Clipper Magazine and Triple Coupons at Harris Teeter

Make sure to look in your mail boxes for the latest issue of Clipper Magazine! Even if nothing in the magazine really interests you, make sure to look on page 28 for the Healthy Home Market coupon for $10 off of a $55 purchase. You can use that at Harris Teeter as a competitor coupon!

And speaking of Harris Teeter. . . one of our favorite events is starting this Wednesday: Triple Coupons!!! The word coming from the coupon world is that the triple coupon event is a sure thing. The only thing that is unknown at this point is whether it will be regular triple coupons (meaning each coupon will triple up to $.99 face value), or if it will be a Super Triple Coupon event (meaning that $1.00 coupons will also triple). Check back later this week to find out!!! Regardless of the type, this is a great time to stock up on paper goods and non-perishable items! As always, Harris Teeter will triple up to 20 coupons each day. This will also be a great time to use rain-checks!!!

Perfume Samples

Have you ever been spritzed in a department store, fallen "in love" with the scent, paid the astronomically high price for the tiny 1.7 oz bottle - only to get it home and find out that it doesn't smell the same? Well, without making it too technical: it's because our bodies react to the scents differently, depending on what's going on with us. The absolute best way to try out a scent, is to be able to wear it for several days. If you still love it - then it's worth getting! I've pretty much worn the same scent for the last 15 years. But recently I've been tempted to try something new. In an effort to find a perfect-new scent, I've developed a fool-proof system!

I'm tearing out all the perfume inserts from the magazines that I get (hoping to get some duplicates) and storing them in my bathroom. Each week I'm going to try out a single scent for the entire week. I can then write on the paper what I thought of it - and even rank them in order of favorite to least favorite. Then I'll take my top three to the department store and find out if I can get samples of each of them! Most stores have the tiny little bottles that they give out. Then I can try it in spray form. This way, I'll know for absolute certain that the scent I'm buying is really something I love and will wear!

Shopping: I hate to spend money!!!

Most who know me, know that I am not a shopper. What I mean by that is, I do not do well at outlet malls where you're expected to shop all day. I don't even do well at a mall for more than an hour or two. So most of my shopping is done online! Today is a day where I have found it necessary to spend money - so here are the deals I've found:

I think this is probably a given with most of my readers now, but remember to ALWAYS start at ebates.com! You'll get to choose a $10 gift card just for signing up and making your first purchase through ebates (this definitely works)! Plus, you'll rack up cash back bonuses every time you shop! You just have to remember to start with them!

Lands End 

is offering 25% off all their beachwear! That's a great deal considering this is prime season for that stuff and you don't normally get good deals like that until mid-late summer! I also got free shipping (because my purchase was more than $50), and I'll be getting 3% cash back because I went through ebates!

CB2 

is an off-shoot of Crate and Barrell and they have fantastic items for fantastic prices! A friend of mine had these glasses that I've admired for years. I assumed they were super expensive because they are so delicate and cool. Turns out they were from CB2 and only cost $1.95 each! Plus, CB2 has $4.95 flat rate shipping - no matter what your total! And, I got an additional 3% cash back because I went through ebates!

Ann Taylor 

is offering 30% off your total order if you sign up for their "Trends with Benefits" (just need to give them an email address for promotional purposes. You can also get 2.5% cash back if you go through ebates. I ended up not purchasing anything from them, but still thought it was a good deal. Similarly, Ann Taylor Loft is offering 40% off, and an additional 2.5% cash back through ebates. However, their flat rate shipping is a little high at $8.95.

On a side note: Belk is having an amazing sale on pillows! All of their pillows (not a single exception) are 65% off today! I was able to get an $80 memory foam pillow for only $28 - with no coupons! That was one deal that I actually went to the store for! :-)

Did you know?

I recently posted on the values of the awesome Starbucks gift card...and I'm still excited about it! So I'd like to continue that thread! :-) 

• If you have a Bank of America checking or savings account - sign up for the Bank of America Deals and load the Starbucks coupon (available now) that is good for 20% cash back off any purchase of up to $10 at Starbucks. That means, if you put $10 on your Starbucks gift card, you'll get $2.00 cash back.That's like getting a tall cup of coffee for free!
• $10 is enough to get about 5 tall cups of coffee.
• Once you get 5 stars (a star for each purchase - regardless of the amount) - you get free refills. 

None of this is necessarily new information (at least for this blog). But this is:

• Even if you don't have a Starbucks gift card, and want a refill on your coffee - it's only $.54! No matter what! If you buy a brewed cup of coffee at 8:00 am, you can bring your empty cup back at 10:00 and get a brewed or iced coffee for only $.54. Then you can go back again at 2:00 (with your empty cup) - and get another refill for only $.54! 
• You don't have to stay on the premises in order to get refills.
• You don't have to get your refill at the same location that you got your original cup!
• You can get a brewed or iced coffee, regardless of what you bought initially.

