Coupon Policies, Limitations, and Requirements.... OH MY!

PAISAN! WELCOME BACK!

Welcome back fellow baby couponer! Just to sum up, we've discussed: organization, familiarization, utilization, manufacturers, coupon locators, and free items and giftcards. I think you are ready for stores now! We will take this slowly, don't worry! Today we are just going to focus on Store Policies and Coupon Requirements and Limitations.

THE EASE AND DIFFICULTY OF STORES

Stores can be both easy and hard at the same time. Why do I say this? Simple. Coupon Policies. Once you get used to them and understand them they are simple but other times they are a massive pain in the rear end of all things living. ESPECIALLY when each store is so very different. The more you frequent stores and plan your shopping trips it gets easier. BUT before it gets easier it's a hot mess of technicalities. But have no fear fellow baby couponer is here! We can do this!

WHAT IS A COUPON POLICY?

That's a certain limitation placed on coupon usage within a store. It gets a little complicated sometimes and a GOOD amount of times the employers at the store AREN'T familiar with it. This leads to being denied coupon use. HOWEVER if you know the coupon policy and you know you are well within limits challenge it. I learned this REALLY REALLY essential piece from Jenny Nordaby, whom you've heard me refer to as a honest to goodness coupon goddess. She was the one who opened my eyes to coupon policies, I NEVER even thought of that! So let me summarize what I learned from her.

When it comes to coupon policies of stores and supermarkets: PRINT IT OUT AND CARRY IT WITH YOU ALWAYS!

Why should you print out the policies?

In case you are told “no” at a store or supermarket to certain coupons pull out your handy dandy coupon policy and point out you are well within rights to use it. EVEN if this means asking for a manager. You'd be surprised how many employees do not know the policy and will give you a completely FALSE excuse on why you can't use it, EVEN MANAGERS. So you become the teacher at times! If you are still unable to use your coupon at the store and you KNOW your coupon is acceptable and the transaction met their requirements and your MFR (Manufacturer requirements) then feel free to call corporate and question the coupon and their policy as to why it was denied, etc, even though you were going to correctly use it.

Leave no store that you use coupons at unturned! Print them ALL out, even if you've never had problems at a store before with coupons it doesn't hurt to keep them with you. You never ever know when something in the future will arise: a new manager, a new cashier, etc.

HERE ARE SOME COUPON POLICIES!

Here are the coupon policies to some stores (you can find others online as well):

TARGET COUPON POLICY

RITE AID COUPON POLICY

WALMART COUPON POLICY

DOLLAR GENERAL COUPON POLICY

SHOPRITE COUPON POLICY

I, also, have ACME'S COUPON POLICY (straight from customer service) and am awaiting PATHMARK'S and CVS's. SO I will create a PDF for each and post that up with the next blog most likely :)

THE MAKING OF POLICIES SIMPLIFIED!

Don't worry if this has you confused! I am in the process of creating a “Policies Simplified” PDF for you all to download with each of the above mentioned policies. This will most likely be posted in the next Journey blog!
DO print out the above links as they are the ORIGINALS, so if you have to challenge a manager or employee you have the corporate coupon policy. Feel free to keep the one I am making as an easy reference for you to understand the policies better and quicker! So we will definitely come back to all of this, but for the mean time look it over and familiarize yourself with them. If you are confused about something my breakdown of their policies might help!

COUPON LIMITATIONS

Besides coupon policies what else is there?

Coupons have limitations sometimes themselves. SO in order to understand the coupon you have to obviously read what the coupon says. Sometimes it tells you something directly and boldly and other times it's in the fine print.

Here's some things to look for: (I got these directly off some of my coupons)

DO NOT DOUBLE (Usually this is found right next to the expiration date on the top of the coupon) For those of you who don't know already some stores double a coupon's price. AWESOME, huh? But there is a catch. Only SOME stores do this and a good amount only double up to $1.00. There are a few limited stores that double up to $2.00. So when you see that on a coupon it's telling the store not to double the amount in price: what you see is what you get.

Example of doubling:

You have a .75¢ off coupon for Dove Body Wash. Let's say the body wash is $1.29. Instead of getting the Dove for .54¢ which is a GOOD price but still not the GREATEST, the store doubles your coupon to $1.00. That Dove now went from $1.29 to .29¢. Not too shabby!

How do you know if a store doubles coupons or not? Ask customer service the next time you are in the store, or call and ask.

SOME STORES THAT DOUBLE MFR COUPONS

Around my area these stores do double coupons:

Acme
Genuardi
Pathmark
Shop Rite
Stop n’ Shop
SuperFresh
Wegmans

COUPON LIMITATIONS CONTINUED

EXCLUDES TRIAL SIZE (Usually this is found next to what the product is under the amount your coupon is worth). This means the coupon will NOT be accepted for a discount on a travel size item. AND YES YOU CAN DO THAT! For those of you that didn't know: less means MORE. What do I mean by that? Well, not ALL big priced items are gems when it comes to taking .95¢ off of a bulk item.

Example:

Let's say the Charmin 12 pk is $7.34, your coupon is .95¢ off of ANY Charmin. If you bought the 12 pk your final price would be $6.39 (Double MFR coupon final price = $6.35). BUT the Charmin 4 pk is on sale for $1.00. So if you used your coupon towards that it has now become .05¢! BUT WAIT it gets better! If you were at a store that doubles your coupon up to $1.00 that item went from .05¢ out of pocket to FREE you just pay tax! So depending on the stores policies and double coupon offerings you could get this item for .05¢ or pay just the tax.

Going back to trial sizes, with the less means more thing – if a coupon states ANY product of that brand or has no size limitation (has to be a 15oz bottle, etc) then trial sizes are fair game! Here's the trick though, you have to know whether the store will allow that or not. Some stores do, others don't.

LIMIT OF 4 LIKE COUPONS IN SAME SHOPPING TRIP (I see this a lot with P&G MFR coupons. This is located in the fine print on the coupon where it says: consumer. Typically this is at the bottom of a coupon under the image (vertically), and sometimes it is on the right side of the coupon if it's horizontal.) This goes HAND IN HAND with the limit 1 coupon per purchase statement below. This simply means you can use 4 coupons in your ONE visit to the store. Referring to the above: 4 coupons are for 4 individual items (per purchase). So in the store if you have 4 coupons cut out, you can get 4 items with each coupon discount. If you have more than 4 coupons and would like to use it you can always do so at another store of the same company in the same day, etc. You just can't use all 8 or so in the same checkout.

