Thanks The Savings Momma for the great tips for saving money on organics and compiling a list of Organic Coupon Sources. I think one of the main concerns people have with couponing is the idea that you can only save on processed foods. I will agree, that is where a lot of the savings are. Along with personal care items. You can find a coupon for almost anything these days, but it would be nice to see more coupons for items in the produce section. Follow the link below and maybe you can discover a few savings on your favorite organic foods. Happy Couponing!
Basics
Spending Money to Save Money – Part One
Standard
Couponing at Walgreens
That just sounds silly, doesn’t it? To my amazement, it isn’t so silly after all. Granted, the conditions need to be right in order to have success.
One of my favorite ways of doing this is by using rewards programs. What are they? Simply put, they are programs based on rewarding others for particular behaviors. Whether it be job performance or purchases meeting certain criteria. You can find rewards programs just about anywhere. From your local gas station, to the plastic in your wallet, to your corner drugstore, and everywhere else in between. Schools use them, employers use them, parents use them, and so on. I mean who doesn’t want to be rewarded for doing something and we as humans have learned the power behind it all and utilize it daily.
Since I’m not an expert in all areas that are rewarding, I’m only going to fill you in on a few that I’ve found really pay off.
Register Rewards from Walgreens
You don’t need to sign up for anything to get them. The rewards come from purchases made on the qualifying items of the week. When you buy the specific item(s), at the end of the transaction (when you’re handed your receipt) the cashier will hand you your Register Rewards (a.k.a. RR). Believe it or not, people throw these on the ground as they leave the store sometimes. It’s crazy. Why? It’s money! They’re throwing money in the trash, or on the ground, or the rewards get left in carts. Ok, I admit it, I used to do it too. I had no clue how they worked and never took the time to figure it out. Once I started couponing, I learned what I had been missing out on.
Learning the Tricks of the Trade
It’s not exactly hard, but sometimes it can be a bit tricky. For example, RR’s are considered a coupon, and Walgreens doesn’t allow you to have more coupons than items or the same amount of coupons as items.
So what that means is:
If you have 4 cans of tuna and your total is $4.98 and you have 5 RR’s of $1.00 each,
you would only be able to use 3 of them for a savings of $3.00 making your total out-of-pocket (OOP) $1.98.
However, if you bought 4 cans of tuna and 2 pencils (these would be called filler items) that were .10¢ each for a total of $5.18.
Then you could use all 5 RR’s for a savings of $5.00 and your total oop would be .18¢ plus tax (yes you will have to always pay tax).
Why does this work? Because now you had 6 items and 5 coupons which means you had more items than coupons. That’s the easiest way to remember it…more items than coupons.
This would work the same way with manufacturer coupons you clip and bring in the store. If you clipped 2 coupons for tuna and both were for $1.00/2, you would then need 2 more filler items. The good news is that now you’re saving even more money.
Those 4 cans of tuna cost $4.98 before and now cost $2.98. You then add 4 pencils (to make sure you have more items than coupons) which are .10¢ each or .40¢ total.
Now your total is $3.38 and you can use 3 of those $1.00 RR’s for a total OOP of .38¢ AND you get to keep that $2.00 in RR’s for a later visit. But not too much later as these do usually expire within 2 weeks. Always check the expiration dates.
Also, you will sometimes receive one single RR for say $2.00 for one item that you purchased and another for maybe $4.00 for a different item. It just depends on what you buy. Meaning, if you had $6.00 in RR’s, but one for was $2.00 and the other was for $4.00 and your total is $3.38.
More than likely you would either add something to your list that will bring the total to a little over $4.00 (at least .01¢) so that you can use the $4.00 RR or use the $2.00 RR and pay $1.38 out-of-pocket.
Walgreen’s doesn’t refund cash for remaining amounts on your RR’s. Also, there are no rain checks for RR items and if you do return and item, you will have to forfeit your RR as well.
What if my RR didn’t print? If there is no error on your part and it just didn’t print for some reason, you can either:
1. call 1-888-8coupon, option 3.
2. You can use the form VIA ONLINE: Contact | Catalina Marketing
3. The store will give you a form to fill out and mail in to get your RR.
Expanding the Savings
The newest thing for me is the discovery that Jewel-Osco takes the Walgreen’s RR’s. This may be true with other stores. The best way to find out if your local stores will, is a simple phone call. Of course, you will want to verify with your local Jewel as each store could have a slight variation of policy.
