Clearance + Coupons = $AVING$

Have you ever taken you coupons down the clearance aisle before?

Let me tell you about the DEALS I got this week.

Show 'n Tell:

Example Deal 1: I got this hair dye for $1.25 after $2Q!

$3.25(clearance price) - $2Q(shown) = $1.25

Example Deal 2: I got these for 99c each after $8Q and Shopkick rewards (Click HERE for info on Shopkicks)!

These games are marked down right now (1/24/12) for an after Christmas clearance for $13.99 at Best Buy in Tyler. You can print an $8 coupon HERE (2 prints allowed per computer). That makes these $5.99! WOW!!
To make the deal even sweeter, I used my Shopkick rewards and got an additional $5 off of mine! Final price: 99c each after printableQ and reward. WhooooHooooo!
(After clicking the link to the printable Q, you may have to click the category "toys and games" in the left hand margin to verify that the correct Q has been selected.)
**If you happen to have any Best Buy RewardZone points, you might be able to score this for 99c using a $5 (250 points) reward certificate.

Note: Clearance items are commonly mis-rung at the register because of the way they are marked down. Be sure to watch the screen extra carefully during transactions containing clearance items. I had to get corrections on BOTH of these transactions.
1. The hair dye rung up regular price, but when I pointed it out the cashier pulled up a list of the marked down colors and fixed it.
2. Best Buy registers ring tax PRE-coupon. This is not by Texas law. They had to refund the sales taxes charged on the couponed amount.

I am not responsible for a deal not ringing up correctly or in the way in which you planned.

Shopping Hints - Part 2: Walgreens

I do not profess to be an expert, but I have learned a thing or two about shopping at Walgreens with coupons.  The following is a conglomerate of helpful hints and tips to successfully shop at Walgreens.

Walgreens (Wags) is very different from any other store when it comes to couponing and rewards.  Their rewards are called Register Rewards (RR) and they print out as "Catalina" coupons after a qualifying transaction is completed.  RRs can ONLY be used at Wags.  They are considered a "coupon" and MUST have an item "assigned" to them at check out.  This means If you are purchasing 3 items and already using 3 manufacturers Qs, you still have to purchase a separate item for each of your RRs (if you are purchasing 3 items but are only using 1 Q, you can use up to 2 RRs with that purchase).

The RRs can NOT exceed the "pre-tax" total (subtotal before tax) or you will not be allowed to use them (Ex. if the purchase is 99c and the RR is $1, you will not be allowed to use the RR for this purchase).

A good idea is to use a "filler" item if you need an item to match to your RR.  A filler item is something extra you purchase if you need to have an item that is not "assigned" a Q.  These are usually sale items or clearance items that are very inexpensive (a lot of times right after a holiday, you can find things like pencils, cups, candy, etc. from the holiday that are very cheap).

If you look at the ad for Wags, you will notice that the RR purchases are usually marked as "limit 1".  This means that you can ONLY do the deal once.  If you do more than one of these in a single transaction, the register will only print ONE RR for that deal.

If you use a RR from a specific deal to purchase another of that same deal, the register will NOT print the RR for that purchase because it "knows" you already got that deal.

Some companies have their RRs linked preventing you from doing a deal on another product that they manufacture.  (Ex. You purchase toothpaste and get a RR for that purchase.  You want to do another deal for deodorant by the same manufacturer and use that RR.  Some RRs will not print because the RR is linked to the manufacturer instead of just the product.)

Wags puts out a monthly Coupon booklet that can be found on the ad rack at the front of the store.  These are Walgreens Qs (WQs = Qs that can only be used at Wags and do not count toward your coupon to item ratio) and can be "stacked" with a manufacturers Q (see my article on "Stacking").  There are other booklets put out periodically by Wags that have several WQs in them (Ex. Vitamins and Supplements, Baby, etc.).  Some of the BEST deals come from stacking a WQ with a ManuQ on a deal that gives a RR or uses an in-ad Q.

An in-ad Q is a WQ printed in the weekly ad that must be used to receive that price on the item.  It can ONLY be used on the week that the ad is good for (usually Sunday through Saturday).

