Coupon Conundrums and After-Christmas Sales

"3 for $1.00" the sign proclaimed. On each package was a coupon for $1 off three.
In other words, the meat was free.

And yet, I hesitated.
My children didn't really like them.

Of course, at that price (FREE), I did pick up a few packages.

I shouldn't have bothered. After a few tries, my children all agreed that this particular product is barely edible.

Which brings us to the common coupon conundrum; should we use coupons to purchase items we wouldn't otherwise?

For years, the day after Christmas meant I would head to one of the larger towns to check out the after Christmas sales, whether I needed anything or not. While I no longer travel just for sales, I did head to our local Walmart early this morning, intent on snagging some of the AXE gifts sets and Dana perfume sets I had coupons for. ($3.75 off the AXE sets, $2 off the perfumes) Despite the fact that there was a large quantity of both sets available just the day before Christmas Eve, there were none on the shelves. I asked one of the women working in the Christmas aisle where they had gone and she said the manager had them pull many of the gift sets. I still managed to get some of the Olay sets for $3.75, after my $1 coupons and Venus razor gift sets for $2.75, after coupons. Since the Venus razors retail for $5, and are one of my girls favorite razors, I would have purchased these sets even without the coupon savings.

What about you? Did you do any after-Christmas couponing?

Black Friday, Coupon Style

Black Friday, 2009. A method of taking advantage of Black Friday prices outside of the long lines waiting for a cheap television or $5 headphones. Also, a good explanation as to why this holiday season will be especially difficult for me. My husband was my shopping partner and best friend. Taken from the archives of my blog, http://marypotterkenyon.com,

My husband and I have only done the Black Friday early morning gig once in our 20 years of marriage, braving crowds and cold weather with a toddler Katie (who is now 10). The free after rebate items at our local Ace Hardware were just too enticing. David and Dan both got tools in their stocking that year. While we were out and about, we also stopped at Theisen’s farm store for the batteries that would also be free after rebate. Unfortunately, standing in a long line with a toddler means we left that store with a stuffed animal we didn’t need or want. We vowed never to do it again, at least not with a toddler in tow.

I’ve heard the stories that make the Black Friday debacle appealing. My sister-in-law, Julie, goes shopping with her mother every year, getting up early and hitting the stores that offer the free gift cards or the doorbusters that appeal to her. They shop till they drop, then enjoy a good breakfast together. That sounds like fun. Then there are the experiences like my daughter’s yesterday morning: http://tinyurl.com/2w59wul

This year I actually wanted to do some Black Friday shopping. The house was still nice and clean in anticipation of my Thanksgiving guest’s arrival. Our youngest child is 7, old enough to stay with her siblings for the day. I wasn’t interested in shopping for drastically reduced electronics, half-price cameras, or cheap $3 appliances.

No, I wanted the free-after-register rewards items from Walgreens.

There was no pre-dawn rushing out the door for us. David and I left town at a respectable 8:30 a.m. Before I left the house I used a Black Friday 20% off code and ordered a custom-made box full of Littlest Pet Shop toys from a woman on ThredUp, the premiere place for bartering clothing and toys. My children are fine with getting used toys for Christmas. In fact, my 17-year-old son still talks about the huge bin of used Legoes I gave him several years ago.

The parking lot of our Walmart was still full when we drove by. Our first stop in Marion was the Salvation Army thrift store. We had the store mostly to ourselves as we perused the racks that were labeled with a hand-written sign “6 for $1.” Yes, the Salvation Army was having an unadvertised sale on both plus size and t-shirts. Thanks to working at my sister’s store, I know what brand to look for: a dozen Vanity and American Eagle tees went into the cart. Plus size was easy too: CJ Banks labels were an automatic yes. So were Lane Bryant and Venezia. Thanks to these sales, I’ll have an entire rack of women’s plus sizes at my next garage sale. Tops I paid less than a quarter for will be snatched up at $1.50-$3 a piece. Some two-piece outfits and jeans (yes, they were also 6/$1) can be priced as high as $5. Books were 6 for $1 too, but the selection was very limited. I did manage to unearth two large books about digital photography, a writer’s resource book, two old readers and some newer fiction paperbacks which will go to HalfPrice Books my next trip there. Last time they gave me $18 for a box of books I’d gotten at Salvation Army that I hadn’t paid more than $3 for.

It was 10:00 before we hit the Walgreens store, and every product that was issuing a register rewards coupon (now called Jingle Cash) was still in stock. The trick was to make sure to use a coupon on each item so that after the register rewards it would not only be free, but I’d be paid to take it out of the store. Some highlights? Colgate Total toothpaste was on sale for $2.99 with a $2.50 register reward. I used a $1 coupon, so netted a profit on that. The Olay body was $3.49, with a $2.50 register reward. The Secret body spray was $3.49 with a $3 register reward. Purchasing the two products together, I could use a $5 coupon, which means I essentially got both products free and, in fact, made money on them! David and I each did an order, paying $24 and $16 for our orders, but leaving with more than $15 in catalina coupons each. .  
After we went to the Hy-vee store for a marked-down breakfast buffet ($3.99 each for scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, and all the coffee we could drink, normally $6.99 without the coffee) we headed back to Walgreens to use some of our Jingle Rewards dough.

Not pictured? The three Littlest Pet Shop toys that were marked $6.99 each or 3 for $13.98, the $6.99 Scottissue 12-pack, four packages of batteries, and a 2-pack of Phillips Sonicare heads for the toothbrush David’s dentist recommended. The toothbrush heads normally retail for $30 each. David had to add some candy for the kids in order to use several of the catalina coupons (there has to be one item per catalina coupon) After his Jingle cash, David paid less than $15 for all of this, and $3.64 was tax. I did another order of free after rewards items, so now we have $24 in Jingle cash to spend at Walgreens before December 10th.

On the way home I asked my husband if he’d had a fun day. After all, it was really my thing to rummage through used clothing and books for gems, and my thing to fill carts with free merchandise. He mostly follows me around, watching me, and his head starts to spin in circles when I try to explain why I am adding yet another bottle of shampoo to the cart, shampoo that will be 99-cents after register rewards, and free after my $1 coupon. He doesn’t even try to understand my obsession, but he does support it.

“I love watching you do your thing,” he answered, taking my hand in his and squeezing it tightly. “I love being alone with you.”

I knew then that our Black Friday shopping trip wasn’t all about the deals.