Today I had a little bit of a crazy day. So I bought a grande coffee early on before my first appointment (after loading my gift card with more money - which I paid for with my Bank of America Card and will earn 20% back on). After I was finished with my appointment, and it had warmed up a little - I went back for an iced coffee. Later this afternoon - I went to the grocery store and was just about to go in, when I saw my empty cup in the car! I took it in with me and stopped by the Starbucks in the grocery store to get a 2nd iced coffee to have while shopping. That's a lot of coffee in one day - and a lot more than I usually have. But once it's all said and done - I paid about $1.50 for three different cups of coffee today - which is cheaper than K-cups!

All Detergent at Harris Teeter

All Detergent is on e-VIC special for $2.77 through Tuesday (April 9th) at Harris Teeter! There is a limit of 2, and you have to get both in the same transaction!




And if you go here, you can print a coupon for $1.00 off. Once you've hit "print coupon" and your printer starts to print, hit the back button. It'll tell you that it has "timed out" and ask you if you want to resend/reload the page. Click Resend and it'll print a 2nd coupon!

Then your total cost for a 32 load bottle of All will only be $1.77!!!!

Also, if you've got the savingstar coupon for $5 off of a $15 purchase of All Detergent, this will go towards that total!!!

Advertising on Coupons

Sometimes it can be a little confusing to know which coupons you can use and where. So it's important to make sure you read what's on the actual coupon, and not let a logo, or even words trick you! For instance, this coupon here has the big Family Dollar Logo on it, but nowhere on this coupon does it say that you can only use it at Family Dollar.

If it says Manufacturer Coupon at the very top, then you can use it anywhere that accepts coupons, unless it specifically says that you can only use it at a certain location. In the case above, it is simply an advertisement to let you know that you can purchase the Tyson chicken at Family Dollar. Below is another common example of store advertising on a coupon:

Once again, it is simply showing that the item is available at Wal-Mart, but since it doesn't say "Redeemable only at Wal-Mart", you can use it anywhere that accepts coupons.

So just look carefully at what the coupon actually says, and don't make assumptions!!! Also, be patient with the cashiers. Sometimes they get a little confused. . .

Egg Deal

Earth Fare is offering one dozen cage-free, hormone-free eggs for $1 from now until Sunday!!! 

Click here for your coupon! 

 It'd be great to pair this with one of the free Easter Egg Dying kits from CVS last week! 

The makings of a seriously cheap Easter Egg Hunt!

Stockpile Example

Many people assume I have this enormous stockpile of stuff. This idea, I'm sure, comes from the ever-appalling "Extreme Couponing" show - that has the world convinced that everyone who uses coupons has enough cereal stored in their basements to feed a small country. However, contrary to popular belief, I have a very small stock-pile. I'm not even sure I'd call it a stock-pile; it's more of a "reserve".

My basic principal of stock-piling is that I want to have 6 months worth of living supplies. This idea comes from a Dave Ramsey seminar I went to when I was in college. The point he reiterated over and over again was that you need to have 6 months worth of living expenses. That has always resonated with me and something I've always wanted to be able to do. But try as I might, I've never been able to save that much money. But what I am definitely able to do is stock-pile 6 months worth of non-perishable supplies! I figure that's almost as good! So that is always my goal and mindset when I'm buying things. That also helps me to keep a good perspective and not just buy things - just because. If I have my 6 month supply, then I don't need to buy. Period.

I thought I'd show you an example of my laundry "stock-pile" and how I know when it's time to buy. So here it is:

Not very impressive, huh? It's very simple. I have three bottles of laundry detergent, 2 bottles of Downy, and one bottle of stain remover spray. Here's what I do with my bottles when I start them:

I simply mark the date on the top so that when I'm done with the bottle - I know exactly how long it lasted me! As you can see, I've had the bottle of Purex open sine Feb. 21st - almost a month. Judging on how heavy it is, I'd say I have about another week left. That lets me know that one bottle lasts about 4-5 weeks. Since I only have two more bottles of detergent in my stockpile, I know that I need to start looking for good deals on detergent. But I'm in a good position, because I still have about 10 weeks supply. So I know that I need to be on the look-out for good deals, but I'm not pressured into buying something full-price. Same thing with the Downy. Each bottle lasts me about 6 weeks. And I just started this bottle on March 7th. Since I have another bottle in reserve, I shouldn't run out of Downy until the end of May. So I'm going to keep my eye out for good deals - because I want to have my 6 month reserve. But I'm not in a situation where I'm forced to pay full price for it!

