Expiring Coupon Syndrome

I had to make an "emergency run" to Walmart yesterday, not because we desperately needed anything, but because when I pulled out my coupon binder to do some much-needed organizing I'd noticed that my stash of Mitchum $2 coupons were expiring that very day!  Now, I have often said I am not brand loyal to anything but Scott tissue, but I do admit to having a preference in brands of deodorant, and Mitchum is my favorite.  When I spotted the Mitchum $2 coupon a few weeks ago I collected as many as I could and was holding onto them for a sale. That sale never materialized. Unfortunately, or fortunately, however you want to look at it, I suffer from "Expiring Coupon Syndrome," a common, but little-understood malady that causes the most well-adjusted among us to rush out the door in our yoga pants and no make-up in pursuit of inexpensive health and beauty products. This is a real syndrome, people, and not something I just made up to explain my bizarre behavior.

Once inside the store, I was pleased to see a few Mitchum marked down to $2 in the clearance aisle, but I had to pay a whopping 97-cents for the others. I filled my cart with as many purchases as I had coupons for, and then made a beeline to the Valentine's Day clearance aisle where I picked up half-price window clings to decorate my library next year. At the checkout, the cashier totaled up my deodorant while the person behind me looked on: in disgust or awe, I wasn't sure which. When I handed the cashier my coupons, she put on her glasses and scrutinized them carefully, before handing them back.
        "These are expired," she said. I gasped and clutched my chest.
         I checked the date on them again. How could I have gotten the date wrong?: 2-16-2014.
        "Isn't it the 16th?"
         She checked her register for the date, and then reached out her hand to take them back."You're right. I'm so sorry."  We both smiled as I breathed an audible sigh of relief. The woman behind me craned her neck to see as the coupons were taken off, snorting at the final tally, whether in derision or laughter, I will never know.
        What I did know was that a potential crisis had been averted, and my girls and I wouldn't have to worry about underarm "wetness or odor" for a very long time....

 

Look Ma! No Coupons!

I recently began a new job as a director of a small-town library. Every Monday we host an after-school program that includes a half hour craft project. On Wednesdays there is a story time for the younger set, which also includes craft time.  So when I stopped in a Michaels craft store this afternoon with my girls and spotted large bags of Christmas stuff for just $2, and I could see craft kits through some of the bags, you would have thought I was a kid in a candy store. My teens rolled their eyes when I asked for help carting ten bags up to the checkout.  We'd just watched several episodes of "Hoarders" on television last night, and I know what they were thinking: Mom's turning into one of those hoarders.

contents of one bag

Abby and I had a blast going through the bags together. Some of the items in the bags had originally been priced at $9.99 each, and there was even a few things priced at $19.99, including Christmas baskets I will use for gift baskets.  Four tall kitchen garbage bags were set aside for my sister's consignment store late this year. I'll store those on the attic steps.  What was left was a huge pile of craft kits and materials I will donate to my library, slated for craft time in December. Not everything was holiday merchandise, either. I found some journals, mouse pads, rubber stamps, and decorated lunch bags in amongst the Christmas items.  It just goes to show; you don't always need coupons to net some super savings. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time~

 

Post-Christmas Coupon Savings

Like the good little couponer I am, I headed to our local Walmart yesterday morning to see what kind of damage I could do with my coupons that are about to expire the end of this month. Sure enough, there were three Axe gift sets sitting on the shelves waiting for me to purchase with my $2 off Axe gift set coupons. Just as I was adding the last one to my cart, I felt a light tapping on my shoulder, and there stood one of my three sons.

"Don't look! I'm doing Christmas shopping for next year!" Twenty-year-old Matt smiled broadly. Working the night shift at Walmart, he knew exactly what kind of gift sets had been placed in that aisle a few days previous, and he loves AXE products.

What got me even more excited than the brush sets and Caress gift sets I purchased (without coupons) for our own cupboards was the selection of Febreeze products marked down. Normally $2.97 each, the sprays were marked down to $1.48 and the candles and car scents were 75-cents. I knew I had some Febreeze product coupons in my binder. Sure enough, I had $1.50 off two Febreeze product coupons and 50-cents off any Febreeze product coupons. I made two trips through the register so I could use four of each (P&G coupons now limited to four like coupons per transaction) and came home with these:

I was happy to find some cheap (and free!) products to fill baskets for the coupon workshops I am starting to schedule for 2014 (one in February, one in April and one in July, thus far)  I love beginning my workshops with a fun game where attendees are to guess how much I paid for everything in the basket. The one who guesses the closest wins the basket at the end of the presentation. These products will make a nice addition to those baskets. The car scents might also end up in my adult children's stockings next year.

