Open Mic is a post every Thursday that is a mini-version of a discussion board. You can leave a comment with whatever coupon, money-saving or debt reduction tips or questions you have and other readers chime in and answer.
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About Carrie Rocha
I know that PYD followers are very generous. I work out at Lifetime Fitness, and at least one of the Twin Cities locations is collecting non-perishable goods and toiletries for those that were affected by the tornados that hit Minneapolis this past Sunday. Does anyone know of other businesses that are collecting goods for our neighbors in Minneapolis?
Here is the link to a Consumer Report’s article–cheap sunscreen is top rated.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43140252/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/
Good Morning Everyone!! I was lucky enough to get a 4 pack of tickets to give away to Cirque du Soleil – OVO under the Big Top at Mall of America – Stop by my blog & enter to win the tickets for the show next Thursday!! I know I’d be entering if I was eligible to win!! ;) My kids would LOVE this show!! http://www.gustgab.com/2011/05/cirque-du-soleil-ovo-give-away.html
Why won’t some Rainbows take cub’s printed manufacturers cpns? Has anyone had any luck with the Kraft deal this week using Cub’s cpn?
I am sick of feeling like a criminal as well. The last time I went to the Savage location, I left feeling upset. I had totally legit cpns and the cashier scrutinized my k cup cpns and even called over a manager, basically bc she didn’t know what K cups were! I said, “uh, they are the boxes right in front of you.” Then after looking at my receipt and realizing that the k cups that I bought rang up more expensive than the isle price, I went to check and found that they had the wrong boxes in front of the sale price… when I went to return them I felt like I was doing something wrong as well, even though I should have claimed false advertising!!! When I asked for my return receipt, the cashier refused to give it to me claiming that she had to keep it… I asked her to print a new one, and she said she doesn’t have a copy machine…. I am fairly certain all she had to do was hit a “re-print” button but didn’t want to get any more upset so I walked away. I will avoid Savage Rainbow in the future!!!
I’m sad to hear that experience, Holly. I shop at the Savage Rainbow and have never really had a problem there. There a couple of cashiers that I avoid, though.
This happened to me at Target in Lino Lakes. I wish I had brought their coupon policy with me because the cashier would not let me use a manf. and target coupon on two different items because they would have been free. (item was $1.99 and I had a manf Q and Target Q each for 1.00 off) She called the manager over and he agreed that they would not take the coupon. I asked them to key the coupon amount down to .99 and they said no. I really felt humiliated by the whole thing and the lady behind me in line wasn’t kind about it either. I wasnt doing anything wrong but sure felt like it!
I am so sorry about your experience at the Lino Lakes Target. I work at that Target and find it to be a VERY coupon friendly store. I am surprised that you had to experience that…Lino has a very liberal coupon policy…they will take expired coupons up to 3 months (including Target coupons!)
I think it is a lack of communication between front end supervisors, cashiers,and back up cashiers that is the issue.
I tried to fight using a milk Catalina that said “redeem at Cub” (Not redeemable ONLY at Cub) and they wouldn’t budge…and they know me…I honestly believe that people are just not educated enough in the coupon redemption process to give the correct answer 100% of the time.
We are all human. :)
I haven’t had any issues with the Rainbow in SLP (West End)
I do try to go to the same cashiers each week…they in turn reconize me and know that i’ll have a stack of coupons and that I will usually break up my transactions in two. I’m as orgainzed as I can to make the trip a success.
I’ve also met with the store manager and a couple of the assistant managers…I’ve asked them questions regarding their policies and items that I’d like them to carry in the store. They appreciate the feedback.
Try not to be discouraged! If you’re not happy with one store, try another!
The Forest Lake Rainbow cashier paused to look at the coupon and I said “it says redeemable at Cub, not redeemable ONLY at Cub”. We swiped it and it worked.
Holly – I don’t even try anymore – Rainbow is SO picky about their coupons these days – it’s like they think everyone is out to get them thanks to the extreme couponers or something – I get a stomach ache just standing in line with my 5 legit coupons as they look them over with their fine toothed combs…
:) I would love to use a target or cub manufacturers coupon but they ALWAYS deny me at Rainbow…
Holly~ I used that deal yesterday at the Rainbow in Bloomington. They too make you feel like a criminal but I have pretty consistently used the cub ones there and they have taken them with no negative comments for the mean time.
I used the Vitamin Water Q from the Cub ad/Q booklet at this Rainbow a few weeks ago, without any problem. But that Q didn’t say Cub on it, just manufacture and the exp date at the top.
I am looking for a really good coupon trading website and was wondering if some of you could offer some of the best. I am looking for 4 of the MC for the John Frieda Foam Haircolor $5/1. I am willing to trade them for multiple other diaper, pet food, and others if requested. Thanks.
Nathalie, I think I have one. send me an e-mail at stampforfun @ msn . com
I have coupons to trade/give too. I have 3! You can send me an email at mrshhw @ gmail . com. I’d be happy to drop them in the mail tomorrow. Just put John Frieda in the subject line so I don’t delete it.
Is there such thing as a coupon trading site? I have a lot of coupons I’m willing to trade/give away!
Does anyone know of a good but inexpensive photographer for senior photos? I don’t have a good enough camera or the ability to do them myself, and want her to have good ones, just don’t want to pay an arm and a leg.
Target does a fairly good job if you really have to watch the budget. Bring ideas of what you want, props/memoribila, change(s) of clothes, a coupon (in last week’s flyer or online) and your Red Card for an extra 5% off. (My Pharmacy Rewards bonus 5% off card was denied. The photo studio here is owned by another company and won’t take it. But the Red card worked.) You can also order your pics online.
Something I wish I’d known: the 1-3 picture CD is $65 (and I haven’t seen a coupon for it), but you can do anything you want with the 3 photos of your choice. This may be the way to go.
Our photographer took very nice pictures, but didn’t seem to be familiar with computer program or package options.
Andi, to expand on the Target deal…we have been having pictures taken by them for over a year now and they do a great job. (Apple Valley location) You can get a sitting for free and then here is something we only recently learned about…they will enhance your photos and then they will be burned to a disk and you can then print your photos anywhere. The disk comes back to the store in about 2 weeks. If you do not want enhancements, because you have software to do your own at home, you can take the disk with you the same day. They do over 20 images and it costs about $149.00. We then take the disk to anywhere we want and have the pictures printed. The disk comes with a release that you can print out and take to the store that is printing your pictures.
I would recommend Target or JCPenney portrait studios for inexpensive photography. I work for the company that runs both of those studios and know that you can great great photography if you find the right photographer. I take my kids to the Eden Prairie Target and see Corey, who is the studio manager. He is an amazing photographer and always take great pictures of my kids who are 4 and 6.
If you choose to go to a portrait studio, go during the week when they aren’t so busy because you can often get more time in the camera room. Usually the studio manager is working too and they would probably be your best bet for a photographer. If you can’t see Corey in Eden Prairie, I’d ask for the studio manager at your local studio. Check out the website for portrait deals. Here is an offer for the senior collection at Target. http://www.targetportraits.com/offers/senior-portraits.html Of course you can choose any kind of package you want. Check out the other offers too.