Any WQ or in-ad Q does not have to be "surrendered" to the store during the transaction.  You can re-use them and even leave the store with them.  You do not even have to have the WQ with you if you can give the cashier the 4-digit numeric code from the bar code on the WQ.

If this seems confusing to you, it is easier if you start small and work up to stacking with a RR.  Be prepared to make a few mistakes; they even happen to the experienced couponers.  Good luck and happy couponing at Wags!!

Shopping Hints - Part 1: CVS

Here are some helpful hints for shopping at CVS. This will be very good advice for NEW couponers.

Be sure to sign up for a CVS Extra Care card. This can be done right at the store. They will issue you a card on the spot. This card needs to be kept in a SAFE place and kept WITH you when you shop (if you forgot your card, the system can "look it up" by your phone number). You can get CVS store coupons by scanning your card at the "Magic Coupon Machine" (the price scanner at the front of the store)(scan the card a few times until the machine tells you to try again tomorrow). Be sure to register your Extra Care card at CVS.com (to get a sneak peek of the weekly ad) and Upromise.com (for college savings).

Buy a Green Bag Tag at your CVS store for 99c and have the cashier scan it during checkout when you use your own reusable shopping bags (or reuse some plastic grocery sacks). A friend of mine glued her CVS card to the back of her Green Bag Tag to keep them together. All Green Bag Tags have the same scan number, so you can share if shopping with a friend and one of you forgot yours.

Be sure to join the CVS Beauty Club. It rewards you with $5 in Extra Care Bucks for every $50 in qualifying Beauty supply purchases. These purchases are counted pre-coupon. In other words if the total before coupons is $20 and your coupons lowers it to $10, you still get credit for the $20. These totals are tallied up and kept track of on your CVS Extra Care account. You can view the balance on the bottom of your receipt or at CVS.com (after logging on).

Every quarter (seasonally by summer, fall, winter, and spring) the actual dollar amount spent at CVS using your Extra Care card during purchase, you will receive a reward of 2% reward back. All you have to do is scan your Extra Care card at the "Magic Coupon Machine" and it will print out for you. Or it will print at the bottom of your receipt on the first transaction after January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st.

If you lose one of your Extra Care Bucks or want to print a Beauty Club or quarterly reward before going to the store, you can print them from your CVS.com account (after logging on).

When you register your email address with CVS.com, you will get a coupon emailed to you toward your next purchase at CVS (watch the expiration dates). Then periodically you will receive discount coupons in your email inbox (usually on a Thursday and expire on Sunday so they can be used on either week's ad).

When a sale in the weekly ad states that you must purchase a certain dollar amount to receive an Extra Care Bucks reward (ECB), it is common that you don't have to get exactly to the dollar amount to receive the reward. For example: If the ad states that you have to purchase $20 to receive a $10ECB, you could purchase 2 qualifying items at $9.99 (totaling $19.98) and still receive the $10ECB.

If you get to the store and an item is out of stock (OOS), you can always get a rain check. CVS is great about rain checks because they honor the ECB reward at a later date. It is a good practice to keep the ad page with the rain check for reference in case it is a few weeks before you are able to redeem the deal. That way there is little or no question about what the ad/deal stated.

These are a few of the most used couponer's tips for CVS. I hope you have found this information helpful.

When to Complain: How I Got This Coupon

Have you ever purchased a favorite product only to realize that there was something wrong with it? Have you ever done something about it? If not, you should. I have gotten countless FREE products from a simple phone call to the company. There is usually a toll free phone number right on the packaging of most products. Now think about it; this is something you have purchased before and probably will purchase again, right? Most companies will reward your loyalty and thank you for pointing out a production error with a coupon for a FREE something from them.

Here are a few that I have gotten and why:

M&M's -- Candy-coated lump of petrified sugar in my bag (almost chipped a tooth) -- 3 FREE large bags

Coke -- 1 can was "soft" before opening -- 1 FREE 12pk.

Capri Sun -- 1 pouch had a hole in it and had leaked all over entire box -- 1 FREE 10pk.