It was way more about the company I was keeping and the time spent with my best friend

COUPON FATIGUE

I'm a fraud. A sham. A charlatan. At least that is the way I felt at my last couponing workshop when one of the attendees pulled out a coupon binder twice as thick as mine and found it necessary to correct me on the proper use of K-Mart register reward coupons. "You can use them the same day," she said when I informed workshop attendees they wouldn't be able to use the register coupons until the following week. Her correction threw me off a bit; what if the K-mart policy had changed, and I hadn't been aware of it?  Let's face it~ I haven't been on top of a lot of things since my husband's death seven months ago, including keeping up with this blog which hasn't had a posting since late August. (I checked the Kmart ad this weekend and their current register coupon offers were the same as I had remembered; the coupon would be good on a purchase the following week) 

Here I am, working on a couponing book that will be published next September, writing a weekly couponing column for a newspaper, and a workshop presenter for local community colleges, libraries and women's groups, and  for the past six months, I've *gulp* barely used coupons myself.

When I lost my husband in March, I lost all interest in extreme couponing, despite maintaining an avid interest in the phenomenon itself. David had been my shopping partner, my couponing comrade, for over 30 years. For months, I couldn't even get through a Hy-Vee store without crying. Oh, I rallied a bit when an Extreme Couponing television producer led me to believe my couponing "love story" might have a shot at appearing on their program. I enjoyed several superb shopping trips, stockpiling things like razors, Febreeze, Glade and feminine hygiene products. That stockpiling ended about the same time the e-mails and phone calls from Sharp entertainment did.

I'd had no qualms continuing my couponing workshops, however. After all, I'd been an avid couponer for over 30 years. I am an expert in the topic, even when I am not an active participant. My two-hour power point presentation is entertaining and I always give a fun drawing prize. The fact is, however, that my coupon binder has been more of a prop than a powerful tool in the battle of the budget recently. That point was made vividly clear in my last workshop when one of the women pulled out a bulging binder that put mine to shame. It doesn't bode well for a couponing instructor when one of her students has a coupon holder bigger than hers. My own jaw dropping, whether in dismay or awe I wasn't sure, I managed to ask, "Why exactly are you taking this class?"

It turned out she hadn't signed up as a student, she'd only been sent to the center to unlock the door.

It was still an eye-opening experience for me; What happens when an avid couponer experiences something like "Coupon Fatigue?" In my case, I'm assuming it is only temporary and brought about by my husband's demise, but it could just as well have been the birth of a baby, stockpile overload, or a new job that changed my avid couponing habits. I guess what might happen is that we then become an "average" shopper, casually clipping coupons and using a few every week. According to recent research from the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA), a survey of 1000 people found that 89% used coupons when shopping, with 97% of primary shoppers using coupons at the supermarket. Those coupon users report an average of seven percent savings on their grocery bill with coupons.

Oh, I can hold my own with the typical shopper. Just taking the time to clip a few coupons every week and matching those coupons with sales, I've done as well at 20% on some of my bills, and even better with the few well-planned trips I've embarked on since March.

My thin, unorganized binder is a reminder to me of just what a new couponer could accomplish in a little time. This week's Fareway grocery ad inspired me to get back in the saddle and start saving more.

"Combine your store coupons with manufacturer coupons to maximize your savings," I always advise in my workshops. This week's Fareway ad is a good example. The store ad includes a coupon good for $8 off 10 listed items. It didn't take long for me to go through the slim pickings of my coupon binder to unearth some nearly forgotten $2 off Oscar Mayer deli sliced meat coupons when you purchase Kraft deli-sliced cheese. I pulled four of those from my binder, knowing we could go through at least four packages of meat for sandwiches. The Kraft Fresh Take coupons in my binder were expired and I nearly despaired of additional savings until I checked the online printable coupon source,/http://www.coupons.com/. Lo and behold, there were coupons for Planters nuts (I love the Nutrition products), Kraft Miracle Whip, and Kraft Velveeta Shells and Cheese. I felt that old familiar surge of adrenaline when I entered the store, reminiscent of my "good old days" of couponing before David's death. With very little advance planning, I managed to save a respectable $27.45 on a $111.00 grocery trip; not the best I've ever done but decidedly a good start in getting back into the coupon game.

The bottom line lesson to all this; even new, or fatigued seasoned shoppers, can save money on their weekly groceries without spending hours clipping and sorting coupons...
...and I need to clip the stacks of coupons so kindly shared with me, and beef up my binder a bit before my next workshop!

Heads Up, Couponers! Dollar Tree Accepting Coupons!

This is big news for couponers everywhere, so big I wondered why it wasn't on the front page of the newspaper. As of Sunday, August 26th, Dollar Tree stores nationwide will begin accepting manufacturer's coupons. I cannot tell you how many times I would visit a Dollar Tree store with my husband, where everything is actually ONE DOLLAR, mind you, and lament the fact that they didn't accept coupons. Free toothpaste, free make-up, free deodorant...If only.  And now a casual comment on the Dollar Tree Facebook page netted the admission that yes, they will begin accepting manufacturer's coupons on August 26th. Here is their official coupon policy (scroll down to the bottom of the page)  Dollar Tree Coupon Policy
Dollar Tree did not officially announce this with a press release but word spread fast among coupon bloggers and there were many questions posted on the Facebook page that leads me to believe it might be a bit of a mess at Dollar Tree stores until all the cashiers and managers are trained in coupon acceptance. If I lived near a Dollar Tree I might rush out the door Sunday morning just to "test the waters," but I, for one, am thrilled at this new coupon policy that will mean many items will be free with the use of coupons.

They're Everywhere! They're Everywhere!

"You can find coupons everywhere," I tell attendees at my workshops. "In the newspaper, in magazines, on the Internet, on pads on the grocery store shelf, hanging on bottles (hangtags), and even on the package. (peelies)  What I've never told them, what I've never seen before in 30+ years of couponing was a coupon on my roll of toilet paper. Not on the package, mind you, and not in the package, but literally attached to the toilet paper roll!

That's a first for me.
Apparently I will have to change my workshop presentation a bit and add, "You can even find them on your toilet paper!"
It was a good one, too.

Where was the most unusual place you ever found a coupon?

Can You Smell a Good Deal?

"Everything in this cart $1.00" I spotted the sign immediately when I entered our Walmart to pick up some medication. When I saw what was in the cart, I turned around and asked Katie to fetch my coupon binder from the car; Glade sprays and candles, and Febreeze products~all marked down to just one dollar. I knew I had more of the $2.00 off Glade Expressions coupons and several $5.00 off five Febreeze product coupons inside my binder. I nearly forgot about the medicine as I counted coupons against products I was putting inside my cart. I also knew I was going to have to add some more things to my cart as the $2 off Glade coupons would give me an additional $1 off my purchases. That's right, Walmart's official coupon policy states that coupons that exceed the price of the product can still be taken and the remaining amount above the product price can go towards the other purchases in your basket. The blue "eco bags" that normally retail for $4 at Walmart were also in the cart. These bags fold down to a manageable size and have very sturdy handles and a bottom insert that makes them perfect for book sales and/or grocery shopping, so I added four of those to my order, along with some yogurt (not pictured) and a bottle of iced tea. I also added four Ivory soap bar packs that retail for $1.24 a pack because I still have several of the $1 off any Ivory soap coupons to use before the end of July.

