Putting it all Together - Part 1, Coupon Theory

I have spewed out all sorts of information in my previous blogs about this new habit of mine.  I wanted to put it all together in some semblance of order to make things a little easier.  I am one of those annoying people that likes to know the why for and the how to and understand the reasons things work.  I made a previous attempt at using coupons and it turned into an Epic Fail....I wound up buying stuff I did not need and my grocery totals actually went up instead of down.  After several weeks I gave it up and decided that it was just not for me.  I was just not getting it and I failed to do my research.....however, I looked at it again and did my research this time and I gotta tell you...I am hooked now!  This has become a game to me.....I am having a great time with this and seeing a savings of at least 50% or more on my receipts is a total high.  Fair warning y'all....this can be addictive!

Alright, enough of my babbling....here it is.  The entire goal of shopping this way is to buy the things that you regularly use when they are on sale and you have a coupon (or coupons) for them.  At this point my total spending not gone down significantly but now I am bringing home 2 - 3 times more than I was before.  There are still things that I *have* to buy because we are out but for the most part, I can now just buy the items that we use regularly when there is a sale and a coupon and just toss it in the cabinet until we actually need it.  

Ultimately the goal is to get to the point where the only things we have to buy on a regular basis are produce and dairy.  I have razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair dye, feminine products, deodorant, laundry soap and assorted other stuff that I do not have to buy for at least a year.  I got most of these for under $1 and in some cases they paid me to take them out of the store!  Any given week my trip to Target, just getting the items that we needed was between $80 and $100.  I have not walked out of that store for over $40 in at least a month and I am walking out the door with more than I have on my *big* shopping trips before. 

I am using the extra money that I was spending there to stock up on other things from different stores and testing some theories to see how well they go.  I scored big last week at Kroger on center cut pork chops.....18 for $10!  I came home and used my Foodsaver to package em up and toss em in the freezer. I spent $12 at the bread outlet and have a ton of that stored in the freezer (I have yet to have to tap into that so I cannot tell you if it has worked out well or not.....we still have plenty of bread that didn't go into the freezer from that trip).  Again, see where I am going with this?  I know that in a lot of cases freezer space is limited, Joe and I are lucky enough to have a spare freezer in our garage so we have more room to work with but the deals are out there on a smaller scale.  

It takes some time to get used to this way of shopping.  I cannot tell you that next week when you go into the store you will walk out with a ton of stuff for practically nothing.  My first couple of weeks were completely unimpressive.  There was still lots of stuff that I needed to buy that was not on sale or that I did not have a coupon for.  Also, my coupon stock was low and I did not have the array that I have now so I was working with limited resources.  If you are not prepared for this it can be frustrating and feel like it is not worth the effort.  Give it a little time to really kick in....also, do not hesitate to look for help!  Find a website that does the match ups for you.  The one that I use most frequently: http://thekrazycouponlady.com/krazy-this-week/ 

This is FREE and if you like them on facebook you will get updates on new deals that they discover throughout the week.  Even if you have not started collecting coupons or aren't sure if it is for you, take a look at the site.....it may be enough to change your mind.  You can look for your local stores and see what is available, some of it only requires printing an internet coupon and no newspaper required. 

Set some realistic goals before you go into the store next time (after looking at the Krazy Coupon Lady, of course).  My first one was to see a savings off my total at the store of 15% or more, some stores will actually print your percentage on the receipt and for some others you have to do the math yourself.  It took me a week or two to hit that point and it has just gone from there.  My standard savings now is 50% or more.....gotta tell you, I *LOVE* seeing that one!  

Coming soon:  Putting it all Together - Part 2, Coupon Basics.  Until then, good luck and happy couponing!

Alternate Source for Coupons!

Ok, so you are collecting your inserts from your Sunday papers and organizing them.  So now you ask "Ms. Ran, where can I get MORE!".  I actually have an answer for you.....Yay!

There are several sources for more manufacturer coupons online.  These coupons can be printed at home and they are all over the place.  Do be aware of the expiration dates on your printable coupons.  Sometimes even if you can print 10 you may not want to.  I usually start with 2 unless I see a sale on the item.  Using a coupon just because you have it does not save you as much as waiting until there is also a sale on the item.  Of course, the manufacturers and the stores absolutely love it when you do it that way ;-)

Coupons.com:  http://www.coupons.com
This site has manufacturer coupons that are updated monthly.  The 1st business day of the month they all reset and add more.  Check them out right around then because some of them only have a limited number of prints available for everyone so, grab the ones you *have* to have right away.  You are allowed 2 prints of manufacturer coupons from EACH site per computer.  Yes, I said per computer.  I have 2 computers so I can get a total of 4......I have been banned from using Joe's computer because he is a weirdo but, still 4 is good for us.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/
More manufacturer coupons and regardless of whether you have printed the same coupon from another site you still get 2 more prints!  This site does require a sign up to access the coupons but as I said before if you have an alternate email address this is no big thing.  They will send you emails every once in a while and sometimes they have coupons in them!

http://www.pillsbury.com
Same thing as the Betty Crocker site here......2 more prints!  This site also requires a sign up and they will send out occasional emails.

