Lot's of goodies for Meg this week!
I got:
1 $5 rebate check from SC Johnson
1 $15 rebate check from P and G
1 coupon book from betty crocker with $10 in coupons
1 free sample of Kashi warm cinnamon heart to heart cereal. This had 3 $1.50 off on box of kashi cereal PLUS a coupon for a free box of cereal. Yay Kashi!
Mail in rebates are new for me, but so far so good. I have a few more checks on the way, and then these are getting deposited into a special "rebates" savings account. I want to see how much I earn this year on rebates (not including my rite aid rebate checks...those are reserverd to play at rite aid!). so far I have $20 bucks! I still need to figure out any tricks of the trade on these. So far I have learned to read the fine print, but many of these rebates can be combined with coupons or deals in the store, so these can make for real money makers. Both the checks I got this week are purely profit as I did deals on the products that were free after coupons and sales.
I also sign up for free samples and coupon books when I see an offer online. Free samples almost always come with coupons, although these Kashi coupons are really good ones!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
New Crown Molding in the living room!
I'm so mad I didn't take a "before" picture so you could see the difference! My very talented husband and my dear brother in law hung the crown molding in the living room today. That along with the new paint makes such a difference. It came out beautifully. It just needs the finishing touches of filling in the nail holes and the final paint, and we can put the furniture in place and enjoy our new room. :)
Look what I got at target for $3.89!!
I got:
4 Special K fruit crisps @ 2.50 each (looks like 3 in the picture, but one is behind...my photography skills need a bit of help!)
- 2x1.00 off special k crisp internet printable manufacturer coupon (special K web site)
-1 $1.00 off 2 special k product from sunday paper
-2 $1.00 off 2 special K target web coupon (target.com)
2 Reduced Fat Triscuit@ $1.93 each
- $2 off 2 nabisco crackers (coupons.com, but they are gone now)
-$1 off 2 target coupon
1 Nabisco Right Bites 100 calorie pack @ $2.69
- 1 $1.00 off 1 from sunday paper
1 Kraft Shredded Mozzarella @$2.34
-1 $1.00 off 1 Kraft cheese target coupon
Total after coupons was $8.89 minus $5 target card from last week
net $3.89 out of pocket
I goofed on this one. I thought I would also get a $5 gift card for the Nabisco and Special K, but the register didn't pick it up. There was a sign with the rite bites that said select nabisco and kellogs snacks. So either there are 2 different promotions, or one of the special k flavors was not included. I was in a hurry, so I didn't have time to check at customer service. Oh well. Still a sweet deal. The special K gift card deal runs for a few more weeks, so I'll check it out the next time I'm in target.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Walgreens Challenge officially begins!
It was a strong start. I purchased $41.26 in products and spent .76 for it!
I have $85.24 left on my gift card plus $14 in register rewards for a total of $99.24 in challenge dollars remaining.
Here is what I did (it worked so well, I did it twice! I needed separate transactions to get all my register rewards)
4 bags Hershey’s “Pieces” Candy on sale 2.50 each
-4 $1 off coupons from the paper a few weeks ago (I had 1 from the paper and got the remaining from the coupon master-a clipping service)
Buy $10 in Hershey’s receive $5 in Register Rewards
1 20ct Excedrin Menstrual formula on sale for 2.50 each (I know! This deal is the ultimate PMS survival kit!)
-1 $2 off Excedrin printable (I got the link from the Iheartwags website)
Buy 1 get $2 in register rewards (only works for the menstrual formula, which is why I got that one)
Each separate transaction was $7.38 and gave me $7 in register rewards
I did this twice, so my entire haul was 8 bags of candy and 2 Excedrin. I only have a picture from 1 transaction. The other candy and Excedrin are at my office.
PLUS I got 2 coupons for $1 off 1 bag of M and M’s(1 printed after each of my transactions). They are good until 4/21 so I’m thinking I’ll get a pretty sweet deal on holiday clearance after Easter if I don’t use them before. Nice!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The $100 Walgreens Gift Card Challenge
I received a $100 Walgreens gift card in the mail yesterday. I got it by cashing in some air miles that were going to expire. I didn't have enough miles for a free flight, and they were on an airline I rarely fly (American Airlines and I had a falling out last year, but that is a story for another day!) so I did a bit of research and discovered I could convert the miles to a gift card through points.com. When I saw that Walgreens was a choice I decided to get the card and see just how long I could go at Walgreens without paying anything out of pocket. I also want to see how much merchandise I can get for the $100 by using coupons and hitting the sales.
I am not really going to set any "rules" for the challenge, but I am going to try to keep to my normal shopping habits. When it comes to coupon shopping I try to:
1. Only buy items we have personal use for, or have a plan for (maybe a gift or donation for example)
2. If I already have enough of an item to last 6-12 weeks , I leave it on the shelf, unless it is a money maker with a long shelf life. I won't buy things I will never use (ie blood sugar monitors) just to get register rewards. I don't have a problem with those who choose to do that, it just isn't right for me, so I leave those for the people who need them!
3.I won't waste my time or gas running all over town trying to get an item if it is out of stock at a store I normally shop at. I'll ask for a raincheck if it makes sense, but if I miss something with register rewards, I don't stress about it. Most deals come around again!!
For the purpose of this challenge, I will count register rewards when I earn them. They will go to the declining balance of the gift card. Usually I count them when I spend them, so this will be a slight departure from my normal "accounting system". :) Same goes for mail in rebates. If I submit for one, I will add the amount I'll get back to the card balance. I just started to dip my toe in the rebate pond, so we'll see how that goes. Since I'm really spending no money (the card was free, unless you want to count my blood sweat and tears as a road warrior!) I need to just add them to the balance. I also don't typically break my orders into multiple transactions, but I may consider it if it makes sense to stretch my card further.