***IMPORTANT: you MUST have the extra coupons on hand. They will not scan the one coupon four times. That's why newspapers, etc, are golden tickets and are purchased a lot for the inserts. If it was as easy as reusing a coupon in one trip many of us would have more time for raiding stores! Hehehe

Example: (here's a recent purchase I did to explain)

There was a sale on Lady Speedstick deodorant for .99¢. I had a coupon for .75¢ off of ANY Lady Speedstick. The coupon itself did not state a purchase limit in one shopping trip. At the time I had 5 coupons for it. So I purchased 5 deodorants. My end result was .24¢ for each deodorant. NOW, my coupons did NOT double, due that 4 other coupons had already doubled. This particular store only doubles 4 coupons per household a day. I've also read that someone was told online that limit 1 coupon per purchase was denied doubling due that it's already reached a limit. I've not verified that at all but just passing on a possibility. I will look into that most definitely.

LIMIT 1 COUPON PER PURCHASE (This is usually found in the fine print below the items picture or if vertical: on the side of the items picture. This can be found at the very beginning of he fine print or can be found at the very end) This simply means that you can use ONE coupon on the purchase of each individual item aka “per purchase”. Every purchase of that particular item you have uses one coupon. If you have two products that equals two coupons. So unlike the limit of 4 like coupons, you can buy more than 4 unless the store prohibits them. So if you have 8 coupons with a limit 1 per purchase, you can buy 8 items in one transaction. (check the previous example: I got 5 deodorants, I was not limited to 4; I had 5 coupons and used it just fine). You can also stack coupons.

------------ STACK: This means to use store coupons with manufacturer coupons.

So with limit 1 coupon per purchase you may buy 5 items with a Manufacturer (MFR) coupon and use 5 store coupons. UNLESS the store coupon has a limit! So check BOTH coupons for limitations!

***DON'T FORGET!!!!: Starting out my common beginner mistake with 1 coupon was seeing a “twofer” sale (2 for 1 price) and would use only ONE of these coupons. So don't follow my footsteps! Lucky for me I figured that out pretty quick after my first few mistakes at one trip after mom asked me about it and DING DING DING a lightbulb went on. I was doing it all wrong!

SO for example:
You have a coupon that is $1.50 off 1 box of Kellog's Cereal Special K. There's a sale at CVS buy 2 for $4. You MAY use two of the $1.50 off coupons if you have it since there are TWO items (aka per purchase). SO with the 2 coupons you have $3.00 off right there. Subtract the $3.00 from the $4.00 sale price. You just bought 2 boxes of Special K for $1.00!

EVEN BETTER is when a reward is given back! LOOK for these!

Let's take the same above sample: the Special K and say that there was a $1 reward coupon printed out if you purchase 2. SO it would look something like this:

SALE: Buy 2 for $4 get $1 back in register rewards (or whatever the store calls it such as CVS is Extra Care Bucks, Rite Aid is UP+, etc)

You have 2x $1.50 off per box = $3.00

You pay out of pocket $1.00 (Sale price ($4-$3) coupon discounts = $1.00) BUT at the end of your receipt the $1.00 register reward printed out.

You just bought 2 boxes of Special K for free, you just paid tax on it!

This is how this all works! SEEK DEALS.

LIMIT 1 COUPON PER TRANSACTION (This is usually found in the same areas as the above mentioned limits on a coupon). This means you can only use 1 coupon per shopping trip. So instead of using a coupon per item you can only use 1 coupon in your ENTIRE purchase.

LIMIT 1 PER PERSON OR LIMIT 1 COUPON PER HOUSEHOLD or PERSON (This is usually found in the same areas as the above mentioned limits on a coupon or on a circular). This means that you can only use the coupon ONCE for the entire sale period. (Ex: CVS has a sale and the item states limit 1 per household. If you have 3 of the items coupons even though your coupon doesn't have a limit the store does.)

Can't I buy the item as many times I want anyway, who would know?

Usually the store has a savings card (CVS, RITE AID, etc) and in order for you to get the sale you would have to use your savings card with them. Once you do this the system already marks you off as reaching your limit. (On CVS coupons it will tell you how many offers you've reached limits for.) So when you go to ring up the item again using the same card, you won't get the offer. The only way around this is if you have another person or people in your household for the per person limitation. Make sure you have INDIVIDUAL cards instead of sharing them.

NOT TO BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER (Again this is found in the fine print, above or below) This means you can not use other discounts such as a student discount (senior citizen or military discount) with the coupon. You can not stack store coupons with it or combine similar offers with the same product. So if you are going to use this coupon – this coupon is the ONLY one you can use toward the item.

STORE REQUIREMENTS

Outside of couponing like I previously touched on, stores sometimes place limits in their circulars and store coupons. So always pay attention to how they are limiting you and the quantity. You might also have to meet a requirement for the item. See the next point MFR coupons.

MANUFACTURER REQUIREMENTS

Not only do manufacturers limit, at times, how many like items you may buy in one trip or per purchase they can also have a requirement that needs to be met in order to use the coupon. This can also happen with stores and goes HAND in HAND with MFR requirements.

For example:

Rite Aid is having a .99¢ sale on 1 Palmolive Dish Detergent with their store coupon. On their coupon it states that the Palmolive that is on sale is the 10oz one AND there is a limit of 4 Palmolives at that price with store coupons.

You have a 12 Palmolive coupons, each different price discount. For 6 of your coupons you have .50¢ off and for the other 6 coupons you have $1.00 off. Your coupons requirement is the following:

it can be on ANY Palmolive Dish Detergent. (This is great due that some coupons require a certain TYPE of the item like 50¢ off Palmolive ORIGINAL dish detergent, so if the floral smell Palmolive was on sale than this wouldn't work.)

SO you've met the ONE requirement for Store and MFR – it's Palmolive Dish Detergent.

As you read on your 12 coupons continue: ANY Palmolive Dish Detergent 20 oz or larger.

Your coupons no longer fit the requirement for both store and MFR. The store is on a 10 oz bottle – your coupon is on a 20 oz.

LET'S FLIP IT AND SAY YOUR COUPONS DO MEET REQUIREMENT:

So 12 of your coupons say “ ANY 10 oz bottles of Palmolive”.

You meet the requirement for both store and MFR what next?

Decide which coupon you are to use! REMEMBER you want to get the BEST deal possible and FREE is the best deal. Considering you have $1.00 you can get the Palmolive's free.

You can however only get 4 per transaction (due to the limit 4 in the store's coupon).

A good amount of stores CAN reprice your coupon, so if you have $1.00 off and the item is .99¢ the cashier can input the coupon to be .99¢ off for you to get the amount off (a good amount of stores do not give you the overage in this case the extra penny.) THIS INFORMATION WILL BE TOLD TO YOU IN THE STORES COUPON POLICY! However there are some stores that will not do that, if your coupon exceeds the amount of the item they do not price it down. In this case you have 6 other coupons that you can consider if it's a good deal or not.

Your 6 other coupons were for 50¢ off. Each bottle would be .49¢ instead of free. So four bottles would cost $1.96.

Again refer to the coupon policies to understand what the store WILL and WILL NOT do so that you can plan your shopping trip correctly.

