Showing posts with label coupons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coupons. Show all posts

Saturday, October 31, 2009

It's Been Rough Around Here

Since starting work a few months ago, I have really been slacking in the coupon clipping category. I'm lucky if I get the coupons even clipped each week, never mind getting them organized in my binder. I also haven't made getting all the best deals a priority. I just don't seem to have enough time. Why couldn't there be more hours in a day? I just haven't been interested in running to Rite Aid or Walgreens to get the good deals. I still cut out the ones I think I will need, but mostly I am using them at Tops, Target and Walmart.

We have been really bad when it comes to eating out lately. My husband is still laid off so he's the one who cooks dinner during the week. Unfortunately he has not been doing this like he should. Not only are we spending a lot by eating out but we are not eating the best foods for us. My plan for this weekend is to do up a meal plan for the week for him, because obviously he needs one and won't do one for himself. I would also like to cook up some foods to stick in the freezer. I am thinking some macaroni and cheese with broccoli and chicken, pizza crust, homemade bread, and maybe some chili.

We have also been slacking in the cleaning area. On the weekends it just seems like I am cleaning all the time. Lots of laundry and dishes, and I never seem to get caught back up. I need to somehow make the essential cleaning a priority for my husband. I don't know exactly how to do that. I am thinking that maybe if I start saying I'm not going anywhere until certain things get done, that might work. Any ideas?

I really need to get things under control, before the holidays and before my classes start in spring. I have an independent study and an online class, and the one is going to be quite a challenge and take up a lot of my free time. Of course, after that I will be graduating and will not have to do this whole working and going to school thing. I can't wait. If you have any ideas on how I can get things in order, please live it in the comments.




Lisette

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Coupon Contest - Win over $150 worth of coupons

I have A LOT of coupons right now. I have been given a lot of coupon inserts in the last few weeks and really there are more coupons than I could ever think about using. So, instead of letting them expire, I have decided to share.

So, one lucky winner will win over $150 in coupons. Some of the products include:


  • Tide
  • Scott toilet paper
  • Cascade
  • Kid Cuisine
  • Banquet Meals
  • Manwich
  • Act II popcorn
  • Huggies Pullups and Pure and Natural Diapers
  • Cookie Crisp cereal
  • Listerine
  • Windex
  • and much, much more

All coupons expire after September 10. Since I will not have much time to advertise this contest, I will be giving more entries for people who get the word out about this contest. Here are the ways you can get entries:
  • 1 Entry - This one must be done in order to enter the contest. My husband is having trouble making dinner (he is currently the stay-at-home parent). To get your first entry into the contest, let me know ideas and tips he can use to make getting dinner on the table easier. Also please leave your email or blog address, so that I can get a hold of you if you win.
To get more entries:
  • 2 entries - Subscribe to my blog via email. Please leave me a comment with your email address.
  • 3 entries - Add my badge to your blog or site. The code can be found on my sidebar. Please leave me a comment letting me know you did this, along with the address.
  • 3 entries - Twitter about my contest. Please leave a separate comment stating you did this, with the link or your Twitter name.
  • 3 entries - Emailing at least 3 friends telling them about this contest. (Please put me on cc - couponqueenofcorning at hotmail dot com), and leave me a comment letting me know you have done so.
  • 5 entries - Blog about this contest. Please leave a comment with the address link.
Contest Ends August 26 at midnight EST. I will be drawing a winner and post the name on the 27th. I will also email that person. Winner has 48 hours after receiving email to get back to me or I will have to choose a new winner.

Good luck! Bonne Chance!!


Lisette

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Coupon Tips - Where to Get Coupons

Wondering where to get extra coupons? Do you ever feel let down by the coupon inserts in the Sunday paper? Well, the Sunday paper is not the only place to get great coupons that will save you tons of money. So, where do people get coupons? Listed below are some places that you should try looking.


The Sunday Newspaper


This is the first place I look for coupons. You can get anywhere from 1-3 inserts in most Sunday papers. Coupons in the paper can vary depending on where you live. I have noticed that when I look at other blogs of couponers that are in the South that they have better coupons than ours. Or they will get certain ones for $1 off 1, whereas we get a coupon for $1 off 2. Also keep in mind that on holiday weekends they do not have coupons in the Sunday paper.

Ask family and friends if you can have their coupon inserts. This way you can have extra of all the coupons. You can even go out and buy extra papers if the coupons are really great. Ask local stores what they do with their extra newspapers and ask if you can have the inserts.


