-Mart/Carrs (since I do the least amount of shopping at those two stores)
I also have one slot up front which is where my "FREE" coupons go because I know I want to use them and it's completely visible that way.
If I have a coupon for a free product that I'm not sure where to find it, or if I have a coupon I KNOW I want to use, but only if the price is right, I just stick it in the Fred Meyer slot and move it back to the next store if the price is too high there. I've never been disappointed using that method for my coupons.
The only problem with the accordian method (and any clip method) that I've found is that clipping coupons takes FOREVER, keeping track of which insert the coupons came from is impossible and in the off chance my mom sends me coupons from the lower 48, those will get mixed up with the rest of my coupons, so if I'm trying to do match-ups for my blog...well this doesn't work great.
So, I've started a system like this. I went out and bought a binder at Fred Meyer that was on sale for 6.99 in back to school. It has an accordian file system built into it with four slots (which was PERFECT!). It zippers shut so I don't have to worry about anything falling out, has multiple pockets including one to stick a small pair of scissors and a sharpie into, AND has a lot of other little pockets that fit any odd man out clipped coupons I have.
I bought ONE 2 pocket folder (mainly because I haven't gotten any baseball card pages yet) as well.
I love the "clipless" method for filing my inserts. I just write the date on the front of the insert, stick it into the accordian file (which I have organized into "Smart Source inserts", "Red Plum inserts", "All You Magazine"...I just rip out the pages with the coupons, paper clip together and write the month the coupons came from on the front of the pile to store more compactly...and "Misc"...the "Naturally Preferred coupons go in this section among others).
In the 2 pocket folder I have put any coupon booklets I've recieved as well as my internet printables (not clipped) and any other coupons that I've gotten in the mail pre-file into my accordian file.
The binder fits PEFECTLY into an over the shoulder bag I have, which is great if I need a shoulder strap for it (and it doesn't look like I'm carrying around a huge honking binder...I get school flash backs what can I say ;-).
After I have my shopping trip planned out, I just go in, clip the coupons I need out of my inserts and my internet printables, put them into my store categories and voila. Done. I've just been taking the binder with me and keeping it in the car, in case I run into a screaming deal and the off chance I don't have the coupon I need with me. I can just do two trips into the store OR if my husband is with me, leave him with the kids and run out to the car to recover the binder. I take the accordian file with me, which usually has all the coupons I require in it anyway :-).
I take my stack of coupons out of the accordian file when I get to the store and put them into my wallet (sometimes I'll stick them in an envelope in my accordian file to make my life easier) so I have them handy. If I have a lot of akward shaped coupons for that store (say peelies), I'll stick those coupons back into the accordian file after I've picked up the item and just "restack" all the coupons back into that store category. Then when I get up to the register I can just pull all the coupons out of the accordian file and not worry about some important coupon falling out of my wallet.
This is just my personal system though. Everyone has their own that works well for them. I'm still getting my system to work right for me (as you can see).
If you'd like to see the super organized way to do a binder, you can go HERE and read up on it.
The best thing about doing coupons is that there is no WRONG way to do it. So long as it works for you, go with it and as your needs change just go with it!
Enjoy all!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Ins and Outs of overage...
I got this e-mail yesterday and thought I'd share since it's a very good question.
I noticed in your most recent blog (as of 8:57 this morning) that you said that you got some free Tide because of coupon overage. How does that work? As I recall you said to use the Manufacturer Coupon first, and then the Store Coupon, so the overage comes from the store coupons, yes? And then the store owes you?
Also, on a side note, do you put a weekly grocery list together from the coupons? I'm still real new at this and it's kind of fun!!!
Thanks so much!
Britt
Well, the first thing to note about overage, is that you don't always get it. It varies from cashier to cashier. I have noticed that overage is easiest to get at Target (at least for me). Fred Meyer's computers beep something horrible when there is overage and most of the cashiers will just adjust down the value of the coupon so you don't get to use the money on the rest of your order. You still DO get the item for free though, so I'm not one to complain either way.
Yes, the best way to get overage (and avoid the terrible beeping from the computers) is to always hand over the manufacturer coupons first and the store coupons last. 99% of cashiers will just accept a store coupon vs. a manufacturer coupon that beeps because it is covered by the store. Period. They don't have to worry about getting in trouble for accepting a manufacturer coupon that was over the price of the item. See, the manufacturer's can request invoices at any time to see what the store charges for their products and if that doesn't match with what they actually put through the coupon for the store actually eats the cost of the overage. With the store coupons, it is easier to adjust for overage because it just adjusts through sales and they don't have to be so accountable to others.
The way that I do my grocery lists is usually like this. First, I have a 100.00 a week grocery budget (for now). I have that in cash, a small calculator I carry around with me and try to be organized. It really does help.
What I do is go through the weekly ads, figure out the stores with the best deals (with and without coupons) that week and see if it is worth going to each store or if there is only one store that truly stands out (you're lucky because you can use the coupon blogs like mine or Alaska's Best Grocery Deals to do this work for you).
I always try to shop with coupons in mind first anymore. Some weeks I just skip them (to give myself a break from trying to do coupons for one and two just because usually I don't need much that week and what I need there is no coupon for). I do try to prioritize though. I try to make my shopping list based on a certain criteria.
1) What essentials do I need that week?
For instance Target may have awesome sales one week and if I only need milk I might just go to there to do all my shopping, thus maximizing my time (even if I pay a little bit extra for the milk). Other weeks, if I need bread, milk, eggs and meat and Target doesn't have great deals I would just probably skip it all together and go to Fred Meyer to do my grocery shopping. Once I figure out what I need and what stores to go to, I figure out which coupons I definitely WANT to use that week with what is on sale, either write that down in a list (with the coupon match-up marked too) or lately (because I'm just pressed for time), I have honestly (this is sort of bad to admit) just started clipping out the picture with the store price on it of what I need and just stack it on top of my coupon. Since I'm carrying around my coupons anyway, this seemed to be a good way to juggle everything. For non-advertised deals (like the travel sized things at Target), I just try to organize my coupons by section as I go through the store (yes I really am this anal retentive).
My stack of coupons for Target usually goes, "Infants, candy/food, cleaners/household, pets, health and beauty, travel section, front registers" because that matches how I run through the store. Shopping with two young children, being organized really is essential to me or I'd miss a whole lot of things I wanted to buy. Once I get the items I need then I'll just restack my coupons so the Target coupons are at the bottom of the pile, make sure that none of the coupons are stuck together so that the cashier won't miss them (dog ear a corner if you are worried about this happening so they won't stick together) and away I go.
2) Where am I shopping and what coupons do I need?