SO UNTIL NEXT TIME....

In the end it all comes down to reading coupons and what they are asking of you. This means following directions not only on store coupons and MFR coupons but also directions and requirements set forth by the stores policies. It might seem like a lot to get used to or confusing at first but it really is very very simple when you get the hang of everything. Once you get familiar with it you will read a coupon and know exactly what you can and can't do without referring to this blog. I tell people a lot I enjoy couponing because it becomes sort of a game... like a puzzle. I personally LOVE puzzles such as the PennyPack Puzzles which have brain teasers galore (and here's a confession of my vice: I have a box of 60 PennyPack magazines still waiting to be done! EXCITING!!! hahaha) SO with couponing it takes time to match up deals, go through coupons and try to find the “missing yet MATCHING pieces” to get a great deal!

Like I stated previously I'm working on a PDF file that you will all be able to download that will have some stores and their policies broken down for beginners to understand. Think of it as a “Coupon Policy for Baby Couponers/Beginners” sort of thing! I know policies get real technical and fussy so not only will it help me to break policies down it will be much easier having a quick AND easy reference at stores (AGAIN print out the official policies and have them with you at all times as well!).

So go out my fellow baby couponers and explore some sales! Start off small if you are a little nervous or unsure. I will DEFINITELY be getting into coupon matching deals, and how to get the most bang for your buck and coupons. I will also be posting up in the very near future a blog on COUPON LINGO/JARGON for you all to familiarize yourselves with as I will be switching over to them as we go along so you can get used to them.

By now you should already know one: Manufacturer Coupons. The lingo/jargon for that I use and many others use is MFR or MFR coupons. Another word you learned today: Stack! (Remember? This is where you STACK store coupons with MFR coupons on 1 item.)

A lot of things to look forward to in this blog so definitely keep checking back! I typically try to have a new blog every 3 days at the most if I'm able to. So far that's been working pretty well :)

CLIP IT, USE IT, LOVE IT... GOOD LUCK! <3

Free Money & Things! Money doesn't grow on trees but it sure does come in PLASTIC!

LET'S RECAP

So we've talked about in the other Journey Blogs: Organizing, familiarizing, utilizing, and Manufacturers. If you haven't already checked out my other blogs definitely do so or else you might miss out on something you didn't know!

Now, let's talk about FREE MONEY outside of Couponing!

FREE MONEY!.... OH YEAH, IT'S OUT THERE!!!!

So how can you turn nothing into something? Easy.

I'm currently awaiting $60 of FREE giftcards to come and line my pockets: ($25 AMC Theaters, $25 Applebees, and a $10 Target giftcard). They were sent by first class mail at NO COST TO ME. How did this happen??? Bank Rewards. THAT'S RIGHT. A lot of banks have a reward program... get 1 point for this... 2 for that... for using your card/credit etc. It ADDS up. PNC and WACHOVIA (Wells Fargo) definitely have these programs. So check with your bank about rewards programs. You can normally sign your card up online with your bank. By the time you check you have a good amount of points to get free money back JUST for using your card with them!!!!

STORE CARD REWARDS!

Some stores like CVS have a rewards program called Extra Care Bucks. Once you have a CVS card (which is FREE of course) you can rack up a certain amount of spending (and of course with coupons you will hit these marks at little cost to you) to get Extra Care Bucks which is just like free money towards their products. You normally see the Extra Care Bucks in their ads (circulars) – buy an item get a certain amount back in ECB (Extra Care Bucks or Register Rewards). We will talk more about this when we dive into the Stores Journey Blog!

JUST FOR STUDENTS – FREE MONEY!

I was lucky enough to find this out BEFORE graduating college, and was able to part take in this GREAT GREAT offer from Lexis Nexis in Fall 2010. As many of you students know Lexis Nexis is a database of educational articles, journals, etc privy to students at colleges. It's FREE for you during the school year due to your tuition fees covering it and many colleges use it SO MAKE THE MOST OF IT! I got $25 worth of giftcards JUST for answering a question every once in a while. HOW? It's called Lexis Nexis Academic Quiz. Personally I think it's an AMAZING treat for students! You use Lexis Nexis normally for your papers and assignments why not get treated?

So here's the deal with Lexis Nexis Academic Quiz:

I think it's every Fall semester that the quiz runs and you have to be a student during that time. You sign up once logged into their database (if at a school computer or using school wifi, you should be able to just click Lexis Nexis and access the database without restriction). Create a username and password and START! A question is asked every once in a while - typically every week, sometimes more in a week than one time so check back often! Each question has a point value attached to it: 50 pts, 100 pts, 250 pts. Questions range from the Stock Market to the leading phone of 2003. You are given about 4 answers and you have to select the correct one, if you get it right you get the points if not... you get ZIP. How do you find answers? SEARCH Lexis Nexis! You can also search the internet! Lexis Nexis Quiz is a way to get you to think outside of the box to find answers to tricky questions. It gives you the knowledge on how to search smartly! After about 6 weeks or so the quiz ends, your points are always available for you to view and you can get a prize anytime you want to “cash out” your points. If you are like me I wanted to get as many points as possible. This was hard due that I would forget to check the quiz for new questions, that's college life! It's called being busy and loaded with school work! Haha But for the times I did remember I racked up 1300 points, with that I got a $20 Target and $5 Starbucks card.

Here's the list of Fall 2010 Giftcard Prizes for points:

Starbucks - 250pts

Papa John's Pizza - 500pts

Target - 1000pts

Amazon.com - 2500pts

It took me about 4 months to receive the cards after the quiz was over but I DID receive them and have them ready to use :)

Here's the link to Lexis Nexis Academic & Library Quiz:

http://www.lexisnexis.com/quizwhiz/

Again: think outside of the box other than coupons to get free things... even MONEY!

MORE FREE MONEY IDEAS!:

* Rewards1.com

* SnapDollars.com 

* Swagbucks.com (my personal favorite)

These are all sites that just by taking a survey, click on a link from a email, play a game or even search the internet you can rack up points to get giftcards and items FOR FREE! Definitely check them out they are well worth it. There are other sites out there as well, I'm just naming a few! Search around! Make sure you have or make an email account that you wouldn't mind a lot of email/Spam from (due to surveys, and cash emails, etc).Over time your points add up fast and you can get free giftcards and items just for a little bit of your time!

Right now I'm able to get a $50 giftcard to restaurants just for downloading the Swagbucks toolbar and searching the net! You can also get Swagbucks for buying already great deals, doing surveys, and trading in books, cell phones, etc!!!

Sign up and get 30 Swagbucks to get you started!

http://swagbucks.com/refer/Never2wonderland

MONEY SAVING SITES!

These sites are free but they've got some mind blowing deals you should keep an eye out for! AND 9 times out of 10 if you buy from these sites through swagbucks you will even get points toward swagbucks store items and giftcards! DOUBLE SAVINGS!