A Hairy Good Deal

My fall has been busy conducting couponing workshops and not doing a lot of couponing. When the workshops slowed down, as they inevitably do in the winter, I worked on restocking and organizing my binder. One coupon I was intrigued by was the $5 off two TRESemme product coupon. Surely I could net some inexpensive hair products, I thought when I saw that one in our inserts, so I collected as many as I could and waited for a sale. Unfortunately, I wasn't seeing the smaller cans of hair spray that others were finding for $2.48, but I did pick up a few cans at $2.98, figuring 48-cents for a can of hair spray was a pretty good deal.

That couldn't beat the deal Target had on TRESemme this week. Through Saturday, November 30th, select TRESemme products are on sale for $3.99 and $4.99. Not only that, but the purchase of four of those select products will prompt a $5 gift card. Yesterday the girls and I were shopping for Christmas deals in Cedar Rapids so we stopped at a Target for pumpkin pie ingredients, and to stock up on TRESemme products. The shelves were well-stocked with the $3.99 products so I concentrated on those. My first trip through the line I bought four bottles of shampoo ($3.99 each X 4=$15.96), used two $5 off coupons (minus $10)=$5.96, and got my first $5 gift card. The girls watched my cart while I did it again, only this time I used that $5 gift card to pay just 96-cents (plus tax) for the next transaction, and I got another $5 gift card. I did this several times, until both the girls and I were tired of the game, but this is what I came home with:

Those shampoos will fill our stockpile cupboard and will be added to the Christmas baskets I make up for my adult children. There will likely be TRESemme products added to the baskets I bring to the coupon workshops in the spring, as well. I always bring a basket full of products I purchased with coupons and ask attendees at the beginning of the workshop to guess how much I paid for everything in the basket. The person who guesses closest to the actual price I paid wins the basket of goodies.

This couponing trip reminded me of why I love this hobby and reiterated the importance of keeping my coupons organized. Besides the TRESemme deal, I saved nearly $100 on other products in my shopping cart, including some gift sets that I used both Target and manufacturer coupons on. I did notice that many of the current gift card deals were not labeled on the shelf, so although the two gift sets I purchased did trigger a $5 gift card at the register, there wasn't any indication on the shelf that this would happen.

When Couponing Comforts

It has been a long, rough road for our family. My husband passed away last year and my eight-year-old grandson lost his battle with cancer last week. You can read his story (and how we plan to do acts of kindness in his name here)  Sunday afternoon, I was feeling overwhelmed with sadness.

So I went "coupon shopping."

You would have to understand just how important couponing has been in my life to know why that sentence makes sense. If you read my newly released Coupon Crazy: The Science, the Savings and the Stories Behind America's Extreme Obsession, (Familius, August 2013) you will know what I mean.

My children grew up with a mother who saved every label, clipped every coupon and didn't hesitate to dip her hand in a dumpster for stray coupon inserts or labels she would flatten and file in a room filled with empty boxes. My husband and I shared many a "date" that consisted of visiting a local recycling center or an afternoon of shopping strategically using coupons. Since his death, I've visited a Walgreens store only once or twice, and he and I used to hit one every week. I've bolted out of a Hy-Vee more than once after spotting a man drinking coffee and reading the newspaper in the deli. I can barely stand to navigate the peanut butter aisle. Suffice it to say, sans my favorite shopping partner, I don't do nearly as much couponing as I used to.

That said, time does heal and with my stockpile cupboards nearly bare, I'm doing more deal-shopping. While the majority of my "free spree" shopping has gone into baskets for drawings at my couponing workshops and book-signings, I'm beginning to look ahead to making some baskets up for my adult children this Christmas. 

Because of new stipulations on some coupons (Procter & Gamble and the Bic) I was only able to use four like coupons for each trip. The Gillette coupon was good for $6 off three razors or shaving prep (shaving cream!). Four coupons meant 12 cans of Gillette that retailed for $1.98 each (so free) and women's Bic razors, priced at $2.96, minus the $3 coupons (also free) My girls hate these so they will go in drawing baskets. The Bic pens, priced at 97-cents each, were free with my $1 coupons good on any Bic stationery items. The Lunchables were ringing up for $1 each and had $1 off 2 coupons right on them, so they were only 50-cents a box.One box is missing from the photo since I had a hungry child shopping with me. With tax, my total was less than $8 for all this.

And yes, I was smiling when I left the store.

Clearance Shelf Shopping

I'm updating my couponing workshop power point presentation so I'm back to taking pictures of shopping trips. One of the things I talk about in my workshops is the strategy of shopping from clearance shelves. I was in Dyersville, Iowa the other day for a doctor's appointment so thought I would check out the new Shopko store there. When the kids spotted the clearance shelves in the health and beauty section, they asked if they could go to the library for half an hour and come back to pick me up. Ahhh, those girls know me well.