I make as many piles of coupons with stores as I need. I have a binder I store my newspaper inserts in and stuff (clipping as needed), and I just add my internet printables to that stack in the binder and clip internet coupons as I use them to go shopping. I make a pile of "Fred Meyer" deals, "Target Deals" and sometimes "Wal-Mart Deals", and go from there (I'm not shopping at Walgreens much right now). The easiest way for me to keep it all organized is just to put the coupons in envelopes that I've clipped, mark the store name on the front and shove them into my wallet and pull out the envelope when I get to the store. I then have my coupon accordian travel organizer thingie (if you go to 4imprint.com and sign up for an account they'll send you some products to try for free..I think the maximum is three, and if the item is a low enough value you get to keep it...that's how I got my coupon binder years ago :-) with my higher value coupons that are a "maybe if it is on sale" types of coupons. The binder with all the other coupons I just plain leave in the car. That way I can make two trips to the car if I find some really awesome stuff that is on sale or clearance that I can get for free with coupons. I keep a small pair of scissors in my binder just for that purpose.
Now my Target pile I definitely start with "things I can get for free" and go from there :-). I mean how can you not...free doesn't count against your grocery budget *laugh*. Fred Meyer I start with things I absolutely NEED to get (milk is usually at the top of that list) and Wal-mart is always the "I can't find this anywhere else, please God let them carry it" stack or "I know Wal-Mart is the only one that carries these products" or "I KNOW that Wal-mart is the cheapest place to buy this". Usually that list is pretty small anymore and I hit them once every couple of months.
I know that is probably way more information than you need, but don't get overwhelmed. It's really not as complicated as it seems :-). You'll get the hang of coupons really quickly. It's fun and honestly you'll find your own way of doing things that works for you (heck my sister-in-law just keeps her coupons in her purse in a pile and flips through them as she needs them...it works for her!). That's the best thing about coupons. Barring doing anything illegal, there really isn't a "wrong way" to do it. So long as you are saving money and having fun go with it!
I noticed in your most recent blog (as of 8:57 this morning) that you said that you got some free Tide because of coupon overage. How does that work? As I recall you said to use the Manufacturer Coupon first, and then the Store Coupon, so the overage comes from the store coupons, yes? And then the store owes you?
Also, on a side note, do you put a weekly grocery list together from the coupons? I'm still real new at this and it's kind of fun!!!
Thanks so much!
Britt
Well, the first thing to note about overage, is that you don't always get it. It varies from cashier to cashier. I have noticed that overage is easiest to get at Target (at least for me). Fred Meyer's computers beep something horrible when there is overage and most of the cashiers will just adjust down the value of the coupon so you don't get to use the money on the rest of your order. You still DO get the item for free though, so I'm not one to complain either way.
Yes, the best way to get overage (and avoid the terrible beeping from the computers) is to always hand over the manufacturer coupons first and the store coupons last. 99% of cashiers will just accept a store coupon vs. a manufacturer coupon that beeps because it is covered by the store. Period. They don't have to worry about getting in trouble for accepting a manufacturer coupon that was over the price of the item. See, the manufacturer's can request invoices at any time to see what the store charges for their products and if that doesn't match with what they actually put through the coupon for the store actually eats the cost of the overage. With the store coupons, it is easier to adjust for overage because it just adjusts through sales and they don't have to be so accountable to others.
The way that I do my grocery lists is usually like this. First, I have a 100.00 a week grocery budget (for now). I have that in cash, a small calculator I carry around with me and try to be organized. It really does help.
What I do is go through the weekly ads, figure out the stores with the best deals (with and without coupons) that week and see if it is worth going to each store or if there is only one store that truly stands out (you're lucky because you can use the coupon blogs like mine or Alaska's Best Grocery Deals to do this work for you).
I always try to shop with coupons in mind first anymore. Some weeks I just skip them (to give myself a break from trying to do coupons for one and two just because usually I don't need much that week and what I need there is no coupon for). I do try to prioritize though. I try to make my shopping list based on a certain criteria.
1) What essentials do I need that week?
For instance Target may have awesome sales one week and if I only need milk I might just go to there to do all my shopping, thus maximizing my time (even if I pay a little bit extra for the milk). Other weeks, if I need bread, milk, eggs and meat and Target doesn't have great deals I would just probably skip it all together and go to Fred Meyer to do my grocery shopping. Once I figure out what I need and what stores to go to, I figure out which coupons I definitely WANT to use that week with what is on sale, either write that down in a list (with the coupon match-up marked too) or lately (because I'm just pressed for time), I have honestly (this is sort of bad to admit) just started clipping out the picture with the store price on it of what I need and just stack it on top of my coupon. Since I'm carrying around my coupons anyway, this seemed to be a good way to juggle everything. For non-advertised deals (like the travel sized things at Target), I just try to organize my coupons by section as I go through the store (yes I really am this anal retentive).
My stack of coupons for Target usually goes, "Infants, candy/food, cleaners/household, pets, health and beauty, travel section, front registers" because that matches how I run through the store. Shopping with two young children, being organized really is essential to me or I'd miss a whole lot of things I wanted to buy. Once I get the items I need then I'll just restack my coupons so the Target coupons are at the bottom of the pile, make sure that none of the coupons are stuck together so that the cashier won't miss them (dog ear a corner if you are worried about this happening so they won't stick together) and away I go.
2) Where am I shopping and what coupons do I need?
I make as many piles of coupons with stores as I need. I have a binder I store my newspaper inserts in and stuff (clipping as needed), and I just add my internet printables to that stack in the binder and clip internet coupons as I use them to go shopping. I make a pile of "Fred Meyer" deals, "Target Deals" and sometimes "Wal-Mart Deals", and go from there (I'm not shopping at Walgreens much right now). The easiest way for me to keep it all organized is just to put the coupons in envelopes that I've clipped, mark the store name on the front and shove them into my wallet and pull out the envelope when I get to the store. I then have my coupon accordian travel organizer thingie (if you go to 4imprint.com and sign up for an account they'll send you some products to try for free..I think the maximum is three, and if the item is a low enough value you get to keep it...that's how I got my coupon binder years ago :-) with my higher value coupons that are a "maybe if it is on sale" types of coupons. The binder with all the other coupons I just plain leave in the car. That way I can make two trips to the car if I find some really awesome stuff that is on sale or clearance that I can get for free with coupons. I keep a small pair of scissors in my binder just for that purpose.
Now my Target pile I definitely start with "things I can get for free" and go from there :-). I mean how can you not...free doesn't count against your grocery budget *laugh*. Fred Meyer I start with things I absolutely NEED to get (milk is usually at the top of that list) and Wal-mart is always the "I can't find this anywhere else, please God let them carry it" stack or "I know Wal-Mart is the only one that carries these products" or "I KNOW that Wal-mart is the cheapest place to buy this". Usually that list is pretty small anymore and I hit them once every couple of months.
