A Magic Eraser for Rookie Couponing Mistakes?

 

 As a couponing rookie, I have made a few blunders that have made my totals double or triple what they should have been. This past Friday (see Mega Sale entry) my total was over $16 with tax. I was confused how it could be so high (yes, $16 is great for all that product but I knew it should have been less; all my items were free or 50 cents) yet I walked out of the store. Actually, I walked out of the store...walked back in thinking hmm maybe they did not take off for my Mega...and walked back out.  It was not until I seriously went over my receipt calculating how much I saved that I noticed a glaring $6.79 for Motrin PM when it was supposed to be 49 cents after coupons and the sale! I could have bought twelve 20 counts for that much! Half my purchase was medicine, the other half was dog food, chicken, etc! Ouch. 

Usually there IS a magic eraser for these mistakes. They make you sick when they happen; you try so hard to save money, clip coupons, watch for sales, and then a mistake like this costs you, literally. Luckily, there are customer service stations at every store and so far, I have yet to experience someone who would not help me. Today I went back, explained that I grabbed the 40 count and not the 20 count, and asked to return the medicine. They asked if I used coupons, I said "yes, this $2 one" and pointed it out. I received my $5.49 back in cash and felt much better. My total out of pocket was less and I saved much more. Had I needed the medicine and it was an emergency, I may pay that, but I was just using it to stock up. Stocking up at $6.49 is not acceptable. :) 49 cents, yes, $6.49, no way.

These mistakes will happen when you are new. I am 2.5 months in and clearly still make these mistakes. Last week for example (Mega Lessons) you can see I had another mistake happen. To fix it? I waltzed to customer service and got my $5 in cash. I just asked politely with a smile. It does take away from the excitement of your total when these mess up, but sometimes you need to be burned to realize fire is hot.

These two mistakes have happened at Kroger because I am not as familiar with the store as I am with CVS and Publix. I really only shop Kroger for extreme sales like the Mega sale. But I have had similar whoopsy's at Publix as well. I remember 2-3 weeks in to couponing I had $1 off 2 Ken's Steakhouse salad dressing. They were BOGO (buy on get one- meaning they were half off each) so I thought- WOW! That is amazing! I stocked up on 12 of them! I got home and realized my total was so high because I had calculated wrong. I thought the dressing would be 30 cents each, it was more around $1.30 each! Still cheaper than normal, but I did not need that much dressing and the expiration date was May 2011. It was overwhelming at first, but my husband mentioned I could try and return the items. Embarassed I went back to Publix; it was my stupidity, not theirs. (90% of the time the mess up is me, not them). The customer service rep happily gave me around $18 back in cash. I was confused because I had not spent that much. She explained she could not return my coupons, so they would refund me for my price before coupons. I ended up making money! I felt even more guilty, but she said it was ok because they get reimbursed for the coupons plus 8 cents so each one of us would be ok. I still never want to mess up again like that, but I learned!

So do not worry if you get that occasional high bill becuase you grabbed the wrong item for the sale or the wrong quanity count or you just calculated wrong. In the end, I have always been able to undo my mistakes. All it takes it a little double checking your receipts, some patience, a little bit of gas back to the store, and a smile with the customer service rep.

Happy couponing!

Mega Sale Methods from Kroger Mega Sale

I have already shopped the Kroger Mega sale on Sunday when it first came out, but after checking some of the websites I use to find deals (Southern Savers) I realized more items were added that I had coupons for! Some of the coupons from 3.13 that I received were not on the list originally when I checked Sunday, so it was worth another trip out for me. Also, I had an awesome $1.50 off purchase of any chicken when you buy Philadelphia cooking creme (which I had another $1.50 coupon for :) Publix had been out of this, so when I saw the same deal and price could be done at Kroger, I was pumped!

TIP: Throughout the week, check the blogs and forums to see if any new items and coupons were added to the lists. For this purchase, I had no clue the cooking creme and dog food were a part of the Mega Sale until Fri because it was not on the original list. I like to shop Publix and Kroger deals the first day of the sale, but sometimes I will go back again for a great deal.

How I did this:

Note: All items on this list were Mega Sale items except the chicken. 

(4) 3.5 lb Pedigree Dog Food: $5.69 on sale for $3.99 with Mega sale price. Used $3 off any Pedigree Dog Food coupon from Red Plum 03.06. Paid 99 cents a bag. Saved $18.80.  28 cents a pound for dog food! I used to pay at least $1 a pound. 

Philly Cooking Sauce: $2.49 on sale for $2, used $1.50 off so 50 cents, saved $4. Here is why I bought this: A) It was a part of the Mega Sale and only 50 cents B) I had a coupon from chicken that said take $1.50 off any chicken when you buy Philly Cooking creme. So by spending 50 cents on cooking creme, I got $1 off chicken. So I found some chicken on sale and bought it!

