Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Updates!
I had some people say that they were having trouble leaving comments because they did not have an account, I changed the setting and you can leave a comment anonymously now.
I want to hear from you! How did your Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday shopping go? Get any spectacular deals? Please leave a comment and let me know what great deals you got!
Happy Couponing! : )
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Shopping Local- Part 2, The Pledge
Independently owned businesses offer some great features that you will cannot find in box stores or online. They offer a one-on-one shopping experience, high quality goods, American made, Hard to find items and more. Supporting your local businesses ensures that your money is going back into your local economy to better your city or town.
The city I live in started participating in The 3/50 project, which can also be found in many other cities. The basic idea is to spend $50 across 3 independently owned businesses each month. For every $100 spent in independently owned businesses, $68 returns to the local economy through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays local and when you spend online nothing comes home.
I decided to take a break from looking over my coupons and sale fliers and took my daughter for a walk through our local downtown. My goal was to see what my downtown offered for goods and services and to see how I could save money by shopping local, here is what I found:
- It was so nice to be able to walk from one store to another, get some fresh air, and have a lot of different items in each store that I know I wouldn't find at Walmart or the like.
- I met the owners of each business. They were all very friendly and willing to help me in anyway they could. The customer service just goes above and beyond anything I have experienced in big box stores. Every employee had extensive knowledge on the products they sold.
- The products were high quality, well made, and most were made in America.
- EVERY store was having a sale! These businesses understand that the economy is not in the greatest place and they want to help their customers in anyway they can.
- All of them offered mailing lists either snail mail or e-mail. Sign up for all of them, they will send you a notice when they are having sales.
I have decided to make a pledge to shop downtown first for the rest of my holiday shopping before heading to any big box stores. I would love to see you make this pledge too! If you are willing to shop independently owned businesses first before heading to a big box store please leave a comment below and let everyone know that you will do your part to save the independent businesses!
For more information on the 3/50 Project you can visit the links below:
http://www.the350project.net
https://www.facebook.com/The350Project
Gardner Square Two Inc. has a list of participating stores in the area for my local readers:
http://gardnersquaretwo.com/members/member-list/
I hope that we can all try and remember the local businesses. If we keep forgetting about them, they wont be there anymore.
Happy Couponing! : )
Friday, November 16, 2012
Giveaway! His and Her's Razors.
Welcome to my second giveaway! I have 2 prizes this time going to 2 lucky readers!
His Prize Her Prize |
Follow the instructions below to earn entries. Contest closes Sunday, 9/18/12, at Midnight. 2 winners will be picked at random and announced on Monday! Good Luck everyone!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Coupon 101: BJ's Coupons
So I started calling around to the stores near me and I asked if they would accept BJ's coupons? The answer I got was, as long as they carry the item listed it should be no problem. I called around just in my city I found that Walmart and Price Chopper took the BJ's coupons. If you have different stores in your area give them a call and see if they will accept them.
SO! I started looking through my coupons to find ones that said something along the lines of "$3.00 off any Arm & Hammer Liquid Detergent." Where it does not specify a certain size that the bottle would have to be I will be able to use it on a smaller bottle but pay nothing or close to nothing for it.
I usually buy a big ol' bucket of Arm & Hammer powder detergent at BJ's. I use a BJ's coupon for $4.00 off and always get it for $15. The bucket says it will do 220 loads. There is a coupon out right now in the BJ's Journal that says, "$3.00 off any Arm & Hammer Liquid Detergent." You can buy a small bottle at Walmart that does 32 loads for $3.97, with my coupon that is $0.97!! So I did some math and figured out that if I bought 7 of these bottles at $0.97 ea I would get 224 loads for $6.79! That is a savings of $8.21!!
After I figured this out I got rather excited and started really pawing through my coupons to see what else I could get for free. I ended up going last night and here is what I got:
I gave the Cetaphil to a friend. |
Cetaphil Bar of Soap: $3.47
Oral-B Toothbrush: $1.50
All Detergent (32 loads): $4.97
Total: $11.41
Q for Hand soap: -$1.50
Q for Cetaphil: -$3.50
Q for toothbrush: -$2.00
Q for detergent: -$4.00
_____________________________
Total After Q (coupons): $0.44 (w/tax)!!!!!