My first order included most of the Glade sprays in the cart and all of the Febreeze products, but I knew I had some Air-Wick coupons and more Glade coupons in my uncut inserts at home. So then I did what any red-blooded, self-respecting American couponer would do; I rushed home and sat on the couch, hurridly clipping through several stacks of coupons and went back to the store fifteen minutes later, nabbing the Air-Wick refills ($1.50 off the $1 refills) and the smaller Glade candles that I now had "Buy Two, Get One Free" coupons on. $2 for three of the candles wasn't a fantastic deal, but my additional $2 Glade Expressions coupons would pay for the other two candles.Two other ladies digging into the $1 cart were thrilled with my offerings of Glade coupons so that they, too, could make a good deal even better. I added another four packages of the Ivory soap to this second order. I ended up paying less than $12 for everything pictured.
Now, that makes for a sweet-smelling deal!

I Love it When I'm Right

A week ago my weekly coupon column in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald newspaper advised my readers to clip out the Glade $2 Expressions collection coupon as I was certain we would see some good sale prices in the coming weeks.  At recent couponing workshops I'd also mentioned the Glade $2 off one Expressions coupon because I predicted this product would either be steeply discounted or clearanced out soon. Why? Because I'd purchased a couple of cans the last time we saw a high-value coupon and I noticed two things: #1) it is a really pricey product at nearly $4 a can regular retail and, #2) the can's design is not user friendly. It is really difficult to squeeze the lid in order to get it to spray. I assumed that some stores would find it a slow seller and put it on clearance. I believe I actually said in one workshop, "I can guarantee you this will be a product we will see clearanced out and eventually, discontinued.  It remains to be seen if it will eventually be discontinued, but today I did, indeed, discover it on a clearance shelf, marked down to $2.50 a can.

After my $2 coupons, I paid 50-cents each for spray with an amazingly delicious scent. (It is almost worth the $4) I bought the remaining 12 on the shelf.

Back in the Game: A Walmart Shopping Spree

When I first began doing couponing workshops, I had to design a power point presentation that would include targeted shopping sprees with good demonstrations of how coupons can save money. My husband and I spent a good five or six weeks shopping with a camera, my coupon binder, and a plan. The plan was to utilize sale prices combined with coupons for a wide array of examples. David was both companion and champion of the cause. While he didn't participate in either the list-making or the deal-breaking, he stood next to me in line, commenting on my savings and lauding my praises to the (usually) bored cashier.

It was embarrassing.
It was wonderful.We were a team.

For a long time after David's death, I left my coupon binder at home when I went to the store, even though I continued bringing it with me to display at my workshops. I stopped shopping at our favorite stores. I still don't shop two of the Hy-Vee stores we frequented on our shopping trips, where David drank copious amounts of coffee in the deli area while I did my thing. Couponing, however, has been a part of my life for over 30 years, so the cold turkey approach of quitting entirely was not really an option. A month after my partner's death, I tentatively pulled a few coupons out of the binder to bring with me when I went to the store. Thought the pile of inserts built up, I did half-heartedly shuffle through them, looking for coupons too good to throw away. I shopped clearance prices without coupons. Recently, though, I got back into the habit of clipping coupon inserts began lugging my binder with me on shopping trips again. I had to update my binder since the handle of the black one I'd used for over a year was tearing. David would have duct-taped it.

I found this binder on ebay for less than $10 shipped, and it looks quite business-like when I hold it.

I transferred the plastic sleeves and plastic dividers from one binder to the next, adding a zipper pouch from the school supply aisle since this binder doesn't have a front pocket pouch like my old one did.

And I waited. Was I ready to attempt a super shopping spree? Yes, I'd done a few smaller ones without David, but nothing on a grand scale. After just one morning of clipping and organizing, I decided I would give it a go. I wasn't about to leave town to try and save money, but I would see what kind of damage I could do at our own hometown Walmart.

Up and down the aisles I went, searching for clearance prices and those items priced low enough they would be either cheap or free with my carefully-filed coupons. While not near the "Extreme Couponing" savings, this was a spree that most Iowans could replicate easily, and without the advantage of double-couponing.

The retail cost was over $75, and I paid less than $20. The razors are $5.77 at our Walmart, and I had $4 coupons burning a hole in my binder. These are the razors I like to put in my son's Christmas baskets each year. At $1.77 a pop, they are a nice addition to the baskets I already have partially-filled on my attic steps. The Centrum supplements were on clearance for $5, and I had two $5 coupons in my binder, so they were free.  The Ivory soap bar packs are $1.24 at Walmart. With the $1 coupon from the P&G inserts a couple of weeks ago, the soap cost 24-cents, a nice addition to the baskets I make up as prizes at my workshops. This is the basket I've prepared for Monday night's workshop. The person who guesses the closest to the actual price I've paid for the products in the basket, wins the basket.

Anyone reading this blog who attends the workshop already has an advantage at winning it. They know I paid 24-cents for the Ivory soap and nothing at all for the vitamin supplement.

The Kotex liners pictured are 97-cents at our store, and I had a $1.50 off two coupon, meaning I paid 22-cents for each package. If your Walmart sells the Kotex U liners, the same newspaper insert included a coupon for $1 off any Kotex U product and you will be able to net a package of liners for less than a quarter.

And the Band-Aids? I didn't have any coupons for Band-Aid products in my binder, but the clearance price of $1 for large knee-size bandages with first-aid ointment already applied is a good enough deal, I picked up two boxes. We've already experienced one episode of skinned knees this summer and I expect there will be more.

Was this an "extreme" shopping trip? No. Was it an example of "saving" money? Not when you consider that, other than the Band-Aids and liners, I didn't actually NEED any of these products. Was it an inexpensive way to add to my son's Christmas gifts and my workshop prize? Yes.

The more pressing question might be; was this shopping trip fun, despite the absence of my dear husband?

I know I was smiling when I left the store.

Speaking Engagement at the James Kennedy Public Library in Dyersville!

Between the Covers presents: Couponing Class

Summer Reading Program Event

What	Summer Reading Program Event
When	Jul 16, 2012 from 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm
Where	Hoffman Community Room
Contact Name	Diana Schmitt
Contact Email	dschmitt@dyersville.lib.ia.us
Contact Phone	563-875-8912

Don’t lose sleep over high prices, become a couponer! Mary Kenyon, the Telegraph Herald’s Coupon Queen, will present tips about couponing and just how easy it is to save money. She will help with organizing your coupons so they are handy.