A ton of the grocery stores are jumping on the digital coupon bandwagon, which is a great thing for all of us!  Our local Kroger and Randalls (Safeway) both offer this service.  I will warn you to watch very carefully for these coupons on your register receipt.  I have had a TON of issues using Kroger's service.  The idea is sound and is great when it works.  You log into the website and look at the coupons available then click and they load directly onto your store card.  When you hit the checkout lane they automatically come off your total.  These coupons count as STORE coupons so you can also use a manufacturer coupon on the same item!

There are a couple of websites that will also put MANUFACTURER coupons on your savings card, I have not had any issue with these working on my card so definitely make use of them:

PGE Saver:  https://www.pgesaver.com/
Proctor and Gamble update this site on the first business day of the month and these coupons can be loaded directly to your savings card.  These are manufacturer coupons and cannot be stacked with another but they can be stacked with a store coupon.  This does require a sign up and you have to register your store card with the site.

Cellfire:  http://www.cellfire.com/
This is the same as PGE Saver but it offers different manufacturer coupons that will load directly on your card.  This has fewer coupons than PGE Saver but definitely worth looking at.

A note on these types of coupons.  Be careful before you load these, look at what you have in your stash of coupons.  Sometimes the paper coupons have a higher savings dollar on them and you cannot use both.  The store will automatically use the ones loaded on your card first so if you attempt to use another coupon it will not be valid.

Store coupons are also fantastic and can really add to your savings.  Target has taken this idea and just run with it like crazy.  This is one of my favorite places to shop anyway but now with the savings I am getting.....well, lets just say they are starting to recognize me when I walk in the door.  I keep waiting for someone to come after me with the handcuffs and arrest me for robbing the store!!!!  These prices are fantastic guys.....stacking your manufacturer coupons with the store coupons can save you a TON!

A couple of examples that I have cashed in on in the past couple of weeks.
     Zantac:  Regular price $7.59, Target Coupon for $2 and Manufacturer Coupon for $5 = $0.59 for 30 ct
     Beneful: On Sale for $13, Target Coupon for $1 and Manufacturer Coupon for $2 = $10 for 15.5lb
   
     Sharpies: On sale for $1, Target Coupon for $1 = FREE for 2pk
     Papermate Pens:  On sale for $1.02, Target Coupon for $1 = $0.02 for 10pk

In addition Target does these great deals where you buy 2 items and get a $5 Gift Card for Target.  Yesterday I found 2 of these in the razor section.  They worked out like this:
     Venus Breeze:  On Sale for $5.39 each, manufacturer coupon for $3 off each = $2.39ea, received $5GC                 so I actually made $0.22
     Schick Quattro:  On sale for $7.29, Manufacturer Coupon Buy 1 Get One and (since I had 2 items) $3 off one = $4.29 for 2, received a $5GC so I made another $0.71.

You cannot use the gift cards for the transaction that you receive them for.  So, I split my transaction yesterday and paid for my GC items and a couple of other things (Sometimes Target Coupons only allow 1 item per TRANSACTION) then I turned around and used the cards on my next and much larger transaction. I walked out of the store yesterday with $120 worth of items for under $40.......

Facebook has gotten to be so big that all of the manufacturers and store have their own sites and keep them updated with all sorts of stuff.  You can cash in on coupons, freebies and all sorts of other things just by visiting the sites and hitting the "Like" button.

The Krazy Coupon Lady:  http://thekrazycouponlady.com/krazy-this-week/
I cannot say enough about this site.  Every week they post the information for each of the stores and give you links to manufacturer coupons or the dates for the inserts that coupons were available in from the newspaper.  Also, if you "Like" them on FB you will get several updates a day on new deals that members have found in the store that may have been unadvertised or that they stumbled across accidentally.  They will also update you on new Swagbucks offers, freebies that they have found and additional manufacturer coupons that have popped up.  I have stopped looking at any other site and use this one exclusively.  I do have to make my own lists and it takes a little more time than SavingsAngel but well, this one is free and with the updates to my Facebook I can just keep a running list until I make it into the stores.  I have also noticed that this site is updated IMMEDIATELY and sometimes way ahead of time.  I am already seeing the information on the sales that are starting on Sunday!

