Dollar General $5.00 off Coupon

Remember the Razor Deal I told you about at Dollar General this week?

I found this coupon for $5.00 off at Dollar General good for July 2, 2011 only.

If you combine the sale, coupons and the $5.00 off, that would be 12 Razors for $7.00

Deal at Dollar General

Deal Alert:

Dollar General has 3 pack Schick Xtreme 3 Disposable Razors on sale for $4.50.

$1.00 off Coupons have been in past inserts. I also had a BOGO Coupon.

I got a total of 12 Razors for $12.00

Walgreen's Shopping Trip

$70 worth.of stuff for $40 at Walgreens

Then my bank gave me $2.00 back in their PreReward program!!

What Real Extreme Couponing Looks Like

While the show Extreme Couponing is great... It is unrealistic.

Cart after cart  loaded with items is great but Most "extreme couponers" do not shop like that all the time.
That may happen when stores are having mega sales or inentives but for the most part, real extreme  couponing looks like this.

I check the Sunday Ads and see what is on sale at my favorite stores.

I match up items on sale with coupons that I have.

Then I make detailed lists of what to get.

I do this with envelopes.

I make the lists on the outside and put the coupons inside.

Tip #1

Use Blogs to find coupon match ups.

This save a tremendous amount of time!

Tip #2

You will notice that my lists are not a "super haul" or

a complete grocery list by any means

Once you have a stockpile of items amassed

You can just shop for deal or sale items.

***********

Now let's look at my Walgreens Receipt for this week

You will note that almost all items I got were on sale.
Usually, I do not buy an item unless it is on sale.
The only exception is the Pledge Fabric Sweepers. I had $1.00 off coupons that were about to expire.



So in this trip:
I saved $11.86 by buying sale items.
I had $5.75 in coupon savings.
I got a free toothpaste tube and toothbrush in a buy one get one promo

The New and Improved Coupon Binder

This was my old coupon binder.

Just an accordion file divided into 12 categories.

I also had envelopes of subcategories in each section.

It got a little confusing remembering what was where......

So I ordered a  Coupon Binder Kit from www.momsaves.com 

I had started to price out making or buying all the parts and found

that it was cheaper just to buy the kit from www.momsaves.com

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Here is the completed project. It took me about 5 hours

to put the binder all together, label, divide, sort and load everything.

I also had to make a run to the Office Supply Store

to get more section dividers and some card stock

I ended up with 42 category sections

covering everything from food to health and beauty items

I organized it to follow the layout of my favorite grocery store.

The one that gives double coupons!!

The sections are easy to read and get to,

 so if I decided to go somewhere else

it won't be a problem to find the right coupons.

I put in heavy card stock in the plastic holders

 so I could use each section front and back.

Increasing the amount of coupons I can store!

I ran out of the pretty paper so on the last few

I just used some index cards.

And here it is all loaded with coupons!

This was a bit of a task, I admit.

But as I was putting coupons in I noticed that I was

able to do it faster than with the old system.

And I can flip to a section and see what coupons I have in a matter of seconds.

This will help while I am looking at the weekly ads

and on shopping day.

So now I am ready for this weeks shopping trip!

Linking to Homestead Revival Barn Hop

Combine Coupons with Drug Store Rewards Programs and Save BIG!

• Coupon 101: Combine Coupons with Drug Store Rewards Programs and Save BIG!


Although you may not count stores like CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreen's amongst those you make your weekly shopping trip to, you may want to going forward. Why? Because that’s where you’ll find some of the best deals week after week. Many of them offer valuable rewards programs to loyal shoppers that not only save you money, but can also help you score loads of products for FREE when combined with those hot little coupons you're holding. Sure, you probably won’t be able to get all of your groceries there, but you’ll reap more by going than by skipping them all together.

The methodology behind each stores rewards program varies slightly, but all have the same end goal – to save you money and keep you coming back for more. Because shopping at stores that offer rewards programs means employing a different strategy than shopping at stores that don’t we’ve rounded up 5 tips to help you save big:

1. Check the weekly circulars. Whether you check them out online, or grab them out of your Sunday newspaper, this is where you’ll find products that are offering rewards for the current week. For example, CVS may have your favorite shampoo on sale for $4.99 and offer $3 ExtraBucks (coupons good for money off at CVS) when you purchase one. Based on the products offering the best rewards, make a list of items that appeal to you and your family.