Frito-Lay -- 1 bag in multi-pack was not sealed properly -- 3 FREE multi-pks.

Toilet Paper -- Not perforated on entire roll -- 1 FREE pk.

Bar-S hotdogs -- Only 7 in an 8pk. -- $11 in Qs

Baby gear -- Safety strap not up to standards -- Refund check

I am not a big complainer mind you, but when you come to trust the quality and standards of a product you expect it.

When you call the company, they will usually ask you for certain information about the defective product. They will also ask for some information off of the packaging or the original container (example: can of Coke and box it came in). I suggest you keep these items in a safe place until you receive a letter from the company. I usually receive a letter from a company within about 4 weeks, but it can take longer. In some instances, the company will ask you to send them the defective product (M&M sent me a mailer to send the "rock" to them for analysis and the baby gear was requested back as well. They even sent a parcel service to my home for pickup).

If you are completely satisfied with a product but wish you could pay less for it, another option is to call the company and express your satisfaction and loyalty to them and simply request some coupons. It may not work, but if it does you and the company will both benefit.

Rebates: Do's, Don'ts, and What to Do if Yours is Wrong

I received 2 rebate checks in the mail the other day, but I had also received the postcard pictured that stated that there was an error in one of my other rebates.

The thing about rebates is that the manufacturers set very specific rules and guidelines for each rebate that are tricky to follow. Sometimes I wonder if they are trying to get you so frustrated in filling them out that you either make a mistake or give up trying.

The first thing you need to do is check the dates required for the purchase (usually stated: between x/xx/xxxx and y/yy/yyyy). Next look at the specific item(s) allowed/required to be purchased to qualify for the rebate. Then read the directions as if they are "step-by-step" instructions: fill out the blah, blah, and the blah, blah; and mail this completed form and ORIGINAL cash register receipt WITH PURCHASE PRICE CIRCLED to: Name of Rebate, address, address, address 12345
by z/zz/zzzz (date). Sometimes the rebate even requests the original bar code from the packaging of the
item(s)

As soon as I make the purchase, I try to fill out the rebate that very day so as not to forget or misplace a receipt or bar code. When I fill out the rebate, I read the directions. Then I re-read them as I am circling the item(s) on the receipt. Then I, again, re-read the directions as I am copying the papers that I am sending in (never send off a rebate without copying every part). Lastly, I read the directions a final time as I put each part of the rebate into the envelope. Be sure to put a stamp on the envelope and, if asked for, include a SASE (Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope).

Mail your rebate off that very day or at least by the next day; never hold on to them. If a company is only paying a certain number of rebates, you want to be sure yours is one of those first few.

Now, back to the postcard I received from the rebate company. I had never gotten a card like this before. It stated that my rebate was rejected. I new that I had done everything that was asked of my on the form, but there was still a problem. I checked on the website listed on the card and then contacted them via a toll-free number given. I was very polite and explained my case. The operator was very understanding and looked up my rebate. He told me that the reason it was rejected was because my purchase was not within the dates required. I knew it HAD been, because my records showed that I had mailed it out on the 2nd day of the rebate and I always mail them the day after purchase.

As soon as he saw that my purchase was from Walgreens, the operator knew that there must have been an error in reading the coded date on the receipt. He resubmitted my rebate reassuring me by stating that he did not see any reason why it would not be accepted this time.

As tricky as rebates might seem to be, they can be a great experience when you follow the directions carefully and follow up on them in a positive manner when necessary.

Couponing Info, Part 3: Untrained Cashiers, It's Not Their Fault

With the usual quick turnaround of cashiers at most stores, there is little time to properly train them on every aspect of the checkout process. Coupons usually take the back burner during training because not every transaction deals with them. For this reason when problems with the coupons arise, the cashier with the line full of waiting customers will usually try to handle them without knowing how just to get you out the door.

I constantly get this from the Cashiers and Managers alike: "The coupon states 'only one coupon per purchase.' You can only use one of these." What they do not understand is that a "purchase" is an "item" not the entire transaction. Each item in a single transaction IS a purchase, therefore, you can use a manufacturer's coupon on every single item in the transaction if you have one for each of them.