I don't really have any idea how this is going to go, but I am setting a goal of making the card last 3 months and getting $500 worth of products. If it goes longer, or I get more stuff, great! I'll keep a running tally of both what is left on the card, and value of products with each shop.
Wish me luck!!
I am not really going to set any "rules" for the challenge, but I am going to try to keep to my normal shopping habits. When it comes to coupon shopping I try to:
1. Only buy items we have personal use for, or have a plan for (maybe a gift or donation for example)
2. If I already have enough of an item to last 6-12 weeks , I leave it on the shelf, unless it is a money maker with a long shelf life. I won't buy things I will never use (ie blood sugar monitors) just to get register rewards. I don't have a problem with those who choose to do that, it just isn't right for me, so I leave those for the people who need them!
3.I won't waste my time or gas running all over town trying to get an item if it is out of stock at a store I normally shop at. I'll ask for a raincheck if it makes sense, but if I miss something with register rewards, I don't stress about it. Most deals come around again!!
For the purpose of this challenge, I will count register rewards when I earn them. They will go to the declining balance of the gift card. Usually I count them when I spend them, so this will be a slight departure from my normal "accounting system". :) Same goes for mail in rebates. If I submit for one, I will add the amount I'll get back to the card balance. I just started to dip my toe in the rebate pond, so we'll see how that goes. Since I'm really spending no money (the card was free, unless you want to count my blood sweat and tears as a road warrior!) I need to just add them to the balance. I also don't typically break my orders into multiple transactions, but I may consider it if it makes sense to stretch my card further.
I don't really have any idea how this is going to go, but I am setting a goal of making the card last 3 months and getting $500 worth of products. If it goes longer, or I get more stuff, great! I'll keep a running tally of both what is left on the card, and value of products with each shop.
Wish me luck!!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Doing a little design on a dime
Our project this weekend it to paint the living room. It definitely needs some freshening up, and paint is an inexpensive way to get a big change.
The plan started as a simple paint job in the living room, but has now evolved. The living room is getting new paint, crown moldings, and furniture is being rearranged (really pretty colors, nutmeg and spiced cider!!). We will also paint and do molding in the dining room. The plan is to go for a green shade, but we're still tossing that around. That painting won't happen until next weekend at the earliest, so we have some time to deliberate. Andrew also painted the bathroom ceiling and put up 2 new light fixtures, which are a nice change from the old "very brady" fixtures we have wanted to switch out since we moved here 11 years ago! :P It is amazing how small things like that get away from you...
Andrew starts his new job on March 15, so he has a few weeks to spend on this project. I'm helping on the weekends! There is a lot of prep work, and he got a lot done during the week, so we're in good shape to have phase one done by tomorrow!
I'll post pictures when its done!
The plan started as a simple paint job in the living room, but has now evolved. The living room is getting new paint, crown moldings, and furniture is being rearranged (really pretty colors, nutmeg and spiced cider!!). We will also paint and do molding in the dining room. The plan is to go for a green shade, but we're still tossing that around. That painting won't happen until next weekend at the earliest, so we have some time to deliberate. Andrew also painted the bathroom ceiling and put up 2 new light fixtures, which are a nice change from the old "very brady" fixtures we have wanted to switch out since we moved here 11 years ago! :P It is amazing how small things like that get away from you...
Andrew starts his new job on March 15, so he has a few weeks to spend on this project. I'm helping on the weekends! There is a lot of prep work, and he got a lot done during the week, so we're in good shape to have phase one done by tomorrow!
I'll post pictures when its done!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Expiration Dates
One of the things you need to figure out to coupon effectively is how much of a product to buy when you hit a deal at a rockbottom price. The idea is you buy enough to last until the next sale cycle. It's called stockpiling, which always brings the show "Hoarders" to my mind, but if you do it right you will have enough to last until it goes on sale again, but not TOO much.
As you shop the sales you will start to notice a pattern. Most items go on sale at least once in a 6-12 week period, and as you tune into that, you'll be able to make better choices about how much to buy. Some items hit thier best price seasonally (think chocolate chips and other baking items during the holidays, or barbecue sauce and ketchup in the summer).If you know you'll use these things and you have the space to store them properly you can stock up more than you might use in 12 weeks for these types of items.
Which brings me to my point about expiration dates. I read this article in Slate which confirms what I already believe. Expiration Dates, Sell by dates, best by dates, etc. are pretty conservative. I'm not suggesting you ignore them completely, just that you use your best judgement before throwing things out based on a date on a package. Obviously the more perishable an item the more careful you should be, but if it has been stored properly, it looks and smells fine, it's probably ok even if it is past the date.
As you shop the sales you will start to notice a pattern. Most items go on sale at least once in a 6-12 week period, and as you tune into that, you'll be able to make better choices about how much to buy. Some items hit thier best price seasonally (think chocolate chips and other baking items during the holidays, or barbecue sauce and ketchup in the summer).If you know you'll use these things and you have the space to store them properly you can stock up more than you might use in 12 weeks for these types of items.
Which brings me to my point about expiration dates. I read this article in Slate which confirms what I already believe. Expiration Dates, Sell by dates, best by dates, etc. are pretty conservative. I'm not suggesting you ignore them completely, just that you use your best judgement before throwing things out based on a date on a package. Obviously the more perishable an item the more careful you should be, but if it has been stored properly, it looks and smells fine, it's probably ok even if it is past the date.
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