I know that is probably way more information than you need, but don't get overwhelmed. It's really not as complicated as it seems :-). You'll get the hang of coupons really quickly. It's fun and honestly you'll find your own way of doing things that works for you (heck my sister-in-law just keeps her coupons in her purse in a pile and flips through them as she needs them...it works for her!). That's the best thing about coupons. Barring doing anything illegal, there really isn't a "wrong way" to do it. So long as you are saving money and having fun go with it!
Can coupons really work for you?
Okay, I got this e-mail today and just had to share...
"Hi,
I'm new to coupons. It seems like a lot of work and I'm wondering something. Does all this deal shopping and coupons pay off?
Paul"
Well, Paul, I tried to figure out a way to show you how much coupons has done for me in the past six months...but there's no picture that would be BIG enough to encompass everything that I've gotten for free or for less than a dollar (the cereal, BBQ sauce, Safety Swabs, Soap, Shampoo and other things wouldn't even fit on a table if I stacked them). So, I quickly went through my house (okay I grabbed the stack of things on my bookcase in my kitchen that I haven't gotten a chance to put away yet) and grabbed the things that I have recieved in the last two weeks or bought in the last two weeks that were free after coupons (some things like the tide I got free from overage on other coupons...same with the glade tin candles). I did forget to grab the free grab bag I got from the "Scraptique Boutique" as well as my free thing of lunchmeat (since my kid's were eating it at the time *laugh*) and one thing of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (because I ate it), AND a candle and refill (because I gave it to a friend to cheer her up). I'm also missing a few samples I got in the mail and stuff, but you get the idea.
The "proof is in the pudding" is the phrase I guess. Coupons and bargain hunting have definitely worked for me. Not only do I get a lot of things free that I would normally NOT buy because they were too expensive before I found coupons, I also have cut my grocery budget by 2/3 and am thinking of downsizing that in a few months. If you have any questions on what some of the deal match-ups to these things are, please feel free to ask. I am always willing to answer questions (but just to warn you a LOT of the deals are over...but don't worry there WILL be more!).
I pray that you stick with coupons. They really do make a difference in your budget and you WILL find it rewarding if you want it to be. Enjoy!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Combining Coupons...
I had a blog reader e-mail me with a VERY good question, so I wanted to share my answer to it here in case anyone had a similiar question.
"I am new to couponing and have a question. Can I combine target coupons? There is $1/1 for GM cereals that expires tomorrow but then is another one that is $1/2 that expires later for GM cereals. Can I use them both and a manufacturers coupon if I buy two cereals or only a target coupon and a manufacturers coupon?
I hope this makes sense. Thanks for getting back to me. I am going to try couponing tomorrow.
Kim"
This is a good question and unfortunately the answer is no, you can't combine Target coupons like that. Target's official coupon policy (and every other store that I know of...at least up here) doesn't combine their own coupons. They will take one store/Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon per item.
Down in the lower 48 they have something called "double coupons", which we don't get up here. Why, I don't know. Double coupons are something you'll run into on other deal blogs though, so let me explain that for a moment. Double coupons are when a store voluntarily doubles up a manufacturer coupon of less than 1.00 on an item. So if you had a .50/1 coupon the computer would just automatically double it up to 1.00 when you checked out. It's a very great sounding service and I pray that one of these days our stores up here might do that. Can you imagine how much of a killing, we who run the deal blogs, could set you up with if we had double coupons *wistfull look*.
Unfortunately though...we're stuck in the rut we are and so we're on the "1 and 1 coupon" match-up and that's it. Although it's still not a bad thing :-).
Let me break down a couple of things for you all when it comes to "stacking" manufacturer and store coupons.
1) 1.00/1 combined with 1.00/2 types of coupons.
You can use a 1.00/2 store coupon with 2 1.00/1 Manufacturer coupons, OR vice versa, but you couldn't, if you bought two items, use a 1.00/1 store coupon AND a 1.00/2 store coupon on the same two items. This is considered using two "like" coupons on an item and isn't allowed. So long as you keep track and figure out how many times a coupon "hits" an item and make sure you only have one "hit" per item with your store and manufacturer coupons you should be fine (like I used a 1.00/3 Target coupon for tuna fish this last trip and then used 3 .50/1 manufacturer coupons on the same item. The 1.00/3 Target coupon "hit" those three items once a piece and so did the manufacturer coupons, so this was a legal use of coupons).
2) B1G1 coupons.
These are great because you can use a B1G1 and do what I like to call "triple stacking". That's because the B1G1 coupon is just saying that if you buy 1 item you get one free. So, you can still use a manufacturer AND a store coupon on the item you are buying. Let me give you an example...
Head and Shoulders shampoo on sale 3.99 with in-ad coupon
Buy 2 and
Use B1G1 coupon from a P&G insert
Stack with 1.00/1 coupon from the same P&G insert
Final Price: 2 bottles of shampoo for 2.99
So, you'll have three coupons for the same transaction, but it's all legal to do because you are still allowed your two coupon allottment (one manufacturer and one store coupon) on the item you are actually buying. The BEST and most awesome way to use the B1G1 coupons is when you can stack a B1G1 coupon with either a store promotion for a B1G1 sale OR use a B1G1 store coupon with your B1G1 manufacturer coupon. You can also use a B1G1 coupon in conjunction with a "Free" coupon to get two items for free even if they are both manufacturer coupons because you are using your "free" coupon on the item you are buying.
Here's some examples for you...
Dog food on sale B1G1
Use the B1G1 from some Redplum insert
Final Price: 2 free cans of dogfood
Dog food on sale 1.99
Use B1G1 coupon from the SS inserts
Use B1G1 Target Printable
Final Price: Free after coupons
Dog food on sale B1G1
Use "free" dogfood coupon from some SS insert
Final price: 2 free cans dogfood
Dog food on sale 1.99
Use B1G1 coupon from the SS inserts
Use "Free" coupon from the SS inserts
Final Price: 2 cans dogfood free
See what I mean? There are definitely various ways to stack coupons to make them work the best for you, but it can be a lot of work honestly. My thoughts on the matter? Get your feet wet doing the basics of one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon. Then hit your local deals blogs (like this one) for coupon match-ups every week and let us do the hard work for you. For instance I spend probably 12 hours every Sunday doing coupon match-ups and getting eyestrain, but you don't have to. I mean for literally an hour or two a week (which is mainly reading your coupon match-ups and clipping lots of paper) you can plan a successfull shopping trip and let us do the hard work for you :-).