TIP: Occasionally, there are items you may not need or typically buy, but if you buy them (cooking creme) you save on something you want (chicken). So use a coupon on the item you do not need or want (and donate to friends or shelters if you won't use it) and then get the discount on the necessity, in this case- chicken!

Chicken: $2.11 and $2.31. I used the $1.50 off chicken when you buy Philly Creme, so I paid 61 cents and 81 cents for chicken!

TIP: Most non-couponers say you can NEVER save on produce or chicken. They must not know there are coupons like this for chicken and produce. A lot of stores have "take $1.50 off produce when you buy Kraft cheese" or something similar. 

 (4) Rozini Pasta: $2 on sale for 50 cents with Mega sale price. Used 50 cents of 2 box = FREE. Saved $4.

TIP: I have an absurd amount of pasta right now because it has been free. Although it expires in 2013 and we eat a lot of pasta, next time my church asks for food for the local pantry, I will donate this pasta. One of the many benefits of stockpiling- you can donate for free or pennies! You get to use your talent to help feed someone else. :)

(2) Smart Balance Peanut Butter: $3.69 on sale for $2.29, used $1 off printable coupon. Paid $1.29, saved $4.80.

Red Gold Tomatoes: $1.09 on sale for $1. Used 50 cents off 2 printable, which Kroger doubles so $1 off 2 = FREE! Saved $4.36. 

Heluva Dips: $2.25 on sale for 99 cents, used 50 cents off 1 which doubled to $1 so FREE. Saved $6.75. 

TIP: We do not eat much dairy or dip, but this is nice to have occasionally and for when we have guests over.

Motrin PM: $6.79. I messed up on here. I grabbed the 40 count and not the 20 count, so this is why my bill was way more than it should have been. These should have been 49 cents each and I realized even with coupon it ended up being around $4... See update 3.20.11 below on how this was corrected

TIP: Pay attention to quantity! I made the mistake of looking at the sign (which the boxes were right behind) and not the box label. I had my list but did not verify quantity which I usually do.  Kroger is not as good as others about sale items being where they need to be so I lost out on about $4. I will use this medicine anyways, but it made my total higher and I did not realize it until I was typing this up.

Total: $12.62+ tax 

Note: this should have been $8.62+ tax, don't make the same mistake as me :)

Total Saved: $59.88

Percentage Saved: 82%

UPDATE  3.20.11
I went back to Kroger today to buy my 4 newspapers for the week. I was still bothered by my Motrin PM mess up of paying $6.79 for 40 count when it was supposed to be 49 cents with my coupon and Mega sale. So I brought my receipt with me and the box. They let me return the Motrin PM, asked if I had used any coupons, I said "yes, I used a $2 off" so in the end I received $5.49 back in cash, which I used to buy my papers and still had some money left over. It has been bothering me for 2 days that I messed that up... but now, all better! :)

New TOTALS: 

Total: $7.83+Tax

Total Saved: $65.37

Percentage Saved: 87%
 

If you make little mistakes like I do, you live and you learn. It can be frustrating, but in the end, I saved 82% so I have to be happy.

Happy couponing!

Charmin & Puffs Tower- last day for deal today!

This was not the most amazing deal- but we like the Charmin wipes. They are normally around $5 a piece, so what I paid was worth it in the long run and this was a good stockpile price with coupons.

Deal: Get $10 ECBs when you buy $25 worth of select Proctor & Gamble Items (ends today- 3.19 so head on it!).

ECBs= Extra Care Bucks, money to use at your next purchase

I did not have any coupons for the Charmin, and I had already used my Puffs coupons, so this was purely a sale and store coupon shopping trip. I usually will not shop without a manufacturer's coupon; however, CVS does not double and if I had these coupons they would be 25 cents, so it was not worth passing up the deal for me. Normally those 25 cent coupons add up but the coupons I had were good enough for me to go.

How I did it:

• Charmin Wipes: $5, on sale 2 for $5, Saved $2.49 each
• Puffs: $3, on sale for 2 for $3, Saved $1.50 each

Coupons Used:

• $10 ECBs from previous CVS purchase
• $5 off $25 purchase emailed to me yesterday

TIP: When shopping at drugstores, shop similar deals to this where every time you buy a deal, you have coupons AND you get ECBs back for your next purchase. That is how I keep my totals low because I usually have $5-$10 worth of ECBs+coupons. 