I prefer to buy the CD myself because you get all the high resolution images plus any enhancements they make for you in the studios on the CD. With all the deals you can find on the internet, you could have them printed very inexpensively yourself. I think Target and JCPenney portraits have the best value for CDs you could find as it’s only $150 if you just buy the CD and the price goes down as you buy more prints. I believe there is a media bundle available now for $210 where you get the CD plus prints. You’d have to ask the studio about that as I’m not sure they are still doing that deal.
I would first figure out what you want. Do you want studio photos or outdoor? If you want studio then for limited budgets Sears/JC Penny and Target are options (not sure of the over all pricing there as I have not used them). If you want outdoors (or even a mix) there are now hundreds of photographers working free lance. There are good photographers at all price ranges. Out where I am there are at least two or three who were charging a very reasonable amount and giving you the CD with print rights (meaning you can print as many as you want where you want of all the images). You may be surprised at the cost to hire someone. Just do a google search for your town and photographer you might be surprised at what you find.
I do senior portraits. I don’t know what your budget is but I am pretty reasonable.
I’d love to get in contact – I’m not even sure what I want, as this is my first senior! You can e-mail me at adlfamcoupons@gmail.com
I would definitely use someone rather than go to Target/JCpenney or one of those my husband had his done there in the past and when he looks back they are SO BAD compared to the other senior pics.
I used Greg Thorne in Plymouth for my son’s graduation photos last year, as well as my family pictures. He did a great job. And, for $200 we got the session both indoor and outdoors and a CD with reprint permission. We just ordered them at Costco, so all in all it was under $250 for invitations and prints. My son had acne and scars and Greg did a great job with them as well. His website is http://gtcreativephoto.com/.
The biggest thing I would recommend is look for someone who will sell you a cd of images (for a reasonable amount) that you can print out wherever you want, when we switched to this method we saved sooo much money and saved the anguish of picking WHICH pictures we liked best. Here is a woman that is a friend of a friend who is based out of Stillwater – her prices are VERY reasonable and she does beautiful work (this is a link to her price page): http://www.sunlitphotography.com/?page_id=2
try debragoebelphotography.com
Don’t rule out Kmart. I go there to get my husband’s favorite shampoo (Gillette) because they have the big bottles & are cheaper than others. Last week I found the small bottles on clearance & got to checkout & they rung up 1.50 under the clearance sticker price…stocked up. Also they had a deal on pop tarts if you are a rewards member, so I was gonna use my coupon for a better deal & found they still had boxes with the coupons on them that the grocery store had 2 months ago. They reran the deal this week too. Also got a good price on paper products that I had coupons for too.
Andi~
I have two names for you. They live in North Branch but I believe they travel. They have both done excellent photos for weddings, seniors, family pics, etc. Post your email and I will email them to you.
Thanks Natalie – my email is adlfamcoupons@gmail.com
Morning Guys & Gals:
Just a Note: hit “reply” in the message box of the person you’re interacting with the keep our Open Mic flowing smoothly.
Thanks a bunch!
I am getting ready to start organizing my coupons in a binder, rather than an expandable file… just wondering, for those of you who do the binder method, where did you find the plastic protectors to put your coupons in? I can only find the full page sheet protectors… I would like some that are business card sized, or photo sized.
You will want the baseball card sheet protectors. They are found usually up by the cashiers where the baseball cards are kept.
I bought mine in the binder section at Office Depot.
Always look in the Baseball/Pokeman card section. They have bundles of 30 sheets. I wonder if Micheals has them also so you can use the 40% off coupon that comes out.
Thanks!
Try Ebay, I got 2 huge binders with the baseball card protectors for $10. I just had to take out the very old baseball cards from seasons long ago for teams no one cares about : )
Don’t forget to look at garage sales too. I see them all of the time there. Both baseball card holders and scrapbooking protecors (for stickers) They both work great!
I found mine at a thrift store (Salvation Army). They had TONS of old photo albums and that’s what I ended up using. Mine has 6 “slots/pockets” per page although, I have seen the baseball card protector sheets and I do believe that they have more pockets per page. That being said, I’m very happy with mine – it only cost me $1.50. :)
I personally don’t like the binder method because the slots in the baseball card pages are smaller than I would like and I’ve had to spend extra time cutting them down to fit. I tried to find different pages (like photo pages w/bigger slots) and had no luck. With a new baby it’s hard enough to find the time to cut and organize all my coupons so I’m going to switch to something else. If you want some of the baseball card pages to try email me your info and you can have mine if you’d like (samantha.stoneburg@gmail.com).
I just bought some at Target near the front by the baseball cards and I got 30 page protectors with 9 slots per page for $4.99. I use both sides so I can actually get 18 coupons per page.
While the 9 pocket pages work well for newspaper inserts, they don’t work as well for printed internet coupons. I love the 8 pocket pages for this reason- they are also bigger which makes it easy to slide the coupons in and out. A few couponer websites sell them if you do a web search.
Amazon dot com! I had a hard time finding the pages that offered 3-slots to a page at brick-n-mortar stores so I ordered through Amazon and patiently waited 4 days for my goodies to arrive. LOVE my binder and can’t believe I didn’t make one years ago! Don’t forget tab dividers too, they help keep your book organized into sections.
I finally got my check for the lawn mower class action that was mentioned om this site last year. So be on the look out for that in the mail if you applied.
I also got the Lawn Mower check. I had to laugh tho, It was supposed to be $75 & it was for $21 & change.
Mine was 21 and change too :-)
I love when pocketeers share what rebates are in even if I didn’t do this particular one, thanks! I just got my Walgreens brand products rebate in (the $10) and a Bosch spark plugs that I bought at O’Reilley’s. Waiting on the Neuragen PN.
Anyone know if Cub has a 3 day special this weekend and if so, what is it? Thanks.
Just heard on the radio they have ears of corn for 0.28 each and Johnsonville sausage for 2.88. They didn’t say 3 day sale but maybe that is because it will go through Monday.
Another give away I have going on in addition to the Cirque du Soleil tickets is a General Mills Give Away – A free box of cereal and a free DVD of Kung Fu Panda…Even if the movie is not for you – it would make a great gift!
http://gustgabreviews.blogspot.com/
Sto by & enter to win! THANKS!
I think this was mentioned last week, but I didn’t see many responses…..Does anyone know where a good place to get a large amount of mulch in the twin cities?
Thanks!!
I have heard that some cities offer it for free to their residents. It’s worth looking into.
Richfield and on the south end of Lake Calhoun there is free mulch
We get lots of free mulch from our city (Burnsville) – Depending on where you want to put it – we have no trouble with the free stuff – We put ours around our shed…hoping to grab some more for a fresh layer this season…but we have a different vehicle now making it tougher to get it and haul it home…
There are lots of locations around the Minneapolis area and nearby communities. Here is a link:
http://www.ci.mpls.mn.us/news/20030813mulchsites.asp
Also, check the cities website in the city you live in. They may have “wood chips/ mulch” listed and you can just swing by, pick it up and voila….your yard is mulched.