2. Check your coupons. Most retailers will allow you to match manufacturer’s coupons (like those found on RedPlum.com or through RedPlum’s weekly coupon inserts) with a store’s reward items. You can not only get items for free by using this strategy, but can even make money if you play your cards right. Here’s how: Let’s say you have $1 off coupon for that shampoo you plan to buy – that means you’ll get it for FREE when you combine your coupon with the ExtraBucks reward ($4.99 - $3 ExtraBucks - $1 coupon = FREE!).

3. You have to give to get. In order to receive the benefits of rewards programs you first need to shell out some cash in order to purchase your items. But don’t worry, as long as you follow the rules you’ll get payment back in the form of a coupon or rebate check that can be used toward future purchases. While some stores, like CVS, print rewards in the form of dollar-off coupons good for future purchases, stores like Rite Aid run rebate programs where you need to submit for refunds online.

4. Pay attention to the fine print. Take note of the specific offer details noted in the stores weekly circular, including size, variety and quantity requirements.

5. Membership has its privileges. In order to cash in on reward offerings you’ll first need to sign up for the stores’ program.
*information from redplum.com

Coupon Terminology

Coupon Terminology You Need to Know


WYB = When you Buy

BOGO = Buy one Get one free

FAR = Free After Rebate

IP = Internet Printable Coupon

IVC = Instant Value Coupon at Walgreens (Walgreens store coupon).

MIR = Mail In Rebate

OYNO = On Your Next Order

OOP = Out of Pocket.

RP = Red Plum insert

SS = Smartsource insert

P&G = Procter and Gamble insert

GM = General Mills insert (usually a Smartsource insert)

Moneymaker: Getting something better than free after coupons and sale. Also known as getting paid to shop.

CAT = Catalina coupon that prints at check out.

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary. It basically means that your experience may be different from the rest
 
ECB = Extra Care Buck (CVS coupon good on your next order)


RR = Register Rewards (Walgreens Rewards program, Manufacturer coupon good on your next order)

SCR = Single Check Rebate (Rite Aid rebate program)

+UP rewards = Rite Aid reward program (coupons good on your next order)

Coupons Tips

The best deals on your weekly ads are posted on the front and backpage of the ad.


These are what are usually referred to as ‘loss leaders’. These are the rock bottom offers that bring shoppers to the store. This is the first place you should look for bargains when scanning your weekly ad. If there are any coupons available for these items, that is where you get the big savings. Your goal is to focus on buying groceries only when they are at this rock bottom price. Luckily for you, these ‘loss leader’ sales come around in a ‘sales cycle’ that is generally every 6 to 8 weeks.


When you find this opportunity to save big  by combining a great sale with a coupon, you want to maximize those savings by buying enough items (at this rock bottom price) to last you until the next time the item goes on sale.

A great Stockpile is the pride of every Couponer!

photo credit

I saved 41% at Kroger today

As you can see the bulk of my savings came from

buying items on sale and using my Plus Card.

 41% savings is great!!

Go Me!

Building Your Stockpile By Using Coupons

I got inspired by a Co Worker and the show Extreme Couponing and now I am clipping and using coupons!!

I am not as good as the ladies on the show where they just owe a penny when it is all said and done. But I think for a beginner I am doing OK.

My first attempt was at Target. I got $130.00 worth of stuff for $80.00.

On my second trip at Meijer. I had a $16.00 savings

Last was my trip to Kroger. With coupons and my Kroger Plus Card, I had a $30.00 savings.
Then with my Fuel Reward Points, I was able to save .30 cents a gallon and filled up the tank $3.59 a gallon

(See next post where I saved 41% on my shopping trip to Kroger)

Some Tips I have learned so far:
*You reach the extreme level of couponing when you combine coupons with a customer reward card. Those little scan cards on your keyring could get annoying but if it saves money..... I'll do it.

*Never use a coupon on something that is not on sale. You get maximum savings when something is on sale and you use a coupon.

*Check out your favorite stores website. Most have an area where you can look at the weekly ad and make a shopping list. This makes it easy to search your coupon stash and search the sales.



Couponing takes a little time and effort for searching, finding, clipping, watching sales and matching coupons but I think it is worth it.

There are lots of resources and coupons on the internet. Some of the popular sites do the sale and coupon matching for you. One of my favorites is Common Sense with Money. When you sign up for a weekly e-mail at this site you get a free e-book on extreme couponing!

Just find a site you like and start clipping!

*Linked to Homestead Revival Preparedness Challenge