If you are looking for extra coupons there are a couple of different way to get them; Go to BJ's and ask for extras. I think they only hand out one at a time but if you are able to make a couple of trips you could get multiple books. Ask your friends and family if they would not be using certain coupons and start swapping. You can buy the books on Ebay, I have read in a lot of different forums that people feel they are getting a better deal by buying them online rather than paying for the membership. The membership is $50 a year so if you just got it for the coupons it would be $4.16 per book and you have the perks of being able to go in the store and get more books instead of buying more. Also you can use the membership to buy gas or other items in the store.
I am so excited to keep seeing what good deals I can get!! Let me know what deals you score!
Happy Couponing! : )
Shopping at Toy R Us
A great way to work this deal: Look up the toys you would be buying online and see which ones qualify for the 20% off online and mark them down, I usually add them to my cart so they are there when I get back. Now go to the store and buy any other items that do not qualify for the online discount, spend $75 get $10. Remember Toys R Us is price matching when you shop in the store, click here for details, so make sure to compare other stores prices before you go. Go home and order the items you left in your cart, get 20% off plus use your gift card to get another $10 off.
WAIT IT GETS BETTER!! Pair it up with Ebates and get 1% CB (Cash back), The other day it was up to 8% CB so watch it because it could change from day to day. So here is a quick break down of how this could go and how much money your could save:
Shop in Store: $75.00
Shop Online: $100.00
Total: $175.00
20% off online: -$20.00
Gift Card: -$10.00
1% CB on online total ($70): -$.70
Total for $175 worth of items: $144.30 (Savings of $30.70)
Another couple of ways to save is to use your Toys R Us card, or open one if you feel comfortable with doing so. You will earn 10% CB on all your purchases, details here. They are also offering free pick up in store, when available, on your online purchases. So you can buy online through Ebates to get CB and then pick up in the store and not pay for shipping, details here. Last but not least, they are offering free layaway if you want the option of paying for it over time, details here.
Let me know of any good deals you get!!
Happy Couponing! : )
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Toy-A-Day Giveaway
When it comes to contests and sweepstakes I usually send myself an e-mail with the link and everyday I go into my e-mail and I have the link right there. If you are not good at remembering to look for it try setting a reminder on your phone to enter the contest everyday until it ends.
Click here to enter. If you win something let everyone know here!
Happy Couponing!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
DEAL! P&G Coupon Booklet
Big Thanks to www.savingandmore.com for posting this on her site!
Happy couponing! : )
Monday, November 5, 2012
Shopping Local- Part 1
There is something that I feel should be addressed, though, and that is shopping locally. I would love to hear from you, my readers, how you feel about shopping locally. Here are some of the questions I am asking:
- What are some of the reasons you do or don't?
- What do you feel are the pros and cons?
- Do you currently shop locally or have you ever?
- If you don't, what would have to change to make you start?
Thank you in advance for your input! Happy Couponing! : )
Friday, November 2, 2012
Free AEROSMITH Concert!
The band will be performing at 1325 Commonwealth Ave. (Comm Ave.) where their old apartment used to be around noon time! I got the details from my local radio station WXLO check it out for more details. Check it out, it's Free!
Happy Couponing! : )
Free Oil, Gas, and Electricity?
There is a website www.neighboroil.com which started a rewards program, similar to Stop & Shop gas reward points, that rewards you with free oil when you shop online. They have also recently expanded to include Gas and Electricity.
The basis of the program works a lot like Ebates where retailers partner up with the company and offer you a certain reward value. With Neighbor Oil each retailer offers points instead of cash back so, for example, PBS.org offers 1 Point for every $1.76 spent in their store. They have a lot of different retailers to choose from so take a look around to see who offers the best point to $ spent ratio. They are working on a program so that you can shop in store and earn points but it is not available just yet.
Are you not totally sold yet? Well there are other ways you can earn points. After you create your free account you will receive 10 points! Hey, that was easy! After that, you can download the Neighbor Oil toolbar. This is basically the same thing as the Ebates toolbar, when you are on a site that is partnered with Neighbor Oil it will notify you there are points available to earn. For installing the toolbar you will get 10 points. Share the current oil price near you on your Facebook and you will earn 10 points! Right now they are holding a promotion; for every friend you invite and registers you will earn 10 points!
*WARNING* In case you had the same thought process I did I wanted to warn you that you cannot combine Ebates CB (cash back) with Neighbor Oil points. I tried to have both toolbars installed and went to the Wal-mart site (as it is partnered with both) to see what would happen. One toolbar cancels out the other, so you can only use either CB or points.