Off the Internet

There are so many coupons on the Internet that you can print and use at your local stores. You will need to check with your store to see if they accept Internet printables. Tops, Target and Walgreens takes Internet printables. I have not checked with other stores, but if you know of other stores that take them, please let me know in the comment section.

Target will take an Internet coupon plus they will also take coupons printed from their site. So, you can save even more by stacking your coupons. Here's a list of coupon sites for you to print from:

Catalinas


Sometimes when you buy certain products, a store coupon will print for you to use on your next visit. Sometimes these are for a certain amount off a product or even a certain amount off your total order. I've gotten these at the grocery store for products such as cereal, yogurt and coffee. Walgreens has these also, but they are called register rewards there. When you buy a certain number of a certain product, you get a coupon for a certain dollar amount to be used on your next visit. By using your register rewards for your next purchase and buying products that have more register rewards, you can save a lot of money.

In the Stores

Sometimes, when you are going through your grocery store, you can find coupons. The coupons that are in those red little boxes are called blinkies. Even if I don't need that product today I will grab a couple coupons to use at a different time, maybe even a different store. These are manufacture coupons, so they can be used anywhere. The only downfall to the blinkies is that usually you can not double them, so if they are for a small dollar amount, you may just want to pass.

Other coupons found in the stores are peelies. These are coupons that are attached to the product to entice you to buy it. If the price is good and you want to buy the product, it may be worth it. But many times I have noticed that these peelies are not on the products that are on sale. Recent peelies I have seen have been for products such as iced tea, rice, pasta, and cereal.


In the Mail

Getting coupons in the mail seems to be decreasing with the advent of Internet printables, but you can still get coupons this way. If you write or email a company, many times they will send you coupons in the mail. Do not hesitate to send an email or letter to a company to compliment a product you like or to complain about one you disliked. If you are going to have a baby or have one already, sign up for formula and diapers in the mail from the manufacture. I also signed up for a baby gift registry when I was pregnant, and I get baby coupons from Target, that can be stacked with regular manufacture coupons to increase savings.


From Other People

Besides asking people you know for inserts you can also trade or buy coupons. Several websites, like Frugal Village have coupon trains where you sign up to exchange a certain number of coupons a week. You get rid of the coupons you won't use and get ones that you hopefully can use. You can also have a coupon party with your friends where you get together over a meal (at someone's home, preferably) and exchange coupons with them.


I am sure there are a lot of other ways to get coupons. Please leave me a comment if you would like to add anything else to my list.




Lisette

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Happy Saturday Morning

It's Saturday morning and the kids aren't up yet, so I thought I would use the opportunity to get some posts done. It has been a very hectic week. I really need to get on a better schedule and devote a few hours a week to blogging. I will be starting a job that involves more hours and a little but more a drive starting on the 17th, and then my one class will be starting the next week after that (an accounting class). So, I am hoping to be able to keep up on here. I have two posts about couponing ready to be posted and I want to write up some more this weekend.

My husband has been doing a lot better this week in regards to keeping the house clean. He has been keeping the dishes washed each day and the house picked up. So, that is a plus. We still need to work on him making dinner though. I am going to go downstairs and take inventory of everything in our inventory and freezer and then we are going to figure out meals that he can make, hopefully utilizing a good majority of what we already have. Need to get him in the cooking everyday habit this week because the next week I will not be getting home until 5:30.

Now, I need to be getting off this computer. I have TONS of computers that still need to be put in my binder (I had 5 papers' worth of coupons last week and there were a lot of coupons in each one!) so I will be working on that before we go shopping today. I need to inventory stockpile, make a meal plan and make a list for shopping. Then, of course, there is a lot of clothes to be folded, plus I need to do another load of mine and the kids' clothes. So it is going to be a very busy weekend. I am leaving you with some deals and coupons that I found this morning.

Coffee-Mate coupon
In my email today I received a link to a coupon for Coffee-Mate, so if you use this in your coffee, you can click here to go to the site. You must either log in or register. Supposedly it is a $1 off 1, but I have not had the opportunity to print this yet. I know that there is a $1.50 off 2 that you can print more than one time on that site also.

Rite Aid coupons
I don't know how many other people got an email from Rite Aid today, but supposedly, if you watch some videos, you can get coupons to print and use at Rite Aid. Click here if you'd like to go to the site and see what it's all about.

Kraft FirstTaste $100 in Groceries
Kraft is having a promotion where you can win a $100 grocery card. Go to Kraft FirstTaste and either sign in or register. They are giving away one of these cards every day until September 1, so sign up NOW for your best chance to win.