Also, in the case of Target printables, remember this. You can print more than one of those coupons (actually you can print as many of a coupon as you want), so don't worry about trying to use a coupon "only once". Just remember this important fact. A lot of the Target coupons say "one per transaction" which some cashiers will take to heart and want you to separate things out into different transactions. This can sometimes wreck a deal you are trying to do, but my advice is to just say "never mind then" if you can't get the coupons to work one per transaction and get the results you want and then try again later with another cashier. I've had a LOT more good cashiers than bad ones (and trust me you will quickly learn to avoid the bad ones)...you just have to take the bad with the good I'm afraid.
Just do NOT argue with the cashier. If you know you are right on an item (like adjusting down the price of a coupon to get it for free and they don't want to take it) go to the store armed with the corporate policy, stick to your guns and ask to speak to a manager. Be nice and polite the entire time. If the manager doesn't want to do anything about it, tell them that you know you are right and ask them to phone corporate. This has ALWAYS in the rare instance where I have had a problem, immediately fixes things.
Remember...coupons have been around for a while, but for the first time in a long time coupons are really starting to take hold again due to the hard economy. A LOT of cashier's are still in the "learning curve" as I like to call it where they don't know any more about coupons than a beginning coupon person does and coupons scare them. So, try to be patient with cashiers (I've been ready to throttle a few myself, so I know how hard it can be at times) and figure that even if you miss out on THIS good deal there will be many more coming down the pike.
I hope this blurb helped some people. Go and coupon and enjoy all!
"I am new to couponing and have a question. Can I combine target coupons? There is $1/1 for GM cereals that expires tomorrow but then is another one that is $1/2 that expires later for GM cereals. Can I use them both and a manufacturers coupon if I buy two cereals or only a target coupon and a manufacturers coupon?
I hope this makes sense. Thanks for getting back to me. I am going to try couponing tomorrow.
Kim"
This is a good question and unfortunately the answer is no, you can't combine Target coupons like that. Target's official coupon policy (and every other store that I know of...at least up here) doesn't combine their own coupons. They will take one store/Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon per item.
Down in the lower 48 they have something called "double coupons", which we don't get up here. Why, I don't know. Double coupons are something you'll run into on other deal blogs though, so let me explain that for a moment. Double coupons are when a store voluntarily doubles up a manufacturer coupon of less than 1.00 on an item. So if you had a .50/1 coupon the computer would just automatically double it up to 1.00 when you checked out. It's a very great sounding service and I pray that one of these days our stores up here might do that. Can you imagine how much of a killing, we who run the deal blogs, could set you up with if we had double coupons *wistfull look*.
Unfortunately though...we're stuck in the rut we are and so we're on the "1 and 1 coupon" match-up and that's it. Although it's still not a bad thing :-).
Let me break down a couple of things for you all when it comes to "stacking" manufacturer and store coupons.
1) 1.00/1 combined with 1.00/2 types of coupons.
You can use a 1.00/2 store coupon with 2 1.00/1 Manufacturer coupons, OR vice versa, but you couldn't, if you bought two items, use a 1.00/1 store coupon AND a 1.00/2 store coupon on the same two items. This is considered using two "like" coupons on an item and isn't allowed. So long as you keep track and figure out how many times a coupon "hits" an item and make sure you only have one "hit" per item with your store and manufacturer coupons you should be fine (like I used a 1.00/3 Target coupon for tuna fish this last trip and then used 3 .50/1 manufacturer coupons on the same item. The 1.00/3 Target coupon "hit" those three items once a piece and so did the manufacturer coupons, so this was a legal use of coupons).
2) B1G1 coupons.
These are great because you can use a B1G1 and do what I like to call "triple stacking". That's because the B1G1 coupon is just saying that if you buy 1 item you get one free. So, you can still use a manufacturer AND a store coupon on the item you are buying. Let me give you an example...
Head and Shoulders shampoo on sale 3.99 with in-ad coupon
Buy 2 and
Use B1G1 coupon from a P&G insert
Stack with 1.00/1 coupon from the same P&G insert
Final Price: 2 bottles of shampoo for 2.99
So, you'll have three coupons for the same transaction, but it's all legal to do because you are still allowed your two coupon allottment (one manufacturer and one store coupon) on the item you are actually buying. The BEST and most awesome way to use the B1G1 coupons is when you can stack a B1G1 coupon with either a store promotion for a B1G1 sale OR use a B1G1 store coupon with your B1G1 manufacturer coupon. You can also use a B1G1 coupon in conjunction with a "Free" coupon to get two items for free even if they are both manufacturer coupons because you are using your "free" coupon on the item you are buying.
Here's some examples for you...
Dog food on sale B1G1
Use the B1G1 from some Redplum insert
Final Price: 2 free cans of dogfood
Dog food on sale 1.99
Use B1G1 coupon from the SS inserts
Use B1G1 Target Printable
Final Price: Free after coupons
Dog food on sale B1G1
Use "free" dogfood coupon from some SS insert
Final price: 2 free cans dogfood
Dog food on sale 1.99
Use B1G1 coupon from the SS inserts
Use "Free" coupon from the SS inserts
Final Price: 2 cans dogfood free
See what I mean? There are definitely various ways to stack coupons to make them work the best for you, but it can be a lot of work honestly. My thoughts on the matter? Get your feet wet doing the basics of one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon. Then hit your local deals blogs (like this one) for coupon match-ups every week and let us do the hard work for you. For instance I spend probably 12 hours every Sunday doing coupon match-ups and getting eyestrain, but you don't have to. I mean for literally an hour or two a week (which is mainly reading your coupon match-ups and clipping lots of paper) you can plan a successfull shopping trip and let us do the hard work for you :-).
Also, in the case of Target printables, remember this. You can print more than one of those coupons (actually you can print as many of a coupon as you want), so don't worry about trying to use a coupon "only once". Just remember this important fact. A lot of the Target coupons say "one per transaction" which some cashiers will take to heart and want you to separate things out into different transactions. This can sometimes wreck a deal you are trying to do, but my advice is to just say "never mind then" if you can't get the coupons to work one per transaction and get the results you want and then try again later with another cashier. I've had a LOT more good cashiers than bad ones (and trust me you will quickly learn to avoid the bad ones)...you just have to take the bad with the good I'm afraid.
Just do NOT argue with the cashier. If you know you are right on an item (like adjusting down the price of a coupon to get it for free and they don't want to take it) go to the store armed with the corporate policy, stick to your guns and ask to speak to a manager. Be nice and polite the entire time. If the manager doesn't want to do anything about it, tell them that you know you are right and ask them to phone corporate. This has ALWAYS in the rare instance where I have had a problem, immediately fixes things.
Remember...coupons have been around for a while, but for the first time in a long time coupons are really starting to take hold again due to the hard economy. A LOT of cashier's are still in the "learning curve" as I like to call it where they don't know any more about coupons than a beginning coupon person does and coupons scare them. So, try to be patient with cashiers (I've been ready to throttle a few myself, so I know how hard it can be at times) and figure that even if you miss out on THIS good deal there will be many more coming down the pike.