In my opinion, the most important principals to stock-piling are:

• Have a set amount/goal that you work to attain and maintain. This will keep you grounded, focused, and purposeful in your couponing.
• Know how long things will last you, so you know how much you need. 
• Buy when you can find it on sale, so that you aren't forced into paying full-price because you need it immediately!

Cheap Magazines = Great Coupons

Magazines are one of my favorite ways to gather unique and high-value coupons! Most subscriptions can be gotten for free, or $2-5 - which is totally worth it. The only subscription that I am really conscious of paying for is Real Simple - because I just love this magazine and don't really get it for coupons - but for actual reading. So here are a few tips:

• If you're going to order a magazine, first log in to your ebates account and go through them! If you don't have an ebates account, click here to sign up for a free account! 
• Then do a search for magazines.com. Ebates is currently offering a 40% cash back incentive for magazines.com! That's HUGE! 
• Click on the "Shop Now" button and you'll be directed to the magazines.com website where you can search for whatever magazine you're wanting.
• Order your magazine(s) at a discount, and then 40% of whatever you spend will be deposited back into your ebates account! 
• If I were ordering Real Simple, their discounted rate for a year subscription is $23.88 (which is 60% off the cover price). I would pay the $23.88, and then get $9.55 in cash back in my ebates account.

Some of my favorite magazines are Parents (never pay for this - you can always find links for free subscriptions or get it through your Dr's office)! This month's issue has a little packet of $16 worth of coupons. Other good ones are Shape, Ebony, and Better Homes and Gardens. Often times, the use of just one coupon completely pays for the subscription!

The absolute best magazine out there for coupons is All You! It can only be purchased at Wal-Mart, or by subscription (they have it at magazines.com for $19.95/year - $7.98 that you'll get back in ebates cash back bonus). It has anywhere from $75-$125 worth of coupons in each issue!

Lot 18 - $10 Sign-up Credit!!!

Lot 18  is a fantastic deal site that focuses on WINE!!!!  Their team of experts work closely with quality-driven winemakers around the world to provide access to high-quality, hard-to-find wines at an attractive price. Our curators select only those products for Lot18 that are unique in their own right, and that represent the highest quality and value. We then match our members with the wines they'll love. (from their website)

I've been a member of Lot 18 for almost 2 years now, and love it for sending a special bottle of wine to a friend who had a baby, or a newlywed, or for a birthday or little "happy". I also ordered some for special occasions when hosting Thanksgiving Dinner, and a dinner party. It's unique, special, and inexpensive (for what you're getting)! Their normal discount is at least 20-30%, and on Friday's they'll run a special 4-hour deal - normally either free shipping, or a super discounted set.

On top of that, I just got an email yesterday that they're now offering new members a $10 credit when they sign up!!! So please click my referral link here and sign up for your free account and $10 credit! Also, when you share it with your friends and they make their 1st purchase, you get $25!!!

Tips: 

• Make sure you select your state. Certain deals are only available in select states. 
• Also, look at the pricing carefully! Some prices listed are for 1 bottle, but some are for duos, trios, 1/2 cases, and full cases. 
• If you find something you really want, get it. Most of the deals are only up for 72 hours and they sell out quickly. 

Keep in mind: This is Wine! Do not expect to be able to stack deals/coupons and get a practically free bottle of wine; that's not what this is about. Wine (especially good wine) - is expensive. This is just a good avenue to get something that's likely not available at your local store for a discounted price.

Clipper Magazine - Harris Teeter Coupon

If you've taken my Coupon Class or had Coaching with me, you know about Clipper Magazine! You should have received one in the mail yesterday - and there is an amazing coupon in there from Healthy Home Market. You may be wondering why on earth you would clip this coupon, since you don't regularly shop there (or maybe you do???). But here's the deal: Harris Teeter's coupon policy states that it accepts all competitor dollars-off coupons. What that means: if you have a coupon for Bi-Lo, Earth Fare, Food Lion, Lowes, or even Healthy Home Market for a specified dollar amount off of the total purchase, you can use that at any Harris Teeter. Here's what you're looking for:

Tips:

• Make sure you give the cashier this coupon 1st - before any other manufacturer coupons. The coupon is for $10 off a $55 purchase - and you want to make sure that your manufacturer coupons don't cause your total to come down below $55, before you have the chance to use your coupon! 
• Tell the cashier when you get to the checkout that you have a competitor coupon and that she'll need to get the manager to key it in. This eliminates the time that will likely be spent with the cashier staring at the coupon, trying to figure out how in the world to make it work (since there is no bar code). :-)

Also, if you have a Go-Save-Play book (previously the City Pass Book) - there are 4 Earth Fare coupons in there that can be used at Harris Teeter! Don't delay pulling them out! Two of them expire April 1st!!! 

