Targeteering Today

I've been eyeing some great Target deals all week, and finally got a chance to go to the store at 10:30 Saturday night, right before all these deals expired! Whew, just in time.

Here's what I purchased:

• 4 Bear Naked Granola, $3.29 regular price
• On sale for Buy 3, Get 1 Free
• Used 4 $1.25/1 Manufacturer Coupons
• Paid $4.87 total, or $1.22 each
• 5 Special K Bars, $3.49 regular price
• On sale for $2.50 each, buy 5 get $5 Gift Card
• Used 4 $0.75/1 Manufacturer Coupons from RP 3/8
• Paid $9.50 and got a $5 Gift Card, so $0.90 each

There was a $10 off $40 Target Mobile Coupon {text CLEAN to 827438} for certain household cleaning items, here's the breakdown of my purchases: 

• 1 Tide Pods 57 count, $14.99 regular price
• 2 Cascade Action Packs 20 count, $3.99 regular price
• 6 Febreeze Vent Clip, $2.99 regular price
• 1 Scotch Brite sponge, $1.09 regular price
• Total came out to $42.00 (I could have done without the sponge, but I was doing mental math and added it just in case I missed the threshold) 
• $10 off $40 Target Mobile Coupon
• 1 $2.00/1 Tide Pods Manufacturer Coupon
• 2 $1.00/1 Cascade Action Pacs Manufacturer Coupon from PG 3/1
• 3 BOGO Free up to $3.29 Febreeze Vent Clips Manufacturer Coupon from PG 3/1
• Cashier took off the entire $3.29 value even though they only cost $2.99
• Total for this deal was $18.13

My total after all coupons and 5% Red Card was $26.81 for over $75 worth of products! 

Now That I Broke Up With College, I Can Date My Coupons Again

MY GREATEST ADDICTION IS BACK!

I just spent an hour planning for next week's shopping trip, it's going to be epic! 

Man, if I had put as much work into my studies as I do to this... nah, I would have had the same grades. I actually tried hard this semester. 

Tide Pods: Return of the Coupons

After my 5-month coupon hiatus, I have returned with a vengeance. Well... not really, it's not that extreme, but I did get a crazy good deal on Tide Pods this past week. Oh, and I snagged up some Listerine mouthwash for good measure... they were free with ExtraBucks. So here's last week's deal at my beloved CVS:

Day One, Store 1: [I went to 2 stores so I wouldn't clear shelves]

• 2 Listerine Mouthwash
• $4.99 sale price
• Used $5 off $10 Mouthwash CVS coupon
•  CVS promo: Spend $10, get $5 ExtraBucks
• 4 Tide Pods, 14ct
• $3.94 sale price
• used 4 $2/1 Tide Pods MC from 11/16 newspapers
• used CVS email coupon "$5 off $15 in-store purchase" 
• Total OOP for Day 1 was $8
• And gained $5 in ExtraBucks

Day 2, Store 2:

• 4 [more] Tide Pods, 14ct
• $3.94 sale price
• used another 4 $2/1 MC from 11/16 newspaper
• Total OOP for Day 2 was $8.00
• And gained a $10 CVS gift card: Spend $30 get $10 GC on select PG products

SavingStar: 

• SavingStar is an awesome website for couponers! There is currently a Spend $30, get $10 refund on select PG products.
• Make sure you connect your CVS account first! 
• Received $10 Payout from SavingStar

In Review:

• Spent $16 OOP
• Received $5 ExtraBucks for Mouthwash
• Received $10 CVS Gift Card for spending $30 on Tide Pods
• Received $10 SavingStar Refund for spending $30 on PG products
• TOTAL: $9.00 MONEY MAKER! 

Spoiled Rotten... Targeteering for Dog Treats!

Here's the main way I "save" money at Target: I always have TWO $5.00 Gift Cards ready to hand over in exchange for some new ones! This lowers my OOP cost and usually makes me feel like I got a better deal than I actually did... but whatever works.
During this Target shopping trip I realized that I spend a lot more on my dog than I do on myself... what up with that??
ANYWAY, back to my post: This week, Target has a mobile coupon for $10 off a $40 dog/cat purchase of food, litter, and treats. (Text PETS to 827438) They also have a deal of "buy one Pedigree dog food and one Pedigree dog treats, get a $5 gift card." Combining these two with some great Target and Manufacturer coupons gave me a great deal! See below:

• Bought 2 Pedigree Dry Dog Food, 15.9lbs, $11.99 sale price
• Used two $1 off Target Coupons (target.com)
• Used two $1 off Manufacturer Coupons (pedigree.com)
• Bought 2 Pedigree Marrobone Dog Treats 15 oz, $2.99 regular price
• Used one $1 off 2 Pedigree dog treats (coupons.com)
• Bought 3 Boots and Barkley Mini Franks Dog Treats, $1.89 regular price
• Used 10% off Target Cartwheel
• Bought 2 Boots and Barkley Dog Treats, $2.19 regular price
• Used 10% off Target Cartwheel
• USED $10 OFF $40 TARGET COUPON
• USED TWO $5 TARGET GIFT CARDS (And received two more $5 cards)  
• Paid with Target Red Card, which gave me 5% Off ending total

Total Before Coupons: $40.01 (Just one penny above my threshold!)  