I hope this blurb helped some people. Go and coupon and enjoy all!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Counterfit Coupons...
I know that it has become popular for people to sell coupons for "free items" and stuff on E-bay, so I just wanted to put up this link to help you guys out in case you look at some coupons on E-bay that seem too good to be true. Word to the wise, if it seems too good to be true it usually is. This is a link to one of the "Coupon Fed" sites where they keep track of new counterfit coupons (it's quite a list). So, check it out sometime and just let your jaw drop at the amount of awards available for the arrest of the people who have created these fraudulant coupons and cost companies a LOT of money.
Check out the List Here
Hope you find it helpfull!
Check out the List Here
Hope you find it helpfull!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Converting "Bricks" coupons from Firefox to IE!
I found this information and found it helped me greatly, so I thought I'd share.
It helps you print IE coupons in FireFox and vise-versa. All "bricks" coupons will have either vi or wi in IE format as shown in red below. In FireFox they will have vg or wg, shown in purple. If you get a message saying "Install the coupon printer" when trying to print a coupon, go back and check to see if the coupon is the right one for your browser. If not, just change the incorrect letter, "i" to "g" to go from IE to FireFox or "g" to "i" to go from FireFox to IE, and click enter to reload the print page in the correct format.
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?...yv35366831&bt=vi&o=57604&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=GM&p =50c796bc-1609-4ba7-98b1-c6ed77eecf46&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?...yv35366831&bt=wi&o=57604&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=GM&p =50c796bc-1609-4ba7-98b1-c6ed77eecf46&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?...yv35366831&bt=vg&o=57604&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=GM&p =50c796bc-1609-4ba7-98b1-c6ed77eecf46&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?...yv35366831&bt=wg&o=57604&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=GM&p =50c796bc-1609-4ba7-98b1-c6ed77eecf46&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
So if you end up having issues where you see it is for the wrong browser, change the letter necessary to the right one FOR your browser and hit enter (the page that says "Print your coupon" will reload automatically). Then hit "Print your Coupon" button. It SHOULD work after you fix the appropriate letter.
Just thought I'd give everyone the "head's up" on this because I can't think of the amount of times I got annoyed when I'd click on a coupon only to find out it was for the wrong browser and not know how to fix it so I could print the coupon.
Enjoy!
It helps you print IE coupons in FireFox and vise-versa. All "bricks" coupons will have either vi or wi in IE format as shown in red below. In FireFox they will have vg or wg, shown in purple. If you get a message saying "Install the coupon printer" when trying to print a coupon, go back and check to see if the coupon is the right one for your browser. If not, just change the incorrect letter, "i" to "g" to go from IE to FireFox or "g" to "i" to go from FireFox to IE, and click enter to reload the print page in the correct format.
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?...yv35366831&bt=vi&o=57604&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=GM&p =50c796bc-1609-4ba7-98b1-c6ed77eecf46&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?...yv35366831&bt=wi&o=57604&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=GM&p =50c796bc-1609-4ba7-98b1-c6ed77eecf46&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?...yv35366831&bt=vg&o=57604&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=GM&p =50c796bc-1609-4ba7-98b1-c6ed77eecf46&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?...yv35366831&bt=wg&o=57604&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=GM&p =50c796bc-1609-4ba7-98b1-c6ed77eecf46&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
So if you end up having issues where you see it is for the wrong browser, change the letter necessary to the right one FOR your browser and hit enter (the page that says "Print your coupon" will reload automatically). Then hit "Print your Coupon" button. It SHOULD work after you fix the appropriate letter.
Just thought I'd give everyone the "head's up" on this because I can't think of the amount of times I got annoyed when I'd click on a coupon only to find out it was for the wrong browser and not know how to fix it so I could print the coupon.
Enjoy!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Whoops! I missed something important!
I have been so busy with sick kids that I missed a pretty important question after my coupon match-ups for all you magazine. I just stole the comment so I can answer the question really fast...
"Hi, just found you and am grateful for you doing this. I moved here recently, and am not yet very familiar with Fred's and Carrs. I do get the All You in the mail, and it never has the little coupon booklets. I have a question too. I'm confused about the stacking with the All You coupon. Did you stack with store coupons? If so, which store? It is late and I'm tired, so I might have missed something. :) Thx, Renee"
Renee is referring to me stacking printable coupons with B1G1 coupons. To answer your question Renee, it's legal for you to stack manufacturer coupons if you have say a B1G1 coupon for shampoo with a 1.00/1 coupon for the same shampoo. See, you are using the 1.00/1 coupon for the shampoo you are actually buying and then you get the second one free. The biggest thing here, though, is make SURE you get the people at the store to scan the B1G1 coupon first, because if they don't the computer will try to kick back the B1G1 coupon. See, the computer will automatically try to take off the lowest priced item for the freebie. So if they scan the 1.00/1 coupon first, the computer will try to take THAT item off, which the computers won't do because that's using 2 coupons on one item.
Now mind you, I've had two cashiers do this in the wrong order even when I told them what was going to happen and both times the cashier's looked utterly confused at the computer and then after about two times trying to scan the B1G1 coupon they just imputed it in manually and no harm no foul. It's just easier if they scan them in the other order for the sake of their time.
I've heard people have varying success with using 2 regular coupons (one on each item) on top of a B1G1 coupon, but I just figure you're getting the second item for free...is saving another dollar REALLY worth it if it's not legal couponing ethics? I always figure no and I don't do it, but I can't really comment on the legality of using 2 coupons on one item if that item is going to be free anyway.
Sorry I didn't answer your question before Renee. I've been busy to say the least.
Oh and by the way on the Carrs issue...I haven't gotten a Carrs ad in the mail in (yeesh) like over three months (why I have no idea), so if you want to get the skinny on Carrs deals I'd suggest zooming on over to Alaska's Best Grocery Deals and Jessica over there will hook you up with some decent bargains I'm sure :-).
"Hi, just found you and am grateful for you doing this. I moved here recently, and am not yet very familiar with Fred's and Carrs. I do get the All You in the mail, and it never has the little coupon booklets. I have a question too. I'm confused about the stacking with the All You coupon. Did you stack with store coupons? If so, which store? It is late and I'm tired, so I might have missed something. :) Thx, Renee"
Renee is referring to me stacking printable coupons with B1G1 coupons. To answer your question Renee, it's legal for you to stack manufacturer coupons if you have say a B1G1 coupon for shampoo with a 1.00/1 coupon for the same shampoo. See, you are using the 1.00/1 coupon for the shampoo you are actually buying and then you get the second one free. The biggest thing here, though, is make SURE you get the people at the store to scan the B1G1 coupon first, because if they don't the computer will try to kick back the B1G1 coupon. See, the computer will automatically try to take off the lowest priced item for the freebie. So if they scan the 1.00/1 coupon first, the computer will try to take THAT item off, which the computers won't do because that's using 2 coupons on one item.