I just hit the jack pot about a week and a half ago. Someone posted on Craigslist that they were in my town, had a truck and needed to get rid of their wood chips. I now have a dump truck load in my driveway waiting to be dispersed (yah for Sunshine today).
And if you are looking for a ‘colored’ mulch…you can just use the inexpensive wood chips first….then purchase a few cheapy bags of the colored mulch of your choice and layer that on top.
Keep your eyes peeled on CL, or check with your local tree trimming company. They too may deliver a load if they are in your area. I would expect to see ‘a lot’ of wood chips in the N Minneapolis area after last weeks storms real soon.
Happy Gardening!
I posted links to some city’s info about free mulch wood chips and black dirt in this blog post.
Oh and the Richfield site…heads up…it’s being used for other construction equipment. I haven’t been able to locate where or find out if they have relocated it. (Used to be off of W76th Street between Lyndale and Nicolette).
It depends on quality – I’d check your city and see if they have a pile they give away. White Bear used to do it. I remember looking at it once and decided to pay more for something else.
I am interested in knowing what other families set for their weekly household budgets. I was talking to the neighbors yesterday. We all talk about saving money, but no one ever really talks about how much is too much, or what is a reasonable amount to spend based on family size. I can consistently save 40% per week using coupons and rebates (I’ve been closely tracking this) but find that throughout the month, I spend an average of $175/wk. We are a family of 4 humans and 2 large cats. This amount includes all food, paper products, pet food and supplies, and OTC meds. I can do $125/wk if extremely diligent, but usually end up making up for it later. I welcome thoughts and feedback on this!
I just recently set a $50/week limit for our family of 4, two under 3, and my husband and I. In this $50 budget I do not include our chicken(we buy a case at a time at Sams for around $65)or our beef, we just bought a quarter cow. I’ve only been following it for 3 weeks, so far so good. I understand that some weeks it will not be possible if there are extras we need or extra stock up needs. I buy our produce at Aldi so that saves a ton and my parents work at Malt O Meal so I never have to buy cereal. Don’t know if this helps or is realistic but it’s been doable since I set our “limit”
My goal is $350 for the month for 2 adults and a baby. This includes diapers, wipes, formula, and health/beauty products. We were at $300 before baby came. I typically came in around $280ish for the month. Harder now that I can’t breastfeed and have to buy the formula. :(
I have been loosely tracking my spending over the month of May and so far am able to spend around $100 a week for me, my 3 teenagers, 1 dog, and 3 cats. This includes raw diet for the animals, but does not include fast food or other non food/household needs. I am not satisfied with this amount and would like to consistently stay below $100. I can’t complain, though since I was spending about double that amount before I started to coupon.
We are also a family of 4 and 2 pets and we spend an annual average of about $135/week on groceries, cleaning supplies, toiletries and school lunches. We pretty consistently spend around $100/week but when we add in special occasion groceries (holidays, birthdays, a couple weeks at the cabin) it creeps up. Our children are in the pre-teen age range, our weekly budget was lower when they were younger and are anticipating it will go up as they become teenagers.
We are a family of 5, with 3 small children who eat more than I do a lot of the time. We average $60/week, which includes one meal out every week (usually a cheap pizza from Papa Murphy’s or Chinese takeout). I use cloth diapers for my twins, but we go through about 1 pack of disposables a week. I also use cloth baby wipes and mostly use cloth feminine products. I also use Norwex cleaning products, so we have no costs for cleaning supplies anymore. I usually get all my toiletries for free or nearly free after coupons, so really, we’re only paying for food. Every now and I again I will have a “splurge” week where I buy a lot of stuff on sale at the store, but usually end up spending only $10-15 on groceries (mostly produce, milk, etc) in the week or two around that, so it averages out nicely. This average is for the past year. HTH
Denise – Do you use Norwex laundry detergent with your cloth diapers? I just tried a bag of it and have encountered MAJOR leaking issues with my diapers (fuzzibunz – fleece). Thanks!
I do use the Norwex with my cloth (Komfy Kidz OS Pockets), but have just switched over to it. I have normally just used Tide, but haven’t found it on sale lately. I would say it’s been about 2 weeks with the Norwex. I wonder if it’s just not rinsing out fully? I’ll have to keep an eye on ours. I still think I like the Tide better for our dipes, even though I prefer not to use it on any other laundry.
I try for 50-80.00/week for a family of four and one dog. 2 adults, a 9 yr old and a 22 month old. However, because I have a stockpile, I am able to get very close to this number. If I didn’t have a stockpile, I know it would be harder.
Good luck!
This is a hard question because everyone groups different things into their weekly spending. We have determined that $100 a week, for us is good. This is because we do not live close to Cub or Rainbow and we get all our produce and most of our milk etc at our local store. I go to CVS and Walgreens for their deals as well, and the run a few times a month to Rainbow. I do notice that the best way, for me, is to pull the money out of the bank and pay cash. This way I know how much I am spending easily and then when I have extra I put it into a jar to save. For us we stockpile just enough to get to the next sale or when it’s something we use a ton of we will get a few more depending. Some examples are kids toothpaste, I get more when it’s on sale because no matter how I try to keep their use in line sometimes someone will get into the tube and it’s gone in a second, usually all over the bathroom. We use a ton of ceral, and the deals like this week are the small boxes — we can go through two in a week. Well then 8 boxes is really only a month of ceral and not as extreme as one would think. BBQ Sauce as well — the Sweet Baby Rays is the smaller bottle and when I make pulled pork I can use two bottles easily — thus buying three is not really over stocking that may last us a month (if that depending upon our meal plan).
NOTE I do not include the pet food in my weekly budget, we have budgeted for that in their own budget!
My family of three, with a 13 year old who has begun eating a bit more, and one cat, spends $400 to $430 per month and that includes everything, cat food, paper, hygiene, OTC medications, etc. I coupon to save money, but not change what my family’s choices are too much, so I could spend a bit less.
We average $80 a week for a family of 5. 4 adults and a 14 year old. (I have two college age kids living with me).
I dropped off toiletries, food and some baby things for those hit by the tornadoes at the Burnsville Salvation Army on Monday.
We are a family of 6 (one is a newborn), and I try to stay at about $350/month with diapers and toiletries. However, I sometimes go over if I am stocking up on a really good sale or am low on meats then it can be about $400/month.
My 9 year old needs to dress up as Elizabeth Blackwell (first female to graduate from medical school in the US – later 1800s) for a school project. I am struggling to come up with the costume – anyone have any good ideas (no, I don’t sew) or a spare quaker dress laying around? I have been scouring thrift stores for anything that looks close but I’m not finding anything and can’t spend a lot.
If you have time, try ebay. I got an “old fashion” dress for my daughter from there and it worked out great. The dress has been given to Arc or I would offer it up to you : )
Has anyone had any success with using Lowe’s coupons (ie $10 off $50 purchase) at Home Depot?
We have had success using competitor coupons at Menards (Lowes, Ace). I would not hesitate to try!