Total After All Discounts: $14.51!!! (As an owner of a 1-year old Lab with a voracious appetite, this is our average cost for just ONE bag of dog food, so this is an AWESOME deal!) 

CLICK THIS BANNER TO PRINT SOME COUPONS! 

$2.17 MM at CVS for $60 of Product :)

So there's this new CVS that opened up last week and it's exactly on my way to work OR school, so I decided to go check it out. I happened to run into the king of cashiers there, he was the coolest dude I've ever had scan my purchases lol. I thought it was going to be difficult because it was a new store and this might be a guy who just learned how to be a cashier, but no. This guy knew all there was to know about coupons and was kind enough to explain how their system worked and even push through some rather unfriendly Almay coupons that beeped. Also, he had the deepest tenor voice and was about 6'8" or something enormous like that.
Anyway, here's what I bought using a complicated combination of CVS and manufacturer coupons:

• Two Colgate Total Advantage Toothpaste, 7.6 oz
• On Sale for 2 for $7.98, Buy 2 get $2 Extra Bucks
• Used two $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste MC from SS 6/1
• Two 3-Pack Listerine Breath Strips, $4.29 regular price
• Buy one, get $2 Extra Bucks, limit 2
• Used $3 off $15 Oral Care CVS Coupon
• One Playtex Sport Tampons, 40ct. 
• One Sale for $7.99, Buy one get $3 Extra Bucks, limit 1
• Used $3/1 Playtex MC from SS 5/18
• One Tena Pads, 14ct
• On Sale for $3.50, Buy one get $2.50 Extra Bucks
• Used $1/1 Tena Product MC (coupons.com)
• One CVS Thin Pantyliner, $1.27 regular price
• Used $3 off $12 Tampons or Pads CVS Coupon 
• Two Almay One Coat Mascara, $8.29 regular price
• BOGO 50% OFF
• Used two $4/1 Almay Cosmetics Product from SS 6/1
• Two Almay Shadow Softies Eye Shadow, $5.29 regular price
• BOGO 50% OFF
• Used two $4/1 Almay Cosmetics Products from SS 6/1
• Used one $4 off $20 Beauty CVS Coupon

I also used one $10 off $40 CVS Coupon that was mailed to me last Thursday and I used $8.00 in Extra Bucks from last week. 

My total before Extra Care savings and coupons was $60.44

After coupons were applied, the $8.00 Extra Bucks had to be decreased to $7.68 because it exceeded my total (which was perfectly ok with me). 

My total Out of Pocket was $1.33, which was just tax and I received a total of $11.50 Extra Bucks. 

So to figure out the MM: $11.50 EB - $8.00 EB - $1.33 OOP = $2.17 Money Maker!!! 

New and Improved Coupon Binder

I've been planning to revise my old coupon binder into something more Me-friendly. I made the old one before I ever started seriously couponing and I soon found out that some things just didn't work for me. It was very well thought out, but since I was unfamiliar with the amount/extent of coupons out there, some sections (tabs) ended up not being used, while others tripled the initial amount of coupon-holder sheets in them. For reference, here are my old tabs/sections.

1. Paper and Plastic
2. Health and Hygiene (this section almost quadrupled)
3. Cleaners and Aromatics
4. Fresh Foods (there's like... no coupons for fresh food... ever) (ok maybe there is, but I never see any)
5. Pantry Items
6. Fridge and Freezer
7. Office and Crafts
8. Home and Misc.
9. Eating Out
10. Clothing (I don't think this was ever used, all the sheets in there look crisp and wrinkle-free)
11. Just for Fun
12. Shopping Lists

Now that I've made couponing my favorite hobby/lifestyle, I know what sections really need some extra space and which ones I can either condense or omit entirely. I also added a section to hold store-specific coupons. My 2 favorite stores allow "coupon stacks" (you can use one store coupon with a manufacturer coupon on the same item) and so I like to stick both into one pocket so they don't get separated. Having a section for each of these stores will make it much easier for me to find the coupons that I plan to use at that store and not use them at another one accidentally. Here's my Revised Coupon Binder Tabs

Cover Page with Contact Info (in case I loose it)

1. Store-Specific (Target, CVS, Walgreens, Other)
2. Paper and Plastic
3. Health and Hygiene (Women)
4. Health and Hygiene (Men)
5. Beauty
6. Razors 
7. Cleaners & Aromatics
8. Pantry Items
9. Fridge & Freezer
10. Pets (with a dog like mine, I need coupons)
11. Baby (don't need this one quite yet... but I will sometime)
12. Going Out
13. Office/Crafts/Misc.

This is now organized from most to least used sections, and they should all more or less have an equal amount of coupons in them. The biggest help with definitely be making sections for certain stores. Feel free to take my idea and make it your own!
BTW, I took the time to Clip-Art the title pages into very nice, colorful ones... but then I decided to "go green" (or be colored-ink-stingy, whatever you want to call it) and print them in B&W instead. Does anybody else think the Target dog looks adorable? 