Neighbor Oil also lets you use your points towards propane purchases as well. I have oil, so I am not up on the propane end of the site. There is a sister site www.neighborpower.com that allows you to shop online AND in stores to save money on your electric bill. When you sign up you automatically get $3.00 in credit. You can register your store cards and add offers to your account that will earn you cash credits when you buy them and scan your registered store card!
Christmas, Birthday, or everyday shopping these sites can help you cut down your bills! I will leave you with a quote from Kathy Spencer, "More money isn't the answer. Saving money is."
Are you already using Neighbor Oil or Power? Let me know the best deal you have gotten on a fill up!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Giveaway Winner!
Thank you to everyone who entered! The winner of the $10 Target gift card is..... Sherry F.! Congratulations!
If you didn't win this giveaway, don't worry there will be more!
Happy Couponing! : )
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Giveaway! Target Gift Card
Each one that you do earns you an entry for the $10 Target Gift card!
- Leave a comment telling me how you would use the Gift Card.
- Like my new Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/couponingwithjen
- Like the post about this giveaway on Facebook.
- Share the post on your wall on Facebook.
- Follow me on Twitter @couponwithjen
- Find the tweet about this giveaway and Retweet.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
DEAL! 60 FREE Prints from York
Click Here and use COUPON CODE: 60PRINTS to get your free prints! Shipping is not included, $3.74. Thanks again to How To Shop For Free for this find!
Let me know if you cashed in on the deal and how you plan on using it! Happy Couponing! : )
DEAL! Dyson DC17 Vacuum
You can snag a refurbished Dyson DC17 Vacuum off Woot.com for only $199.00! This is a great deal!
Click here to get this deal!
Monday, October 22, 2012
DEAL! Free Slice of Pizza!
Head over to your local Dominos Pizza tomorrow from 12-2pm and try a slice of their new Pan Pizza!
Only available today, Oct. 23nd, from 12-2pm, while supplies lasts!
Find the nearest Dominos to you!
Did you cash in on this deal? Let me know what you thought of their new Pan Pizza!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
New Posts Coming Soon!
Hello to all my readers! I was planning on posting some new and exciting information today! Unfortunately my back is very much in pain so I cannot sit up to write.
Still, I decided to do a quick update from my phone while laying here, I wanted to let you know of some exciting topics coming up soon.
- How to get FREE HOME HEATING OIL AND ELECTRICITY!
- My grocery shopping how to!
- Thanksgiving, a time to give back!
- More great daily deals!
- My first giveaway!
In the mean time, I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment with any good deals you have scored or how you are using your new found couponing knowledge.
Happy couponing! : )
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Christmas Shopping
What I Do
When Christmas time comes around I make a spreadsheet and I list out the following by column: Recipient, What gift(s) I bought them, My budget, What I actually spent, and a check mark if I have purchased it. I have all the columns total at the bottom and make sure that my Actual spending total is subtracted from my Budgeted total to show me how much money I have left to spend on gifts. I also include my Ebates cash back that I have earned and add that to my total budget left to spend.
My goal when doing this is to have in mind the amount a gift should cost and plan to spend half of that. So, If I have budgeted $50 for Mary and I find a sweatshirt that is $50 but on sale for $25, that is perfect! By creating the spreadsheet I feel in control of my spending. Also it helps me keep track of what presents I got for everyone as I wrap my presents as I get them!
Online Shopping
Well, if you have been following along so far you know that I have a few favorite sites that can almost guarantee my Christmas budget get cut in half. We will start with online shopping and then move on to some actual store shopping:
- Ebates.com- Offers you a % of cash back on purchases made with partnered stores through their website. This is a good overall tool to have in your back pocket no matter what purchases you are making. When you first sign up it gives you the option of choosing a gift card. When you get your gift card you can use it as a gift or stocking stuffer (free!). I opted for the $10 Target gift card. I added $10 to it and will use it as a Yankee Swap gift (1/2 Price!).
- Groupon.com- Offers you local deals and goods for a limited time, most for 1/2 price! I love Groupon Goods. I think it is perfect for Christmas shopping. Most items are 50% off or more and have free shipping. They also offer vouchers for Restaurants or other businesses. The only thing about gifting a voucher is that the amount you paid for it is shown. So it depends on who you are giving it to and if you are ok with that. I have also thought to just black out the price. I know that they have great customer service and any problems are resolved very quickly and easily.