Now mind you, I've had two cashiers do this in the wrong order even when I told them what was going to happen and both times the cashier's looked utterly confused at the computer and then after about two times trying to scan the B1G1 coupon they just imputed it in manually and no harm no foul. It's just easier if they scan them in the other order for the sake of their time.
I've heard people have varying success with using 2 regular coupons (one on each item) on top of a B1G1 coupon, but I just figure you're getting the second item for free...is saving another dollar REALLY worth it if it's not legal couponing ethics? I always figure no and I don't do it, but I can't really comment on the legality of using 2 coupons on one item if that item is going to be free anyway.
Sorry I didn't answer your question before Renee. I've been busy to say the least.
Oh and by the way on the Carrs issue...I haven't gotten a Carrs ad in the mail in (yeesh) like over three months (why I have no idea), so if you want to get the skinny on Carrs deals I'd suggest zooming on over to Alaska's Best Grocery Deals and Jessica over there will hook you up with some decent bargains I'm sure :-).
Friday, August 7, 2009
My views on couponing ethics...
Okay, this is a subject that pretty much every bargain blog in the universe does at one point or the other. I'm not going to preach to you on how to do your coupons. I learned a valuable lesson in college when I took "Business Ethics" (YES there is literally a college course...actually a LOT of college courses...that are done JUST on this subject). I'll save you the 500+ dollars that you'd spend taking the class and give you the summary. NO ONE can tell you what you consider to be right and wrong. That's all up to your conscience. But, I'll just clear the air and give the things that I consider to be right, wrong, and downright grey.
1) Entering other zipcodes to get different coupons:
Me, I could personally CARE LESS if you do this. Heck I'm actually sort of endorsing it because not only do we not get coupons in the paper, but we also get no coupons online compared to a lot of other places when you put in our zipcode. I have no problem giving out zipcodes so that you can print off a certain coupon. I consider it like this. If I had a relative that lived in that area, I'd ask them to send me multiple copies of a coupon that was only available there to use here and I'd give them out to others to help them save money too. It's basically doing the same thing online with giving out a certain zipcode.
2) Coupon Clipping Services:
I used to work for "Advance till Payday", so I quickly learned a lot about legal loopholes. Some people consider Coupon Clipping Services to be outright illegal, but actually they are not TECHNICALLY illegal. They found a legal loophole to slip through. If "Advance till Payday" can slip through a legal loophole the size of a microscopic needle, I'd say that the Coupon Clipping Services are just fine. If they were not legal, they'd be shut down by now. Trust me, companies will do anything in their power (heck so will the feds) to make sure that things work the way they want them to work (such as keeping coupons in only a certain area) if they can possibly stop it. The fact that the services have not been shut down yet shows you that they ARE legal on a technical basis, no matter your personal opinion. So, if you use one, good for you (I can't afford them right now *sniff*...the shipping is too darn high).
3) Photocopying coupons:
Okay, to everyone who is new to internet coupons, this is WRONG! Absolute, 100% no-no! It's a common mistake for newbies to be tempted to do this, thinking that the UPC's and stuff are all the same, but 99% of internet coupons (with the exclusion of legal PDF coupons) are usually only allowed to be printed twice and they are printed with a identifying individual number code on them. So, when you photocopy them you are duplicating them, which is completely against the law. The worst part of it is even if you do it in ignorance the company will only reimburse the store for ONE of those coupons and they'll get shafted for the rest, which if this happens too much you end up with stores that won't take internet printed coupons anymore. So, please if you are doing this or are thinking of doing it...don't!
4) Using coupons for an item that is not on the coupon or using it for the wrong item:
Yes, a lot of times a coupon will scan even if it is for the wrong item (say you have a coupon for All Spice Deodorant and it'll scan on All Spice body wash type of thing) due to the coding on the coupon. If you do this, knowingly, in my opinion, it's wrong. The company matches UPC's to reimburse the stores for things (if they ask for the invoices from the stores) and the stores can see to lose a pretty substantial amount of money if enough people do this regularly. So, please, I KNOW it's tempting, but is it worth saving a buck on something now only to see coupon redemption policies become HORRIBLY difficult to do and see more and more companies not offer coupons at all? I don't think so and I hope you think so too.
Now, I'm not going to say you can't do this ignorantly. I've done it myself only to realize later I'd grabbed the wrong size of something or whatever. Just try to be careful, give yourself some slack and just figure next time you'll know better.
Oh and when coupons have very vague wording on them, I figure that's the companies fault and all the more power to you (and all of us couponers) to exploit this. I figure at that point it's the companies fault, not yours, and they'll know better next time so work it for all it's worth (like putting no size specification on a coupon :-).
And those are the major areas of debate it seems and my take on them. For all it's worth. I just wanted to share in the hopes to stop some poor newbie from making a big mistake and inadvertantly committing fraud or something. And I'm off the soap box for now to go and stagger to the coffee pot before I have to go and hit the stores to use my coupons (and exploit them for all they are legally worth *laugh*).
1) Entering other zipcodes to get different coupons:
Me, I could personally CARE LESS if you do this. Heck I'm actually sort of endorsing it because not only do we not get coupons in the paper, but we also get no coupons online compared to a lot of other places when you put in our zipcode. I have no problem giving out zipcodes so that you can print off a certain coupon. I consider it like this. If I had a relative that lived in that area, I'd ask them to send me multiple copies of a coupon that was only available there to use here and I'd give them out to others to help them save money too. It's basically doing the same thing online with giving out a certain zipcode.
2) Coupon Clipping Services:
I used to work for "Advance till Payday", so I quickly learned a lot about legal loopholes. Some people consider Coupon Clipping Services to be outright illegal, but actually they are not TECHNICALLY illegal. They found a legal loophole to slip through. If "Advance till Payday" can slip through a legal loophole the size of a microscopic needle, I'd say that the Coupon Clipping Services are just fine. If they were not legal, they'd be shut down by now. Trust me, companies will do anything in their power (heck so will the feds) to make sure that things work the way they want them to work (such as keeping coupons in only a certain area) if they can possibly stop it. The fact that the services have not been shut down yet shows you that they ARE legal on a technical basis, no matter your personal opinion. So, if you use one, good for you (I can't afford them right now *sniff*...the shipping is too darn high).