Yaysave.com and LivingSocial.com AND Restaurant.com

Definitely check them out!

COMPANIES YOU WORK FOR MIGHT HAVE A REWARDS PROGRAM TOO!!!!!

My mother works for an great company called Bayada Nurses which specialize in home care. [Insert free advertisement here! Hahaha] But seriously, it is a good company with a rewards program called Bayada Bucks. For things you do well, you get Bayada Bucks as a reward! My mom just cashed in her Bayada Bucks, and she's bringing home some company swagger like an AMAZINGLY big umbrella that will shield you from the rain on ANY given day (hehehe), she got a folding comb with a mirror, two image keychains, and our two prize possessions: a Coach wristlet and a Dooney & Burke wristlet!

Another place that I know rewards their employees from time to time with a Free meal entree or $6 off their next purchase is Wegmans. Typically, these rewards are given for showing amazing service to their customers or even when they want to show appreciation to their employees.

Check with your job!

HERE'S MY GIFTCARD AND FREE REWARD ITEM LOOT!

So to sum up all the “free giftcards and items” my mother and I received outside of couponing goes a little something like this:

$20 giftcard to Target (an earlier gift given to me and my mother)

$20 giftcard to Target (Lexis Nexis Academic Quiz)

$10 giftcard to Target (Bank Rewards)

TOTAL = $50 to Target!

$30 giftcard to Applebees (an earlier Bank reward we saved)

$25 giftcard to Applebees (latest Bank Rewards)

TOTAL = $55 to Applebees!

$25 giftcard to AMC Theaters (Bank Rewards)

TOTAL = $25 to AMC Theaters

$5 giftcard to Starbucks (Lexis Nexis Academic Quiz)

TOTAL = $5 to Starbucks

2x $25 redemption to Restaurant.com (Swagbucks.com)

TOTAL = $50 to local restaurants of my choosing from a very large list!

*******Grand total of FREE MONEY $185 – YEAH WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT to mention the company swagger AND! AND! AND: the Coach wristlet and Dooney & Burke wristlet!

Talk about being blessed! Like I said, my mother and I have always lived day by day and made the most of what we had. With this economy I can't say we are 100% clear of worry and struggle, BUT we are in pretty great standing with a lot of things compared to our past! Thanks to smart shopping, couponing, and a bunch of great souls who helped mom and me during difficult times. So to have all of this now is by far shocking, amazing, and exciting! So all I can wish to do now is PASS IT ON! One way I thought I could do this is blog for all of you to help YOUR lives get better with what I'm learning, and the second way is to stockpile items (get a good amount of items by couponing) and giving them to friends, families, and shelters!

Smart saving of giftcards and buying items, planning, couponing, and sites that give rewards, etc have gotten us to a pretty nice rewards in free money and items!!! Who ever said “nothing in this life is free” or “money doesn't grow on trees”? There are PLENTY of things for free! AND money doesn't grow on trees but it sure comes in plastic! Plastic giftcards that is! AND THEY ARE FREE!

Again, ANYONE can do this. Think outside the box! REWARDS are everywhere from Airline rewards, to hotel rewards, train rewards, membership rewards, and the list goes on! LOOK at the things you frequently use and know of, you could have had rewards all along and not used them! You have to give a little time to make some extra moolah! SO WHY NOT?????

FREE THINGS! FREE SAMPLES!

Remember when I said there's plenty of places to find coupons outside of newspapers? Here's another! Requesting a free sample will almost ALWAYS (9.8 times out of 10 if not 10/10) come with COUPONS of that product you got a sample of! Not only can you TRY the product free at no cost to you, you can get MORE coupons to score little to no out of pocket deals on the item or even get the item free later by couponing! Isn't life grand?

Here are just a few sites!You can get free things, AND even coupons!

Ilovefreethings.com

Ilovefreebies.com

http://www.shop4freebies.com/

Definitely search around for sites you like best!

To get $35 worth of savings in coupons from one of my FAVORITE brand makers: P&G please go here! (It's FREE!):

https://www.thepromotionaloffer.com/hmsdrtv/

FREE SAMPLES, GIFTCARDS, COUPONS = FREE TO MAIL TOO!

PLEASE remember samples are free and so are coupons, which means that it will be mailed to you at NO COST. Do not spend money for a sample/coupon to be sent (unless you are purchasing an item and the sample/coupon happens to come with it)! Otherwise out of pocket money exchanging should not happen!

MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS

You know that AAA card you have for towing your car? How many of you honestly knew that's a discount card? I will admit I at first didn't realize it! I thought it was for traveling discounts alone! I found out though it was much much more than that through my mother's co-worker Betsy Gardner. I can get 10% off Payless Shoes whenever I buy there. Not much of a discount right? WRONG. That adds up! Remember every little bit counts! For instance if Payless has a 75% off sale that 75% turns into 85% off with my discount! See? Think outside the box!

Other savings with AAA include but are NOT limited to:

Barnes & Noble.com

Save 10% in addition to online pricing discounts of up to 40% with Barnes & Noble.com. Plus Fast & Free shipping on qualifying orders of $25 or more.
Playdrome Bowling & Entertainment Center
Buy 2 games of bowling, Get 3rd FREE. Valid anytime at Cherry Hill Location.
Smucker's Stars on Ice
AAA members receive 25% discount on all seats except on-ice seating at all venues.


And it's all LOCAL things according to where you are a member at, so you don't have to worry about being an AAA member and not having something close by!

AAA is not the only membership with benefits, for our "wise through time" adults there's AARP, and of course many other memberships that offer discounts! CHECK around!

GOODWILL, YES I'M A PROUD SHOPPER THERE! THERE'S NO SHAME IN THAT!

If you are a student and have a student ID you can usually get discounts too! One of my absolute favorite vices include the Goodwill! The place offers really great items for low prices and you can find gems there too!!!! Don't believe me? I bought a BRAND NEW COACH purse... AUTHENTIC, with leather tag and leather label inside for...... a whopping..... $3.99! THAT'S right, you can find amazing deals! Not to mention students with ID get 10% off your entire purchase so my purse was actually $3.60! I also found a AUTHENTIC NEW Italian Ripani Purse with all of the correct markings (the Ripani print inside and tag, on the outside of the SOFT LEATHER, the name is imprinted) (I'm a purse feen so I can usually spot fakes a mile away hahaha). From research on my bag... my bag's price store retail and online retail sells for OVER $200. My price at Goodwill? $1.99 ($1.60 with my discount). Yes... a DOLLAR and 60 cents for a 200 + dollar bag. I also got a HomeGood Harlequin Ballroom type mask that was meant for decoration for $4.50 at Goodwill. It still had a retail sticker, and was in pristine condition - the price of retail read: $50.