I have to say when I found this out and verified, I was so excited. I mean, buying $100.00 worth of product for $20.00 is a great savings. Especially since I usually buy what I need. Then you figure in deals that give you enough RR’s to cover what you spent oop and take those RR’s to Jewel and get some grocery items (usually items I match up with coupons also) it’s like everything you spent at Walgreens was a free bonus! Last week I did this. I spent $20.00 (with a savings of $60.00) OOP and earned $19.00 in register rewards in which I then went to Jewel and used. Gotta love that!
Register Reward Exclusions:
PRESCRIPTIONS AND ITEMS PROHIBITED BY LAW. ALSO EXCLUDES TOBACCO, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, SALES TAX, LOTTERY TICKETS, MONEY ORDERS/TRANSFERS, DAIRY, PRESCRIPTION SAVINGS CLUB MEMBERSHIP, HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND GIFT/PHONE/PREPAID CARDS. COUPON VALUE CAN NOT EXCEED PURCHASE AMOUNT. REGISTER REWARDS MUST BE FORFEITED IF QUALIFYING MERCHANDISE IS RETURNED. CUSTOMER PAYS ANY SALES TAX.
Making Multiple Transactions to Maximize Spending Quickly
You can use them right after you receive them at Walgreens. You have to split your items into separate transactions (not purchases). Meaning you pay for part of your items, then start over (like you’re a new person) with the rest. I’ve even done 4 transactions. A little tip. If you do have multiple transactions, it’s a good idea to go to the beauty counter, maybe photo to pay or let the people behind you go in between transactions. This will help the cashiers to not feel stressed as the line grows. You may have less stress also. Another benefit would be that it gives you time to check receipts, count rewards, and ready your next transaction.
Now, when it comes to using your RR’s with multiple transactions there is yet another tricky part. Don’t stop reading now. Really, once you get it…you get it. This may be a little confusing so bear with me. An example: if you want to buy 2 tubes of Colgate toothpaste and buying one tube will give you RR’s (it usually works that there is a limit of 1 RR per transaction for an offer on a specific product), but you won’t receive RR’s on the 2nd tube if you buy it with the 1st. In order to get RR’s for the 2nd tube you will need 3 transactions. What happened to having 2 transactions? Well that’s the tricky part. For some reason, if the second tube was rang up after the first tube, even if in a second transaction, the RR for that item won’t print out. Hence, the third transaction. This goes for anything made by the same manufacturer. You can’t pay for a Colgate toothbrush with a RR that says, “Thank you from Colgate”. Another popular brand is Procter & Gamble and there are many products made by them. You can click on the link to their website and click on Brands to review which products you want to keep in mind.
My Recommendation to Keep it Simple
Now I wouldn’t recommend a person new to couponing or using these rewards to have many transactions in the beginning of the learning process. Keeping it simple can also help to keep you from getting discouraged when things get mixed up. And, they will probably get mixed up. Keep your cool and you’ll get through it. Believe me, this is all worth it. I couldn’t imagine shopping any other way now. Anyway, once you’re successful the first couple times, it begins to make sense. Not to mention you’ll save money.
Another thing I recommend is to not buy every deal that gives you a RR, even when you’ve got things figured out. That would become rather expensive. Because you are paying that initial cost. Also, the more you get the bigger the chance of an oversight.
Guidance from the Experts
A wonderful way of helping you figure out transactions is by visiting sites like KrazyCouponLady. It’s a fantastic website dedicated to couponing and helping you get the best out of your money. They frequently update match-ups (coupons on top of sales and RR’s). The layout is easy to navigate and basically, they do all the work for you. Walgreens is only one of the many stores you can find match-ups for on their website.
Match-ups and Their Importance
Match-ups defined: Combining sales with manufacturer coupons and when available, store coupons to reduce the price of an item. Sometimes significantly reducing price or making the item free.
An example of a match-up good from 2/12/12 thru 2/25/12 listed below. This one doesn’t include a RR.
Got2B Products $5.99
Buy One Get One Free on sale thru 2/25
Use (2) $3.00/1 Got2B Products from Red Plum (RP) 2/12/12
Final Price: 2 for FREE (By the way this deal would need 1 filler item because of the 2 coupons and 2 items.)
