Do you use coupons? I never bothered - it seemed like a hassle. I didn't want to chase around to several different stores to save a few cents, or have a million scraps of paper on hand to use just in case so I just never got into it.
I changed my mind when I read some bloggers bragging about their deals, and I am all over the coupons now.
Here's an example of a recent deal I got:
Scope was on sale at Walgreens - 3 bottles for $9. I printed 3 $1-off coupons from coupons.com, bringing the price to $6. On top of that, Walgreens gave me Register Rewards for $4. Register rewards is like a cash voucher that you can apply to your next purchase.
So, the total for those 3 bottles of Scope was really $2!
I used the $4 Register Rewards to my usual hair color that happened to be on clearance for $7. I only had to fork out $3 for it. That meant that I paid $9 for 3 bottles of Scope and hair color (that usually costs $14). It was kind of like getting the hair color for free! I didn't have to go out of my way for this either because there is a Walgreens near my office.
I used the $4 Register Rewards to my usual hair color that happened to be on clearance for $7. I only had to fork out $3 for it. That meant that I paid $9 for 3 bottles of Scope and hair color (that usually costs $14). It was kind of like getting the hair color for free! I didn't have to go out of my way for this either because there is a Walgreens near my office.
Here's another deal I got this weekend:
Target was offering a $5 gift card with purchase of $20 of L'oreal items. Did you know that you can use a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon for the same item? I had no idea! I got some coupons from Target's website for mascara and hair conditioner, and got some L'oreal coupons for the same items from coupons.com. I got a mascara and 4 bottles of hair conditioner for $12, saving about 50%!
The next day I went back to Target with my $5 gift card and bought 3 L'oreal mascaras. The price for these was $7 each, but I had a Target coupon for $1 off each. I also had a L'oreal coupon for $5 off a $20 purchase. That brought my total to $14 with tax. I used my $5 gift card from the previous day, and paid $9 for the mascaras, AND I got another $5 gift card.
The next day I went back to Target with my $5 gift card and bought 3 L'oreal mascaras. The price for these was $7 each, but I had a Target coupon for $1 off each. I also had a L'oreal coupon for $5 off a $20 purchase. That brought my total to $14 with tax. I used my $5 gift card from the previous day, and paid $9 for the mascaras, AND I got another $5 gift card.
So my total for 4 mascaras and 4 bottles of hair conditioner was $18 - without the coupons these would have cost me $44!
I now have enough mascara, hair conditioner, and mouthwash for a good 12-18 months. As tempting as it is to build an even bigger stockpile, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.
Here are some tips if you're looking to save money with coupons:
- Find a coupon blog dedicated to your local store. I like Totally Target since there is a Target close to my house. That website will tell you all about sales and coupon stacks (that means using store coupons with manufacturer's coupons with the Cartwheel app). I think Target is the easiest place to use coupons anyway.
- Another place for coupon deal info is The Krazy Coupon Lady. If you really want to get into it, that website has a Beginners Guide.
- Be flexible with brands. We usually use Listerine in my house, but Scope was the better deal so that's what we'll use for now.
- Don't buy stuff you don't need. I was tempted to get some L'oreal lipsticks...but I don't need any. I do need mascaras because I have to toss it every few months, so it was a good purchase.
- Don't buy stuff for Register Rewards (Walgreens) or ExtraBucks (CVS) unless you know you need something from those stores, otherwise you'll end up spending more than you wanted.
- You will need a printer to for most of these coupons, although Target does have some mobile coupons, plus they have the Cartwheel app for more savings. You could also get the Sunday paper.
- You can usually print only 2 coupons per computer.
Have fun shopping!
I've never gotten into couponing--primarily because it does seem time consuming and because you don't get to be as particular about exactly what brands you want if you want to go the whole "extreme couponing" route. Though, my sis-in-law is an extreme couponer and we are blessed to benefit from all of her free stuff! She's very generous.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I thought it was time-consuming too, but if you read the blogs for your particular store, the bloggers have already done all the work for you!
DeleteYour sister-in-law sounds pretty awesome!
Have you been using Cartwheel for Target? It's awesome because it's usually a % off and sometimes they have cartwheels for items that don't go on sale or have coupons. It's verrry nice.
ReplyDeleteI do love Cartwheel! I especially love to stack it with coupons!
DeleteI use coupon and they do help save money. But when people just want every deal its when the saving becomes and obsession. Betsy, Target cartwheel is one of my favorites. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting!
DeleteYou're right that you have to really know when to stop with the stockpiles.
YESYESYES to this post. I'm tryin' to get into couponing. I don't necessarily have to have a stock pile like Momma June but it would be nice to save a bit of money here and there.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I would always cringe when my dad would hold up the line with his like ten coupons. Now that I'm older I understand fully
Haha when I bought the mascaras my guy slunk off, embarrassed about the whole thing. The cashier told me that he just didn't understand how money I'd saved!
DeleteThank you Bekah for letting me brag about my couponing deals!
ReplyDelete