Bag Sale!!!

As if I don't have enough "stuff" to find places for in my home, I attended my sister's consignment store "bag sale" on Monday.  Now, I have been on both sides of the counter for these twice-a-year sales when everything in the store is on sale for $5 a bag, and I can't really tell you which side of the counter I prefer.
 
Okay, I'm lying. I like buying best.

But observing the sale-crazed ladies grabbing things throughout the store and rushing to the counter comes in a close second.

On Monday, however, I was one of the crazed. Funny thing~ when everything is $5 a bag, I suddenly find things to purchase that I wouldn't otherwise; Like two laundry baskets full of books.  No one but me rushes to the books. The rest of the shoppers were grabbing clothing from the racks so fast you would have thought their entire family waited for them at home, completely naked. Books are an afterthought for most of the shoppers, and by then, I've ransacked the shelves of anything even resembling good reading. After the books, I head to the housewares section, where candle holders and vintage linens await. Oh yes, and a flower pot, vase, pink shower curtain I am certain will work as a curtain in my daughter's bedroom where three walls are white and one is pink and a black curtain needs to be replaced. Gotta love my quirky sense of decorating. And a Zingo game, which is Bingo with a zing. I couldn't resist the Bob's boxes tissue holder and the oriental rug I will offer one of my daughters later.  And a new bathroom towel rod which isn't pictured. Surely one of my children (or me!) will find the perfect place for such a lovely towel bar.

By the time I got to the clothes racks, the selection was picked over, but I still managed to find a few tops for my teen daughters.

If you like good deals and you haven't participated in a "bag sale" check your local consignment stores to see if they have one. This is the time of the year when most stores are putting out their school clothing and want to clear out the summer stock. If you are really lucky, they'll be including some of their housewares, too.

Wal-Mart Clearance Shopping, Part II

If you were married to me for 32 years like David was, you would have known I would go back to Wal-Mart the next day after I loaded up on the amazing $1 deals. Deal-shopping and couponing was so much a part of mine and David's relationship that I've really had a difficult time garnering much enthusiasm for either since his death in March.  I have yet to make it through a Hy-Vee store and my poor coupon binder is getting dusty from lack of use. I have felt alternately guilty (paying full price for products!) and deeply saddened by the loss of something that had been deeply integral in my everyday life for so many years.  Just as David and I have hit every book sale in the 50-mile range for over 15 years, and now I can't bring myself to go to a book sale, I just am not enjoying shopping much anymore.

Hitting that $1 clearance aisle did something for me, besides fill a couple totes for my attic gift stash; it brought back a joy that I'd worried was gone forever.

I had fun.

Not only that, but I went back the next morning and was pleased to see they had added some things to their clearance aisle. (someone asked me after the last column where they could find the clearance aisle in a store like Wal-Mart and the answer is nearly always at the back of the store) Unfortunately, these finds are likely regional, as our store is remodeling to become a superstore, so don't run to your nearest Walmart and figure you will find the same good deals.

Pictured are the beautiful folders I found for just 25-cents. I'd been buying the cheap, plain colored folders for my writing workshop students, but these beautiful folders will really add to the freebies each student gets when they take my class. Each folder will contain handouts and valuable resource information, along with samples of query letters. I always give prizes in my workshops, too.  One attendee at each couponing workshop wins a basket full of health and beauty products and the prizes at the writing workshops usually involve nice journals and writing books. Then there were two acrylic oil paint sets that come with one canvas, priced at just $5 each and some scrapbook sticker sets that normally retail for $4 for just $1. And the Coleman $29 jacket? Just one dollar! The HP ink was a super deal at just $10 and I couldn't resist the Italian leather NOOK Color protective cover with soft interior lining. On the front are these words, "A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it."~ Samuel Johnson.  The regular retail price was $39.88, and it was on sale for only $5!  Do I have a Nook? No. Know anyone with a Nook? I don't think so. But this beautiful cover makes me want to win the Nook Color our local library is giving away to one adult in the summer reading program. Who knows? Maybe that will be me.

Yes, I enjoyed this shopping trip.  Yes, I miss my shopping partner. Did I go back again today? No, I think I've done enough damage to my pocketbook for one week.

Sometimes, a deal is too good to pass up, but get too many of those good deals, and it still adds up to $100 total on items I wouldn't have purchased otherwise, except maybe for folders and HP ink.

Savings Without Coupons

"Always check the clearance aisle," is the sound advice I give attendees at my couponing workshops. And THIS is why:

When I stopped at Wal-Mart this morning I saw a woman marking items from the $5 clearance section and putting them in the $1 section;leather cases for ipods, 6-packs of women's black socks, 6-packs of underpants...I started filling my cart. When the woman saw what I was doing, she asked if I was interested in the small bottles of perfume that normally retail for $6 (yep~think Christmas stocking stuffers), the Uni-Ball pens that sell for $6 (yep again), and the Phillips head phones with the $19.99 price tags (are you kidding me? of course!). Then there were the 3-packs of cute Carter shirts and pants, bags of seashells, Tulip fabric paints, wires for beading and jewelry-making, boxes of HP photo paper, and some tools that are going into my boy's stockings, even though I'm not sure what they are, but man, oh man, they were originally $16! There were even $16 toy sets that will go to my grandson Jacob to donate to the University of Iowa pediatric unit. A lot of these items will be put away for Christmas, some will be used right away and several will be sold at my sister's consignment store. These items retail for approximately $800 and cost me $82, an amazing 90% savings, and without coupons!

Romance at Edgeton Sanitation

This is a piece I wrote for a now-defunct refund magazine, from sometime in 1994. Please note that the new generation of couponer is not even familiar with the concept of refunding but as a long-time refunder/couponer, I used to make approximately $80-$100 a month~easily~ by sending in proofs of purchase of products I had purchased. I also provided approximately 80% of our Christmas gifts through refunding premiums offered by companies in the 80′s and 90′s.

Unfortunately, my husband and I didn't make it another 25 years, and my taste for shopping and deals has (temporarily?) gone down the tubes. He has left a huge void in my life. I have yet to make it through a Hy-Vee without crying. We did a lot of the grocery shopping and deal-getting together.

Romance at Edgeton’s Sanitation

Our eyes met across the newspaper recycling bin as our hands brushed against each other’s in our search for the glossy coupon inserts amidst the piles of newspapers. My heart started beating faster and my cheeks flushed red with excitement. After fifteen years, this man knew the way to my heart. He smiled as he handed a huge stack of uncut coupons, and smiling more broadly, he pulled a Motrin IB box from his coat pocket. “Look what I found in the cardboard bin,” he said excitedly, “And I bet there is more where that came from.”