Next is an example of a deal using a match-up and an offer of RR’s going on for the week of 2/12/12 thru 2/18/12:
Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler $19.99
Buy 1, Receive $5.00 Register Rewards
Use $3.00/1 Gillette Fusion Proglide Styler from RP 2/5 (exp 3/31) Pay $16.99, Receive $5.00 Register Reward
Final Price: $11.99
Now the final example will show you my favorite way of accruing RR’s:
LypSyl Extreme Cold Sore Relief, .3 oz $5.00
Buy 1, Receive $5.00 Register Reward
Pay $5.00, Receive $5.00 Register Reward
Final Price: Free
You may wonder why I like the final example for receiving RR’s the most. I think maybe it’s because it’s easy. You pay the same amount you’re getting back and there are no coupons to hunt down and clip. However, if there were a coupon for maybe $2.00/1, then I would make $2.00. This would be then called a moneymaker or MM. Because I would be paying $5.00 – $2.00 (coupon) = $3.00 OOP and receiving a $5.00 RR. Pretty cool, isn’t it? You don’t have to be a couponer to receive and use RR’s, but it is an added benefit if you can and do.
Making a List Before You Go
This isn’t always needed. If you’re only going for one or two things, you probably don’t need a list. Anymore than that, then yes, I would make a list. It’s amazing what you can forget under pressure.
The way I organize my list is:
- By transaction if there is more than one. With each item listed and clearly stating the quantity, size, price, and coupon needed.
- I then count how many items I have for each transaction in comparison to how many coupons I’ll be using in that transaction. (I use paperclips and little pieces of paper that are labeled with the transaction number to organize the coupons.)
- I make notes in the margin to remind me how many of each item I need to put in my cart and whether or not I need to use a store coupon and if it’s from the ad or the Monthly Savings Booklet or IVC Booklet.
So how do I go about making my lists? I started out by using The Krazy Coupon Lady’s website. I wrote down all the deals they had posted and things I needed by hand. That combined with clipping coupons and the fact that I was a novice took a bit too long. I then began to copy and paste the deals onto a Word document and print it out. That made things faster. Now, I like to use websites that give you the option to click a check box to pick a deal that will go on your list and when you’re done you can print the list. My favorite for this is CouponMom. It’s definitely a time-saver and it also has the option to sort your items by coupon date for easier searching of coupons . You can sort by percentage saved which is a nice feature as well. Want to send the deals you picked to your email, you can do that too. Lastly, there will even be a total price and total savings percentage at the bottom of the page.
An Example of a Multiple Transaction List Using Deals This Week to Get You Started:
1st Transaction
LypSyl Extreme Cold Sore Relief, .3 oz $5.00
Buy 1, Receive $5.00 Register Reward
Pay $5.00, Receive $5.00 Register Reward
Final Price: Free
1st Trans. Total Due $5.00 (OOP) and I would receive $5.00 in Register Rewards to use on next transaction
2nd Transaction
Hefty One Zip Bags, 13 pack Freezer, 17 or 22 pack Storage $3.29
Buy 1 Get 1 Free
Use $0.15/1 Hefty One-Zip Bags peelie (exp. 3/31/12)
Final Price: $1.57 each when you buy 2 or $3.14 total
Got2b Products $5.99
Buy One Get One Free, On Sale thru 2/25
Use 2 $3.00/1 Got2b Products from RP 2/11
Final Price: 2 for Free
Mitchum Deodorant $1.99 With in ad coupon *Buy 2 (one will be used as filler)
Use (2) $1.00/1 – Mitchum or Mitchum for Women Product – (coupons.com)
Final Price: $0.99 each or $1.98 total
2nd Trans. Total Due 5.12 but use $5.00 Register Reward from 1st transaction. The total will then be
.12¢ + tax
Grand Total: $5.12 + tax total OOP for product worth of $18.11
Of course, this is a quick and easy transaction, so it may not seem like such great savings. Imagine those items weren’t buy one get one free or they weren’t on sale. That product worth jumps up quite a bit. Which brings me to my final point. Just try it. Try something easy and fast. See how you like it. I’m eager to pass this knowledge on because it really is crazy how much you can save. Not only that, but you can gain the ability to have extra items around the house that you need. In the end, avoiding those costly trips that result in paying full price because you need it right now. Another thing I’ve noticed, is that I buy more name brand products and try new products more often. Only if it’s cheaper than the store’s version. Good luck and thanks for taking the time to read my advice.
The idea that I can squeeze more out of my money is smart and it feels good!