Another belief by some cashiers is that people who use coupons are "robbing the store" because they are not paying for the items. The truth is you ARE paying for the item, but you are not using actual money. The store gets the money for the item; they just don't get it from YOU. The store turns the coupons in to the address on the coupon to receive the money plus they get a "processing fee" (usually 8c as stated on the coupon itself) for doing this.

Now, let's pretend you are working at a store as a cashier. Along comes Katy Coupon with her binder in tow, a buggy full of items in multiples of 4 because she buys her Sunday papers four at a time (4 cans of soup, 4 cake mixes, 4 lotions, 4 deodorants, 4 bags of cat litter, 4 packs of diapers, etc.). Katy politely chats with you while you scan 4 of every item the store carries that newly has a manufacturer's coupon out. Every coupon is working until you get to the lotion coupons that, for some reason or another, is not programmed in the register to match the corresponding lotion bottles that the store carries.

This could go several different ways, but let's look at two different scenarios:

1. Katy gets upset with you when you express your limited coupon knowledge while trying to interpret the wording of the fine print on the coupon. You take a defensive attitude which only makes you frustrated, angry, and begin to have a feeling of dislike toward ALL coupon shoppers that are "robbing the store by using coupons."

2. Katy politely explains to you what the wording means in the "coupon world" and you learn something that you can apply to the next coupon transaction that comes across your sales counter. You begin to have a feeling of understanding and admiration for these smart shoppers who know how to get a lot for a little by living in the "coupon world."

Which Katy would you want coming to your checkout lane? If we all strive to be the Katy in scenario #2, the "coupon world" would be a better place.

Couponing Info, Part 2: Stacking Coupons

How many coupons can you legally use on a single item? Most people think one; this is a common misconception. I have used 4 at one time. This can only be done by "stacking". "What is stacking?" you ask. In couponing, stacking is the use of a store coupon (from a specific store that can only be used at that store on the item specified) along with a manufacturer's coupon (put out by the manufacturer of the product to be used on their specified product).

An example of this is a store coupon put out by store H stating that you can take $2 off of item P. But you have a manufacturer's coupon for $2 off of item P. Now you can buy item P at store H at a discount of $4!

Now let's just petend that item P is put on sale at store H for $5 this week. With either of the coupons by itself, item P would cost you $3. But by stacking both of the coupons on item P's sale price, you can get it for only $1! Wow!

Now let's look at how we can use up to 4 coupons on a single item:

First of all, the law of coupons states that you can only use one manufacturer's coupon on any single item at a time. This means that if you buy one, you can use one manufacturer's coupon; if you buy 2, you can use 2 manufacturer's coupons; and so on.

At some stores, you are able to use a store coupon on an item that also is on sale, but requires an "in-ad" coupon (printed in the weekly ad of the store) to get the sale price. Now you have 2 store coupons to use on one product and you can also stack a manufacturer's coupon with that because you have not used one yet.

There are also stores that put out savings books with coupons toward specific items in their stores. If the store recognizes these as different coupons, they can be used along with the above scenario. Now you have 4 coupons that can be used on one single item.

Although this concept seems confusing, through trial and error you will be able to master it. Just be patient and be ready for mistakes during the process because learning what doesn't work sometimes makes it easier to understand what does work.

Commonly Used Couponers' Abbreviations

It was brought to my attention that there are many new couponers who do not know all of the abbreviations that are commonly used in the deals that are listed on my Facebook page: Tyler Area Coupon Club. Here is a list of them that I will add to as needed.