Just like couponing when I tell people I'm a Goodwill fanatic I get weird looks a good amount of times, and I just SMILE. Alot of items at the Goodwill aren't even USED, some still have tags and others you couldn't even tell they were used! MANY of you have seen me sporting Goodwill items and have NEVER noticed, and never will. You can never tell! Just to name a few: I've gotten brand name clothes such as Rocawear, Tripp, and BabyPhat ALL for less than you'd think: LESS than $5 a piece at Goodwill. IMAGINE. Besides bags and clothes, I'm a fanatic of books especially cooking books and paranormal books most of which I've paid at MOST a dollar for each! So it's a great place to find good reads without paying retail! And don't get me started on houseware items that are still NEW in boxes! Being a baker at home I found some AMAZING baking kits brand new with spatulas, cooling trays, yolk separators and the list goes ON AND ON! So remember THRIFT STORES are your friends! If you are a senior or student don't forget that extra 10% off your purchase any time. Military also has discounts of course! And seniors I believe your discount is %15!
The Goodwill also has 50% off sales! Each day there are two different color tags that are 50% off for the day so ANY and ALL items with that tag color are 50% off ALREADY AMAZING prices! Never-the-less tack on an extra 10% discount for students, etc. It's a REAL BARGAIN!

TAKE YOUR TIME TOO! There are real gems to be found at these stores but you need TIME to find them AND you need to have somewhat of an idea of what are AMAZING bargains are! At a Goodwill it's not uncommon to find deals upon deals, but sometimes it IS cheaper at a retail store. SO use your past experiences to guide you on these "sales"!

By shopping at the Goodwill you are ALSO helping others benefit through your purchases by helping people with disabilities or disadvantages go to work!!!! From the Goodwill site directly:
Who does Goodwill help?
Goodwill serves those with barriers to employment. This includes individuals with disabilities, people with limited work history, those who have experienced corporate downsizing and recipients of government support programs. Goodwill’s services are designed to meet the training and placement needs of the individual.

So what a great way to save and help!!!!!!!!! Here goes my mantra again!

AND in the summer don't forget Yard Sales! Again one of my FAVORITE past times!!! There's TONS of great items people are selling, brand new or even slightly used! Always keep an open mind!

UPDATE ON MANUFACTURERS I CONTACTED!

I recently emailed a few company's about certain products and will say: a bunch of “high money-saving” coupons are coming my way according to the customer service reps for my compliments, AND I will be getting a replacement coupon for an item that I was disappointed in. :) One=Power. Go get em!

AMETHYST SUEDED COMFORTER BARGAIN!!!!!!

So if you are like me: love being warm especially with something fluffy or soft like fleece or suede, and/or you just LOVE a bargain - here's a GREAT deal you might like! I just bought one! :) Amethyst Sueded Comforter for only $3.84! (It measures 50 X 60)

ONLY $3.84 - FREE shipping! 

Originally the retail price is: $39.99!!!!!
Enter the below PROMO code to get your $3.15 discount off of the $6.99 asking price, bringing it down to $3.84!

Just enter this PROMO code at checkout!: RDSUNDAY45 (Unknown Expiration!) 
So act fast to get your 50x60 suede amethyst comforter for $3.84 free shipping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy shopping!!!!

http://www.onestopplus.com/product.aspx?Pfid=199411&DeptId=17636&ProductTypeId=1&PurchaseType=G

SO... UNTIL NEXT TIME...

Now, with all you've gathered from this Journey Blog go and be free! No seriously, go get free things! I hope you can line your pockets with some extra rewards you never had to start off with. I'd love to hear how you guys are doing with this so feel free to leave any comments or questions here, if you have any - I'd gladly respond! Soon I will be touching base with Stores and how to go about dealing with them when it comes to coupons and what not! Definitely don't forget to check back in.

So with that, I will leave you with what I have personally gathered from everything so far:

The amazing thing about being wise with money and couponing is the idea behind them both!

With couponing the idea behind it is: how can I get things for LITTLE to NO cost?

And with giftcards/rewards the idea is: how can I turn NOTHING into SOMETHING?

Always think on ways to make more money/profit off of what you have. For instance restaurant.com: you can get a $25 giftcard for ONLY $10! Some even have $100 giftcards but you only pay $40! That's a STEAL!

Both couponing, and giftcards (rewards) go hand in hand with saving, free items, and MONEY in your pocket! MOSTLY money you didn't have to begin with! It's a win/win situation for you.USE them both!

CLIP IT, USE IT, LOVE IT... GOOD LUCK! <3

Coupon Starters! The what, why and how of starting! The baby coupon stage

MR. AND MRS...... CONGRATULATIONS.... IT'S A COUPONER!

Congratulations... today you were just born into a baby couponer. :) Happened to me too! I'm somewhat crawling but am still at the stage where I still don't know any better THUS the Novice Klutz part. Okay so let's get started!!!!

"CRAZY COUPON LADY"

Ok, so today I heard the term “crazy coupon lady” when I was checking out of a store after snagging a freebie... Not at me! Haha But it was in reference to a woman who gets things for pennies on the dollar or absolutely free. Here's the thing... Although I don't condone the name crazy coupon lady... I will soon be that “crazy coupon lady” to most of those people. BUT I'll be a “crazy coupon lady” that will be paying TONS less and getting things free so by all means, call us crazy!

SO WHAT DO I NEED FOR COUPON CLIPPING?

Things you'll need:

Your hand (obviously) or if you are lucky enough someone else's hand for you!

Scissors

Sunday Newspapers – more than one! (w/ the Red Plum Inserts. Sometimes you will find the P&G Saver inserts and SmartSource Inserts. Make sure there are inserts in the paper!)

The upcoming weeks grocery and store circulars (this normally is directed straight to your home about a week prior. If not, you can get them in Sunday's Newspaper)

A coupon organizer

A place to store coupons and inserts you are working on but haven't finished working with
Large Envelopes and Regular Envelopes

A pen

A calculator

and last but not least: TIME

NEWSPAPERS... THEY HAVE GOLDEN TICKETS!

Golden tickets? Yes! Each one of those inserts with coupons in a Newspaper is a Golden Ticket... to sales and free things beyond your wildest dreams! In order to do couponing, obviously you'll need coupons. This is a great great way of finding the latest week coupons. These coupon inserts hold coupons good until about a month from when you buy them, others are good for two months, some are only good for 2 weeks or less, and if you are REALLY luck you will get one lasting about 5 months!

In a Newspaper you can find Red Plum Inserts, P&G Saver inserts and SmartSource Inserts. Sometimes they are all there other times there's only one or two. When buying a newspaper it is ABSOLUTELY essential that you check the newspaper PRIOR to checkout for the inserts. There's nothing worse than driving home and looking for inserts only to realize – THEY AREN'T THERE.

When I started out coupon clipping I started with 2 Newspapers so that everything wasn't overwhelming. Think of it as a starter course. Get used to a few and progress up to more newspapers later when you get the hang of things.