 I used binder clips to hold the shopping lists I'd printed out a long time ago, but never used. It seemed like a big waste to throw them away, so I'll keep them just in case I get tired of using scratch paper to plan my coupon trips. The binder clips are also very helpful with holding inserts and full pages of printout coupons that I haven't gotten around to clipping yet.

Also, in case you really want to jump into couponing right away, click on the banner below to go to the coupons.com website and set your printer to work! 

CVS Couponing

Extra Bucks are $$ coupons given at CVS with the purchase of certain items every week, and they are used as cash at the register. I had a few that were about to expire this week, so I planned an "extreme couponing" trip to use them up. I also decided to put my extra CVS card/account (which is technically supposed to be my husband's) into play since it had not been used for a long time. I did these transactions in two different CVS stores so as to not clear the shelves (FYI: there was ample amounts of everything in both.)
Here's my couponing magic:

Card 1 (mine):
Received 20% off email coupon from CVS last Thursday

• Two Colgate Total Rinse, 1 L $5.99 sale price (Buy one, get $3 Extra Bucks, limit 2) 
• Used two $2.00/1 Colgate Total Mouthwash (coupons.com)
• One Crest Pro-Health, 1 L $3.99 sale price (Buy one, get $2 Extra Bucks, limit 2)
• Used one $1.00/1 Crest Pro-Health Rinse (coupons.com)
• Used $3.00 off $15.00 Toothpaste, Rinse, Toothbrush CVS coupon
• Two Dove Chocolate Bars 3.3 oz, 2 for $3 sale price (Buy two, get $1 Extra Bucks, limit 1)
• Used one $1.00/2 Dove Chocolate Bars (smartsource.com)
• Three M&M's, $0.77 each, sale price
• Used Buy 2, get 1 Free (smartsource.com)
• Used $1.00 off  $5.00 Candy CVS coupon
• Two St. Ives Apricot Scrub, $4.49 reg price, BOGO 50% off (Buy two, get $3 Extra Bucks, limit 1)
• Used two $1.00/1 St. Ives product from SS 5/18
• Four Revlon Colorstay Shadowlinks Eye Shadows, $3.19 regular price (Revlon Spend $10 get $4 Extra Bucks)
• Used one $2.00 off $10.00 Revlon CVS coupon
• Used four $2.00/1 Revlon Eye Product (coupons.com)

I had $11.00 in Extra Bucks from previous weeks which I used to lower my Out of Pocket expenses. 

My total before coupons was $49 something, almost $50. I used $30-something in coupons, $11 in Extra Bucks, and my out-of-pocket cost was $6.89 and I received $14.00 in Extra Bucks to use later. 

Card 2 (husband's): 

Received $4 off $20 purchase email coupon from CVS last Thursday

• Two Colgate Total Rinse, 1 L $5.99 sale price (Buy one, get $3 Extra Bucks, limit 2) 
• Used two $2.00/1 Colgate Total Mouthwash (coupons.com)
• One Crest Pro-Health, 1 L $3.99 sale price (Buy one, get $2 Extra Bucks, limit 2)
• Used one $1.00/1 Crest Pro-Health Rinse (coupons.com)
• Used $2.00 off $10.00 Toothpaste, Rinse, Toothbrush CVS coupon
• Two Dove Chocolate Bars 3.3 oz, 2 for $3 sale price (Buy two, get $1 Extra Bucks, limit 1)
• Used one $1.00/2 Dove Chocolate Bars (smartsource.com)
• Three M&M's, $0.77 each, sale price
• Used Buy 2, get 1 Free (smartsource.com)
• Two Right Guard Xtreme Deodorants, $4.49 regular price, (Buy one, get one free)
• Used $1.50 off $4.00 deodorant purchase CVS coupon
• One Sunday newspaper $2.00 (I was so excited there were leftovers from the day before! I just couldn't help myself)

This card had not been used in a while, so I had no Extra Bucks to lower my Out of Pocket cost. The total before coupons was around $30. After coupons I paid just over $14 and got back $9 in Extra Bucks to use later. 

I am usually never OK with anything higher than $5 out of pocket, but since I hadn't couponed at CVS for quite some time I don't feel so guilty. I also walked away with a total of $23 Extra Bucks, which is more than the $21 I spent out of pocket, so to me, this is a great deal!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT COUPONS! 

HitBliss - greatest discovery ever!

We all know I am constantly scouring the internet for nifty apps to help me save or earn money, right? Two days ago I found my absolute favorite app ever! It's called HitBliss and does some amazing things!

 You basically download it to your desktop or smartphone and you earn money by attentively watching ads and commercials. This money can then be used on Amazon to purchase TV shows or rent movies, or to purchase one month of Pandora One.