Sharon, I believe I did that a couple of years ago with absolutely no problem. Home Depot also price matches and beats the match by 10%, which I also did a few years ago. You need a competitors ad for that, and I don’t think it’d have to be a hardware store ad, as long as the ad showed the same item (Target, Wal-mart ads would probably work). I just now remembered that they do that, and if what you want to buy costs more than $50, you might end up getting an awesome deal!
HD will take any competitor coupons. I used to work there. If you are given any trouble at check out talk to a head cashier.
Not to hijack, but where do you get the Lowe’s coupons (got a house project coming up!)? Thanks!
In CT where I live, there are moving/change of address packets in the post office that have a Lowe’s coupon in it.
I feel like every time we get into a spot where I feel like we are going to be comfortable money-wise, something big happens that knocks me back down – whether it be a new appliance (those things all seem to go at once, don’t they) or a home owner thing like a water leak or the rising cost of insurance premiums, food costs, gas costs, etc. I feel like we do a pretty decent job when it comes to cutting corners and I am starting to get discouraged. So how do you guys avoid becoming discouraged? I am praying about it now, but I am feeling like whenever I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the tunnel gets longer and the light goes away :(
I dunno, but wanted to say I’m right there with you! I’m constantly feeling it’s 1 step forward, and two steps back.
Yeah I know what you are getting at….but there are many ways to look at this situation. One is, to have a savings account that is totally for true emergencies only….so then you have that took make you feel better. Then another is; hey you are living in a real world, your stuff is going to break down and need replacing …if you think that isn’t going to happen you will never get over that feeling…everyone is in that boat too. Just think how far behind you would be if you didn’t have what you have saved to fix or purchase those things?? I think praying is a great way to give your concerns to God and ask for God to allow you to relax and appreciate all that he has given you. After all apparently he gave you the gift of this site and us fellow Pocketeers to hang out with! :) You are doing great!!! Focus on what you have and not on what you don’t have.
Anne –I think I am a lot older than most here so I have been through those periods many times when it just feels like you are getting pounded down. But I’m still here! And that is how you get through it. You do it and the next time you know you can do it. And each time you learn how to do it. Saving money with couponing is one way of dealing with it. The better you get at it, the more conifident you feel. And there are always people who have it worse. I thank the Lord everyday for all the blessings I have even though to a lot of people that would seem strange considering what I have had to deal with. Just keep saying thank you and taking steps forward.
I have been feeling that same way lately. Couponing has allowed me to save faster and more for a down payment on a house, but every time I feel like I have made some progress something comes up. I now have to spend at least $200 to fix my 1999 Saturn so it keeps running until after I buy a house so I can finance a new car without jeopardizing the financing of a home. I have recently had to make some other larger purchases unexpectedly. Just when I am wondering if it is all worth it, I remember that before I started to coupon, I had to make sacrifices that affected my children when some unexpected expense came up. My kids no longer feel the pinch. I am the only one aware of it. I am very thankful that God has my back and always provides! I think we are more “ahead” than we realize or give ourselves credit for.
I know a few people have mentioned Dave Ramsey’s Book “Total Money Makeover” on other open mics. I thought there were a few good things that help in these types of times.
1. Have an emergency fund (at least $1000, and then eventually enough to cover 3-6 months expenses). If you need to fix a car, you take out of the $1000, and then over the next months you work to replenish the amount you took out.
2. Plan your budget to include replacing furniture, water heater, etc. If you start saving a few bucks a month, when you eventually do have to replace those things you have some money saved up.
A different idea on the appliances (especially if yours are older), is to look into centerpoint energy’s home service plus program. You can get a few appliances covered for about $20 per month. THis is probably worth it if you have very old appliances. If you can save $20 per month instead, you could probably self insure a water heater, for example.
http://www.hsptoday.com/hsp/repairplans
I have had the same issue – I get an insurance refund or something only to have the car break down. But, I look at it the opposite way now. When I have managed to save up some money and then something goes wrong, I am grateful that I was able to save the money so that I have the money I need for the emergency. My husband and I have gotten to the point now that if there is ever a refund check or a windfall tax refund, we laugh and wonder what will go wrong that we have to spend it on! I feel like God provides us what we need and we always make it through somehow, so I try to be grateful that I was able to save, even if there’s an emergency that sucks the money up.
On the Extreme Couponing episode last night there was a woman with a family of 6. They mentioned that she had 280 deoderents in her stockpile. Even if each member of her family went through one a month (which would seem like a lot to me) it would still take over 4 years to go through that!
So what do you think is a reasonable amount of different items for a stockpile? I know that if we won’t be able to go through the items in a year, it’s too much for my family.
I do have to say that I am extremely jealous of some of the stores in other areas of the country.(I’m in Minnesota) I haven’t encountered a store that doubles coupons without dollar or coupon limits in almost 14 years! There is no way I could any of the deals that I see on that show around here (although I would do it on a MUCH smaller level).
I think some of these people are acting as if they lived through the depression where they didn’t know when they were going to eat again. I could see how this behavior could become addicting though. My mom came “shopping” at my house for the church food shelf. I donated about $40 worth of goods with a retail value of almost $600. Now she is beginning to coupon, she realized how much you can save if you plan you shopping trips and don’t impulse shop. I have a reasonable stockpile, and love to give back. I would prefer to buy all things on a coupon, but would never completly deny my kids of everything just cause I don’t have a coupon.
I have decided to mark my bottles/boxes by a date and see how long it takes me to go through shampoo, deodorant, etc. Then I’ll know how much is too much, etc. My husband works outside, so his deodorant stash goes fast and I try to nab the free ones when I can to keep up with him.
Mary — The stores that have unlimited doubling are generally in the south and California. Having spent some time in California, I can tell you that their regular prices are much higher than they are here. That’s why they can do unlimited doubling. Even on products grown in California, they are higher than here in Minnesota. I was appalled when I had to pay almost $2 for California olives.
I wonder if the lady who bought all the deoderant realizes that deoderant can go rancid after a while.
The grocery business is quite competitive here in Minnesota, so overall we have better everyday prices than in other areas.
Scat~ Thanks for making the comment about the prices in MN! I moved away from MN about a year ago, and all of the major grocery stores where I now live have unlimited double coupons (most up to 99c, one store doubles up to $1) However, even with unlimited coupons doubling, I still spend MUCH more on groceries here than I ever did in MN. There have been some months when I literally spent almost twice what I used to budget for groceries when I lived in MN. So, while Rainbow may be frustrating at times and Walgreens may run out of their sale items – all of you MN pocketeers should be extremely thankful for the amazing deals you can get!
Thanks for this reminder. I, for one, am very thankful and grateful that Rainbow even allows double coupons —no other store around here does!! I hope they don’t get too many complaints or problems, or they might just quit doing it altogether!
While we are unable to coupon to the extreme that they do in other parts of the country, I think we do pretty good, just on a smaller scale. I can get free soap, deoderant, body wash, toothpaste, etc. just like they can. I just get 5 – 30 at a time instead of 100 or more. The people on the show are mostly stay at home moms or homemakers. I work full time and am the single mother of 3 teenagers with special needs. I don’t have 60 hours a week to devote to couponing and if I did, I’d probably be able to score a lot more deals than I do now. Realistically I spend maybe 6 hours a week on couponing thanks to the stock pile I currently have and spend about $100 dollars a week on what I used to spend $200 a week on. And no one needs a 4 year supply of deoderant.