Grocery Shopping: My Process

One of the things I get asked fairly frequently is "How do you do it" or "What's your process" or even "How do you have time to do all of this"??? So I thought I'd devote a post to telling you just that. I think I might loose the respect of a lot of you, because you're going to find out that what I do - is not that hard. I'm not that organized. I'm not that prepared. But hopefully it will also help you to understand that you can absolutely do what I do, too!

Preliminary Stuff 

1) I try to grocery shop once a week. This is a habit I learned from my mother. The idea is to avoid multiple trips to the store every week. Besides the amount of time it takes to drive to the store, park, and get in/get out - you are much more likely to be tempted to buy things that you don't really need. Cut down that temptation by reducing the opportunity to once a week - when possible.

2) I keep a magnetized notepad on the side of my refrigerator so that I can write down items as they come to mind, or as I notice that we're getting low on a particular item. 

Process

 1) Take list from refrigerator to the computer and review items needed - so I know what to keep an eye out for in particular.

2) Go to savingstar.com and make sure all the current coupons are loaded onto my account (takes about a minute).

3) Go to harristeeter.com and make sure all the current coupons are loaded onto my account (takes about a minute).

4) Go to swagbucks.com. Click on the coupons tab (under the Discover Tab). Click on any coupons for things that I think I might EVER use. Print. *These are the same coupons as the ones on coupons.com. The only difference is that when I use these coupons, I'll get 10 swagbucks for each one!!! (takes about 5 minutes)

5) Go to southernsavers.com and click on the Harris Teeter Tab. Click on the list for the current sales week. Click the boxes by the items that I'd like. If I don't have the coupons that she's listed, I print when there is a link available. (takes about 5 minutes)

6) When I've clicked all the items I want from her list, I scroll to the bottom and click "Create my List".

7) I then take my list from my notepad and manually type in any items that I need that I didn't see in her list. If I have coupons for those items, I type in a note about what my coupon is for - so I don't have to pull out my coupon while I'm shopping. If I've noticed any potential coupon stacks from when I added my electronic coupons on steps 2 and 3, I'll make a note of those too. (may take about 5-10 minutes, depending on how big of a trip I'm making).

8) Print my list and pull out my coupon binder to find the coupons that I will need for my shopping trip, and clip any coupons that I have just printed. (takes about 2-5 minutes - depending on how many I have to cut)

9) Put those coupons and my list in one of my clear zipper pouches that is in the front of my binder.

10) Take my entire binder with me to the store and enjoy my shopping experience.

This is my ideal set-up - but this does not always happen! However, it seriously takes 15-30 minutes to do all of this. At the beginning it'll probably take closer to 30 for you, and as you get more comfortable and familiar, it will take closer to 15! 

 But what usually happens. . .

• I forget to load the e-coupons on harristeeter.com and savingstar.com before I go, but thankfully they have apps for both of those. So I either sit in my car in the parking lot, or in the cereal isle and take 2-3 minutes to upload! Super simple and always worth it! I just loose the benefit of being able to make sure I have coupon stacks (paper coupons w/ e-coupons).
• I don't take the time to cut all of my printed coupons (especially if I printed off a lot). So I just get the 3-hole punch out, punch the holes in the paper, and put them in my binder. I have little scissors in my binder, so I can cut them in the store if I need them. I don't love doing this, because it's awkward - and I'm still a little bit of a bashful couponer. I don't like to draw attention to myself - and this tends to catch people's eyes. But it's the price I have to pay for not cutting and organizing my coupons ahead of time. 
• I totally forget about my list on the side of the refrigerator. So frustrating! But, the hope/plan is that I'm buying things ahead of time so that even if I forget an item for a week or two, I'm not to the point of running out of it. I maintain that keeping the list is important, regardless of whether or not I ever remember it. Just writing things down helps to solidify them in your memory! 

So don't get discouraged! It's a process! The important thing is to do what you can! The goal is to save money, but that's pointless if you're adding stress! Baby steps. . .

Charlotte Observer - Subscription Super Deal (47% off)

The Sunday paper inserts are one of the best ways to get coupons! And I whole-heartedly believe that getting a subscription is the way to go. Case and point: today was the first day that I bought a Sunday paper in over 6 months!!!! Me! The Coupon Coach!?!?!! Here's what happened: I moved and let my subscription lapse. Then I got lulled into thinking I didn't really need it - because so many friends give me their inserts. And when I didn't get them from friends, I honestly thought: seriously, how hard is it to go out and buy a paper? Sure enough, I started forgetting to get them from friends, and I NEVER remembered to buy a paper until Sunday evening - after we were already settled in for the night, or my daughter was already asleep. So today, I knew there were going to be 4 inserts - and one of the them was going to be a P&G Saver (my favorite)!!! So I made a purpose-filled plan to buy a paper on the way to church this morning. It was truly an effort to make sure I allowed enough time to make the stop and didn't let it leave my brain until it was done!