Both of the above can save you a ton, HOWEVER it does post a lot of stuff to your Facebook page.  If you want to keep your stuff nice and clean you can set up an alternate Facebook account for all of this stuff.  That way you can keep your regular Facebook nice and clean.

One more note and I am off to do my grocery shopping ;-)  Drugstores (CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid) and Superstores (Target) have sales cycles that start on Sunday and end on Saturday.  Your grocery store sales cycles run from Wednesday to the following Tuesday.  The drugstore and supercenter sales tend to attract a ton of people and things can run out very quickly.  On some items they will offer a rain check but that is kind of iffy.  The sooner you can get in to take advantage of those sales, the better off you are.

Until next time......happy coupon hunting!

Freebies for Fun!

In my hunt for deals and coupons online I have run across some new websites that reward you for all different kinds of stuff and thought I would pass them along!  Some of these programs I have been part of for years and my participation has just renewed but others are brand new.  All of these websites are ones that I currently use and have not had any issues with.  HOWEVER, I will recommend that for any of these online sites or coupons or anything else that you set up an alternate email for just this kind of stuff it can get you signed up for some weird junk sites sometimes.  15 minutes a week digging through junk email and utilizing my "Mark as Junk" button is a fair price to pay for some of these freebies so I will continue.  I do not know that any of these sites have increased my junk mail since this email address has been active for more than 10 years and I have a ton of junk but it is always a good idea to use an alternate for anything you sign up for online.

So, here we go!

Mycokerewards:  http://www.mycokerewards.com
Joe and I are HUGE Coke drinkers....Utilizing this website to enter the codes from all of our 12 packs and 2 liters is worth it.  You get 10 points per 12pk and 3 points for 20oz or 2 Liter bottles.  At 240 points you get a coupon for a free 12pack.  There are also tons of other things that you can get with your points and you can also use them to enter all sorts of sweepstakes.  I usually use my 3 points from individual and 2 liter to enter these just for fun.  So far I have not won anything but......some of them have not completed yet!  Cross you fingers for me.....

Mypoints: (Referral link on FB main page) 
I have been a member of this site forever.  This is a program that gives you points for all kinds of stuff.  They will send out several emails a day.  You can either participate in the offer or just click the button to get 5 points for visiting the website.  I have had very good luck with receiving my rewards from them in the past, lots of free gift cards for just reading my email and clicking on links.  They also have programs where you can print coupons online and after they are redeemed you receive points for them (I have not yet had any hit redemption yet so no opinion on this particular program.  I will start tracking this probably next month to see how it goes) also online purchases made through the site will give you points.  Lots and lots of ways to earn points on this site.  There is no referral link available on the site so I will post my referral link on my main Facebook page for y'all.  If you miss it, send me a note and I will email you a referral link.

Swagbucks:  http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/MsRan
Ok, this is a brand new one for me but I like it!  Ultimately it is similar to a lot of reward programs with a little twist.  This one is a search engine.  We all search the internet a few times a day and ALL of your search engines track your usage and such.  Well, when you use the Swagbucks search engine you are awarded random points for doing your searches!  So there....if I am gonna be tracked I might as well get points for it!  They also issue random Swagbuck codes that you can enter into the site to add points to your account.  There are about 2,000 different rewards that you can exchange points for.  Also, if you are following The Krazy Coupon Lady on Facebook (You ARE, aren't you?) they will tell you about random Swagbuck codes available.  There is also a Swagbucks widget for your web browser, however it is not yet available for Google Chrome so I had to install Firefox again to utilize this application.

Vocalpoint:  http://www.vocalpoint.com/index.html
This is another new one for me.  There are no reward points or anything for participating BUT this site is all about freebies and testing new products.  The more you participate in the site, the more they are supposed to send you.  Again, very new so I have not gotten a ton of free stuff.  I did get hooked up with a free coupon for a Fresh Express salad pack.  The deal is that once I get the coupon and purchase the product I have to go back and give a review.  I can totally do that!  Another of the samples they were giving out were new Glad garbage bags with Febreeze Odor Control.  Those went really fast, I totally missed the bus on that one and was awfully sad about it.

There are other ways to get freebies and coupons aside from the web.  The new smartphones have amazing apps that will reward you for scanning items and such.  These apps are all for the Android system and are free.  The ones I use on a regular basis:

The Coupon App:
This one will give you heads up on deals every day.  It is a little funky and I have had some issues with it.  You can email the coupon to yourself and print it from your computer.  I have seen coupons for Dinners, Office Max, Justice for Girls...all kinds of stuff.  Definitely worth taking a look at.

