Friday, July 27, 2012

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!

Monday, July 23, 2012

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.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

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

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
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.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

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.