Sound like a trashy romance novel to you? Write what you know, successful authors advise, and I know what it’s like to have a husband who not only supports my hobby, but who also believes I’ll have a book published by the time I reach 40. Most of us have some type of support system in the form of a spouse, a parent, a refunding sister, or our regular traders who visit us via the mailbox. If we are really lucky, we live with our supportive person. I’m one of those lucky enough to have a spouse who thinks refunding is both fun and profitable.

Pulling an old curtain rod from the back of his maroon station wagon, David deftly cornered a 42-load ultra detergent box in the cardboard bin, flipping it over the side with one twist of his muscular arm. My knees trembled and my heart raced as I saw him reach deep into the large bin for yet another treasure to warm my heart. Dimly I was aware of another car approaching the site. I busied myself unloading my own box of recyclables, keeping an eye on David, who continued to look through the cardboard filled bin, oblivious to the well-dressed older couple who’d pulled up in their van.

There have been times in my life when I’ve actually been embarrassed by my relationship with trash. It helps to have a spouse who has offered to buy me a Halloween mask to conceal my identity for trash digs. David tells me that someday we will look back on these days and laugh, or I will write about our experiences and be invited to the Oprah show. Our children have seen the great gifts I get for Christmas morning so they are well aware what refunding can do for them. Anyone who looks in my bathroom cupboard and sees the shampoo, toothbrushes, soap and makeup that I’ve gotten practically free through the wise use of coupons is impressed. But my husband also sees the piles of undone refunds on my desk, the stacks of trades to be answered, the overflowing basket of labels and UPC’s on my kitchen counter, and the huge box of qualifiers in my office/schoolroom. I can’t pinpoint the exact day when my husband did more than just tolerate my hobby, but I do know that the arrival of the Camel/Salem camcorder in the mail did a lot to convince him of the value of refunding. A shopping spree where I paid $45 for over $295 worth of groceries didn’t hurt either.

I couldn’t resist checking out the magazine box, where I’d been caught by a worker at the site recently who encouraged me to take the magazines home. I love reading and can’t always afford to pick up the latest women’s magazines. Besides, I’d recently bartered ten Mother Earth News magazines I’d found for two books by an author who wrote about homeschooling. I noticed the couple in their van warily eyeing David before finally getting out and emptying their own boxes. I was pleased when they approached my bin with a bag of what looked like People magazines, a gold mine for me! I smiled at the woman as she dumped them, and she smiled back. I saw her speaking to her husband when she returned to the van and he nodded. I wondered if they were feeling sorry for the poor woman who had to get her reading material from a recycling bin. I caught David’s eye and nodded to him that I was done for the day.

Together, David and I are learning what we can do without, what we really need, and all the fun stuff we can get free. I like being thrifty with my husband and would love to get a government grant to study the effects of couponing and refunding on the average marriage. Surely someone who has seen you bent over digging through a recycling bin and has not only stayed with you, but joined in, must love you a great deal.

I took hold of David’s hand as he started the car and leaned over to kiss me. “We got a good haul today,” he said, glancing in the back at the boxes brimming with coupon inserts, magazines and detergent boxes. He sighed with contentment as we drove out the entrance of the recycling center. I looked at him with appreciation, then saw his face change from pleasure to that of surprise as he looked in the rearview mirror. He abruptly braked, then pointed back to the recycling center. “Look,” he whispered. I turned to see the older couple facing each other across the same newspaper bin David and I had shared a tender moment at just minutes before. The woman was gesturing excitedly to her husband, waving a stray coupon insert in front of him. He laughed and caressed her cheek lovingly. I looked at David and we didn’t even need to voice the thought we were both having…
That’s us, in 25 years.

No Coupon Needed

Never go anywhere without your coupons. This is the #1 rule for couponers everywhere, and yet I was in Walmart this morning without my binder. I was there to pick up medication for my daughter Emily, who just had her wisdom teeth removed. While I waited, I wandered the nearby aisles, coming across five more boxes of marked down Kotex U pads, along with five $2 coupons. $1 a box after coupons is a great stockpile price, so of course I bought all five.  I almost didn't go in the clearance aisle because I knew there was a good chance there would be something marked down that I had coupons for~ at home~ and I didn't need the guilt at having forgotten my coupons and missing a good deal. I'm glad I ignored my initial hesitation because when I got to the clearance aisle I immediately spotted a cart of marked-down Scott toilet tissue. Now, Scott tissue has been my favorite brand of toilet paper for over 15 years, ever since we lived in the country with a septic system. And I was just thinking about how low we were getting on toilet paper.

(photo circa 2002)

I am always looking for a good deal on Scott tissue, so when I saw these single rolls marked down to 25-cents (regularly $1), I began throwing them into my cart.  Then I thought What am I doing? and I put the rolls back in the cart and added my other items to their cart full of toilet paper, instead. Then I pushed it up to the checkout, where I was met with the very wide pair of eyes of a young cashier. David would have loved this, I thought.  He was never embarrassed with my good deals, unlike my children, who would have been mortified. David would have started bragging on the good deal and called me his "Coupon Queen." (despite the fact that I didn't have coupons for the toilet paper) "She's the coupon queen who writes a column for the Telegraph Herald," he often told complete strangers in line behind us. Hey, he was proud of me, and after 32 years, used to my sometimes extreme couponing tactics.

I helped the cashier count the 89 rolls and handed her my coupons for the Kotex products. "Now you have something funny to talk about in the break room later," I told her, "You can tell everyone about the crazy lady buying toilet paper."

"Oh, I will," she smiled broadly. I think I made her day. I know this deal made mine.

EMERGENCY COUPONING!

Last night I heard the words every mother of teenage girls dreads hearing; "Mom, we're almost out of pads."

It is a fact that for 40 years, I have not run out of "feminine protection." Seriously.  As soon as I realized that my parents had a difficult time keeping the house stocked with such an important necessity, I started using my baby-sitting money to pay for my own. When I got married in 1979 I began using coupons on everything I regularly used, and at that point I stopped being brand-loyal. It was whatever pad was on sale that I had coupons for. For one entire year it was Always pads, the year I lived in Independence, Iowa and raided the recycling center weekly, netting 25-30 of the amazing $2 coupons that made the product entirely free. And up until six weeks ago, when my husband passed away and I temporarily lost my mind, I avidly perused the sale ads and the coupon inserts so that my cupboard was well-stocked with this important product at the lowest stockpile price possible.

Then last night one of my daughters informed me the stockpile was down to one single pad and I needed to go to Walmart first thing in the morning.

Without coupons.  There was not one single coupon for feminine protection in my coupon binder. No Kotex. No Stayfree. No Always.