There is a catch though... these companies need you to actually pay attention to their advertisements, so the app has a pop-up "Are You There?" button which you must press (or click on) within a few seconds to make sure you are paying attention. If you don't press it on time then you don't get credit for watching the ad. On the plus side, it has "trust levels" that allow you to spend more time watching the ads and give you less alert buttons to press the more you move up. (I'm currently at level 6)

It's extremely user-friendly and it only took me about 15 minutes of watching adds to earn the maximum amount of $6.00 before I had to go "spend" it. In the past two days I have purchased 4 Walking Dead episodes, 4 Big Bang Theory episodes, and upgraded to a month of Pandora One and it only took about 30 minutes of attentive watching each day.
I HIGHLY recommend it. If you are interested you can download it here: http://hitbliss.com/ss/2JZ or click on the big, bold HitBliss up in the first paragraph. Since I have referred you, you get $1.00 added to your account automatically. Enjoy the ads, movies, tv shows, and Pandora One!

My Dollar Story

So last weekend I posted a rather large Target shopping trip and when I got home and dug around in my wallet I realized there was a $1.00 off coupon that I forgot to use! I think I'm taking this couponing thing to the extremes because yesterday I stopped by Target and took my receipt + coupon to customer service and asked to apply it to the purchase.

My local Target gives you up to 3 days to refund your money for a coupon you forgot to use (I learned that yesterday) and so I went and literally exchanged a piece of paper with ink for a $1 bill lol. The customer service lady was very nice about it, but I guess it helped that I used the "sweet, helpless, lost and insecure girl" act on her. Works every time.
ANYWAY, I just thought it was funny how I've become such a penny pincher. {It was MY dollar and I wanted it back!} And what did I do with this elusive $1? I bought as many things as possible! Seriously, I think I might have broken a record here:

• 3 boxes of Kellogg's Mini-Wheats
• Sale price $2.50
• Used Cartwheel 50% off Mini-Wheats
• Used $3 off 3 Kellogg's Cereal printable
• Paid $0.25 each, or $0.75 total
• 2 Dozen eggs
• $0.99 sale price
• Used $0.50 Target Mobile Coupon (text SPRING to 827438)
• Used $0.50 Target Mobile Coupon (text THANKS to 827438)
• Used $0.55 off 2 Dozen printable coupon
• Paid $0.22 each, or $0.43 total

Total Paid: $1.18  I had to dig around at the bottom of my purse for those extra $0.18, but hey... not bad for a month's worth of cereal and eggs. I saved $8.30 (counting sale prices) for a whopping 87.56% decrease! 

Thank you coupons for making me do math. My under-stimulated brain needed it. 

Targeteering Weekend

Most of what I've been posting lately have been my couponing trips and maybe I need to tone it down a little and choose more interesting topics, but today's grocery trip was awesome and I just needed to share it. This will more than likely be the last couponing breakdown for the next couple of weeks so bare with me. I was so excited walking out of the store.

I had used up some of my mobile coupons so I decided to bring Philip along and use his (he went rather unwillingly) so that I could do this awesome deal. 

Terrible photo of me, but let's focus on what I bought. This week there is a mobile coupon for $10 off a $50 grocery purchase which I applied before all other coupons I mentioned here. This acts as a "percentage off" coupon, so you can use other Target coupons in addition to it. I mentioned to my hubby that I needed to reach $50 in grocery products so as soon as we walked into the store he disappeared for about 5 minutes and returned with several packages of meat, two gallons of milk (yuck) and Starburst Jelly Beans. That was ok because we had coupons for those lol. 

Here's the breakdown: 

• Bag of Starburst Jelly Beans, $2.00 regular price
• Used 10% off Target Cartwheel
• Used $0.75 off Target Mobile Coupon
• Paid $1.05
• 5 Gum Single Pack, $1.29 regular price
• Used $0.50 off Target Printable
• Paid $0.79
• Doritos, $3.79 regular price
• On sale for $3.00
• 2 Market Pantry Gallon Water, $0.79 regular price
• On sale for $0.72
• Used 5% off Cartwheel
• Paid $0.68 each
• Market Pantry Bacon, $4.39 regular price
• On sale for $3.79
• 2 Market Pantry Bratwurst Sausages, $3.49 regular price
• Used two $1.00 off Fresh Meat Target Mobile Coupons
• Paid $4.98 total
• Baby Carrots, $2.99 regular price
• On sale for $1.50
• Used $1.00 off Vegetable Purchase, Target Mobile Coupon
• Paid $0.50
• Mini Potatoes, $3.99 regular price
• On sale for $1.89
• Used $1.00 off Vegetable Purchase, Target Mobile Coupons
• Paid $0.89
• 2 Boxes of Raisin Mini Wheats, Buy One Get One Free Sale, $3.14 regular price
• On sale for $2.50 each
• Used 50% off Target Cartwheel
• Used $1.00 off 2 Kellogg's Printable Coupon
• Paid $0.25 total!
• Market Pantry Canned Corn, $0.67 sale price
• Used 5% off Cartwheel
• Paid $0.63
• Market Pantry Canned Beans, $0.74 sale price
• Used 5% off Cartwheel
• Paid $0.70
• Market Pantry Hot Dog Buns, $1.29 regular price
• Used 5% off Cartwheel
• Paid $1.22
• Strawberries, $2.49 regular price
• On Sale for $1.50
• Used 5% off Cartwheel
• Used $1 off Fresh Fruit Target Mobile Coupon
• Paid $0.42 
• Market Pantry Ground Chicken, $3.59 regular price
• Used $1.00 coupon on package
• Paid $2.59
• 2 gallons of Market Pantry Milk (yuck), $3.09 regular price
• Used 5% off Cartwheel
• Paid $2.93 each (hubby was so happy, he consumes so much milk) 
• 2 Market Pantry Dozen Eggs, $1.89 regular price
• On sale for $0.99 (cheapest I've ever seen!)
• Used two $0.50 Target Mobile Coupons
• Used one $0.55 off 2 Printable Coupon
• Paid $0.43 total!!! 
• Market Pantry Juice, $2.29 regular price
• Used 5% off Cartwheel
• Paid $2.11
• Market Pantry Sliced Cheese, $2.69 regular price
• Used $0.75 off Target Mobile Coupon
• Paid $1.94
• Babybel Cheese, $2.99 regular price
• Used $1.00 off Printable Coupon
• Submitted for $1.00 Shopmium Rebate
• Paid $0.99 after rebate
• 4 7-Up 10 and 1 Big Red, $1.29 regular price
• On sale for 5 for $5
• Used two $1.50 off 2 7-Up 10 Printable Coupons
• Submitted for $1.00 Jingit Rebate
• Paid $1.00 total after rebate