So much to my joy and amazement, there was an ad in the paper this morning for Sunday-Only delivery!!! That's perfect for those of us who coupon! And if you haven't had a subscription for at least 30 days, you qualify for their super promotion: 13 weeks for $16!!! If you buy it at the newsstand, it will be $2/paper ($26 for 13 weeks) . . . and you'll have to remember to go out and get it! This is such a fabulous deal! I know it's hard to read (it's on blue paper) - so here's the information you need: Call 800-532-5350 and ask for promotion code: SAVINGS. Or, look for the order form in today's paper!

Best Bang for your Buck: Sale Combinations

In looking at the sales papers in today's Newspaper, I found that quite a few of my favorite places are running sales on one of my favorite products: Charmin Toilet Paper! So here are the different deals, and how I'm deciding where to purchase!

CVS

16 Ultra Strong or Ultra Soft Double Rolls (equivalent to 32 Regular Rolls)  - $9.99

Buy 2 @ $9.99 = $19.98

Use $1/2 Manufacturer Coupon (from a box of Tampax Tampons)

Pay $18.98

*I have the Savingstar coupon for $5 off any $20 purchase of Charmin/Frebreeze/Mr.Clean saved to my account, and I only have about $12 more needed to reach the $20 goal. So this gets me to that amount and triggers my $5 in savings. 

Net Spent: $13.98 

That makes each regular size roll about $.21 - which is below my goal of $.25/roll!

Target

Spend $40 on anything on pages 10-11 in the sales paper (click here), and get $10 off!

There are LOTS of ways to work this Target deal. So a lot depends on what you use, and what you have coupons for. Since I'm focusing on Charmin, I'm going to use that as my "base".

Buy (2) 16 Mega Roll Packages (equivalent to 128 regular rolls) @ $15.99 = $29.98

Buy (1) Cascade 43 count Platinum Action Packs @ $10.99

Use $1/2 Manufacturer Coupon for Charmin (from a box of Tampax Tampons)

Use $.50/1 Cascade Coupon 

Get $10.00 off purchase

Use your Redcard and get 5% off = $1.47

Pay $28

*If you completely ignore the Cascade purchase and just divide the total paid by 128 rolls of regular TP, it comes out to $.21/roll. So not only do you get a fabulous deal on TP, you get a bucket of Cascade Platinum Action packs!

There are a lot of possibilities for stacking with this deal because there are coupons for Viva paper towels, ziplock baggies, and Kleenex on the Target Site that you can pair (stack) with manufacturer coupons that were in today's paper! Leave a comment on how you plan to work this deal!

Walgreens

Getting confused with all the steps? Walgreens has a pretty simple, straight-forward deal this week that won't leave you with TP coming out your ears!!! 

Buy (2) Ultra-Strong 6-pack Double Rolls (equivalent to 12 regular rolls) @ $3.99 each = $7.98

Use $1/2 Manufacturer Coupon (from a box of Tampax Tampons)

Pay $6.98 

Plus get 750 Balance Rewards Points (monetary equivalent to $.75)

*Makes each regular size roll about $.25 - which is still a good deal, especially considering that you only need one coupon to do this! 

If you don't have the $1/2 coupon that came in the box of tampons, there was a $.25/1 coupon in today's P&G insert; so you could just use 2 of those instead. Given the fabulous deal that Target has, I don't think I have any other choice but to go there!!!! :-) Happy Shopping!

Free $5 Starbucks Giftcard and Coupon Database

Who doesn't want a free $5 Starbucks Giftcard?!?!?! Just go here and join "My Starbucks Rewards" by registering a Starbucks Gift card.

Here's the deal: you have to be a NEW MEMBER to get this deal! So the ideal person for this is someone who has a Starbucks Gift Card who has not registered it with Starbucks yet.  If you don't have a card, and don't feel like making a special trip to Starbucks just to buy a gift card, so that you can then register it for this program - then you can download the mobile app, create an account, and get a digital card! Here is a link to the FAQ's. This promotion ends on March 14th - so don't delay!

One of my favorite sites is hip2save.com! I love her (Collin) approach, style, and general attitude towards savings and couponing. Her videos are hilarious! But the thing I probably use most frequently is her coupon database. This is such a great tool! For instance: say you've noticed that you're getting low on shave gel, and that there is going to be a sale on Edge at Walgreens next week (this is made up - I have no idea if Edge Shave Gel is on sale anywhere next week). So you can go to hip2save.com and click on the Coupon Database and do a search for Edge Shave Gel. It will then show you everywhere that a coupon would have been, is, or will be. If it's online, there will be a link to click to take you right to it. It is such a huge time saver! Click here to check it out!