ARE THERE MORE “GOLDEN TICKETS” OTHER THAN NEWSPAPERS?

The answer is YES. There are other ways of getting Manufacturer Coupons, which we will label: MFR, other than the paper.

AS A CONSUMER YOU HAVE POWER... AND POSSIBLY MORE MFR COUPONS!

Have you ever LOVED an item you bought? Or maybe you've hated an item? Or maybe you had a problem with an item? Why do I ask? There's power in being a consumer. Email or call the company and express your like or dislike for an item, or discuss a problem with them on a particular item you bought. A lot of companies want you to buy more from them and consider them for your business, with that said a lot are willing to give you coupons for the items. Manufacturers are AMAZING. They WANT you to give them business, and they make it possible with smart planning for you to get their items cheap or for free. All you have to do is know how to look for it, and what to do. Circulars and directly getting coupons from them are GODSENDS!

For instance, here's an example of a problem with an item:

I had a problem with Nestle White Premier Morsels, regardless of following instructions to a “T” I had a very hard time melting the morsels in the microwave like the bag claim. Instead they burned, and I was left without the gifts I was making with the morsels, but I WAS left with an item that didn't work and it was too late for me to go out and buy another brand. Clearly I was not very happy with the product. I ended up emailing Nestle's Customer Service explaining my problem gave them the UPC code of the item (whenever you have the item still at hand it's ALWAYS a good thing to make note of). I stated I was disappointed and just wanted to let them know my experience with them. I kept the email PROFESSIONAL, and EXPLANATORY. No need to be mean, there's a good amount of times the company will actually do what they can to help! So why be mean when you might have something nice done in return?! I received an email from Nestle about 2 days later apologizing and stating they were sending me coupons and a small recipe Nestle booklet in the mail. I got the promised booklet and coupons about 1-2 weeks later. It was a MFR coupon for a FREE Nestle Morsels bag of my choice up to 5.99 ( a 23-24 oz bag or smaller) so I got the damaged morsels back at no cost to me. AND $2.00 off my next Nestle purchase (I was able to get a 11.5 oz bag for only 99 cents!) Being a baker I could use this! So all in all I got an AMAZING result contacting the company. Needless to say: they made me happy and kept me as a returning customer by giving me a coupon ($2 MFR) towards another purchase. That's smart business!

Here's a compliment situation:

If any of you like Michelina's or frozen food items, you should know that this brand is not only cheap in price (typically only $1!!! and can be found in Walmart) it's TASTY! Well atleast I like to chow on it! I'm absolutely IN LOVE with Michelina's and am a serious buyer when it comes to them. I was sooo happy with Michelina's I contacted the company and let them know and asked to be on their coupon list. I was sent 2 MFR coupons for FREE ENTREES of Michelina's, my choice of entree! The coupons are good for the next 5 months (I got these coupons approx. in December). (Typically that's the best part, these direct MFR coupons tend to last for a few months. So wait for a good sale, and if it's FREE go get it whenever before the expiration!)

******************************FREE ENTREES ALERT********************************

For those of you reading that want to try Michelina's for FREE or like Michelina's and would like FREE ENTREES go to their site and let them know you'd like to be on their coupon list, compliment them on their entrees if you've had them. If you haven't let them know you are interested in trying their products due that you heard it was good and would like any coupons if they have them available. It's a good chance you will have 2 Free Entrees MFR coupons in your mailbox soon!

Here's there Customer Service direct link! (FOR THE TOPIC SELECT COUPON!)

http://www.michelinas.com/ContactUs.aspx

ONE PERSON = POWER WHEN IT COMES TO MANUFACTURERS

Play it smart! Know you are POWERFUL as a buyer. Almost as powerful as a Stock Holder – THINK about it. With out individuals like yourself the company can't prosper. “But I'm only one... so if I boycott the company and tell them I'm not happy and won't purchase from them again... so what? They won't care. One person isn't much to dent their company profits.” You're absolutely right. NOW 1 person who tells 3 people, who tells 5 people... 10...15...20... NOW you've started a dent OR started a chain of new customers. Word of mouth is what companies fear and love depending on what way you are swinging the pendulum. So believe it when I tell you ONE (you) = POWER.

OTHER COUPON LOCATIONS:

Think outside of the box when it comes to finding coupons! DOCTOR'S OFFICES have magazines! Magazines have... that's right COUPONS! At Doctor's offices you don't pay for the magazines SO you are getting coupons for FREE which = savings in your wallet. (Please only do this when you are going to see the doctor and are in the waiting room! hahaha Don't just randomly take a trip there to cut their coupons out hehehehe ) However if you have a favorite magazine you already subscribe to it might already come with some coupons, definitely check! Stores like Walgreens sometimes have a store coupon booklet available upon demand and while supplies last. Doesn't hurt to ask and check. There's amazing sales for those stores in the booklets!

KEEP ALL COUPONS! EVEN THE ONES YOU THINK YOU CAN'T PERSONALLY USE!

You never know when a good sale is going to hit and you can get the item for free or at a low price! So low you can't look it over! You may not use it but other people you know might! And don't get me started on DONATING. You can ALWAYS give it to those in need, they will ALWAYS use ANY items you can spare. Share the wealth of your couponing. That's my personal mantra. “What I can't use, someone might.” My goal going into this was NOT only to help my family but to help those around me and in need! Including animal shelters, homeless shelters, etc. I feel VERY VERY strongly about helping the homelessness, my heart goes out to those facing difficulties, and being a mother of a fluffy tuxedo furbaby, Xander, my animal shelter adopted male tux long hair cat (I choose to go to shelters than pet stores) – I feel strongly about helping animal shelters, my heart goes out to animals who are homeless in shelters. SO my personal reason for this is to help as many as I can, with the little that I have to give those with EVEN less more than they had previously. That is my goal and mantra. Make one for yourself as well. This will encourage you to not only benefit but to give back to the community and your friends and family! EVERYONE CAN BENEFIT FROM THE TIME YOU PUT OUT COUPONING!

ORGANIZATION IS KEY!

First things first, there are MANY ways of organizing coupons. What works for me may not work for you, so find what you find easiest and go with it!

I suggest a shoe box of a regular to large size. The reason for this is that you can keep all of your coupon inserts and coupons that you are working on in there, as well as store circulars for the week, scissors and pens.

Personally, I tend to cut all of my coupons and put it into a large envelope (yes all mixed in together). Then I divide them all into categories (all the dairy in one pile, beauty supplies in another, etc). The reason I do it this way is to familiarize myself with all the coupons I cut, I tend to make little mental notes of all the items.

I've read and seen others online that cut coupons and place them into piles directly after they cut the one coupon. Whatever works for you feel free to do it! DO note the expiration dates on them ESPECIALLY the ones ending soon!