Gas Buddy:
This one tracks prices at all of your local gas stations to give you the best pricing.  The best part is that it is updated by users who earn points for updating gas prices.  This includes YOU!  Earn points that you can trade in for free gas for updating prices when you fuel up.  Also check for the cheapest gas near your location, no matter where you are!  I *love* this one.  We have a couple of gas stations here that compete for pricing so I can see which one is lower before I leave the house.  Regardless of when it was updated I still get points for updating the current pricing.

Shopkick:
Scan items in your favorite stores and earn kickpoints that can be traded in for Gift Cards!  There are a couple of different apps on the market that do this but this one has given me the least problems.  You get points for opening the app when you walk into certain stores and also some stores have scans available inside.  Target is a huge participant!  Also, this app provides special offers for the stores that you are in.  I have not used this function yet since I haven't had one for anything on  my list for the day but I still check every time.

The amount of free stuff out there for the taking is incredible.  Look around and see what you can find.  Check websites for the brands and products that you use the most.  Sometimes they have free stuff for members, so sign up and watch for offers coming in.  If you find anything really great be sure to let me know!

Until next time.....may you find freebies!

It's all About the Packaging

I have said it before and I will probably say it again a gabazillion times.....I am a sucker for marketing campaigns!  I often get the visual of a marketing team sitting around a conference table and asking "What would Ms. Ran want us to say so she would buy this?".  It is a horrible thing to admit but, well "Know thyself!".

One of the things that this journey I have embarked upon has taught me (and it continues to be a very painful lesson and a constant struggle) is that I have to really evaluate what I need vs what I want.

Convenience is a huge thing these days.  The majority of families require both partners to work outside the home to make ends meet which means that time is a precious commodity.  The packaging of foods in snack size packs and prepackaged dinners is wonderful for busy families.  However, if you actually look at the price point for these things you see a HUGE difference.  Sometimes you pay more than double for something in a "convenient" pack than you would for the same thing in the regular size.  I am prone to this marketing as well, I do not work outside the home but I do keep myself busy during the day.  The war on dog hair takes more time than I ever could have imagined, especially during this time of year when they are all shedding constantly. I am often eating while doing something else, which makes the snack sizes great since I don't have to worry that while I am not paying attention I wind up eating a whole bag of chips ;-)

The introduction of the 100 calorie packs was amazing to me, how cool is that!  Grab one of these babies and you have a perfect snack portion with no chance of going over what you should be eating.  However, when you start evaluating the cost of these snacks.....Holy Wow!!!!  Really?  It's almost like being robbed.  I cannot tell you how many boxes of these I have purchased over the years.....incredible.  If I had spent a little time portioning out a regular size box of whatever snack I wanted into Ziploc bags and tossing those into my pantry instead I could have saved myself more than 60% and gotten WAY more.  Kicking myself about it now does me absolutely no good......I can write it off as a learning experience and move on but Oh, the pain!

There are all kinds of things that we buy without thinking about it, just from habit.  I use Splenda in my coffee every morning and in my iced tea.  I have always bought it in the packets 1000 for $20 at Sam's Club.  Perfect portion and I know exactly how many to use for everything I drink.  I started looking at it the other day since I was running low.  Buying the bag of Splenda is about half as much as the packets.....for the same amount (ish).  Wow, really?  OK, evaluation time......and we come to a no brainer.  I bought the bag and spent another $2 at Target on a Rubbermaid container with a pour spout and filled that bad boy up.....I haven't gotten the hang of exactly how much to use yet but soon I won't even notice.  Not as convenient maybe but hey, money in my pocket.

Another pitfall in the stores is the Value Size.....hey, there is more in there for less right?  Not always......sometimes you pay less per unit when you buy the smaller packages.  This is especially true when you are using a coupon or coupons for an item.  Sometimes it means buying more of it but if you can get 2 for less than what you are paying for the Value Size and wind up with more then....well, another no brainer.

Ultimately, the point I am trying to make is that if you start really looking at what you are buying and change your perspective a little you can save yourself a good amount with a minimum of effort.  Buying your snacks in a regular size package and then putting a snack size amount into a ziploc will add a little time, buying things in less convenient packaging might be a pain in the rear until you get used to changing your routine a little and really watching your unit pricing might add the amount of time you spend in the store but after a few weeks, the savings might even add up to a new pair of shoes!

Until next time.....Happy shopping and may you save a ton!

Beyond the Coupon - Other Ways to Save

I have been on a mission to save.  I know this will not shock anyone since you have all been listening to me babble about it on a regular basis.  I wanted to find ways to save beyond my grocery store and on things that were not necessarily classic "sale" items or that I was probably not going to find coupons for.  