And I'm done!!! According to my receipt, I saved $38.78 and I paid $29.54, so that's way over 50% savings! This was sooo fun because I got to bring Phil and let him be excited about couponing since we used his phone. He was pretty happy about all the milk, meat, and jelly beans he was able to purchase. 

In case you're wondering how I get the mobile coupons, grab your smartphone and do this: 

Text the words SPRING, THANKS, EASTER, GROCERY, & RECIPE to 827438 (spelling out Target) and you'll receive a text after each with a link to Mobile Coupons. Use them wisely!!! 

A Coupon Crazy Week

I don't often go out and coupon at multiple stores during one week, but there were just so many great deals everywhere this week I had to give it a try, especially when bringing my favorite money-saving apps into the mix. Here is what I've bought (so far...) 

At Walgreens: 

• Bought 6 Snickers Bites (at two different stores) $3.99 regular price
• On Sale for 2/$6
• Used $1 off 2 Walgreens Coupon booklet
• Used three $3 off 2 Snickers Bites (coupons.com)
• Paid $1.00 each, or $6.50 total
• These are so gloriously delicious that I'm not even the least bit ashamed of buying so many, or of hunting them down across 3 stores. This deal saved me over $18!

At CVS: 

• Bought 2 Nexxus Shampoo, $10.99 regular price. Spend $20 get $10 Extra Bucks.
• Used $3 off $15 Hair Care CVS coupon
• Used 20% Off Purchase CVS email coupon
• Paid $14.50, got $10.00 Extra Bucks
• Bought 2 Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Buy 2 get $2.00 Extra Bucks.
• Sale price 2 for $5.00
• Used two $0.50 off 1 (coupons.com)
• Paid $4.00, got $2.00 Extra Bucks
• Bought 1 Skintimate Shave Gel, $3.79 regular price. Buy one, get $2.00 Extra Bucks.
• Used $1.00 off 1 printable coupon
• Used 20% Off Purchase CVS email coupon
• Paid $2.04, got $2.00 Extra Bucks
• Bought 1 Paper Towel Roll, $0.79 sale price
• Used $0.79 off CVS coupon
• Free
• Total at CVS was somewhere around $20, but I used $7.00 in Extra Bucks from last week, so my Out of Pocket was around $14. Then I received $14.00 in Extra Bucks, which in my mind is as good as free. 

At Walmart:

• Bought 4 P3 Power Protein Packs, $1.00 each
• Used two $1.00 off 1 printables
• Used two $0.75 off 1 printables
• Paid $0.50 for all
• Bought a bunch of bananas, 0.48 cents/lb (around 3lbs.)
• Paid about $1.30
• Submitted for $0.50 rebate with Checkout 51
• Bought one VO5 Shampoo and one VO5 Conditioner
• $1.98 each regular price
• Used two $1.00 off 1 printable
• Paid $1.96, submitted for $0.75 each rebate at iBotta, plus received $0.50 bonus credit for submitting both in one receipt. Got $2.00 credit total, which makes these free! 
• Bought one box of Fiber One Fruit Snack, $2.00 regular price
• Used $0.50/1 coupons.com printable
• Submitted for $0.75 iBotta rebate
• Submitted for $0.75 Checkout 51 rebate
• Free after rebates!
• I love these adult version of Lunchables, they're great for a mid-afternoon snack! Plus the child in me loves bringing Fruit Snacks to work. Total at Walmart was around $7.00 for $13.00 worth of product, plus I got $4.00 in rebates. 