10 Adjustments That Made Couponing Work for Me
StandardIntroduction:
I’m coming up on a year of being a couponer. Sure, that doesn’t make me an expert. However, I have learned a few things. First let me say, I’m a stay-at-home-mom with two young children. When my friend suggested couponing to me, considering the budget busting that was happening daily, I was eager to give it a shot. Then she began to relay all of this information about how to get started, what I needed, and the rules of this and that. Letting out a long sigh, I thought, hmmm maybe this might be too much. She assured me to give it a go and offered to help me along the way. So, I started down the path. It wasn’t long after, I felt overwhelmed and impatient. Because, one of the first things you need to know is that in the beginning, you need coupons. Plain and simple. Waiting for Sundays to roll around was like waiting for Christmas. In the meantime, I was gathering my supplies. Binder, sleeves, tab dividers, and printing out a few here and there. After a month or so, I had enough. I was clipping, sorting, and filing. It was time. Time to make my first go. At a real store. Walgreens. I wrote out my list (which took all day and numerous phone calls with said friend). Eventually, I made it there and began. They were out of several items on my list and I thought I was going to blow it. After a few more calls to my friend and list adjustments, it was time to check out. Nervous as I could be, I watched the check-out. Waiting for a moment that there wouldn’t be anyone else at the register. Surprisingly, it turned out ok. As I left the store, still shaking, I felt amazingly good. I did it! My total out of pocket (OOP) was $9.69 and my total savings was $43.48. Yes, I kept my receipts. That was my ah ha moment.
Time is Money and Money is Time:
Some time went by and many, many, many transactions. There was a problem though. Now the coupons were coming at me full speed it seemed. If I didn’t get to clipping the coupons for a couple weeks, I was destined to spend two days clipping, sorting, and filing. Granted, if I didn’t have kids and I had a lot more time, it wouldn’t take as long I’m sure. The point is, it was becoming very difficult to keep up. Then adding the list making process to actually do the shopping and the fact that I was still phoning for help a bit…well let’s say I was about to quit.
My mom became very ill and was admitted to the hospital. Things were looking grim. My siblings and I were staying by her side as much as we could. She was sleeping a lot, so I brought my coupons with me. Believe it or not, I got caught up. Meanwhile, the nurses were coming in and seeing what I was doing. They asked a ton of questions. Asking me if I was an “Extreme Couponer”. I laughed and shyly said no, I’m just a beginner. Realization kicked in and I decided I couldn’t quit. I mean I was saving. My husband wasn’t making $60.00 Walgreen’s runs to get deodorant, toothpaste, and diapers anymore. Thank goodness! Something else had transpired that I hadn’t realized at first also. I was buying more fresh fruits and vegetables. Were there coupons for these. No, not really. I was saving so much in the other parts of my grocery bill that there was more room in the budget for fresh produce. There was a downside to this though. Getting lists and coupons ready for groceries took even LONGER than the Walgreens or CVS runs I was doing.
Unfortunately, my mom did pass, and I was too distraught to think about coupons for awhile. Which of course led to so many coupons to clip. Once again, even though it was helping our budget, I thought I would quit. It was just taking too much time to save money. I ended up muttering through for a couple months with only a few trips here and there and doing minimal clipping. Obviously, I’m still couponing so I did come up with a way to make it work.
What Saved My Couponing:
1. Simply put…tab dividers with pockets. Two pockets per divider.
This is definitely the most important change I made. I no longer clip my coupons to file them. Instead, I have tab dividers that have pockets. One on each side. What I did, was file the first week’s inserts of each month in one pocket. The second week of that same month in the pocket on the other side. Then added one more divider to accommodate the weeks three and four of that month. So, I have two dividers for each month for a total of 24 dividers. They have the tabs already on them so I wrote: Jan. Wk 1+2 on each side of the first divider. Then Jan. Wk 3+4 on both sides of the second divider. You could do this differently. Ex: Jan. Wk 1 then flip it over and write Jan. Wk 2 and so on. Another possibility would be to write dates, however, you would have to change them the following year as the coupons will come on different dates. Also noting, that there weeks we don’t get inserts. The reason this is important is, I file them by insert dates. Smartsource (SS) 1/29/12 got filed into the pocket labeled Jan. Wk 3+4. Since it came in week 4 of January. I do file all of the inserts together. Redplum (RP), Smartsource (SS), Procter & Gamble (PG). There is no sorting them. They go straight into the appropriate week regardless of the company. I clip all of the coupons that are on my list before I head to the store.
labeled by Month and Week
-What about deals you find while shopping that are not on your list?
If you have access to the internet on your phone you can pull up a coupon database (CouponDivas.com is one that I’ve used and bookmarked for easier access) while in store, search for the item, then clip the coupon. I keep a small pair of scissors in my binder. There are many databases out there. Here is another I like to use found at Hotcouponworld.com.
-So how much time did this save?