Q = Coupon
RR = Register Reward (Walgreens reward)
ECB = Extra Care Buck (CVS reward)
wyb = when you buy
SS = SmartSource coupon insert
P&G = Proctor & Gamble coupon insert
RP = Red Plum coupon insert
Wags = Walgreens
WQ = Walgreens Q
TQ = Target Q
CVSQ = CVS Q (sorry, no real explanation of that one)
$1/2 = $1 off of 2 of the item (stated on a Q)
3/$4 = 3 of an item for $4 (price of item in store)
BOGO = Buy One Get One (sometimes: B1G1)
BOGO FREE = Buy One Get One FREE (sometimes: B1G1FREE)
B2G1 FREE = Buy Two Get One FREE
BOGO50% = Buy One Get One for 50% off
BOGO1/2 = Buy One Get One for 1/2 off
OOP = Out of Pocket Expense
IVC = Instant Value Coupon/Individual Vendor Coupon (usually in booklet by ads at Wags)
Peelie = coupon found on the item packaging (sticker coupon)
Blinkie = coupon found in a dispensor on the store shelf (usually has a blinking light)
OOS = Out of Stock
Magic Coupon Machine = Price scanner (at CVS) that spits out CVSQs when you scan your CVSCard
Catalina = Qs that come from the printer by the register (strips of receipt-like tape)

These are the ones that I see a lot and use myself. If I come across more that I think are being used in the coupon world over and over, I will add it to the list. Hopefully, this will help to clear up some confusion that you may have when reading the many deals that are posted so quickly due to the use of abbreviations.

The Deal Should Work, Will They Let It?

I have all my coupons, ads, lists, and scenario. My buggy's full. I'm waiting in line. . . Now it's my turn. What do you mean my coupon does not match my item? It's listed/pictured right here ON the coupon. I plea my case. . . I ask to speak with a manager. . . the manager interprets the policies differently from me. What do I do?

Has this ever happened to you? The best thing to do is to have copies of the store's current coupon policies onhand (these can be found on their various websites). This way you can pull them out and plea your case at a moment's notice. Many employees, even managers, are not trained on the ever changing policies of their own store's. This is where a lot of problems can occur.

Always be ready to debate your case, but be calm and courteous at the same time (this can be difficult when the person behind the counter is already upset about having to scan 1000 coupons). As the saying goes, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Don't get angry or upset; be okay with walking away from a deal if you have to. The worst thing you can do is make them want to watch your every move every time you enter their store.

Remember this:  Sometimes you win a battle, sometimes you don't. Sometimes things don't go the way they should, sometimes they go in ways they shouldn't. But the bottom line is that you do not give in at the start. If you simply point out the facts, you might see something you didn't see before and know that you were wrong or you might even teach an employee, maybe even the manager, about their own store's policies.

Couponing Info, Part 1

The first thing a lot of new couponers do is clip a lot of coupons and then go use them during the first week. This could prove to be very costly if you are buying things you would not normally buy simply because you have a coupon for it.

Another thing new couponers might do is clip only the coupons for products he/she already buys, but still use them all during the first week. This will save money, but is not maximizing on savings. To truly maximize on savings, you need to wait until an item you have a coupon for goes on sale. An example of this is: Box A normally costs about $4. You have a coupon for Box A for $1 off of 2. If you buy 2 of Box A with the coupon, you will pay $7 for 2 of Box A. Now, the week after you make this purchase, Box A goes on sale 2 for $5. If you were to purchase 2 of Box A at this price, you would already be paying less than you paid with the coupon last week, but imagine if you still had that coupon. You could buy 2 of Box A for $4 (that's 1/2 of the original price).

The lesson learned here is to be patient. Wait for the sales to happen. If the item is not seen on sale before a coupon is to expire and it is something you would have bought anyway, then you would want to go ahead and use the coupon on the regular price. Otherwise, maximize your coupons by combining them with deals, sales, and in-store coupons. (In-store coupons are those that are put out by a store to be used ONLY at that store and are NOT marked as manufacturer's coupons.)

Welcome to the Tyler Area Coupon Club

Welcome to the Tyler Area Coupon Club where you can view coupon information and other helpful hints for the Tyler, TX area. I hope to create a useful blog for everyone that can be shared with others and benefit all. I also hope to provide a service for the community that will help people save money and be able to do what they want to do because they did not have to spend too much money on the necessities.

Be sure to keep up with me on Facebook, too. There will be pictures and explainations of deals right on the page: Tyler Area Coupon Club. Please search and "like" Tyler Area Coupon Club on Facebook. Thank you!