Does anyone know of a way to get a good deal – any type of discount – for US Weekly mag subscription? Thanks!!!
Have you tried ebates? Then use magazines.com or one of those – you can snag a pretty good deal most days! Good luck to you.
You could try calling their 800# to see if they have any deals going. Usually it seems like the best advertised deals are the ones that come in the postcards in the magazine. See if you can get it cheaper than that. It doesn’t hurt to try. The worst they could do is say no. I’ve had good success calling magazines for better renewal deals than what they send me. Maybe say that you like the magazine and don’t know yet if it’s worth X dollars yet, so you wanna try a subscription for Y dollars to see if it is worth it…
Does anyone know of some reasonable family friendly cabins to rent for a weekend in central to southern Wisconsin? We will need 5 cabins or a large house and would love something on a lake so the kids can go fishing.
Try Zaugg’s Resort… BEAUTIFUL!
have you tried vrbo.com (vacation rental by owner)?
I have couponing for just over two years and have been able to save a lot of money. My family of six live in southern MN, where none of the stores double coupons, I also do not get the Rainbow ad in the southern edition of the papers and need to use the online ad. If I feel the savings will be great enough(figuring in the cost of gas) I do travel to my nearest Rainbow. But…the last two trips have been a waste of time. I got to the store at 6:00 am(which means I was on the road driving at 5 am), only to find bare shelves. When I got to the back of the store I found out where all the product was. I saw two women each with a cart full(actually heaping) of about 5 different products each, between them was an empty cart that they were using to divide all the items. I was very upset, who needs 20 bottles of bodywash at one time, who needs 30 bottles of bbq sauce at one time, 20 boxes of crock pot liners at one time? Unless you are donating to a foodshelf, I find that people have become very selfish with couponing in the last two years. Do we blame shows like Extreme Couponing? I’m just saying, think about how much you need. Ask yourself, how much do you really need? Do you want to end up being like another show, Hoarders? Most of us are just tring to save money where we can, there will always be another sale of bbq sauce, pizzas,and pasta. So can’t we just share a little better?
Yolanda~Be certain to ask for a rein check. I had ONE bad experience at Rainbow, I lost it on a customer service person for the same reason, bare shelves at 8am, they have lack of planning to a certain degree, they know what’s on sale and what the coupons are. I then felt like a huge jerk when I ran into the gal I chewed out the next week. She actually said you’re the one with the cute son Giovanni(from one week prior to my yelling at her, she got him a balloon and entertained him while I checked out) I apologized over and over, she said “that was nothing” I felt terrible for getting lippy with her when she had/has no control over the shelves. Just get a rein check for a later date, don’t stress:) I too, don’t have one near, I’m about 30 miles away, but make the trips. Don’t give up on “them” yet. Better luck Rainbowing:)
I have gotten rain checks in the past, but usually the coupon expires within the two weeks, or the next two weeks of ads are not good enough for me to drive the distance for one bottle of bodywash. I don’t blame the store, their shelves have always been well stocked even when I have gotten there at 10 am on a Saturday(which I try to avoid altogether). I’m really trying to focus on the way some people do their shopping. I wasn’t exaggerating about the two women at all, unless their church/town was planning a 100 year anniversary, nobody needs 30 bottles of bbq sauce at one time. lol That stuff goes on sale everyother week.
I haven’t gotten lippy yet, lol. I’ve only walked out after checking out and saying to myself, “never again will I go back”. Two weeks later, yup, I’m back. :)
They may extend, or accept beyond the expiration date?? Which location do you go to?? The Lakeville one has been VERY understanding. Yesterday their gift card system wasn’t working. I had planned 4 transactions, my husband was doing 2(very easy)transactions and I was doing two. He came back and told me that their systems weren’t working. I was beside myself, i went yesterday so I didn’t have to do the Sat trip. I explained what my plan was and that I was actually advised from customer service to purchase GC to hit the $25 mark, I do this for my church food shelf, etc. She took me aside to a seperate registure and allowed me 2 trasactions doubling 10 coupons each so I didn’t have to buy the GC since the machine wasn’t working. So, I think that was a bigger chore(I’m very greatful) than accepting a couple expired coupons cause they didn’t have any of the items back on the shelf. I bet they would make the exception?? Good Luck!!
I totally agree. I manage to save quite a bit with couponing, but nothing like those shows. However, I rarely buy more than 4 of each almost free item and most of the time, at least with toiletries, only buy 2 at one time Plus I don’t have the time to three different Walgreens, etc. to try and get multiple items when there are limits. I absolutely hate seeing people filling up carts and clearing shelves. Nobody nears a 2 year supply of one item all purchased at one time. (Mostly because I rarely get more than 2 newspapers and I don’t want to go as far as using clipping services or dumpster diving. But quite often my mom will save coupons for me which helps since she lives in a different state and receives different coupons than we do.)
I know many people say that they donate all of these excess items, but there are many of us who don’t qualify to receive donations, but being able to buy these items with coupons in the stores is helping us make ends meet. We need to be able to buy these items too!
Mary- Good point, many of us want to purchase what we need and do not “need” donations but sure would like to just buy our own supplies with a smile and not have to feel so frustrated when we finally get our list ready, head to the store to find most everything is gone! :( So those that think they are doing such a great favor by stocking up way beyond what they need to donate it, they need to consider that there are many of us out here that too “need” to have those items left on the shelf so we can buy them to make our ends meet too. So those that like to over stock; remember you are helping out too by leaving those items at the store! :)
nicely said, Thank you!
If the item you need is not on the shelf, rein check. I don’t go overboard on my shopping trips, there are those that are in need, and don’t know about couponing or the “right” way to do it. I feel like I am doing a good deed by being able to help the food shelf, and or my church community. Some of those folks don’t even get out to do their own shopping, their outing, IS church(my grandma for one is depressed and generally doesn’t go anywhere but church), and what better way to help them out then to have a food shelf available at church. I’m sorry if you don’t see it the same way.
AmberG- I do see what you are doing and it is a very good thing to do; but there is another side to over stocking.
A raincheck isn’t usually the answer for me. For me I drive at least 30 miles to any of the stores on PYD lists so when I spend that kind of time and money on gas, when I get there I “need” to buy the items, also there is the issue of coupon match ups….sure I can get a rain check but my coupons may expire before they either get the items in or I can get back to town. Plus Register Rewards from Walgreens do not do rainchecks; and often that is where I can get my items for free. These are things to consider when you say get a rain check. It may be hard to think this way but leaving items on the shelves for people that need to make ends meet is really being very helpful too…maybe just as helpful as giving it away.
There seems to be more and more discussion of couponers who clean off the shelves leaving nothing for other customers. I have a couple of suggestions. If the store you shop at seems to suffer these couponer attacks, ask the store manager to consider setting limits on what one customer can purchase. That might anger the 100-at-time-couponers, but are they the store’s best customers? I would also suggest that shoppers establish their own limits in an effort to be considerate of others some of whom have to drive a long way to shop and don’t have a lot of time to run around to various stores. For instance, when I have enough of a product to last a year, I will only buy more of it for donating if there is a lot of it on the shelf and it is free or nearly free. I never clear off a shelf if I don’t really have immediate need for the product.