3) Photocopying coupons:
Okay, to everyone who is new to internet coupons, this is WRONG! Absolute, 100% no-no! It's a common mistake for newbies to be tempted to do this, thinking that the UPC's and stuff are all the same, but 99% of internet coupons (with the exclusion of legal PDF coupons) are usually only allowed to be printed twice and they are printed with a identifying individual number code on them. So, when you photocopy them you are duplicating them, which is completely against the law. The worst part of it is even if you do it in ignorance the company will only reimburse the store for ONE of those coupons and they'll get shafted for the rest, which if this happens too much you end up with stores that won't take internet printed coupons anymore. So, please if you are doing this or are thinking of doing it...don't!
4) Using coupons for an item that is not on the coupon or using it for the wrong item:
Yes, a lot of times a coupon will scan even if it is for the wrong item (say you have a coupon for All Spice Deodorant and it'll scan on All Spice body wash type of thing) due to the coding on the coupon. If you do this, knowingly, in my opinion, it's wrong. The company matches UPC's to reimburse the stores for things (if they ask for the invoices from the stores) and the stores can see to lose a pretty substantial amount of money if enough people do this regularly. So, please, I KNOW it's tempting, but is it worth saving a buck on something now only to see coupon redemption policies become HORRIBLY difficult to do and see more and more companies not offer coupons at all? I don't think so and I hope you think so too.
Now, I'm not going to say you can't do this ignorantly. I've done it myself only to realize later I'd grabbed the wrong size of something or whatever. Just try to be careful, give yourself some slack and just figure next time you'll know better.
Oh and when coupons have very vague wording on them, I figure that's the companies fault and all the more power to you (and all of us couponers) to exploit this. I figure at that point it's the companies fault, not yours, and they'll know better next time so work it for all it's worth (like putting no size specification on a coupon :-).
And those are the major areas of debate it seems and my take on them. For all it's worth. I just wanted to share in the hopes to stop some poor newbie from making a big mistake and inadvertantly committing fraud or something. And I'm off the soap box for now to go and stagger to the coffee pot before I have to go and hit the stores to use my coupons (and exploit them for all they are legally worth *laugh*).
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Where to shop?
I got this e-mail and honestly it brings up a good point, so I thought I'd share...
"I saw a post where you mentioned that Wal-Mart is the second most expensive store to shop at in the Valley. I have been clipping coupons, following store sales, and price matching. Almost every time Fred Meyer, Carrs or Target has an advertised sale, I have found the regular price at Wal-Mart beats the sale price or Wal-Mart is offering the same sale. I am very interested in saving money on my grocery bill (4 kids, including 3 growing boys!). I have felt like shopping at Wal-Mart has been saving me the most. Please let me know what I am missing and where I should be shopping.
Thank you.
Melissa"
I replied to Melissa via e-mail, but I thought that I'd address this issue here because in all honesty I do NOT mean to bash Wal-Mart as a place to shop anywhere. I mean for ME, Wal-Mart IS the second most expensive place to shop (9 times out of 10) since they went Super-Center. For instance, I buy Pringles regularly for my kids and my husband and I to snack on. Pringles are 2.00 at Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer (and God only KNOWS what Carrs would charge). They are 1.57 at Target, regular price, and better yet they are bonus packs with 25% more chips and with the 1.00/2 coupon from the Smart Source inserts I can get them for 1.07. Is it worth it to me to save .50 and get a little more food? Honestly? You bet.
Wal-Mart is regularly priced cheaper on things like deodorant and shampoo than the other stores, so I buy my shampoos and stuff there unless they are on sale somewhere else that I can get it cheaper (like the Heads and Shoulders deal I scored last week at Fred Meyer).
But, on some things I am loyal I suppose. Like Wal-Mart generic diapers are cheaper than Targets, but I buy Targets. Why? Because I LIKE the Target diapers better because they fit my kids better. And everyone's kids are different. It's all based on your own biases.
Honestly when you are looking at shopping and saving your family money you can read every deal blog in the universe, but the honest to goodness truth is that everyone's situation and experiences are different.
For instance, are you brand loyal? One of my sister-in-laws (by the way my husband is one of seven children and we have four of the sibs that are now married, my husband included, so when I start mentioning in-laws trust me...I have a lot of them *laugh*) is as into couponing as I am and has saved a LOT on her grocery bill by doing it. My other sister-in-law goes into the store every week with a list of items, most brand name items, that she does not veer from. She has found that couponing doesn't help her much at all and doesn't do it.
I mean let's face facts. I am not brand loyal. At ALL for the most part. I used to be before I discovered coupons and realized that, for instance, Always pads are consitently more expensive than Kotex ones and I could get Kotex for literally PENNIES on the dollar with coupons combined with sales. Now, since discovering coupons I have no less than four brands of pretty much anything in my cupboards at one time. I do keep brand names on a few things. My husband loves Ivory soap and will not veer from it so when I run into it on clearance or on sale I pick it up (seeing as how there are never coupons for that it seems *le sigh*).
Two, are you short on room? I literally have no closets outside of the three bedrooms in my house (why I have NO idea), so space is limited to store things, but I managed to make a pantry out of my laundry room. I literally have like cases of the Santa Cruz lemonade and teas from when they were .50 a piece with coupons a few weeks back. I have stockpiles of toilet paper, paper towels, Pull-Ups, diapers, soaps, you name it and am still stockpiling when I can get things uber cheap (since I'm still somewhat new to the world of coupons and am still getting the buy-ahead principle down). My block freezer is now full of "Smart Ones" dinners I picked up at Target yesterday for lunches (I only bought ten...I DO have things in my freezer already you know *laugh*). Have I ever had a "Smart Ones" lunch before? Heck no. But for .80 a piece, I'll eat it and if I don't like it, I'll still eat it and appreciate that it IS food. Yes, seriously, I am that cheap.
Three and perhaps most importantly, how much TIME do you have? I am a stay at home mom. I have time to sit down, sort through coupons, go through blogs upon blogs and lots of search engines looking for coupons (as much as my children will let me). I will jump on a deal for .50 cookies (which was a Target deal a while back), .67 boxes of cereal (Fred Meyer deal a while back), .50 things of Lemonade (Fred Meyer :-) and stock up as much as I can for later use, and if the item is FREE with the coupon...oh HECK yeah I'll go borrow relatives computers to get more coupons if I can do it (I have the stockpile of Mayonaise and Barbecue sauce to prove it *grin*). I also am broke enough that running all over Wasilla to hit every store I can to find as good of a deal as I can to keep my budget for groceries down (because it doesn't take much gas to literally drive for two minutes to get from store A to store B). I mean if you have stores that are not close together or if you are a mom who has kids that do not do well shopping, hitting four stores (which I DO do a lot since Walgreens has now opened) probably is not a good idea nor is it in your scope of reality.