These were some of my best deals;
Colgate toothpaste on clearance for $1.39, minus $1 coupons=39-cents a tube
Oral-B toothbrushes $1.74, minus $1 coupon= 74-cents
Listerine mouthwash $2.74, minus $1 coupon=$1.49
Covergirl makeup sponges, 29-cents, minus $1 coupon,=71-cents credit toward other purchases

Always check the clearance shelves. I don't even like Colgate Total, but for 39-cents, these boxes will be added to my workshop prize baskets. When I stopped at our local Walmart for Abby's prescription, I found Febreeze stand-up room deodorizers on a clearance shelf for $1.50. I had $1 coupons, so those deals will also be added to my baskets. If you are attending one of my upcoming workshops at the Decorah, Marion, Dyersville, Readlyn or Monticello, Iowa libraries, or the Janesville Gazette workshops in Janesville, Wisconsin, you now know the prices of two of the products that are being included in my prize basket.

What Were They Thinking?

I admitted in my last post that I had picked up a few Poise hot flash cooling cloths for my coupon workshop prize baskets, against my better judgment. The product didn't make a lot of sense to me. I just couldn't imagine a "poised" nicely-dressed woman pulling out a packet of these out in public and wiping down her face (and wiping off her makeup!). Nor could I readily imagine a woman doing so in her home, even sans make-up. Would you keep this product next to your bed, to cool off in the middle of the night when a hot flash hits? Perhaps, if they were free with a coupon. Otherwise, that seems kind of a pricey way to cool off, when a cold washcloth from the bathroom would work just as well.

But the product I picked up with the remaining coupons? I admit I was in a hurry, adding Poise products priced at $2.97 to my cart, knowing they would be free. I thought I was picking up panty liners, which would just be borderline offensive to the lucky workshop attendee who won my basket. Instead, they turned out to be panty fresheners. I had to read the directions twice, and then I laughed out loud. Panty fresheners are round thin pads; about the size of a fifty-cent piece, with a peel-off backing. Apparently, they have a fresh scent that lasts approximately four hours. You put them on the outside of your panty. (the directions weren't clear exactly where on the outside of the panty, and maybe I don't really want to know) They come in a small, round container, perfect for carrying in your purse. Now, I don't know about you, but I resent the implications of this innovative product. My guess is that it will go over about as well as the Dove Pro-Age deodorants did. The Pro-Age lotion marketed to women over age 40 made sense to me; our skin changes as we age. Even the Pro-Age shampoo seemed a good idea, since a woman's hair also changes with age. But Pro-Age deodorant? Really? There's not too much that would embarrass me more than going through a check-out line with a deodorant that practically screams "I have OLD underarms!" Except, perhaps, a product that informs the cashier that my underwear needs freshening. Ever hear of a washing machine? Dryer sheets? Regular changing of the panties, perhaps? By the way, I don't see Pro-Age deodorant on the shelves anymore. I wonder why?

My daughter Elizabeth informed me about the bright pink peelie coupons that were attached to some of the General Mills cereals at our local Fareway. The coupons are good for a free box of General Mills granola bars. I've seen similar coupons and have often taken advantage of the good deal. This time, however, the coupons don't specify that anything at all must be purchased in order to use the coupon. In other words (and don't get any ideas, please) someone could come along and peel off half a dozen of the coupons, walk over to the granola bar aisle, pick up six boxes of granola bars and get them totally free! Without buying cereal!This omission doesn't make any sense to me. Surely the intention of the coupon was that the customer is to purchase  a box of cereal in order to get the free box of granola bars, but no where on the coupon is that stated. My guess is that the coupon might be coded in some way that it won't scan unless a box of cereal is also purchased during the transaction, but this is the first time I've seen a on-package coupon that doesn't specify a purchase requirement!

Walmart Rush~

It's been awhile since I've enjoyed a super couponing trip and I had coupons that were expiring today so I decided to visit out local Walmart and see what kind of deals I could get. I am also in dire need of inexpensive items to fill my workshop baskets, so I was hoping to find some free items.

I was happy to discover a price drop down to $5 on the Venus razors that are selling for close to $9 everywhere else. With my $3 coupons, the razors were just $2. My Poise product $3 coupons meant free Poise hot flash wipes that will be added to my couponing workshops. Trust me, the hot flash wipes were the least offensive of the Poise brand offerings, but there are at least two other products on the shelf that would be free. The Neutrogena facial bars are $2.67 at our Walmart, which means the bars were 17-cents each after last Sunday's $5 off two product coupons. Some Pantene shampoos were also marked down to $2.97, so I used a "buy one, get one free" coupon to get one shampoo and one conditioner. The coffee creamer was free, thanks to a coupon my daughter Elizabeth shared with me. My total for the products pictured was around $64, but I paid just $12 after coupons, not bad for a last-minute shopping trip right here in town.

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!