Unfortuntaely, it seems some have turned couponing into some sort of contest and that can end up being harmful to others.
I totally agree that shelf clearing is getting out of hand. Since I practically live across the street from Target I limit myself to 3 of the good deals per trip. I usually go in twice a week and if they have some each trip my limit is 3. Some people tend to forget that sales go in cycles and usually things will be on sale every 2-3 months. It is important to remember that sharing and caring is an important part of life, I don’t think some people care or share when it comes to coupons and pack rat mentality takes over. On that Extreme Couponing show the one lady refers to her deals as “getting high on crack”. It is those cases that I think have gotten out of hand and we really can’t stop those people—just feel very badly for them because it has turned to addiction not need.
Did everyone know Groupon is now on Ebates.com!! You can save an additional 5% today – not sure what it is the other days – S-W-E-E-T!!! Have a great day!
That is awesome! Thanks for letting us know!
If you have a Discover card and shop through their online ShopDiscover you can get 15% cash back on Groupon purchases.
I am having a little issue with CVS, and thought maybe someone could help. It’s totally my fault, but I’m kind of in a pickle. A few weeks back I borrowed my dad’s CVS card, so I could get another BOGO deoderant deal. (My husband is very brand loyal, so I wanted to stock up as much as possible) There was a limit of 1, so I got 1 with my card, and 1 with my dad’s. But then the ECB I got were linked to his card, so I had to use his the next time too so that I could spend the ECB. And so on and so on for a few weeks now. Now, the ECB I have are in his name, and my green bag tag is in his name, etc. I’d like to switch back to my own card, but I feel embarrassed to admit that I “cheated” to buy the other deoderant. Has anyone else done this? What will the cashier do/say if I bring it up? I know it’s silly, but any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
I would just spend the EB’s and start over. You don’t want to be profiled as a “cheater” because I bet you will have trouble getting coupons accepted, like in instances when a coupon beeps even when the product matches the wording and picture on the coupon or other times when it’s for no good reason at all. Keep in mind that sometimes you can score free items at CVS with coupons or with emailed coupons; use those to start earning EB’s with very little OOP to lessen the blow. For example, if you haven’t already, I would by the gum that’s free w/EB as an easy first bag tag scan. The green bag tag, from what I have been told by casheirs, will not be linked to your account which is why it can’t be looked up the way the Extra Care Card will, so use the tag you already have.
Doesn’t the green bag tag HAVE to be connected to your card? How else will they keep track to know when you hit 4 scans and qualify for the $1 ECB? Am I misunderstanding how the tag works?
I guess the best way to explain it is to say it is is kept track of like purchased items. All bag tags have the same barcode, from left to right 4 00000 04869 7. (I have to have two because I am so forgetful and my nephew has one because he liked to play with mine too much lol). This is different from the Extra Care card because each card has a unique barcode and that’s how they keep track of individual spending. Hope that helps :)
I know the green tags aren’t linked to your CVS card,as I got two coupons for free ones last week and asked both cashiers if I could just give them away (yes was the answer). Anyone can use the card, but only one use per day. On the fourth use, it issues the $1 Extra Care Buck to whoever used it then.
Carrie have you ever published your “Price I will pay for a product” list? I would be interested in knowing. It also would be a GREAT guideline for all your readers.
mary–
Here is a link to Carrie’s rock bottom price list though it is from over a year ago.
http://www.pocketyourdollars.com/2010/02/rock-bottom-prices/
Thank you for posting this link JoAnna! I now need to readjust my price points. :)
I am in the market for an inexpensive, reliable black and white laser printer. Any suggestions?
@ Linda~ I just bought a brother Laser printer at Office Max for $60.00. I was thrilled. It is awesome and then I bought toner for it on ink123 for 30.00 and that lasts 2500 sheets or more. I don’t know if it is still on but I am thinking it runs a few weeks at least. Also look for their 10.00 off 20.00 coupon and get it even cheaper. That is what I did.
Thanks, Nathalie. I will look into that.
I live in heels, which I get often for under $10. I am looking for heel replacement ideas on the cheap.
I have heard of the travel heel, which fits over the heel of the shoe, but I have seen those only go down to about $12… not a nice price when it’s more than what I spend on my shoes. I have also seen heel tips online, but, with how quickly I wear through my heels, those would end up too expensive as well. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for reading!
Question for those who have more experience with yearly rotations of sale items. I have (as I am sure many of you do) a few printed coupons for $1.25 off any 2 Waverly paper products and a few Buy 2 get one free Waverly paper products. I am sure I can use them together but I have been waiting for them to go on sale….I have checked the regular price and they are very nice plates etc…more fancy looking than just plain white paper plates. To use my coupons together I will need to use them by June 18th. I don’t get to the store that often….I am going this weekend…should I buy them at regular price or do you think by June 18th they will be on sale? Keep in mind I don’t “need” them but I do like them and would like to have them on hand for use when I want something a bit nicer looking. Do Waverly paper products ever go on sale; or do they just only have so much on hand for the summer and then they will be out?
Can anyone let me know what the best deal is for selling baby clothes/items? Is it through a community type sale where I would also volunteer or at Once Upon a Child or Craigslist or….I am feeiling overwhelmed having all of these clothes still here but feel stuck with what to do with them exactly since we really need money to buy new clothes! Thank You!
Tracy,
I have had great success selling my gently used baby clothes through community sales. I have participated in JBF, but I know there are others as well. I made over $1000 last fall and another $1000 this spring by selling my baby/toddler clothes and shoes at 2-3 local sales per season. It took some work getting used to the tagging system for the first sale, but I volunteered at my first sale and learned alot. By the next sale, the process of tagging my items was much easier and I had a better idea of how to price my items.
I have had some success selling bigger baby “gear” items like bouncer seat, swing etc. on Craigslist. HTH
Tracy,
If you need the money from the sale of the current clothes to purchase more clothes then I definitely stay clear of Once Upon a Child. You will barely get anything for them. Plus, you could take in a whole bin of clothes and maybe they take 1-2 things. It ends up being a waste of your time. I don’t mean to sound negative but I’ve been reselling my children’s clothes for a few years now and need the money to by the newer sizes for them. Last year and this year I did a 3 day yard sale and craigslist for the bigger toys/ nicer toys. Last year I made over $1000 between the two and this year have made over $400 so far. My nicer clothes/outfits from Carter’s etc. I saved to sell either at my multiple’s club sale or I am considering trying Just Between friends sale. The plus to these sales is you can price things higher then you would at a garage sale. And the JBF’s sale you don’t have to work it. Craigslist is an option but is a little harder with clothes unless you are selling a brand like Gap or Gymboree. And the best way for this is to sell the items in lots.
Hope that helps.
So today I went to Walgreens and Target, then a finally pass by Michael’s craft store to buy some graduation and birthday part stuff. This is how I did.