Terror struck in my heart. Would I have to pay full-price for this pricey product?

At Walmart this morning, my eyes scanned the shelves, silently repeating the steps to saving that I recite in my workshops:

Step 1: Identify what you need.  I needed pads.
Step 2: Look for a sale price. I found a couple boxes of Kotex U products on sale for $3, regularly $5.97, and they included a nice purse clutch holder. 
Step 3: Ask yourself if you have coupons for that product. No, I did not. BUT, and this was the best part of emergency couponing shopping in action~ Right on the product were $2 off coupons, bringing those two boxes down to just $1! I picked up two other packages that were priced at $3.97, and used the $2 coupons on those as well.

There was also a refund form attached to a Stayfree product, offering a $5 refund for purchasing two Stayfree products, limited to one per address.  I picked up two packages of pads priced at $2.84, and immediately filled out the form when I got home, sending it out in today's mail to get a $5 check. (the manufacturer's count on the impulse buy and the slippage that occurs when the consumer forgets to send for the rebate)

Arms full, I headed to the checkout, only to be stopped by an older gentleman who informed me I had dropped one the packages.  He laughed when I stooped over to pick it up and dropped another one of the packages.

"Emergency run. Two teenage daughters," I explained.

"That is an emergency!" he said, "But I think you could have used a cart," and he gallantly offered me his empty one.

I demurred, and carefully made my way to the check-out.  Hopefully I won't have any more emergency coupon runs anytime soon.

A Cut Above

I managed to collect 8 $3 off Olay razor coupons for a good deal at Target yesterday. My daughters and I actually prefer these all-in-one razors, but they are normally too pricey for us. At $5.99 a pop after the $3 coupon applied, you might wonder why I would purchase eight of them. Target had the new Olay razors on sale for $8.99 in last week's ad, but what caught my attention was the fact that for each two I would purchase, I would net a $5 gift card. Now, things were getting interesting. I paid $11.98 for the first set of razors~ quite a pricey investment for a $5 gift card. However, the next set of razors rang in at $11.98, and I used that first $5 gift card to bring my total down to $6.98, and netted yet another $5 gift card, which, of course, I used to purchase another set of razors. I was able to do this as long as I had $3 coupons, which meant only four transactions, since I had eight $3 coupons. If I did my math correctly, I ended up paying $32.92 ($11.98 for the first transaction, $6.98 for the subsequent three) for eight packages of razors that come with an extra cartridge, but I have that extra $5 gift card to use next time I am in the store.  Still pricey razors when we can buy an entire pack of Bic razors for less than $4, but let's face it, when it comes to razors, you really do get what you pay for; when we use Bic, we feel like we are scraping our legs with a slab of cement, and these razors just glide over our skin. We don't have to use shaving cream with these, either.

Hitting the Sauce

The young cashier looked up at me, one eyebrow raised, "Planning a salsa party, are we?"

"No, just a good deal," and I handed her a stack of coupons.  The Hy-Vee I stopped at yesterday had an endcap of Ortega products marked down; taco shells were just 99-cents and the taco sauce was 3/$2, which for those of you who are mathematically challenged means two jars came up for 67-cents each and the third rang up at 66-cents. Factor in my $1.00 off two Ortega product coupons, and figure in the fact that during the summer we go through several bottles a week with our favorite hot summer day tortilla chip dip, and this particular stockpile will likely get us through August, and for only 16 and 17-cents a bottle!

Mary's easy breezy taco layer dip

For a low-fat dip on a hot summer day, use Lays Baked tortilla chips and dip them in this treat. I eat this for a meal

line a cake pan with tin foil or wax paper, or this will be a mess to clean up.

Use two blocks of fat-free cream cheese as the bottom layer. Top with two smaller jars of taco sauce, or one larger jar. Top with chopped lettuce, cut up tomatoes and a bag of fat-free Kraft cheese.  Those with more refined taste buds will want to add chopped onions and olives.  Push down to compress the ingredients together, and dip the chips into it.  Enjoy!

The Reason for My Temporary Silence

My husband asked me just two weeks ago if there had ever been a time I hadn't wanted to use coupons. I couldn't remember any in over 32 years of marriage.  Now, I have the answer to that question.  My love, I could care less about coupons right now.

David Edward Kenyon, 60, died on March 27, 2012, leaving behind a grieving wife and eight loving children he was extremely proud of. David was born on March 28, 1951, in Perry, Iowa, the son of Lauren Kenyon and Helen Blank Kenyon. He attended Minburn High School and graduated from UNI in 1981 with a B.A. in Social Work. David met the love of his life on July 28, 1978. They were joined in holy matrimony on June 2, 1979. David would have humbly described himself as a simple man, but he was a hero to his friends and family, surviving a grueling cancer treatment in 2006 and becoming the epitome of a perfect husband and father.

Surviving are his wife of 32 years, Mary Kenyon, and their eight children: Daniel of Manchester, IA, Elizabeth (Ben) Flesher of Manchester, IA, Michael of Earlville IA, Rachel of Earlville IA, and four children at home: 18-year-old Matthew, 15-year-old Emily,12-year-old Katherine, and 8-year-old Abigail, three grandchildren, including a 6-year-old grandson who is currently fighting his own cancer battle, a son-in-law that he loved like his own son, Ben Flesher, and brothers: Keith (Margie) Kenyon of Dallas Center, IA, Jeff (Cheryl) Kenyon of Perry, IA and sisters Carol (Ben) Fox of Minburn, IA, Linda (Tom) Nevitt of Perry, IA, Susan Smith of Des Moines,IA, Kim (Larry) Goodman of Perry, IA and Laurie (Bill) Morgan of Boone, IA.

Clean Up in Aisle Three!