I do a repetitive thing to help me get familiar with MFR Coupons. (It's doesn't have to be an EXTREME repetitive thing, just something to refresh your memory) After I put them into categories I tend to go through each individual pile and put like item coupons together. Again, this helps me organize and familiarize. You also don't have to do this ALL in one sitting either! You can always save your work (aka your “coupon box” - the shoe box I mentioned.)

I used envelopes to keep my coupons. For instance: if you were able to organize a few coupons and they are in categories on your floor and you want to pack up for the night get envelopes and label the envelopes with the category name (Dairy, Beauty, Bath and Body, etc – whatever you classify the items with) and place that pile of coupons inside. You can later put like item coupons together. You can use these envelopes for even more coupons later too! As a beginner I used envelopes. If you cut all your coupons and just want to pick up for the night put them all in your box or put it in a large envelope (and put it in your box). You can pick up where you left off when you can and you know where everything is. If there are inserts you haven't cut yet put them in a folder and put them in your box also. The labeled envelopes you can place in the dividers of your coupon holder! (I got my starter plastic coupon holder at the Dollar Tree Store for $1 and it's been doing it's job for starting out).

**** There are some people who always keep one of each insert intact in folders as a reference to the other coupons they cut. Some people find it easier to scan a coupon insert than going through coupons. And if you needed the extra coupon at the store you can just cut out the coupon from the insert there (This might help with the envelope couponing situation.) I never used this method, but it doesn't mean I won't. Definitely keep different ways in mind! You never know what might work better for you!

Being that you probably bought 2 newspapers starting out, this whole separation of coupons should be fairly easy and not very time consuming. The reason why I said 2 newspapers would probably good is that it is a MANAGEABLE amount to start out with. If you are not ready for 2 start with 1 :) Get use to the system little by little, when you understand it you will be able to do more inserts and coupons.

TIME INVESTED = MONEY IN YOUR POCKET

So, like I previously stated you don't have to be a Coupon Queen/King, or “Crazy Coupon Lady” like someone else called it to save money and get free things. You just need time! You know that extra 30 minutes you are watching a show? Cut coupons out during commercials... OR cut coupons during a show (I like to multitask and it get's it done quicker without me realizing it. If you stare ONLY at coupons for hours TRUST ME you are going to feel the insanity. So feel free to watch TV from time to time or listen to music if you prefer.)

Time is NOT only for coupons. Time is also for going over the sales ads. You can view them before and after you cut coupons. Familiarize yourself with your coupons and ads. You'll be able to say “Oh! I think I have a coupon for that! Let me see if it's worth buying.” Then you can check from your piles. I read the sales ads JUST like Joyce from the 4/9/09 Today Show video on my first blog “To Clip or Not to Clip... That is the Question”. Joyce claims she reads sales ads like the stock market, I agree with her tremendously. I spend a good amount of time going over the items on sale. Every few minutes I can spare to re-read the ad I do so. I ALSO do the same for coupons. You can also stop at a page in the ad (for instance the beauty page), and pull out your “Beauty” categorized envelopes with your coupons, and see if any of your coupons match that circular's sales and so forth. Again, find what works for you and stick with it!

BUT HOW DO I KNOW IF IT'S A GOOD SALE OR NOT????

If the end result equals a FREE product, it's a good sale! Other than free items, the best way is to just get used to seeing sale prices for items. This is why familiarizing yourself is essential. Taking time to get to know the sales of the week isn't ONLY to match coupons, it also helps you to know if you saw the item cheaper in another circular before. If you know the item's approximate price off hand, you might be able to tell if it's a good deal, no deal, or too expensive. The way you get good at prices, is by FAMILIARIZING yourself with sales. You don't have to study this intensively either! Here's the good part about this: over time of collecting circulars in the newspapers you WILL recognize items that are great prices JUST by spending time going over the circulars weekly. I speak from experience. There are times where I've seen an item thought it was a good price and realized the next week an even BETTER sale came along. This gave me the general idea that certain items can go between a certain price range – it's a waiting game. When I see the price range, I pounce like a wild coupon cheetah!

For example:

Dawn Dish Detergent, you can find this for $1.99 a good amount of times. AND MFR coupons for Dawn are normally $1 off. 99 cents is NOT a bad price to pay, not bad at all... but FREE is even better. That's right: FREE. Dawn goes on sale a good amount of times (for instance this week in my area – CVS is having a sale .97 cents) ... the sale price is normally .97-.99 cents (<------ here's that price range I'm telling you about. You will get used to seeing certain prices and associate them this way. You will know ranges on your own the more you see and buy items.) So that $1 off you have turned into a free product, all you pay is tax.

If you are like my mother, price ranging items is a breeze (seriously my mom's a walking item scanner hahaha), but for those of us NON-Price Scanners, this is how I've been learning and doing it. If I can do it trust me you can. I didn't study prices hardcore either, with time I've been getting used to seeing prices and associating good ones with bad ones. AND do NOT fret if you make a mistake thinking you got an item for an amazing price like the 99 cent dawn. It's a learning process! Trust me I'm STILL learning. When I see I could have gotten a better price my mind remembers it for the next time. Couponing is about getting a great price, what you want though is the GREATEST price possible. So be easy on yourself, know you will make mistakes starting out, as I have, and you will learn the tricks of the trade! 99 cents is STILL better than $1.99! 

SO TO SUMMARIZE

* Have 1-2 newspapers WITH inserts inside (MAKE SURE)

* Have a Coupon Box

* Cut out Coupons from Inserts
* Categorize Coupons as you cut them out OR at the end of cutting them all out

--------- Category ideas include: (Frozen Foods, Dairy, Beauty, Bath and Body, Medicine, etc)

* Use Envelopes: Keep a Large Envelope for mixed coupons needed for separating, use envelopes to hold your categorized coupons and LABEL the fronts of them with the category.
* Use a Folder to hold one of each coupon insert for reference OR just keep the coupon inserts you didn't finish cutting in the folder, and cut them when you can (after cut: categorize and put into the right labeled envelope)

* Keep a pen OR sharpie in your box to write on envelopes

* Keep a pair of scissors in the box to cut future coupons

* Keep a calculator in the box (I just use my cell phone) but it might be easier! I'm considering just keeping a calculator in my coupon box! :)

Most importantly time = money, any time you can spend on this couponing thing = more money in your pocket with savings.

THREE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS TO TAKE FROM TODAY'S JOURNEY BLOG:

ORGANIZE, UTILIZE, AND FAMILIARIZE

* ORGANIZE: yourself, your space, your coupons, and everything else to make this easy for you.

* UTILIZE: Manufacturers and places like Doctor's offices to get coupons. Think outside the box! Use the resources available to you, especially if it's FREE. AND utilize your time, every little bit counts! Time you spend is money you can spend later from what you've saved!