At Target:

• Bought 6 cans of Iams cat food, $0.59 regular price
• Used 5% Off Cartwheel
• Used two $2.00 off 3 Iams wet cat food (coupons.com)
• Free, plus $0.64 overage
• Bought 1 gal. Market Pantry white milk, $3.19 regular price
• Used 5% Off Cartwheel
• Submitted for $0.50 iBotta rebate plus $0.50 bonus
• Submitted for $0.50 Checkout 51 rebate
• $1.53 after rebates
• Bought Post Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Engergy, $2.55 price cut
• Used $1.00 off Target printable
• Used $1.00 off manufacturer coupon
• Paid $0.55 
• Gained a new favorite cereal
• 7th Generation Dishwasher Gel, $3.49 sale price
• Used $1.00 off Target printable 
• Used $1.00 off manufacturer coupon
• Used 10% off Cartwheel
• Submitted for $1.00 credit at iBotta
• Submitted for $1.10 credit at Jingit
• $0.96 Money Maker after rebates! 
• One Up and Up Multi-Surface Wipes, $1.92 sale price
• Used $1.00 off Target Mobile Coupon
• Submitted for $1.00 credit at Jingit
• $0.08 Money Maker after rebate!
• One Colgate Optic White Toothpaste, $2.99 regular price
• Used $1.50 printable
• Used $1.00 off Target Mobile Coupon
• Paid $0.50 

Wheew! What a week! I almost gave up on typing all that out. My total in rebates was $7.85 using various apps (iBotta, Checkout 51, and Jingit). It's challenging to really find a total for money saved vs. money spent because of the Extra Bucks and rebates, but I'm confident this was a week well spent screening couponing websites, punching numbers in my calculator, and draining my iphone's battery more than once. It's all worth it! Now I'm off to find some more cat food coupons (I donate these) and make some sugar cookies stuffed with Snickers Bites! 

Cheap Cereal at Target!

Yesterday I found out about these awesome cereal deals at Target and had to go try them out. Here's what I purchased:

• Triscuit Crackers, $2.94 regular price
• on sale for $2.39
• Used $1/1 printable coupon
• Redeemed for $1 credit at Checkout 51
• Paid $1.39, and got $1 credit
• Kellogs Frosted Mini Wheats, $3.14 regular price
• Used $0.50/1 printable coupon
• Used 50% Target Cartwheel
• Paid $1.07
• Kellogs Special K Red Berries, $2.74 regular price
• Used $0.50/1 printable coupon
• Used 50% off Target Cartwheel
• Submitted for $0.75 credit at iBotta 
• Paid $0.87, and got $0.75 credit
• Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy, $3.24 regular price
• Used $1.00/1 printable manufacturer coupon
• Used $1.00/1 Target printable coupon
• Paid $1.24

My total for this small purchase was $4.57 for $12.06 worth of items, plus I got $1.75 credited with other apps, so it really was $2.82 for 3 cereal boxes and some crackers! Yummy! 

My Lifestyle

Couponing has it's tricks, and not all of them involve tracking down the correct newspaper insert. For all of you smartphone lovers, here is a collection of cool apps that give money back for purchasing select products, all you have to do is open the app, snap a picture of your receipt, and select the item you purchased. It will then give you credit for the item, and once you reach a certain amount (say $5.00) you can receive it via PayPal or a variety of other great gift cards.
Here's what to do:

Register with ibotta! http://ibotta.com/r/fa4g If you're going to register, please follow that link, it will give me credit for referring a friend. (Help me out here! Thanks in advance!). This is one of my favorites, it uses your location to see what stores are around you, and once you've purchased something off their list you can upload your receipt and you'll receive the credit in a few hours. The payout amount for this particular one is an easy-peasy $5.00. 

                                                        
Register with Checkout 51! http://www.checkout51.com/ (no, this one doesn't give me credit for referring) This one is a little simpler to use, and it's the same concept. You choose the store, upload the receipt, and select the items on the receipt you'd like credit for. It has a payout amount of $20.00, which takes a little longer to accomplish, but is definitely not unattainable for the active deal-seeker I'm sure you are.
                                    
 Register with Shopmium! http://www.shopmium.com/en You'll have to do this one via the app store,  but if you register with my referral code you get a FREE Lindt chocolate bar! Here it is: GFYHFKQF, hope it works out for ya! I actually haven't been using this app as long as the others, so I'm not too familiar with all the ins and outs, but it's very user-friendly and much like the previous ones, only requires you to snap a photo of your receipt and select the product purchased to get the rebate. 

Register with Receipt Hog! http://app.receipthog.com/share/7z6ko89b I'm not sure if I actually get anything from referring a friend, but if I do, thanks in advance! The picture of my Hog looks rather skinny (oops). That's because I haven't used it as much as I use all the others. This particular one does not give you cash for certain items, rather, it gives you "coins" per each receipt you upload. Once you reach 1000 coins you receive a $5.00 payout. It's not the biggest money-maker, but you can upload any grocery receipt and get coins, so over time you'll reach the goal. 

 
Register with Jingit! https://www.jingit.com/?ref_id=343294&s=p This app not only gives you credit for things you buy, but you can also earn money by watching ads, taking surveys, and completing other small tasks. It asks for a one-time fee of $3.00 in order to get a Visa debit card sent to you, but after that you can use your Visa card anywhere it is accepted and pay with your Jingit balance. 