TIP: Check your emails from CVS (and check your spam folders since it may be getting sent there!) Sign up for CVS emails. I frequently get 20% off and $5 off $25 coupons. These usually come on Fri and are good until Sunday. This is why sometimes I wait to shop CVS until Fri or Sat. The risk is they may be out of inventory, the reward is I saved another $5. If they are out, just get a raincheck. They computer will keep track of the deal for you if you buy some of the deal items and the cashier can override the system.

Coupons Received from CVS because of my purchase:

1. $10 ECBs for my next purchase because I did the P & G deal
2. $5 ECBs for my next purchase from the Beauty Club

TIP: Sign up for the Beauty Club at CVS! Just ask the cashier and in seconds they will sign you up. For every $50 you spend in beauty products (they keep the total, and this is $50 BEFORE coupons) you get $5 ECBs! This is my first beauty purchase payout. :)

Total: $9.50+tax

Saved $38.13

Percentage Saved: 77%

Coupons Received to use next time: $15

I actually *made* money theoretically on this. I spent $9.50 and received $15. CVS is amazing for this, but Rite-Aide, Walgreens, etc. have good programs as well. I always thought drugs stores were a huge rip-off, but they are where I save the most money frequently. Get to know your drugstore, get to know their policy, get to know their cashiers, and get shopping! :)

Happy couponing!

How I snag FREE items (and pick up some change along the way), how YOU can snag FREE items!

• (6) Propel Waters
• (2) Healthy Weight Green Giant Frozen Vegetables
• (2) Mueller's Whole Wheat Pasta
• (2) Vigo Yellow Spanish Rice
• (1) 24 count small dog Dentastix Pedigree
• (1) Sirloin Steak
• (2) Bags Pepperidge Farm Crackers
• (1) Publix Fat Free Italian Dressing
• (1) New England French Vanilla Coffee

----

Total Items: 18

And...11 of the 18 items were FREE!!!

Propel Water- Sale 2 for $1, used a coupon from the Sunday paper for $1 off 2 bottles - FREE

TIP: These coupons were from the newspaper circular weeks ago. Always save your coupons! I normally would not buy $1 water, but when it goes on sale for 50 cents and I have $1 off two...I will buy free water. :)

Italian Salad Dressing- Publix Penny Item- FREE

TIP: Publix has a Penny Item every Wednesday. Find out if your chain has something similar or discounts a certain day.

Rice- $1.29, BOGO for 64 cents, used 50 cents off printable which Publix doubles, FREE + made 70 cents to use for the rest of my purchase

Mueller's Pasta- $1.49, BOGO for 74 cents, used $1/box printable coupon, FREE+made 26 cents a box.

TIP: If an item is free AND you can make money off it to deduct from your purchase, get it! If you can not/will not use the product, donate it to a local food pantry or friends.

Crackers- $3.49, BOGO for $1.75; used $1 printable. 75 cents/bag.

New England Coffee- $6.39, BOGO for $3.19, used $1 off printable coupon. $2.19

TIP: Coffee is expensive. And with food prices rising, the coffee price per pound is rising steadily. Stock up on coffee at around $2 or less if possible and freeze unopened bags until you are ready. I currently have a couple bags in my freezer. 

Pedigree Dentistix- $3.79, BOGO $1.90, used $1 off. 90 cents. Note: These were from the sale last week; I used last weeks raincheck mentioned in a previous blog entry to get these.

TIP: Normally I do not spoil my dogs with treats, but at 3 cents a dental stick, I had to! Check the ads for great dog/cat treats frequently. You can usually find great coupons and sales for food and treats. For food you may have to buy 3.5 lb. bags and buy more of them to get a good deal. 

Green Giant Vegetables- $1.79, BOGO 89 cents, used 50 cents off (the coupon said do not double), 30 cents/bag. 

Sirloin Steak: Sale for $2.89 

TIP: When you see meat on sale- stock up! Just pop it in the freezer. This was a great price for two nice sirloin steaks. They will grill up great!

TOTAL: $7.02+tax

Saved: $29.94

Percentage Saved: 78%

This sale is going on at Publix until next Wednesday so hurry in! If you do not have a coupon inventory built up, no worries! Everything I purchased except the Propel was actually a printable coupon this week! Just head to southernsavers.com to find your printables for this weeks items. 

Happy couponing!

Stockpilin' Security

Yesterday's post demonstrated the financial reasons to stockpile. Whether you stockpile for 2 weeks, 1 months or 1 year, you will cut your budget. But the financial side is just a part of the equation; it always is.