Joe and I took a field trip yesterday to look into some different things for research purposes, of course.  The really big one made my day.  We found an outlet for Mrs. Baird's Bread!  Some of you will be unfamiliar with the brand but locally it is a very big one.  I am a bread fanatic, I love bread.....so this was an exciting discovery.  I managed to walk out with 5 loaves of bread, 2 things of bagels, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, 2 packages of english muffins and 2 boxes of snack size cherry pies.  My total at the register?  Under $13.....Now, since it is an outlet the bread is close to its expiration date which means that in order for it to stay good I need to toss it in the freezer.  So, out came the Tin Foil and the Ziploc bags and I went to town.  This is a great time to test the theory that bread stays perfect in the freezer.  Anything that I thought we could not eat in the next couple of days got wrapped up, zipped up and is patiently waiting to be thawed.  If the experiment does not go well, then I am really not out anything since one package of english muffins were snarfed for breakfast and lunch, a bunch of the pies are gone and we ate half the hot dog buns and half of the hamburger buns are slated for chicken sandwiches tonight.  If none of the bread in the freezer turns out ok, I still got my moneys worth.  The really great part about it is that these are the breads that I buy regularly!  The english muffins and bagels are Thomas's, the bread and buns were a mix of Mrs. Bairds and Orowheat.  The bakery outlet is a bit of a drive from our house (For my local Houston folks, it is off South Gessner.  Take 59 to the Gessner exit like your going to Olive Garden and instead of taking the flippy-do, a technical term, just cross the intersection and go about 3.5 miles down Gessner and the bakery is on the left.) not horrible but not as close as my regular shopping haunts so I would prefer to do it every other week, if not once a month.  

However, on the corner of South Gessner and 59 there is also a Staples.  I am a big fan of Staples and always have been.  Their pricing is better than a lot of the office supply stores and I will admit to a minor office supply addiction.  I have been working on this one for years and have gotten much better but, well we all have to have our vices.  On the way home, we wandered in to look around because I saw an ad last week where they were advertising all sorts of cool stuff for a $1.  They also have a back to school program where you purchase a savings card and get 15% off of all school supplies through Sept 17th....all of you parents out there, stop into the store!  When we got home, I opened my paper to dig through (I buy the Early Sunday edition of the Chronicle on Saturday to look at the ads and check out the coupons that I will be getting the next day.  That way if I see anything I have to have I can get up early and run out to get it before they are all gone.) and found an ad for Staples where they have a couple of items for $.01 this week AND reams of multipurpose paper at $.25 (This does require a rebate).  Paper has been on my watch list because the prices are ridiculous in the stores.  More than $6 for a ream in a lot of cases for the store brand!......I can totally do $.25.  As a sidenote, this ad was NOT in my Sunday Chronicle.....today I had ads for Office Depot and Office Max, they have some really good sales going on as well but nothing as exciting as Staples.  I have read that for a month or so Staples does these sales on schools supplies every week.  You can go online to Staples.com and sign up to receive their ad via email every week or just stop by the site and look at the ads on Sunday or Monday when the new ones come out.  

So, I think that for a while I will be making a weekly trip to Staples to stock up on supplies (btw, this is a great item to donate.  There are tons of programs out there for underprivileged children who cannot afford supplies) and while I am there I will wander down to the bakery to see what I can score during the week rather than what is left on a Saturday afternoon ;-)

I have also been watching the meat cases in the stores I go to.  I usually go to 3 stores a week...Sam's Club, Target and a grocery store (either HEB or Kroger, depending on which one has the better sales).  So I have been looking at all of the meat cases to see what is going on.  The sales for meat come every week depending on the store and what they have in stock.  However, if you can find them some of the meat (on sale or not) has tags on it with discounts!  This can be either because the expiration date is coming up soon or they just have a ton that they want to move.  I see those and snatch them up!  I got a killer deal on hamburger last week and the week before that I took home a roast for under $6....that was 2 dinners and sandwiches for 3 days in our house!

This time of year is a great time to look around and see if you have a local farmers market for produce as well.  I have been looking but haven't found one yet.  These are excellent places to get fresh produce directly from the farmers at incredible prices.  Take the middleman and the markups out of the picture and you can find excellent deals on fruits, vegetables and all sorts of other interesting stuff.  A lot of these things can be frozen, canned or stored in other ways so that you can have your favorites any time of the year.  

Try doing some online searches and see what turns up.  There are savings to be had out there, sometimes you just have to go look for them.

Until next time, happy shopping and good luck!