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Misunderstanding

August 31st, 2006 at 12:38 am

Apparantly last week we had a big ole misunderstanding. Myself and the other parties involved have straightened it out amongst ourselves, and all is well. Soooo....

After SO much support, the tips will come back, I will be implementing some of the ideas I received, and also always willing to address any questions, etc.

I want to thank everyone so much for their support and everything. Helped my slightly bruised ego .

With a heavy heart: Tips are gone

August 24th, 2006 at 02:10 am

After reading a few comments, and a thread on the boards, let alone a few emails I received. I'm going to go with the minority.

I won't be writing the tips anymore. My goal when I started doing that was not to annoy or irritate anyone. But was to round out things not only for myself, but for those learning about couponing, and that spot has been covered very well by flash and gsg. Although the detail I went into was appreciated by most of you, I do not want to annoy others as well!

So I've been thinking on this all evening, and have decided that I will take the tips portion out of my blog, and will go back to only blogging about my general stuff. If anyone ever has any questions about stuff, please feel free to email me!

Deal of the Week: walgreens and Planters Trail Mix

August 23rd, 2006 at 08:36 pm

My kids LOVE trail mix. And I love that because its HEALTHY!!! Well, this week Walgreens is making my kids VERY happy.

In their sale flyer this week is a coupon for Planters Trail Mix for .99, a decent deal within itself, but wait it gets better!

When you buy 3, a coupon for $2 off your next shopping order prints out. Most cashiers will just scan it off that purchase, so you get 3 packages for .97!!!

Now wait, it gets better! How could that be you say??? Well, in the paper last weekend was a $10 rebate form from Nabisco. One of the qualifying items is, you guessed it Sherlock, Planters Trail Mix. Works like this, go to Walgreens, do 4 orders of 3 Trail Mix each, your total out of pocket payment will be $3.88. Send in those receipts and the UPC symbols, and get a $10 check back. Final Profit = $6.12 and you also have 12 bags of trail mix.

Happy Hunting everyone!

What do you want to see?

August 23rd, 2006 at 08:27 pm

As I try to tailor my blog to fit within the niche Flash has created with teaching others about couponing, etc. I wonder what topics YOU guys would like to see. I will do research if needed, tirelessly (or well, at least until midnight) seeking out the answers.

Seriously though, what have YOUR questions always been, what would you like to learn about couponing and refunding?

The suggestion box is open!

Tip of the Day: Coupon Organization part #1

August 23rd, 2006 at 08:25 pm

Spurred on by another blogger, I decided today's tip should be about coupon organization. After typing this up I realized that this is only one of a few aspects that should be covered, so I'll do the next part tomorrow.

I've always been a bit of a perfectionisty, and my coupon organizing is no place to slouch. A few months ago I realized MY strategy was costing me deals, I wouldn't be able to find a certain coupon I knew I had until I got home, and thus didn't get that item free or for pennies.

I have never been of the "category" organizer school, my brain doesn't generally work that way. I've always been an alphabetical organizer, whichever actual method of transportation my coupons had (from envelopes, to a box, and now to a binder). Well, when I realized how many deals I was missing, I started a complete overhaul of my binders. I now have them organized into rough categories, and by store aisle (all stores are roughly the same), and then alphabetized within those categories.

I guess first off I should give some background..no matter what, if an item is free, I will pick it up. It will either go into my own personal stockpile, get passed on to either my parents, my sister or my neighbor, donated to a worthy cause on my next run, or sold in my yard sale for 1/4 to 1/2 of retail price. So I always cut and file ALL coupons, I rarely trade due to time constraints mostly, but am still hoping to get a train going!!!!!

Now, on to my own favorite method of coupon organization, THE BINDER. I have 2 binders actually because I have so many coupons. The first is a 3" ring binder by Case It, it zips shut (a MUST!!!) and has an accordion style organizer on one side in which I put my store rain checks, store specific coupons, etc. I would really like to get a bit more organized on this one and put my lists in each of these with the coupons I KNOW I will need. This binder contains all my non food coupons (amazingly enough larger than the actual food coupons..huh). Within the binder I use baseball card protector sheets, and file one coupon type to each slot. Each page has 9 slots. Some don't like these pages, because you do have to cut your coupons close, and sometimes fold them. There are LOTS of different varieties of "item holder" pages at any office supply store, everything from floppy disks to CD's and more, use what is comfortable for YOU, and makes it easy for you to keep your coupons organized and handy.

My second binder is a plain jane zippered binder, with 1 1/2 inch rings. I use this one for food coupons with the same pages inside.

This is just a start to organizing things, and I certainly hope I've explained the binder method to you clear enough. As usual, any questions, give me a hollar!

Tip of the Day: Your stores coupon policy

August 21st, 2006 at 10:20 pm

The first thing you need to do when learning to shop to save is learn your local grocery stores coupon policies.

1) If an item rings up incorrectly, what do they do? At one local store (Kroger), if something rings up wrong you get it FREE!! Doesn't matter if it's diapers or a gallon of milk, if it's priced wrong, it's free. Some places do nothing, and there are policies everywhere in the middle.

2) Do they double or triple coupons, and what are their limits? Meijer in my area doubles coupons up to a .99 face value every day, with a limit of 2 of the same coupons. Example: Act 2 popcorn was recently on sale for $1 a box. I had .50 coupons, which they doubled to $1, so after a few trips, I amassed about 15 boxes of popcorn for free!

3) What are their sale cycles? Some places run their ads Sunday to Saturday, some Wednesday to Tuesday. Plan your shopping accordingly.

Hope this helps you!!!

Info of the day: Free websites to get the coupon deals!

August 18th, 2006 at 08:13 pm

Motivated by Uncommon Cents' blog entry for today regarding the grocery game, I decided today's tip will be to list some of my favorite, and most useful coupon sites.

www.hotcouponworld.com

Lists are laid out by store, with any hot deals listed by a user who sees it. You can discuss deals, ask questions, etc. The forum is extremely helpful for anyone pro or newbie to find the deals and make the most out of their money in many arenas.

www.families.com

Same as above, layout is quite similar, forum based.

www.refundcents.com

Now, this IS a subscription access site, BUT it is not limited to coupon deals. Members discuss sweepstakes, online shopping deals, clearance found at various stores, super double coupons, etc. etc. The magazine that sisters the site is awesome, filled with readers stories, ads to get more coupons or forms from other traders, listings of rebate forms, etc. If anyone wants more information on this one before subscribing, please let me know!!! And if you decide to subscribe, let them know I sent you because I do earn referral credits.

So my tip is..spread your frugal wings! There are lots of great places out there to help you learn to coupon for FREE!!!!!

Tip #1-Flylady

August 18th, 2006 at 02:50 am

Ok, so I probably won't remember to number them all, but oh well lol.

What does Flylady have to do with saving money you ask?

www.flylady.net

Flylady proposes that housework done imperfectly still blesses your family. I agree. I'm not a diehard flylady worshiper, BUT I do drill generally throughout the day, either by myself or with a few online friends.

What is this drilling you speak of??? Well, it's where we go accomplish something for 15 minutes, come back and brag for 10 minutes or so, and go again. Much like this site, it's all about support and motivation to keep up the good work.

Now, my point may be clearing. Disorganization generally leads to wasting money in some form or another, be it time looking for your favorite widget, or money by replacing said widget that you didnt see under the couch cushion until the next day when you get back from the store.

My house is NOT organized yet, we just moved in 2 months ago, but it's shaping up. And I don't think I've replaced anything I still have yet.

Tip of the day is...organize your home for your peace of mind, peace of time, and peace of wallet!