The other reason for stockpiling is security. A month ago, my husband and I were out celebrating my birthday. While sitting at a red light, we were hit by a drunk driver. A few days after that, I had the flu with a 103 temperature. Those 2 weeks after the accident were rough, and we ate out some, but we mainly lived off our stockpile. We had a lot of stress, but meals were not one of the stressors. All the frozen meats, frozen vegetables and canned vegetables I had stockpiled at low prices for the prior 6 weeks turned easily into meals. Knowing we had our stockpile saved us the stress of grocery shopping and the extra money that would have been spent on eating out. We also did not have to spend much money while recovering because we were not grocery shopping often and we were just eating what we had. 

Ironically, we just got our car back and it is back in the shop now- the new muffler burnt the new bumper so we are getting a 2nd brand new bumper. :) Somethings out of whack; life gets out of whack sometimes too. And today, the same day the car that was in the wreck is going back to the shop... my tire on my car blew out as I was headed to my doctor's appointments. And not just pop, hole, patch. Like completely ripped off the wheel and not a bit of rubber was left. My normal reaction would have been to scream, this time I laughed. It's quite funny when you put it all together and look back.

There are not a lot of things in life you can control. You can not control what life throws at you, but you can control how you plan for emergencies so you can respond efficiently and costly, and you can control your attitude. We have not been *lucky* lately by most people's standards lately, but we have been blessed. Blessed God has taken care of us and blessed we had our stockpile. Both God and our stockpile granted us security and peace. I knew I could provide for my husband and I, and when times became troubling and money started to pour out of our pockets left and right, I took comfort in knowing that I had saved money stockpiling and couponing....and everything would be alright.  

Happy couponing. :)

Coupon Savings Calculations: A True Motivator

When I first started couponing, I was frustrated. I did not know the first thing about coupons, was completely overwhelmed, had no clue how the store policies worked, which stores I should shop at, and did not know if I would be investing lots of resources into something that would not pay off.  I remember sitting with my crisp new circulars from the Sunday paper on January 2nd, just 1 mere day after starting my resolution, thinking "NOW what?" 

Over the next few weeks, I had *figured* it out. Each week I got better and better. I'm a businesswoman, so I need numbers and data sometimes to prove that I am investing my resources correctly. I am also human so I like feedback so I can know if what I did was either good or bad so I can correct my future behavior. In order to accomplish this, I needed a tracking mechanism. A way that I could keep up with how I was doing day by day, week by week, and eventually year by year. I wanted to highlight my wins to keep me going, learn from my mistakes and benchmark for the future so I knew if I was on target.

Below is my method of tracking. I have formulas set up in there so I just fill in the missing pieces and voila! I know how I did each trip. This is inserted in from Excel, so parts did not copy as well. If you want my template with formulas, just reply to this blog with your email and I will email you my template.

These are the exact numbers of everything I have done from day 1 of couponing thus far: the date I made the purchase, the store I made the purchase at, what I paid, how much I saved, the value of the merchandise (what I paid+what I saved) and the percentage I saved. 

 As you can see, I did not start out doing too hot. 37% was good, but I wanted to hit high numbers quickly. Well, you just can't save huge at first. Firstly, because you are learning. Secondly, you do not have a huge coupon inventory yet. Thirdly, because you don't have a stockpile built up yet. All it takes is some perseverance and you will get there.

TIP: Start small. Learn 1-2 stores (I choose Publix and CVS: both simple stores, coupon friendly and 1 mile from me). Learn their policies, buy 2-4 newspapers a week and start building inventory. Go on coupons.com and other websites to print off coupons you need.  Also, follow coupon blogs and coupon forums.

You can see as the weeks went on and I gathered more and more coupons, I started to do better and better. You will also see I had some $80 and $60 purchases in the beginning of January (although these were better than the $100+ we had previously!). You don't see those anymore. Most are $30ish, and lots are $15 and below. At first you will have a few bigger grocery totals, but after you build up your stockpile, that number will go down. You will start to live off your stockpile and shop only when you need fresh produce or to replenish your stockpile when there is an awesome deal.  Essentials like frozen vegetables, meats, breads, etc. were making up a large portion of those $80 purchases. Now I buy them cheap and with coupons and stockpile them or freeze them, so I don't have them taking up my bills. That is how I get down to $30 or less. 

Tracking is what has kept me motivated. If it helps you, great! If not, find another method to motivate you to keep going. Seeing that I have saved $867 AFTER TAX dollars AND that I have 5 shelves stocked up with essentials that will last me a year AND that my bills go down as my savings go up...that's my true motivator. What's yours?

$ Kohl's Cash $

Kohl's is running a Kohl's Cash event through tonight! My husband just bought clothes and brought me back $20 in Kohl's Cash. So head on in to Kohl's if they have something you need and get $10 for every $50 you spend to use March 14-26th!

Happy couponing!