     

Extra Googliness

This is an extra addition to my "couponing" category. Not all extra cash comes from clipping and paying with 'newspaper money', some of it comes from finding just the right additions to your money-saving tactics. Below are two of my favorite Google Chrome extensions and the reasons why I love them so. Check them out and I'll let you be the judge.

Screenwise Trends

My favorite web browser is Google Chrome. I am set in my ways and they will never change. Why? Because I love the googliness of it & I GET PAID to use it! That's right, you heard correctly. Since I'm at a computer at work 40 hours a week, I am literally working to get paid to get paid. Here's why: I have a nifty little extension called Screenwise Trends Panel which nowadays gives me $1.00 per week just for using Chrome as my web browser. This is all marketing research; companies basically want to know how and why you use the internet to that they can advertise better. Now I know that $1.00 a week is not much, and they don't pay out until you have reached $25, but hey... wouldn't you be happy if you found $1.00 on the ground every week? It's free money! Think of it, if you Chrome your way through life, that's like adding an extra $50 a year to your cash flow for doing things you already do anyway. Isn't it great? Follow the link to learn more! 

Honey 

Who doesn't love online shopping? I love it so much I can type out my credit card info in my sleep. After you've clicked and added items to your cart to your heart's content, you're ready for ordering... but not quite ready to dish out all that money. So what do you do right before clicking that checkout button? You search for any possible coupon codes and spend the next 30 minutes getting sidetracked trying out every possible number-and-letter combination out there, all to no avail. What if I told you there is an extension which does it all for you? Honey does just that! Once you get it installed (in Chrome) a honey-yellow button appears near the checkout button of almost any online store that says "Find Savings". You press it and it instantly locates and tries every code that is internet-available to get you the biggest savings. Now, there's not a coupon code for every single item out there, but I must tell you that last year I saved nearly $80 on my wedding invitations by ordering from Shutterfly just by pressing this button. I had no idea that code was out there, but Honey sure did find it! It's an awesome addition for the web shopping aficionado. 

I hope I just got you hooked on Chrome, and more specifically on these two great additions to your money-saving lifestyle. If you happen to find any other great extensions spread the wealth!  In the near future I will be posting all about my other favorite ways to make extra cash; cellphone apps and surveys! See ya soon!

-Damaris

3/10/14 Target Haul

Have I ever mentioned how much I love couponing at Target? Only all the time? Well here I'm saying it again: I love couponing at Target! Here's what I got from today's haul... and I plan to go back for more tomorrow! 

• Two Ragu pasta sauces, $1.84 regular price
• On Sale for $1.59 
• Used $1.00 off 2 Ragu Products from Sunda paper 3/9
• Used $0.75 off 2 Ragu Pasta Sauces Target Printable
• Paid $1.43 total
• Two Oscar Mayer P3 Protein Packs, $1.79 regular price
• Used two $0.75 off 1 printable (coupons.com)
• Used 50% Target Cartwheel
• Paid $0.29 total 
• Two Market Pantry Turkey Breast Lunchmeat
• On Sale for 2 for $3.76
• Used $1.00 off lunchmeat item Target Mobile coupon
• Used 5% off Target Cartwheel
• Paid $2.61 total
• One package of Romaine Lettuce, $2.09 regular price
• On Sale for $1.09
• Used $1.00 off Vegetable Purchase, Target Mobile coupon
• paid $0.09 total
• One package of Smart Bite mini potatoes, $3.99 regular price (hidden behind lunchmeat)
• On Sale for $0.99 
• Used $1.00 of Vegetable Purchase, Target Mobile coupon
• FREE
• Two packages of Market Pantry Chicken Breast, $6.99 regular price (hidden behind lunchmeat)
• On Sale for $5.29
• Used two $3.00 OFF coupon sticker on package
• Used two $1.00 off Fresh Meat Target Mobile coupons
• Paid $1.29 each, or $2.58 total 
• Two oranges, $0.89 each regular price
• Used $1.00 off Fresh Fruit Target Mobile Coupon
• Paid $0.78 total
• Five bananas, $0.24 cents each, regular price
• Used $1.00 off Fresh Fruit Target Mobile Coupon
• Paid $0.20 total
• One Suave Professionals Shampoo, $2.74 Sale Price
• Used one $1.50 off 1 Manufacturer Coupon (coupons.com)
• Used one $1.50 off 1 Target Printable Coupon
• FREE, plus $0.26 overage
• One Colgate Optic White Toothpaste, $2.99 regular price
• Used one $1.50 off 1 Manufacturer Coupon (coupons.com)
• Used one $1.00 off 1 Target Coupon
• Paid $0.49 total
• Two Say Yes To Cucumbers Makeup Wipes, $2.99 regular price
• Used two $3.50 off 1 Manufacturer Coupons
• FREE
• Four Oscar Mayer Lunchables, $1.59 regular price 
• Used two $1.00 off 2 Manufacturer Coupons (coupons.com)
• Used 10% off Target Cartwheel 
• Paid $3.76 total

Total on my receipt was $11.02 (although I just added all that up and it's slightly more than that) for about $52 worth of items! That's a whole lot of savings! After sale prices were applied I saved a total of $34.09 (according to my receipt). 