Walgreens-
2-Listerines- Free
4-Reach toothbrushes- Free
6 Scunci’s- Free- got these for b-day and graduation fillers-yeah!
2 Ester C gummies- for grads-$5.00
6 Yardley soaps-3.84
4 Suave lotions- don’t remember? I think about .44/each
1- Pure Silk Shave gel-.49
1-Sally Hansen nail Polish-.50
Grand Total: 11.65
Thought that was decent
Target:
3 Aquafresh baby toothbrushes- free
1- Aquafresh training toothpaste-free
2- Sally Hansen nail polish- free
2-degree deo’s-free
2 Suave deo’s-free
Physician’s mascara-.14
Elf eyeshadow kit-1.00
2- Oscar meyer sandwich combos-1.74
1-Up and Up baby shampoo- free
2 Lipton tea boxes-free
1 grad card-free
2 Loreal haircolor- bought 2 for 2.78
Wartner- on clearance for 2.88; retails 6.99
1- 3 pack nail files- on clearance-.89
Grand total:17.44
Michaels
1- 14×16 decorative box-clearance-4.99-original price-16.99
1-12×14 decorative box-clearance-3.99-original price- 15.99
1-8×10 decorative box-clearance-2.99-original price- 14.99
metallic silver ribbon- 2.99
Total- $15.32
I’m using these for my niece’s graduation present: all 3 filled with enough personal care products, beauty products, hot tea, mint cocoa, a book, pencils, pens, paper, gum, 6 hair color(eventually-her favorite colors) all enough to make it through her first year of college. I feel pretty proud of myself for all this. Total out of pocket for her present was $25.00. Retail value would be about $350.00. Cool beans!!!
FYI Michaels has a display with Scotch Adhesive. There is a rebate also there that giives you the amount of the dot roller for free after rebate. I used a 40% coupon to reduce my out of pocket expensive but these are around $7 so a good deal. Great for scrapbooking, cardmaking or if you are doing a poster board for a graduation party.
I don’t know about others experiences but between Walgreens and Rainbow I feel like every time I use a coupon I am frowned at and really tired of the poor customer service. They both are so big in coupons either in their ads or their double cpn days but when you use the coupons they really treat you like a criminal. Especially if you use more than a couple of the same one. I am tired of it and it seems to be getting worse lately.
I do have a cashier I adore at the Rainbow by Northtown but the CS people are constantly rude and even degrading.
How do you deal with those looks/remarks/and such? I should let it roll off my shoulders but it does affect how I feel leaving the stores frustrated and feeling bad.
I don’t want to give you advice about how you should feel, but I will tell you that rude CS people and cashiers can dampen the fun of couponing. I decided that I would not allow those people to ruin it for me. Not all cashiers are that way. I had a cashier at Walgreens the other day that actually helped me to get a better deal on my purchase. I’ve had plenty of them that are happy to see people saving money and are even impressed. I have been doing this long enough now to know what kind (yes there is a certain kind) of cashiers to avoid. There are also individuals who I will avoid because they are rude and can’t stand it when we get good deals or freebies with coupons. What I have noticed is that I am not the only one who avoids these people. I have been in the check out line at Rainbow – at the non crabby cashiers check out lane – and it is the long line. The crabby cashier only gets a customer or two at a time while the line I am in is 10 customers long. It is worth the wait to have a better check out experience. I stand up for my coupon rights when a cashier starts to tell me I can’t use one, etc. I feel good when I leave a store and was able to stand up for myself and get the deals I went in for. I do let the looks/remarks and such roll off my shoulders because I know I am not doing anything wrong.
Thanks. I love saving but when I am told it is “coupon fraud” to use a $1 cpn at Walgreens for a .99 item and the manager makes sure everyone hears it, I am frustrated.
I know the cashiers at Rainbow and there are a couple that are fantastic and happy to see me save. Then there are the others. I guess I need to get tougher skin. I try hard to follow rules and policies. They should know their policy!
I had found a good Walgreens but now management changed and not so good.
Thanks for your input. I actually enjoy findind deals and seeing so many others using coupons too.
As far as Walgreens coupon policy. Their policy states that they DO adjust the value of a coupon if it is more than the price of the item. I carry the policy with me and when a cashier tries to make me look like a criminal and others can hear – or not – I whip out the policy and match their tone as I tell them that they are wrong and I’d like to speak to the manager. I’ve had a few cashiers change their tone once I’ve done this. Those cashiers probably cringe when they see me just as I do when I see them.
I follow the same guidelines with cashiers as Mary. Young girls are ok, too. Once in a while an older woman may surprise you, but I also avoid them like the plague.
I always try to get in line for a young male cashier when shopping. I avoid the older women cashiers like the plague.
And yet, the “older woman” cashier in my Walgreen’s helps me maximize my coupons every time I’m there~~she’s definitely on my team!! Guess it’s all about individuals…..
I agree, there are definitely some very good cashier out there, and I don’t let the bad ones ruin my day… I know I am not doing anything wrong, and I will just avoid them in the future.
There is a dear gentleman that works at the EP Target who I just adore… he was the one who talked me into gettting the Target check card… the first person to actually explain to me that it wasn’t a credit card, it would come directly out of my checking acct, I have saved soooo much money bc of this as it is not uncommon for me to make several trips to Target in a week.
I was lucky enought to have him as a cashier this week after not seeing him since Christmas, and he remembered me! or at least did a very good job of pretending he did :) He congratulated me on my use of coupons, and even gave me a “wow” when I spent $12.46 and saved $51.16. People like him could never get paid well enough for what they do.
I must be lucky, I go to the St Michael and Plymouth CVS, the St Michael and Plymouth Walgreens, Rogers and Plymouth Cub, Medina and Rogers Target, Monticello Walmart and Plymouth Rainbow and I think over the last year and a half I have had a problem with one or two cashiers. Most of them are impressed with my savings and are interested in where i get my coupons. I guess I am one of the lucky ones….
Be on the look out for an emailed CVS coupon. They just sent me $5 off of $25 good through Memorial Day.
I agree with V and Mary regarding the people who load up on all the products because they are going to donate it. The rain check idea is good Amber but you cannot get a raincheck for the register rewards at Walgreens. Sometimes your coupon is about to expire as well and you will not be able to use it once the shelf is restocked. We all appreciate that you are donating to a food shelf but maybe it could be done on a smaller scale. There are those of us who are on a limited budget because they of pay cuts/job loss, etc. We still have some income and would much prefer to purchase our items with coupons than accept charity. We use our gasoline to drive to the store only to find that the shelves have been cleared of the sales item.
Susan~I have an answer for that too:) Price match at Wal Mart!! I did it for the first time and it was great, no worrying if there was going to be enough toothpaste:) Just a thought. They price match what the price of the item is with RR. Does that make sense?? Colgate is $1 after RR, WM price matches the $1 price.
I have to say I agree with Susan, and anyways, having to drive out to another store just uses up more gasoline and time. It is a nice suggestion though, I did not know Walmart would price match the price after RR. What are your sources on that/where have you tried it? Also, I doubt they would match free after RR.