* FAMILIARIZE: the sales, your coupons, and price ranges (eventually we will talk about coupon policies which is another important topic but for now these three are what I've touched base on).

SO... UNTIL NEXT TIME...

I hope this has helped you a little bit! First start with the baby steps, and then learn to crawl, and then learn to walk! :) Remember it's ok to be a klutz couponer at first, I'm STILL in this category! I started couponing January 16, 2011 and it's only been 19 days since then. So I'm still learning price ranges, making mistakes on “sales” at times, and am still getting used to everything myself. I can and will say that you WILL get better and you will see this by the extra money in your pocket. Think small and grow big! :) Hope you will continue to join me on my journey from Novice Coupon Butt Kicking, to Goddess Coupon Manufacture Servitude. :) 

CLIP IT, USE IT, LOVE IT... GOOD LUCK! <3

To Clip or Not to Clip... That is the question.

WELCOME!

So, you've decided to join me on the hunt for saving money, eh? Can't blame you the economy is bad... that's what got me into couponing in the first place! So that we can become acquainted let me tell you a little about myself. I'm a 23 year old recent college grad with a BA in Criminal Justice: Forensic Investigations. Yeah big leap from dead bodies to coupon clipping but the coupon thing is a hobby that I've taken over to help my family save money in order to stay afloat in the rise of joblessness and economic sinking like the Titanic. Never to mention the tax increases and pay cuts most people have had to face. Let's face it, we could all use a little bit of money saving! SO why pay full price on that bottle of shampoo...? Or why buy that electric razor full price? How about that milk full price? Hairspray, make up, snack? I used to think buying no name brands saved money, and although that in a sense is true I was wrong. WRONG? How am I wrong? Well, for starters a lot of no name brands don't have coupons. What I've found out is, I can buy name brand items with coupons and pay LESS (that's right) LESS than no name brands, AND at times get the item absolutely FREE AND sometimes the item is FREE and I get STORE CREDIT BACK: free money to use back at their store! I've been couponing for about 2 weeks now. And am starting to get fairly well with it. So sit back grab a coupon insert and clip away as I guide you through my journey!

NOVICE BEGINNINGS

Recently I did a Coupon Sale Hunt trip (5 stores) and the grand total for it all was $302.27 in the process I got 69 items... Now with that said if you are as broke as I am right now, or even facing the pinch of money $302 seems like a million bucks. So why would anyone in their right mind spend that much? As you will soon find out, I sure didn't. Instead I spent $91.17, saving $211.10 and even getting $6 back in store rewards. IMAGINE. For a beginner, not bad... not bad at all. I'm still learning but darn it I'm proud! :)

SO WHY SHOULD YOU CLIP COUPONS?

Here's the thing about couponing... You can make 15,000 a year or even 300,000 a year... and coupons will STILL work for you. Think about it. Why not keep all of the money you save with food and essentials for other things you need or might want??? Use that extra 50 dollars you saved to go to a movie or grab a bite to eat, pay off that pesky bill but STILL have all the products you need. Not to mention they are name brand items and you'd be paying pennies on the dollar for them and alot of times get FREE brand name items as well!What will you do with those items you get that you have more than enough of? Give them to friends, family, food pantries, donate them, sell them, keep them, the choice is yours! Everyone will benefit if you share the wealth of your coupon hunts!

BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME TO CLIP COUPONS...

"Then you ain't been broke enough, baby." This quote I heard on a youtube video featuring Joyce a "Coupon Diva" that was on The Today Show 4/9/2009 (which you can watch now:)

 

That quote to me is like the Gospel. You know the saying "Time = Money", well that's exactly the mantra couponing has. It takes time yes but it saves you...? Right, money! And we all like money... we all like free things, we all like a bargain and we all like to have nice items. So in order to do this you WILL need to take out some time. A little couponing is better than no couponing. If you don't have time to be a coupon queen or king, then be the best you can at couponing with the resources you have and the time you can spare! It's your budget, your time, balance them wisely!

BUT.... COUPONING IS LIKE... BLEH... WON'T PEOPLE THINK POORLY OF MY USE OF COUPONING.

I understand, coupon phobia gets the best of us. Even yours truly. I can honestly say I was one of the people who had a fear to use coupons, I saw them as showing the world I was poor. And of course Pride is one of our deadly sins... and I was VERY much a sinner on that. But believe me I've in no way EVER been close to being rich, and I was always taught the value of a dollar. My upbringing was based on essentials... AND then entertainment if at all possible... It had to be this way growing up in a single parent home and still this financial upbringing is present now and even MORE so with the economy in bad shape... SO... Instead I went to the store and bought no name items to "save" on costs. It beat pulling out coupons... I couldn't understand how "coupon users" were  even able to hold their head up high and proud... to me it was degrading.. or so I thought. How did I overcome this? I realized helping myself and those I love financially was not degrading, it was smart. Couponing IS a skill, it's a mental process and is like a puzzle at times. But EVERYONE can do it, if you take the time to understand the processes. There's nothing wrong with coupons, and when I got around that idea I was able to see all the benefits I was missing out on simply because I didn't want YOU yes you as my reader, thinking low of me. Frankly, I should have never cared. It's not drugs, it's not leprosy, it's coupons. My friend Jenni Nordaby (who by the way is an amazing Coupon Goddess) stated once that people would give her dirty looks when she would pull out her coupon binder. But that she would look in their cart and smile... why? She knew that she could get a good amount of items in their cart for close to nothing or even free. So she wasn't the person to look down on... To quote her further in a conversation I had with her she states: " I think a lot of people look down at coupons like it beneath them or something. Or that using coupons means you're poor or low class or something. When in reality it's the total opposite! I have MORE money because of coupons and smart shopping :) " My sentiments are and have been exactly the same since I started couponing.
So if you're worried of the stares and heavy sighs, then "you ain't been broke enough, baby." Once you get over this "highschool drama" fear of whipping out coupons THEN you will understand: they don't pay for your groceries YOU DO, it's YOUR MONEY, and YOUR LIFE. Coupons are there to be USED, that's why they are printed every week. 

SO... UNTIL NEXT TIME...

I will leave you for now with another quote from my friend Jenni. Here she's talking about all the money she's saved, received back, and all of the items she got free thanks to coupons from manufacturers.
"Sometimes I start thinking, how do the manufacturer's make a profit? They're gonna stop putting out coupons! But then, while I'm standing in line at a store, I look at the person in front of me and behind me. They're not using coupons. They're paying full price. So I just smirk to myself and happily use my coupons :)"

So get happy and use some coupons! Thanks for reading my introduction into this journey. I hope you will come back to read others. I'm going to try and update here as much as possible. I will be going into details on what I've been learning and insights into things as my blogs progress from Novice Coupon Butt Kicking, to Goddess Coupon Manufacture Servitude. :)

CLIP IT, USE IT, LOVE IT... GOOD LUCK! <3