2014 03 04 Target Mini Shopping Trip

Today I ran into another couponer while grabbing a few things at Target. I thought to myself "do I really look that insane?"... but then I realized I'd rather have more money in my pocket and look silly than pay full price for an item.
This is what I purchased today, I did pretty good counting the fact that some of the things I planned to purchase were sold out.

• 3 Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
• $0.89 each, sale price
• Buy Two, Get One Free special promotion
• Paid $1.66 for all
• Also printed out a Catalina coupon at the register for $1 OFF 4 boxes
• Velveeta Cheese Casseroles Dinner Kit
• $1.99 sale price
• Used 20% off Target Cartwheel 
• Paid $1.59
• One Betty Crocker Frosting and One Betty Crocker Cake Mix
• $1.52 and $1.12 each regular price
• Used $0.75/2 Manufacturer Coupon
• Paid $1.89 for both
• Two Up & Up Ibuprofen 50 Count
• $1.88 each, sale price
• Used $2 off 2 Target Mobile Coupon
• Paid $1.66 total
• Colgate Optic White Toothpaste, 4 oz
• $2.99 sale price
• Used $1.50/1 Manufacturer Coupon
• Used $1.00/1 Target Coupon
• Paid $0.49
• Wrigley 5 Gum Multi-Pack
• $2.99 regular price
• Used $0.75/1 Target Mobile Coupon
• Used 10% off Target Cartwheel
• Paid $2.01

Total savings of $8.18, paid $9.50 for $17.68 worth of items. 

Intro to Couponing

The following are lessons I've learned through trial and error in my quest to become a so called "extreme couponer". I'm sharing these mostly for the benefit of a handful of girlfriends who asked about it and want to give it a try, but if anyone out there has any questions, feel free to ask :) 

1. Get a Sunday newspaper subscription OR go out and buy a newspaper every Sunday. Sometimes subscriptions are more expensive because you have to pay extra for deliveries or be forced to "tip" carriers. If this is the case, just pick your closest favorite gas station and purchase it there. Typical price is $2 per copy, but sometimes there are well over $100 in coupon inserts, plus who doesn't love Garfield comics? Personal lesson learned: once you've gotten into the couponing habit, do not miss purchasing these papers, not even for one Sunday. You'll regret it later. 
2. Get organized. Go purchase a 3-ring binder, one or two packs of 9-pocket plastic sheets (the kind used to hold baseball cards), page protectors, and divider tabs. As soon as I got my first newspaper, I clipped every single coupon available (even for cat food and baby wipes, and I have no need for either) and then stuck them all in a letter envelope. Almost 100% of these were thrown away because I forgot all about them. Personal lesson learned: find a system that works for you, and then stick to it. 
3. Pick and choose which coupons are for you. My biggest mistake was to clip every single coupon in the paper, bring them to the grocery store, and use as many as I could on every item possible. WRONG thing to do. If you don't need Old Spice deodorant, spicy hummus, or 4 bottles of air freshener, then don't even clip the coupons. Look through them all and clip your "basics" for things you purchase regularly, like milk, soap, toothpaste, dog food, laundry detergent, etc. Then do a second run and clip coupons for things you might consider buying if the price is right; candy, makeup, and junk food are in my category. Toss the rest away. Personal lesson learned: attempting to use all your coupons wastes A LOT of money. 
4. Find websites for printable coupons. Not all of your coupons will come from Sunday newspaper inserts, they will also come from your very own computer! My shortcut is to follow thekrazycouponlady because they keep up a running database of over 2,000 printable coupons plus list the current newspaper coupons as well. You'll have to install a 'coupon printer' on your computer, and make sure you have your default printer set and working because you only get two printouts per coupon per printer. Personal lesson learned: if you use several printers installed on one computer, make sure you are printing out of the correct one and that you have ink and paper in there, because you only get two chances to click Print, and then it's gone. Note: it is illegal to photocopy coupons, but if you have more than one computer, you can print multiples (hint, you can go to a public library and print two per each computer you use). 
5. Pick a store. Or two. Perfect your couponing strategies a little at a time. My top two couponing stores are Target and CVS, which offer different items on sale each week and allow you to "stack" a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon for extra savings. Go to their respective websites, find their coupon policies, and read over them carefully. If possible, print out a copy and stick it in your coupon binder because a lot of the time cashiers have no idea what they're talking about when the try to deny you the use of a coupon. Personal lesson learned: don't let a huffy, annoyed cashier get the best of you. Be nice, polite, but stand your ground if you know you're right. And don't be afraid to talk to managers. 
6. Judge a book by it's cover. This goes along with understanding each store's coupon policy. When you're ready to pay for your items, do not be afraid to profile the cashiers. Always try to go for the young, male cashier who looks ready for quitting time, not for the lady who takes her job too seriously. They will care less about the coupons you're using and not try to fight you on anything. (that's my experience anyway). Be polite, smile, and state upfront that you will be using coupons with your purchase. It doesn't hurt to ask if they'd like the coupons in a specific order. Personal lesson learned: don't attempt a large shopping trip at 5pm on a Friday when the store is packed and everyone gets annoyed with difficult transactions.