- Living Social.com- Pretty much the same as Groupon but I feel they have more vouchers than they do goods. I do buy things here and there and so far I have had no issues. A neat feature they offer is the opportunity to get your purchse for free. After you buy something it will give you a special link to share with your friends. If 3 of your friends buy the product through the link you will get yours for free!
- Totsy.com- Again, a lot like Groupon but it is geared towards children and moms. They have a wide variety of items clothes, toys, decor, ect... The prices are good. A lot of times I go on there and start to look at something and it is sold out which is annoying but they have some good deals on there.
- Woot.com- Same idea except they have 8 categories; woot!, tech!, home!, sport!, kids!, shirt!, wine!, sellout!. Every day each category has a new deal and it will only last for 24 hours. I usually find higher priced deals than what I have budgeted. You will find a lot of appliances and electronics that are refurbished and marked down 50%- 70%. I saw a Dyson upright vacuum once for $299 retail $499.
- Buy.com- This is like Walmart and Amazon combined. Through Ebates I get 6% CB (Cash Back) where I get 1% with Walmart and pretty much nothing with Amazon. I have ordered a few gifts through here already and have had no problems.
There are a few things you can do when shopping the stores for presents this year:
- In most stores the sale racks are in the back of the store. Make it your priority to work back to front. It is an easy way to start saving money.
- If you find something you like but feel you can't justify the price as a cashier if there are any coupons or store promotions going on. I was in Payless with my friend and she needed shoes. She found a cute pair for $30 but didn't want to spend the money so I politely asked the cashier if there were any coupons or promotions going on. Without even looking at me she said, "No, sorry." I replied, "Oh really? There are a pair of shoes that I would really like to buy but I just don't have the budget for them right now." She looked up and asked, "How much?" I said, "$30." She then handed me a coupon for $5.00 off $25 coupon. SO! It definitely pays to ask and let them know you want to buy something! The economy is bad and everyone is fighting for your business, take advantage.
- Make sure that you get a Sunday paper every week, it has coupons. Around the holidays they offer discounts on the subscription price and if it saves you 1/2 of your Christmas budget then it's worth it. There will be a ton of coupons that come in during this time plus all the flyers so you will never miss a sale.
- Look for coupons that say things like, "Buy Any Item, Get a $15 item free!" Try and find something small that you could use as a stocking stuffer and then get a $15 item to use as another present. The key, I think, is to look at a coupon and say, "How can I make this work so that I get it for close to nothing?" The goal with this kind of coupon is to get you to buy a $30 item and then get a $15 item for free. If you don't spend that $30 then you are saving.
- Coupons that say things like, "$10 off any purchase of $10 or more." They want you to spend "the more". Try and find something you can give for $10 and then you will get it for free.
- Black Friday shopping...will be a post all it's own.
- The last thing is, what I think, the most fun...after Christmas shopping. I will take my Christmas savings, that I have worked so hard to get, and go stock up on all the holiday supplies I need to make my holiday complete. You can get everything for cheap, it lasts for a couple of weeks and the longer you wait the more you save! I think the best part about after Christmas shopping is the next year when you take out all your wrapping and decorating supplies, it feels like a pre-Christmas just for me!
Leave a comment with any questions. Happy couponing! : )
DEAL! 24 Pc. Makeup Brush Set
Remember with Living Social after you buy it get 3 friends to buy it from your link and you will get it for free!!
Click Here to get this deal!
Leave a comment with any questions. Happy couponing! : )
**UPDATE** DEAL! 40" Flat Screen $299!
Wow! A great groupon deal! Right now they have a 40" Colby LED 1080p Flat screen TV for
Check out the link below, if it sends you to the homepage click on Goods and it will be the first deal you see listed:
Groupon- 40" Colby LED 1080p Flat screen TV
Leave a comment with any questions. Happy couponing! : )
Friday, October 19, 2012
DEAL! Scalp Massager
DEAL! Kids Superhero Cape
Something about LivingSocial I think you should know, you can get your voucher for free! After you purchase your voucher get 3 other people to buy the same one through your referral link and you will get yours for free!
Right now Powercapes.com is having a sale on their custom capes for $24.95. If you buy just the custom cape and use your voucher it will cover the shipping costs! It's a win win!
Click here to go to this deal!