Easy Peasy

The most common request I get from my clients is for electronic or even "automatic" savings; whether that is just being aware of sales that require no coupons, or being able to load coupons onto their store loyalty cards, or things like Savingstar. So - here are a few deals I've come across that require little or no paper coupons!

Staples
Remember the deal I told you about last week where you could get Staples 8.5" x 11" copy paper, 5-ream case for only $4.99 - making it only $1.00 per ream (after Staples Rewards)? Well - it's available again this week. So if you want that deal - you have to cut no coupon. You just go in, use your Staples Reward Card, and your rewards account will be credited $20 at the end of the period. If you are ok with printing ONE coupon, you can get this deal for FREE! Click here, and use this coupon to get $4.99 off per 5-ream case. You'll still get the $20 credit at the end of the period. Total Cost: Free + tax!!!! Can't beat that deal!

Walgreens
One of my biggest rules of couponing is: buy what you need if it's a good price - even if you don't need it, so that when you need it - you won't have to pay a premium! Well, I didn't do this! I needed 3-ring binders and couldn't find them on sale anywhere. Also, I was in a rush and just ended up having to buy them at Walgreens for $3.49 each!!! It was hard to pay that price - knowing that I normally never pay more than $1! But no use crying over missed sales!!! I was at Walgreens and was able to console myself because I found a fantastic deal on Scotch Mailers! I rarely have to mail something in a padded mailer, but when I do - it's a pain to have to make a special trip to the store just to get an envelope. And then - it kind of makes my skin crawl to have to pay $1.50-3.00 for a mailer, before I've even paid the postage! Well - all of Walgreens Scotch mailers (padded and photo) - regardless of size - are on sale for $.39 each!!! Some of the ones I got were regularly $2.79 each. I ended up getting 16 various sizes and kinds for a total of $6.24! - a savings of $27.60!! To top it off, the register spit out a $2.00 off of a $10 purchase coupon!!!! So, I didn't have to use a single paper coupon, but was still able to save about 87% - just by keeping my eyes open!The sale will run through Saturday - so there is plenty of time to get out there and stock up on your mailers!!!

Little Vacation

Sorry for the lack of posts! I escaped for the weekend to help a dear friend celebrate a monumental birthday! Now it's back to life and back to saving! I'm working on a proper post, but until then, here's a few little things to tide ya over:

• Tomorrow is the last day for Harris Teeter Super Doubles - go out there and get some deals! 
• I'm giving a coupon class tomorrow at 9:30am. If you want to brave the rain (and it looks like there's going to be lots), there are a few open spots! Email me at charlottecouponcoach@gmail.com!!!
• One of my favorite savings sites is: www.hip2save.com. If you haven't checked it out, you should! 
• Only one insert in yesterday's paper. Did you get it? Coffee shops are a great place to find extra inserts! People buy the papers to read while sipping on a cup-o-joe, and often leave behind the inserts!
• We read lots of silly magazines on my girls weekend and I was reminded that there are often good coupons in them! One that I saw was a $2 coupon for Herbal Essence. That coupon will double to $4 at Harris Teeter, which is more than enough to make it free and a fantastic addition to my donation bin!!!

Prescription and Dental Savings Plans

I have fairly standard health insurance coverage, and my prescription plan on it isn't terrible. It's a pretty straight-forward $10/prescription/month, unless it's anything super specialized. I have a couple of regular prescriptions that I take every month - so I was pretty content with the price I was paying ($20/month or $60 for a 90 day supply). One day when I got my prescription, one of the workers had written on the outside of my package what the cost would have been had I been a member the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. The difference was 50%!!! So I started doing some calculations: At only $20 to join, it would pay for itself the first time I used it to refill a 90 day supply! The cost is $20/year for an individual and $35/year for a family. Here are the details:

• Valuable discounts on thousands of brand-name and most generic medications
• 
  
• Between 5 percent and 20 percent discounts on most immunizations
• 
  
• 10 percent bonus on purchases of Walgreens Brand and Nice! products and in-store photofinishing services³
• 
  
• 10 percent savings on services from Take Care Clinics^SM at select Walgreens⁴
• 
  
• Savings on preventive and lifestyle medications your insurance may not cover
• 
  
• Additional prescription discounts on pet medications with a human equivalent, all compound medications, nebulizers and diabetic supplies with a prescription

And if you don't save the cost of the prescription plan in one year, they'll refund you the difference! So there really is no risk! It's a pretty awesome plan that I use on a monthly basis! And to put a cheery on top, you get 500 Balance Reward points for every prescription you get filled! But more about that later. . .