Couponing is a huge part of my life; I've been using coupons for over 30 years. But it is NOT my life. When I took my husband to the ER on March 15th, getting a good deal was the last thing on my mind. Well, actually not the last thing: I did raid our savings on the way to the hospital, thinking David didn't have insurance and we might net a discount on an ER bill if we paid in cash. (always a bargainer) After the third nitroglycerin pill, a heparin shot and an order for an ambulance, a cash discount was a moot point~We were in way over the cash in my purse.  Thankfully, my husband's insurance was reinstated, he is doing well, and I can now....SHOP?  I hadn't intended doing any shopping sprees while my husband was in the hospital but I did stop at the local Walgreens for a pill-crusher the day before I brought him home and I stumbled across a good deal. The store had a shelf full of clearance Olay soap marked down to $2.29.  I still had some of those $2.00 Olay coupons burning a hole in my binder, so I dashed back out to the van, grabbed it, and ended up buying all they had remaining on the shelf. (to my credit, these coupons do expire in a week and most of the body wash on the shelf had already been purchased so someone else had benefited from the deal)  What I hadn't expected was that every other Olay soap was going to be on sale for an additional 50% off. I didn't notice it in my first transaction when I had other products I was purchasing, but the second transaction I did when the coupons suddenly stopped scanning, and the cashier and I realized the ones that had scanned had covered the entire purchase and the register wouldn't take more.  So now I have these delicious smelling soaps to add to Christmas and workshop baskets~ all for free.  And we know my favorite motto: cheap is nice, but free is better.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat, in Coupon Lingo

In the coupon world, there will be some offers you will just want to do over and over.  Yesterday's Target offer was one of those. Last week's Target ad included Olay body wash on sale for $5. That is already a decent price on the big bottles, but still more than I like to pay for body wash. Body wash is a luxury, not a neccessity, but my entire family prefers a body puff and body wash to bar soap. I like to put body washes in my adult children's Christmas baskets, as well, so the fact that Target was offering a $5 gift card for each set of three Olay body washes purchased ignited my interest.  For the math impaired, $5 X 3 body washes=$15. Last week's Olay $2 coupon drops the price down to $9, not bad for three large bottles. The $5 gift card makes it a super deal. But to really get the most out of this sale, the trick is to turn around and do the deal all over again, this time using your initial gift card to help pay for the three Olay body washes. I've heard this strategy termed "Wash, Rinse, and Repeat" in coupon lingo.  I was near a Target yesterday afternoon and tried this deal, and it worked great.  First time through the checkout, I used three $2 coupons and paid $9 (plus tax) and got my $5 gift card. The second time through, I used three $2 coupons AND the $5 gift card to pay for my transaction, and paid only $4 (plus tax) for my order, netting me another $5 gift card. See where this is going? I could have done the deal as many times as I had coupons for, and as long as my husband would wait for me to go through the line. Most cashiers would allow me to do seperate orders, and this one had no problem. Unfortunately, I had to stop at 5 transactions because it was a Saturday, and the shelves weren't well stocked, but I am now have 15 body washes to add to my dwindling stockpile. This was definitely a deal worth repeating, and if I lived closer to a Target, I would have done it several times during the week.

Remember the Blue Light Special?

 As a mother of young children in the 1980’s, one of my favorite sales gimmicks was the “blue light special” at our local Kmart. It was created in the 1960’s as a way for store managers to draw shopper’s attention to slow-moving merchandise that was sold at a special discount for a very limited time. There was usually a ten-minute time frame in which the customer had to select their purchases and get them relabeled with the discount before the light was moved to a different section of the store.

 I’d be shopping with our two young children when I’d see the blue light flashing and I’d rush toward the area. I can vividly remember how I felt when I saw the light flashing: the heady rush of adrenaline, the sweaty palms and quickened heartbeat as I frantically perused the sales rack. It was an effective promotional tool, as I almost always found something. It was only later, at home, I might pull my purchases out of the shopping bag and be perplexed as to what possessed me to buy four shirts that didn’t yet fit either of my children, and when I looked more closely, weren’t even a style I cared for. I almost always experienced buyer’s remorse after my trips to Kmart. I was the hapless victim of a popular combination of sale tactic maneuvers; the urgency of the limited time deal and the illusion of a slashed discounted price.  I eventually stopped chasing the blue light, but I never stopped looking for clearance signs. I would succumb to many sales tactics in the ensuing years but falling for the blue light special was a rookie mistake; the “good deal” that really wasn’t.

Going Nutty!

Like most Coupon Queens, I love talking about couponing. With an almost religious fervor we proselytize about coupons; some of us teaching classes, making speeches or actively pursuing media opportunities where we can demonstrate our creative couponing skills. We are, indeed, crazy about coupons.

Or, if you ask some of our family and friends, just crazy.

In my couponing workshops, I stress the importance of buying and stockpiling by the sales. That means you should know the regular price of the items you typically purchase and maximize your savings by combining sale prices on those products with the coupons you have clipped and saved just for that purpose.

When I spotted a Planters Nutrition coupon in the newspaper for 75-cents off, I did two things: I collected as many as I could from friends and family, and  went online to www.thecouponclippers.com to see if they had any of that coupon in stock.  They did, only theirs were for $1.00 off. (if you haven't learned by now, you will find out; different areas of the country and even different newspapers in the same state, will have different coupons) So, for a ten-cent clipping fee, I ordered some of the $1.00 Nutrition coupons.

And then I waited.

Now, everyone in my family loves these nuts; even my children, and they are good for us. (within reason) The normal retail price of these cans varies, but averages around $5.00 a can. I've seen the price as high as $8.00 in some drugstores. So when I saw our Fareway advertising the Nutrition on sale for $3.49 a can, I knew it was time for me to use my coupons.  The only drawback to shopping like this is the reaction I get from others. Spotting eleven cans in my cart, the cashier's eyes widened, her mouth dropped open a bit, and she blurted out, "You must be having a party or something."
Buying over $35 worth of nuts in one trip probably does look a little crazy.

It seems only slightly less crazy when I pull out my $1 coupons.

Imagine what the cashiers are thinking when it is a cartload of toilet paper or feminine protection.
"You must be...having some kind of problem at your house..."

Nope. No problem.  Just a good sale.

Free Prize Inside...my couponing workshops

It all started innocently enough, in 1969, when the Cheerios company advertised a Super Ball on the back of their box; a ball they would send, totally free, in exchange for boxtops.  I was ten years old, and the word "Free" caught my eye then, just as it does now. I suppose that is one reason why I am addicted to couponing; the possibility of getting something free is just too much to resist. Now, I am using those free, and nearly free products as door prizes in my couponing workshops.  I am having so much fun with these workshops, givng away a prize is just my way of adding some fun for the participants.  The person who guesses the closest to the actual price I paid for these baskets full of products wins the basket at the end of the evening.

Now, of course, the price of the basket is also included, so if you are reading this blog posting right now and plan on attending one of my future workshops, keep in mind that I don't get the baskets free and not all the products were free, either. But if you read my blog regularly, you might have a better idea of the actual cost~

Here is the basket I will be giving away at Thursday's coupon workshop at NICC in Dubuque.  Do some of these products look familiar?  Retail value is well over $50. What do you think I paid?

Dubuque Telegraph Herald Introduces my couponing column!

It was fun, but kind of scary, to pick up the newspaper from the front porch and see my face on the cover!  Today my first couponing column runs in the Telegraph Herald newspaper. It will be a weekly column, run every Thursday. 

Free Toilet Bowl Cleaner!