Leave a comment with any questions. Happy couponing! : )
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Free Burger King Voucher
Click Here to get to the voucher!
Leave a comment with any questions. Happy couponing! : )
Buying Gifts with Groupon.com
When I first told my husband about some items I wanted to buy off Groupon for Christmas presents he replied, "I don't want to give everyone cheap gifts!" Listen, these are not cheap gifts, these are smart gifts! When you look at something on the website it will tell you what it retails for. If you buy a pair of earrings, let's say, for $9.00 but they retail for $100.00 you are giving someone a $100.00 present (see below, the deal is going on now!). Just because you paid $9.00 does not make you cheap, it makes you smart or as I like to call it, Savvy!
Here are a list of some current good deals going on right now on Groupon.com. All of these gifts are UNDER $30!
- **White Topaz Stud Earrings- $9.00**
- Value- $100.00! | Ebates CB- $0.27
- Ultra Thin Wallets - $12.00
- Value-$25.00 | Ebates CB- $0.36
- Coffee For Less- $10.00
- Value- $20.00 | Ebates CB- $0.30
- Christmas Cookies- $15.00
- Value- $40.00 | Ebates CB- $0.45
- BenchPrep- $25.00
- Value- $150.00 | Ebates CB- $0.75
- eMeals.com- $29.00
- Value- $58.00 | Ebates CB- $0.87
- Lash Extender Mascara- $20.00
- Value- $55.00 | Ebates CB- $0.60
- Motorola T325 Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone- $25.00
- Value- $50.00 | Ebates CB- $0.75
- Case and Stand for iPad- $14.00
- Value- $45.00 | Ebates CB- $0.42
- Picaboo.com- $29.00
- Value- $75.00 | Ebates CB- $0.87
- ScoreBig.com- $9.00
- Value- $40.00 | Ebates CB- $0.27
There are a lot more groupons on the site under $30.00. Pair up Groupon.com with Ebates.com and you will be on the fast track to saving money on your gift shopping all year round!
Leave a comment with any questions. Happy couponing! : )
Ebates.com, Cash back for shopping!
Ebates.com pays you cash back every time you shop online as well as provide you with coupons and deals online.
Ebates will send you the gift card that you picked when you signed up after you have made your first $25 purchase. I did notice that it took a while to get my gift card, so be patient. A good idea for your free gift card, is to use it as a present for someone!
- Groupon.com- 3% CB (Cash back), most goods they sell offer free shipping!
- Livingsocial.com- 2% CB
- Buy.com- 6% CB, Very much like a Walmart or Amazon but offers more CB
Walmart.com- 1% CB, Offer pick up in store. - Toys R' Us/ Babies R' Us- 1% CB, Also offer pick up in the store
- Snapfish.com- 20% CB
- Target- 2% CB
- JCPenny- 8% CB
Leave a comment with any questions. Happy couponing! : )
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Coupon 101: Vocabulary
Q- Coupon
MQ- Manufacture Coupon
SQ- Store Coupon
CAT- Catalina (The long coupons printed at the register)
OOP- Out of pocket
ONYO- On you're next order
BOGO- Buy one get one
WYB- When you buy
RP- Red Plum Insert
SS- Smart Source Insert
P&G- Proctor & gamble Insert
ECB- Extra Care Bucks (CVS)
WAGS- Wallgreens
RA- Rite Aide
Wine Tag- A tag that hangs from alcohol containing a coupon. Some even say "No Wine Purchase Necessary" and are often good for buying fresh produce or meats.
Peelies- Sticker coupons found on a product that you can tear off
Blinkies- Little red machines in grocery store aisles that have a blinking red light
Tear Pads- Pad of coupons near an item that you can tear off
I first learned of the complete list through a book that I read when I was starting out called, "How To Shop For Free" by Kathy Spencer. I bought the book at B&N for $14.95 and felt that it was a great guide to get me started. A lot of of my couponing methods came from reading her book.
Her book is geared towards finding a great deal, buying as much as possible, and stockpiling. Personally I live in a 1000sqft apartment at the moment and don't feel that it would be good for me to stockpile. If you have a deep freezer that you use already or extra space to store dry goods/hygiene products than this is a great method to the madness. My approach is more of, what I feel, a realistic one; get great deals and save where you can. My goal is not to get everything for free (just yet) but to not pay full price anymore.
Leave a comment with any questions. Happy couponing! : )