Another discount program that I've just stumbled across (well, I actually went looking for it) is Careington Dental Discount Plan (careington.com). Most people on individual medical plans (like myself) have found that have a dental rider is cost prohibitive because of the high premiums, long waiting periods, and in the end - limited coverage. So joining something like Careington is a pretty good option. After being quoted roughly $1,600 for a crown from a dentist, I started shopping around (that is, after I stopped crying). Careington is the one I like the best - for lots of reasons - but just a few are: it has an A+ rating with the BBB, has been featured on Good Morning America, and was recognized by the billing "specialists" at the various dentists offices that I called. Plus - it's only $6.95/month!!! Long story short - with my membership in Careington, I'm going to be able to get a crown for only $897! That's almost a 50% discount!

Tip: Before you sign up for these (or any discount programs like these) - call the drug stores/dentists that they claim to be a provider for, and make sure they'll accept the program. Also, there are different degrees to which they'll accept the programs. They should be able to give you exact prices on the treatments you're looking for, because the pricing on that has been pre-negotiated as part of their participation agreement with the discount plan. Just talk to someone in billing and you should be good. I haven't run across an unhelpful person yet - so don't feel bad about asking them a ton of questions! :-)

Harris Teeter Super Doubles - Round 1

I've  been couponing for quite a while - but I'm still thrilled by big savings! Here's what I got just minutes ago at Harris Teeter's Super Double Coupon Event (shopped at Morrocroft/Tajma Teeter)! You'll see that I spent a total of $14.81 on everything. Plus I'm going to get back $.50 in my Savingstar account. And, I just let $.50 in savings go (one of the coupons didn't ring-up correctly, and it just wasn't worth the time to get the manager to come over and fix it. . . I had my 2 1/2 year old with me!). So really and truly - I paid about $13.81 for about $71.37 worth of groceries; $20.81 worth of savings because items were on sale, and $35.75 worth of savings from just the use of coupons! And that's without any competitor coupons! Items that I'm particularly excited about are the Gillette Body Wash and the Hormel Completes Meal - all completely free (plus I made a $1 on the body wash because I had an eVIC coupon that came off at the register, in addition to my paper coupons). These are excellent additions to my donation bin! Hefty Baggies - only $.15 per package. Cheerios - only $.24 + I'm going to get $.50 deposited into my savingstar account - so I'm really making $.26 on it! Lots of fun! Can't wait to take my Coupon Coaching student (Lori) on Friday and show her how to do this! She's going to be so excited!!!

Starbucks Idea

Most of you who know me, know that I LOVE coffee. Well, I  just completed 28 days of no gluten, sugar, alcohol, dairy, or caffeine (which of course meant - NO COFFEE)!!! It was hard. This money-saving girl has allowed herself this one luxury throughout the years: good coffee. But what this cleanse really brought to the forefront of my mind is how much money I spend on coffee! No matter if I go to Starbucks, Dean & Deluca, Caribou, or Dilworth Coffee - a medium coffee costs me around $2.25. I was doing that a minimum of 4 days a week! Yikes - that's at least $40/month on just coffee! So here's what I've decided to do: 

I got a $15 Starbucks Gift Card as part of a Staples deal a couple of weeks ago. I downloaded the Starbucks app on my phone (or you could go online to starbucks.com) and I registered my gift card. Now every time I use that gift card, I get a star. Five stars earns me free refills and a free drink on my birthday. The more stars I get, the more rewards I get!

So here's the idea part: Each month I'm going to load $20 onto my Starbucks gift card. That's it. That's all I get.This does several things:

• Gives me a budget that I have to stick to. When it's gone - it's gone! 
• Keeps me from making impulse-stops at whatever coffee shop may be around. If there's no Starbucks, I'm not stopping - because I only have credit at Starbucks!
• Stretches my dollars: when I'm buying my coffee, I'm earning rewards! 

Obviously there will be times when I'm meeting a friend for coffee and we need to meet somewhere other than Starbucks. But honestly, those times are rare (maybe once or twice a month). So that would probably come out of my entertainment budget anyway. I realize that this is mostly mental - and all about discipline. But I'm the kind of person who needs parameters and a few "rules" to get me on the right track to start with.

This, That, and The Other

Gas Prices

Don't assume that gas prices are the same everywhere! I passed by three different gas station areas this morning, and saw three drastically different prices!

• Close to intersection of Providence and Fairview (in front of Fresh Market) - $3.79/gallon
• Fairview and Sharon - $3.53/gallon
• Park Road and Woodlawn - $3.59/gallon

Why it's so expensive right in front of Fresh Market, I don't know! But a $.26/gallon price difference is huge!  

Super Doubles are Coming on Wednesday

It's official people, Harris Teeter will be doing Super Double Coupons starting on Wednesday of this week - all the way through Tuesday of next week. So start gathering up all of your coupons up to $2.00 face value - because they'll be worth double at Harris Teeter! This is the time to stock up on dry goods, paper goods, and cleaning supplies!!!