Wal-Mart price comps if you ask them (I used to work there so I should know that part *laugh*) and so does Target now. If you have to hit one store only, I suppose hitting Wal-Mart isn't a bad idea if they are usually cheaper on the items YOU buy most. If I had to choose ONE store to shop at for my groceries, I'd have to pick Fred Meyer (and cry a bit for the lost deals at the other stores) because I have one that is literally 2 minutes away and they offer rewards when I use my Rewards Card.
So, honestly, I can't tell ANYONE where to shop. I can just post what stores have the best deals every week and you can decide for yourself.
OH and just as a side note, if you are looking for cool Wal-Mart deals (since I really don't DO Wal-Mart...mainly because I don't shop there very often), check out Alaska's Best Grocery Deals for coupon match-ups. Jessica over there is doing this INSANE amount of work to get every coupon match-up there is for Wal-Mart (which makes me want to run screaming into the night just thinking about the work involved). So, if you love shopping at Wal-Mart that is the place to be for coupon match-ups =).
And now I shall get off my soap box *looks around at empty room and the still swinging door marked "Exit"*...errr...well I guess I'll just be quiet now ;-). Later Days all!
"I saw a post where you mentioned that Wal-Mart is the second most expensive store to shop at in the Valley. I have been clipping coupons, following store sales, and price matching. Almost every time Fred Meyer, Carrs or Target has an advertised sale, I have found the regular price at Wal-Mart beats the sale price or Wal-Mart is offering the same sale. I am very interested in saving money on my grocery bill (4 kids, including 3 growing boys!). I have felt like shopping at Wal-Mart has been saving me the most. Please let me know what I am missing and where I should be shopping.
Thank you.
Melissa"
I replied to Melissa via e-mail, but I thought that I'd address this issue here because in all honesty I do NOT mean to bash Wal-Mart as a place to shop anywhere. I mean for ME, Wal-Mart IS the second most expensive place to shop (9 times out of 10) since they went Super-Center. For instance, I buy Pringles regularly for my kids and my husband and I to snack on. Pringles are 2.00 at Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer (and God only KNOWS what Carrs would charge). They are 1.57 at Target, regular price, and better yet they are bonus packs with 25% more chips and with the 1.00/2 coupon from the Smart Source inserts I can get them for 1.07. Is it worth it to me to save .50 and get a little more food? Honestly? You bet.
Wal-Mart is regularly priced cheaper on things like deodorant and shampoo than the other stores, so I buy my shampoos and stuff there unless they are on sale somewhere else that I can get it cheaper (like the Heads and Shoulders deal I scored last week at Fred Meyer).
But, on some things I am loyal I suppose. Like Wal-Mart generic diapers are cheaper than Targets, but I buy Targets. Why? Because I LIKE the Target diapers better because they fit my kids better. And everyone's kids are different. It's all based on your own biases.
Honestly when you are looking at shopping and saving your family money you can read every deal blog in the universe, but the honest to goodness truth is that everyone's situation and experiences are different.
For instance, are you brand loyal? One of my sister-in-laws (by the way my husband is one of seven children and we have four of the sibs that are now married, my husband included, so when I start mentioning in-laws trust me...I have a lot of them *laugh*) is as into couponing as I am and has saved a LOT on her grocery bill by doing it. My other sister-in-law goes into the store every week with a list of items, most brand name items, that she does not veer from. She has found that couponing doesn't help her much at all and doesn't do it.
I mean let's face facts. I am not brand loyal. At ALL for the most part. I used to be before I discovered coupons and realized that, for instance, Always pads are consitently more expensive than Kotex ones and I could get Kotex for literally PENNIES on the dollar with coupons combined with sales. Now, since discovering coupons I have no less than four brands of pretty much anything in my cupboards at one time. I do keep brand names on a few things. My husband loves Ivory soap and will not veer from it so when I run into it on clearance or on sale I pick it up (seeing as how there are never coupons for that it seems *le sigh*).
Two, are you short on room? I literally have no closets outside of the three bedrooms in my house (why I have NO idea), so space is limited to store things, but I managed to make a pantry out of my laundry room. I literally have like cases of the Santa Cruz lemonade and teas from when they were .50 a piece with coupons a few weeks back. I have stockpiles of toilet paper, paper towels, Pull-Ups, diapers, soaps, you name it and am still stockpiling when I can get things uber cheap (since I'm still somewhat new to the world of coupons and am still getting the buy-ahead principle down). My block freezer is now full of "Smart Ones" dinners I picked up at Target yesterday for lunches (I only bought ten...I DO have things in my freezer already you know *laugh*). Have I ever had a "Smart Ones" lunch before? Heck no. But for .80 a piece, I'll eat it and if I don't like it, I'll still eat it and appreciate that it IS food. Yes, seriously, I am that cheap.
Three and perhaps most importantly, how much TIME do you have? I am a stay at home mom. I have time to sit down, sort through coupons, go through blogs upon blogs and lots of search engines looking for coupons (as much as my children will let me). I will jump on a deal for .50 cookies (which was a Target deal a while back), .67 boxes of cereal (Fred Meyer deal a while back), .50 things of Lemonade (Fred Meyer :-) and stock up as much as I can for later use, and if the item is FREE with the coupon...oh HECK yeah I'll go borrow relatives computers to get more coupons if I can do it (I have the stockpile of Mayonaise and Barbecue sauce to prove it *grin*). I also am broke enough that running all over Wasilla to hit every store I can to find as good of a deal as I can to keep my budget for groceries down (because it doesn't take much gas to literally drive for two minutes to get from store A to store B). I mean if you have stores that are not close together or if you are a mom who has kids that do not do well shopping, hitting four stores (which I DO do a lot since Walgreens has now opened) probably is not a good idea nor is it in your scope of reality.
Wal-Mart price comps if you ask them (I used to work there so I should know that part *laugh*) and so does Target now. If you have to hit one store only, I suppose hitting Wal-Mart isn't a bad idea if they are usually cheaper on the items YOU buy most. If I had to choose ONE store to shop at for my groceries, I'd have to pick Fred Meyer (and cry a bit for the lost deals at the other stores) because I have one that is literally 2 minutes away and they offer rewards when I use my Rewards Card.
So, honestly, I can't tell ANYONE where to shop. I can just post what stores have the best deals every week and you can decide for yourself.
OH and just as a side note, if you are looking for cool Wal-Mart deals (since I really don't DO Wal-Mart...mainly because I don't shop there very often), check out Alaska's Best Grocery Deals for coupon match-ups. Jessica over there is doing this INSANE amount of work to get every coupon match-up there is for Wal-Mart (which makes me want to run screaming into the night just thinking about the work involved). So, if you love shopping at Wal-Mart that is the place to be for coupon match-ups =).
And now I shall get off my soap box *looks around at empty room and the still swinging door marked "Exit"*...errr...well I guess I'll just be quiet now ;-). Later Days all!
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