There is a manufacturer coupon good for $4 off any Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner starter sets that expires on February 18th. I had a couple in my binder a couple of weeks ago when I visited the Cedar Rapids Hy-Vee store, when I noticed a freestanding display of One Step starter kits priced at $3.89. Ker-ching! Ker-ching! The FREE radar went off in my head and I added two to my cart. The coupon scanned with no problem, taking off exactly $3.89 for each box. I didn't expect there would be any kits left yesterday when I visited the store again, but I'd gotten four more coupons in the meantime. The display did, indeed, have a sizeable dent in it, but there were still kits left, so I added four to my cart, and again, there was no problem with the coupons scanning at the checkout, despite the fact the coupon made them free. The register "read" the coupon and allowed it to scan for $3.89, meaning no "overage" but free kits nonetheless. If you've got any of the $4 coupons, you might want to check your Hy-Vee stores for the same display.

Going Crackers!

If you have some of the $3.00 off 3 Nabisco cracker and cookie coupons that expire on the 27th, you might want to check out your local Hy-Vee store.  I've heard that some couponers are using these coupons on the tiny "cups" of cookies that some stores sell, but for a full-size bargain buy, Ritz and Nabisco crackers are on sale this week for $1.68.  Now, $1.68 is a great price. The Nabisco Triscuit Thin Crisps I love so much are normally well over $3 at our local Fareway. Combine the sale price with those $3 coupons, however, and you will be paying just 68-cents a box! I had 8 of the coupons remaining in my coupon binder, so picked up 24 boxes of assorted crackers.  Most of them are now stored on shelves on my back porch. I don't want to make those Ritz Bits too easily accesible to the children or they'll be gone in 24 hours!

Total cost before coupons: $40.32, after coupons, $16.32.

Promoting Yourself on a Budget

I can't believe how many times I ignored the Vistaprint ads popping up on my computer, thinking "Free" was just too good to be true.  250 business cards for Free, proclaimed the ad I saw most frequently, and I'd think, yeah right.  Then when the Groupon and Living Social savings sites offered $70 in Vistaprint products for $15, I decided to try Vistaprint products. Were they as high quality as some of the office supply products I'd ordered?  I ordered business cards and printed stationery with those offers and was pleasantly surprised by the quality. Because of those orders, I got on their mailing list and started receiving e-mails with special offers for free products; sometimes it was a pen, notepad, and maybe more letterhead stationery. The trick was not to order more than what they were offering for free and the qualifer for this deal was that I had to pay postage, but the postage ended up being very reasonable.  I'd once ordered "rack cards" through Staples, paying more than $25 for 50 rack cards for a book-signing I was doing at Barnes & Noble. These rack cards are about twice the size of a normal bookmark and give my contact information and describe both my writing and the public speaking I do. I've gotten at least one phone call for a public speaking engagement as a direct result of that book signing, and only ten people picked up a rack card. Identical rack cards were shipped to me for just $5.38 through Vistaprint. Vistaprint walks you through the steps to designing your own business cards, rack cards and even brochures. I have now designed magnets to give away at my coupon workshops (average less than twenty cents each, shipped), a tote bag, a mousepad,and thank-you notes.  I only go for the "FREE" offers, never click on other products that are offered (and you will be offered many more products as you go through the checkout process) and I am careful to avoid clicking on any of the boxes at the bottom of the page or I might find myself with a website charge or some other "wonderful" offer that I didn't realize I was signing up until 30 days later. It is fairly simple to avoid these additional charges; just read everything carefully before ever clicking on "I agree," or "Add to cart." 
I've designed postcards to advertise upcoming couponing and writing workshops and even a tote bag to carry my couponing workshop materials in. Technically, these products aren't virtually free~ the postage costs do add up, but this is still a low-cost way of promoting myself and my services as both a writer and a coupon workshop presenter.  And whether we like it or not, any successful author needs to learn how to promote themselves, and what better way than through the colorful and quality Vistaprint products. My advice is to try out one of their business card offers, and then wait for the FREE offers to deluge your mailbox. If time is not of the essence, you won't want to pay the extra postage for faster service, either. In this case, I should have paid for faster shipping for my Couponing Workshop postcards~ I ordered them on December 31 and just got them today. I have just two weeks to promote that particular workshop, but the Writing Workshop postcards I designed last night will still get here in plenty of time to promote my March 17th workshop, even if they take the standard 20 days to arrive. 

Transformation From Coupon Box to Coupon Binder

I used a coupon box for more than 25 years of couponing, but after the Extreme Couponing show debuted on the TLC channel, I had to admit those coupon binders did look pretty impressive. When I saw a black binder on sale for just $5 at a Goodwill store, I bought it and began the transformation from coupon box to coupon binder. 

It turned into quite a fiasco, involving quite a few dollars invested into plastic sleeves and dividers and several hours transfering coupons.


I wasn't sure it was going to be worth all the work, but I did like the organized look of the binder.  I knew, however, the true test would be with my first shopping trip.


That first trip was to a Walgreen's.  The binder sat nicely on my purse inside the baby seat of the cart and I liked being able to have the ads laying inside, along with my lists. The coupon box always took up the whole seat and ads didn’t fit on the side.
Score one for the binder.

My husband did one order and I did three, two of them just Reach toothbrushes. My husband’s order looked like this: 2 Finesse shampoos on sale for 2/$7, 4 2-packs of Reach Advanced toothbrushes on sale for 2/$5, and a Gillette Fusin razor on sale for $9.89. He used a $4 coupon on the razor, $1 coupons on the Finesse shampoos and $2 coupons on each Reach 2-pack. Out of the register popped a $5 catalina from the shampoo, a $5 coupon from the razor and TWO catalina coupons for Reach, one a month-long offer and one a weekly offer, $3 and $4 respectively. A woman behind him saw the catalinas come out and asked how he got so many. She had a coupon binder and said she was just learning how to use coupons. I came over and explained the Reach offer to her and gave her four $2 coupons so she could do it herself. I did a total of three Reach transactions, one of them combined with other merchandise, including 6 Gillette deodorants that I had Buy One, Get One Free coupons for. With the purchase of 6, I got a $10 catalina. I also bought the Finesse shampoo, one Bic Solei razor, Revlon clippers that were on sale for Buy one, get one half price and I had a $3 and a $1 coupon on, as well as several toothbrushes I found on clearance for 99-cents that I had $1 coupons for.

It was fairly easy to flip through the pages to find my coupons. Score another for the binder, or maybe it was simply because I organized specifically for this trip.
Our total for all our transactions was $67.52, minus the three $10 register rewards= $37.52. And we had $60 in register rewards to use on our next trip.
And all this stuff either to stock in our own cupboard or to fill Christmas baskets for our adult children.

Could I have done as well with my coupon box?
Probably.
But I wouldn’t have looked as cool doing it.