I’m guessing you’re also not going to get a RR back from Walmart to roll over on your next transaction.
I did it at the Faribault location and Shakopee. No, none of the items were free after RR, in the Wags ad, but they did price match after the RR pricing, and they didn;t limit me, ie I got 4 of something that had a limit of 3 in the ad. The last time I checked, WM didn’t offer RR to roll into your next transaction::) But you wouldn’t need that RR if they are already giving you the “it’s like paying” price from the ad.
Walmart will match the after RR price? I will definitely have to take advantage of that in the future!
I wonder if, when you see someone with their cart loaded up for whatever reason and the shelf is bare, if you would ask that person kindly to give up one item that you may have a coupon for if they would do it? hmmm…if they are going to donate, you’d think they’d be more than happy to help out a fellow couponer?
Funny you say that. I HAVE given out several coupons along the way. When I’m checking out, I’m looking through my binder and passing along coupons to the customer behind me. The last time, I saved a non couponer almost $3 on maybe, a $20 purchase.
I’ve given coupons but I was talking about the actual product. If someone had a cart that had say 10 or more of the same item, would they be willing to give one of that item up if the shelf was bare? Giving someone a coupon for an item when the shelf for that coupon item is bare, would be pointless. :)
Couldn’t hurt to try:) Let “us” know how it works out:)
I had a good dhopping experience at Walmart over the weekend. I was in the checkout and happen to see the Uno Anniversay game, they had 5 but didn’t see a price. I asked the cashier and she scanned it and was $4.44. I put it back. When the amount came due I knew it was wrong but we paid it as my husband had a couple of items, as I checked the rect I kindly explained we were shorted a coupon for $2.50 and a team lead came over to see what was going on. I told the team lead I was surprised to see they had the game and that I have ahd a rein check since January to try to get 4 of them at Walgreens. She said wait here for a minute. As I got my couponr money back she came back and said we will honor the rein check. I had it in walgreens list/cpns so I got the rein check out and they honored it for .99 a game and got 4. That is so nice and I am thinking I will do more price matching at Walmart.
Well I did not know that Amber. I will give that a try. I still agree that the extreme couponers are causing a problem. Buy a few for charity but leave some so all can enjoy the savings!
I agree. And yes, they do, do that. Bring a copy of their coupon policy and or matching policy. I plan on price matching for Wags Memorial sale.
Just a added note to Walmart price matching Walgreens…. I do not have a Walgreens in the same town as my small town Walmarts I live by and shop at…so I am pretty certain they will not price match when there isn’t a Walgreens within 40 miles. It all comes down to a simple phrase that works in all aspects of life “everything in moderation”. Give some, leave some.
Like the the person who said eariler on here that she got 6 scrunchies at Walgreens….well that was a RR…which means she went into the store 6 times!!!? Not cool. Everytime I go to get those free with a RR they are long gone. :(
I called Crowd Cut this week for a refund on my one night stay at Ramada with Grand Rios waterpark passes purchase. The woman said they are no longer issuing refunds for GrandRios, but that she would credit me $75. Has anyone else had this experience? I know last week (or possibly 2 week ago), other were getting refunds.
Also, anyone hear how their re-inspection went with the City?
Hey Carrie –
I won Tickets to Twin Cities Live for Tuesday, June 21st. I SOOOO hope you are going to be on that show and going to give your always amazing tips! I am bringing my best friend and Niece. I am so excited to get to go on a day you will be there!
Here’s how I deal with rude people. First, I am totally prepared with all the information I might need if there are any questions about my coupons. That way I don’t get flustered by unanticipated questions. Second, — kill ‘em with kindness. When it seems someone is going to be rude, I ramp up my sunny personality. 99% of the time, that takes care of it. Rude people are often under a lot stress and when you show some empathy and smile at them, you can almost see the stress dissipate. It has little to do with the person’s age. I have seen teen-agers that seem to have the weight of the world on their shoulders. I like going to the more mature cashiers just because they have more experience and are often more knowledgeable about the store policy. Recently at Target, the cashier was a college girl who had just returned to working at Target for the summer. I had already made conversation with her to know that when she questioned my expired coupons. She correctly called for the manager who also didn’t know the policy. I explained it and we all had a couple laughs about how the bureaucrats forget to tell those of us in the front lines what the rules are.Nobody got mad, no one felt stupid, we had a good chuckle and I got to use my coupons.
We all have bad days, stressful days. What a relief it is when someone shows up and can ease the load a little just by being friendly.
So true!
Well said!!
Scat…this may be too late for anyone to read…but so true….I had a teacher that always said “kill ‘em with kindness”….it works like a charm in every aspect of life….I can be quite a grump and do not even realize I am coming off as one…so I work very hard to up my smiles and converstations especially when shopping and it works wonders….I never knew a cashier would like to talk to me. I had the best converstaion with “get this” an older woman cashier at Walmart….I could tell it made her day, made me feel better and even the two older people behind me…were honestly cheering me on for all my savings…said they were jelious of my savings….very nice poeple….now had I not been using coupons….I wouldn’t have even said more than two words to the cashier and non to the people behind me….so many benefits if we look for them!
It’s always just a little surprising how responsive people are to just a small friendly comment. I have had friends who absolutely would not talk to a cashier, waitress or anyone else they might meet on their daily travels. It’s very isolating. I love chatting with people and making people feel a little more at ease. Especially when traveling I try to comment to people around me and sometimes end meeting the most interesting people. It’s not just about getting through a check-out line without a hassle on the coupons. I truly believe there’s a sort of universal balancing system that sees to it that what you put out there comes back around. The bottom line is that you had a very pleasant experience with relatively little effort . That’s a win!
Big Lots (St Louis Park location) had quite a bit of 70% off clearance items this week, one thing I found was a really nice zippered binder with some interior pockets for less than $3 – perfect for my coupons!
Does anyone know what places have the best deals of flowers for this weekend’s sales. We would like to buy some and I want to make sure we get a good deal. Thanks!
We are looking at a do it yourself fence project and I’m wondering if anyone has any good ideas for where to purchase the lumber or even composite fencing. We checked out some of the big box retailers but wondering if there are other suggestions?
Thanks much!
We didn’t have any coupons in our Sunday paper…did they forget to insert them in our home-delivery copy or were there really NONE this weekend?
ll–
There really were no inserts. Holiday wknd means no inserts.
Here is the best place to buy ink? I am in desperate need this week!
Jessica-
Carrie suggests http://www.carrotink.com for the best priced ink. This may not work if you need ink asap but you can pick up something at a store to get you through and order now for the future.
I use http://www.clickinks.com. They are the cheapest I have found. Over a year ago I spent $37 and am still working on using up the ink. Their single cartridge purchases are not the cheapest, but when you buy more than one at a time they are the cheapest. $5.95 per cartridge (for my printer) or buy 2 get one free. Their prices get better as you buy bigger bundles. Of course, you can’t get them same day so you have to plan ahead.
Wonderful I will search both sites and see what’s a great deal. Since I started couponing I have gone through ink in 2-3 weeks a pop and that is terribly expensive for 2 printers. (20 and 21 and my other printer is 60 and 61 ink #’s)