Last Call

Still a little room in the class I'm hosting tonight at 7:30 pm!!!! Email if you want in!!! Or, if you think you might be interested in hosting your own class, email me for details at: charlottecouponcoach@gmail.com 

President's Day Coupon Class

If you've ever wondered what the coupon hoopla is all about, and been skeptical about whether any of it is worth your time/energy - then I think this introductory class will be really helpful for you. I'm going to give an over-view of how it all works, the various tools out there, and some examples of what I do - and how much I save (focusing on either Harris Teeter or Target - I'll let y'all choose). Here are the details:

• Location – email me at charlottecouponcoach@gmail.com for address
• Time - 7:30 pm
• Cost - $25/person
• Includes - coupon book and one-hour instruction time

Comment below, or email me at charlottecouponcoach@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

Harris Teeter e-VIC Special Savings Alert!

Here are some of the items that are on super e-VIC special at Harris Teeter this weekend. Keep in mind: you only qualify for these prices if you have signed up as an e-VIC member (not just a VIC member). Also, most of these deals also assume you have a savingstar account! If you don't, click here to sign up for free!

Fiber One Bars or Nature Valley Bars - $1.97 each (limit 2)

Buy 1 Package of Fiber One Protein Chewy Bars @ $1.97

Use 1 Manufacturer Coupon for $.50/1 (available at coupons.com) - it will double to $1.00 off

e-VIC coupon for $.50/1 will apply at the register

Pay: $.47

Get back $.40 in your Savingstar Account

Total Actual Cost: $.07!!!

What's cool about this deal? You only had to clip ONE coupon! Or, if you're not a Fiber One Fan - try this deal:

Buy 2 Packages of Nature Valley Bars @ $1.97 each 

Use 1 Manufacturer Coupon for $.50/2 (available on coupons.com) - will double to $1.00

e-VIC coupon for $50/2 will apply at the register

Pay $2.44

Get back $.50 in your Savingstar Account

Total Actual Cost: $1.94 or $.97/box

Wisk 50oz Detergent - $3.97 (limit 2) 

Buy 2 @ $3.97

Use 2 Manufacturer Coupons for $2.00/1 (was in the paper a few weeks back)

Pay $3.94 or $1.97 each

*My daughter has sensitive skin, so this detergent doesn't really work for us. 

But, it's great for our donation bin!

 

SATURDAY ONLY: Yoplait 6oz cups: 13/$5.00

Buy 13 for $5.00

Use 2 Manufacturer coupons for $.40/6 (available on coupons.com) - will double to $.80/coupon

e-VIC coupon for $.40/6 will apply at the register

Pay: $3.00

Get back $.40 in your Savingstar account

Total Actual Cost: $2.60 or $.20 each 

I plan to go to Harris Teeter tomorrow for some of these excellent deals! I'll let you know how I do! 

Thinking Outside the Box

I wanted to get a really nice card printed with my Coupon Coach information on it - to have with me at my informational classes. I wanted it to look nice, professional, and more than anything - pretty! But I really didn't need more than 2 or 3. I started looking at Vistaprint (which is a great resource for very inexpensive promotional items) - and not only was I going to have to buy an entire set (starting at 10, 25, or 50 depending on what you get) - I just wasn't excited about anything I saw there. Then I remembered cardstock.com - where I got my Christmas Cards printed! I was able to find a really cute card, adjust the text to say what I wanted, and then just order 3! Here's how it all worked out: 

• Started at ebates.com (if you don't have an account - get one NOW by clicking here); typed cardstore.com in the search box. They're running a 7.5% cash back bonus right now! Yay!
• After clicking "Shop Now" - I was immediately directed to Cardstore.com where I found a 40% off code on their site! Not the best discount code - but it had to do!
• Each card was $2.29 x 40% discount = $4.12
• Unfortunately I did have to pay shipping for $1.00 since I wanted them shipped to me
• Total = $5.12 
• Then I'll get $.38 back in my ebates account
• Total Actual Cost: $4.74 - or $1.58/card

Now that may not be an astoundingly good price (normally I can plan on getting at least 60% off at cardstore - but I just happened to catch them on a not-so-good promotion time). But it is still a good deal if you consider that it is a very high quality card, I was able to order such a small quantity, and it was shipped to my door in less than 48 hours! Plus, it's saved in my order history - so I can order 1 more, 4 more, or 40 more whenever I want. And - if I want to have them sent to someone directly, they'll mail them for me - for free (NO Shipping)! I love Cardstore.com - and would have normally only used them to order Christmas or Birthday Cards - but a little thinking outside the box and it was the perfect solution for me!