Well, I don’t clip any coupons on Sunday, unless I’m going shopping. Also, think of all of the coupons you’re probably never going to use. You don’t have to bother clipping them ever ..if not needed. In short, a lot!
*If you have anymore questions on anything in my post, feel free to leave them in comments or email me. I will be glad to help.
2. Match-ups that can be printed out.
Remember, I used to write all of these out. Then do the math and figure out transactions. It took up a lot of my time. These websites will have check boxes next to each match-up for a particular store. You click the ones you need, then print it out at the end. Major time-saver. I’ve even recently found a great website that totals the amount you’re paying for all of those items you’ve chosen. By looking at the website, I wasn’t sure how trustworthy it was. It’s turned out to be very helpful though. Which is Couponmom.com. You’ll need to register to use it, but I’d say it was worth it. The first one I discovered was CouponDivas. That link should take you straight to match-ups. There is no need to register at website. There are more and I’m planning a list of all of the best websites in a later post.
3. Making shorter lists.
I’ve learned that I don’t need to buy EVERYTHING that’s on sale with a coupon match-up. Since we do use diapers/pull-ups and wipes with our daughter, I usually try to make my purchases around that alone. Balancing this can sometimes be tricky, but it does make sense. For example: If I’m going to buy diapers and wipes, and the total would be $11.00, I buy just enough Register Reward (RR) items to pay for the diapers and wipes with the least amount of OOP expense. Not much more than that usually. Less coupons to clip, less work figuring out transactions, and less time hunting down the items once I’m in the store. This may change soon though, as I just learned that I can use RR at my local Jewel-Osco. When it comes to grocery shopping, I’ve started shopping every two weeks instead of once a month. That cuts down on lengthy lists and coupon clipping. I haven’t mastered how to cut down my lists at Wal-Mart. I tend to go once every three months or so with a four page list. This needs to stop! *giggles*
4. Trying to stick to items with stock-up prices.
What this means is, I try to buy items that are on sale for a super low price. This helps by lowering my OOP expense and gives me the best deal. How do I know if they are super low prices? For one, if you haven’t heard of KrazyCouponLady yet, you need to click on that link and check it out. It’s one of the best couponing websites I’ve found. I owe most of my success to the lovely ladies who keep us informed everyday. On their website they explain couponing A-Z. They also do match-ups and in these match-ups, if there is an item with a stock-up price, they place a little yellow and black symbol next to said item. 
Here is an example:
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bunny, Cadbury Egg, Reese’s Single Egg, 1.2 oz, Cadbury Mini Eggs, 1.5 oz $0.87 Buy 1, Receive $0.87 Extra Bucks, Limit 1
Pay $0.87, Receive $0.87 Extra Bucks
Final Price: Free
Really, there is a wealth of information on their website. Do yourself a favor and check it out, if you haven’t already.
5. Creating a junk email account.
This will come in handy for registering with couponing websites and manufacturers. Keeping your couponing mail separate from your friend’s and family email.
6. Networking.
Search around and find websites that offer you what you need. For example: Most of the bigger named options don’t usually have your local grocer on their list of match-ups. So, do a search and find someone that’s in the same area as you. If you are lucky enough to find one, this will save you time and hassle.
7. When you’re out and about, look around.
Coupons are everywhere, for all sorts of things. The grocery store I use the most has coupons for local places on the back of their receipts. Good Will almost always has a $5.00 off coupon on there.
8. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest to name a few.
All great places to meet fellow couponers and share experiences as well as deals. Facebook especially is a super place to get extra coupons or find out about new deals first. By clicking “Like” on a manufacturer’s Facebook, it may open you up a few new coupons and news about upcoming products or free trials.
9. Free trials can really add up.
I love free trials. A chance to try something new and you don’t have to pay an outrageous price for it (because it’s new). Which reminds me of a note I need to add in here. Coupons for new items are higher value when the item first comes out, but will quickly diminish and/or vanish. If you like it, grab plenty while you have a better coupon.
10. Expired coupons might be useful at your local store.
There are a few grocery stores in my area that take expired coupons up to one month past expiration. This includes store catalinas that print out at the end of the transaction. I know of a great way to find coupons that may have expired for an item I wish to purchase. Coupon databases. Hotcouponworld is great for my situation because you can choose to add coupons in from one month expiration to six months. Since I only need to look back one month, I save a lot of time and energy searching through the database to find the coupon in question.
That’s all for now! This is my first couponing post, so feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for stopping by and happy couponing!!!
Dreamzncolor 