Coupons
I found a pdf with several coupons. Click here to take you to it. It includes coupons for Dixie plates and bowls, BagelBites, Sharpie Highlighters, and Tide Stain Release. Print a few of these and then check out Target and Walmart in the next few weeks for prices on the highlighters at less than $1.

Restaurants.com
Would you like to be able to go out and eat for 80% less! Restaurants.com has coupons for local restaurants and right now if you use the code PORTION you can get a $25 gift certificate for only $2!! Offer ends August 13.



Lisette

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Coffee Coupon

Do you drink 8 O'clock coffee? I have found that this is one of the cheapest whole bean coffees, and yet hubby loves the taste of it. At around $4 in the grocery store for 12 ounces it's a really great deal. If you go to the 8 O'Clock coffee website, you can print a coupon for $2 off 2 bags. Happy Drinkin!


Lisette

Monday, July 6, 2009

Kmart Doubles

Kmart is doubling coupons up to $2 again. Unfortunately the stores in my area are not having them. I looked up all the Kmarts in the area and the NY ones are not running the coupon doubles, BUT if you are near one of the Pennsylvania locations in the northern tier, they are running this special. Sayre, Towanda and Williamsport are all running the coupon doubler. So, I am thinking about stopping at the Sayre location when I go visit the parents who live in the Valley.

There are some rules (of course):
  • Coupons up to $2 will double, but no overage will be applied
  • You can only double up to 4 like coupons.
  • Maximum coupons doubled is 10
  • Internet coupons are accepted and you will have to pay tax on the pre-coupon amount.
  • You have to have at least $25 worth of product to have your coupons double
If you'd like coupon matchups for Kmart, go check out Money Saving Mom's blog post.



Lisette

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

$55 Coupon Booklet

Wow. It's crazy how they start pushing school clothes and sales right after school is out. My son has barely been out a week and I am seeing stuff for back to school already. uuggghh.

Well, I did find something I think you would all like. You can get a booklet for $55 worth of Nabisco/Kraft coupons. Click here to go sign up.




Lisette

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Tuesday Roundup: Freebies, Coupons, Tips and More


Free Samples and Coupons


Photobucket
Have you joined Kraft's First Taste Program yet? If you haven't, then what are you waiting for? Signing up is easy and you get coupons for free Kraft products. Who wouldn't love that?

Once, you are all signed up for Kraft, General Mills has a similar program called the Pssst...Program. Fill in your email address, answer a few general questions about your shopping habits (10 questions), your home address, create password, household size and ages, and answer some more questions about your eating habits. You will then receive an email so it can be verified.


Call for Money Saving Tips

USA Weekend wants all your best frugal and money saving tips. Click here to share with them your tips for possible inclusion in an article. Also, they ask if you know any terrific blogs or websites for frugality. Please feel free to mention my blog. LOL. I am getting a list ready of my best tips to send in and will definitely be mentioning my favorite frugal blogs/sites: $5 Dinners, ConsumerQueen, Frugal Village and Saving Cents with Cents.

Online Coupons
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Also don't forget to print off your coupons from the regular online coupon sites:


Lisette

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Reminder: Coupon Contest Ending Today

Don't forget to enter my $100 Coupon Giveaway!!! Today is the last day to enter. Click here to enter.


Lisette

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Tuesday Giveaway / Contest Roundup

Here is a list of all the great giveaways that I've come across in the last few days:
  • Jollys garden shoes and clogs. Win a pair of shoes or clogs by clicking here. This contest ends June 22.
  • Like cupcakes? Who doesn't? LOL. Go check out Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls' Cupcake Gourmet giveaway to win a dozen mini cupcakes. Contest ends June 21
  • Looking for healthy snacks for your kids, go enter to win a 10 pack of organic apple sauce from Smashies. Contest ends June 21
  • Are your pregnant or have a little baby? Go over and enter to win a $50 gift certificate to Eco Bebe Boutique. You can also win a taggie blanket (blanket with tags all over - you know how babies love the tags). Both contests end June 22.
  • Are you new to couponing and need a place to put all those coupons? Go over to Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls' site and enter to win an ORIGINAL HAND EMBROIDERED COUPON ORGANIZER from Austin Artisan. Contest ends June 20
  • Want sunglasses for your kids that won't fall off their head ever two minutes. Go over and enter Frugal Mommy's site to win a pair of Baby Banz sunglasses. Contest ends June 18.
  • Are you pregnant and want something that will actually fit your new addition during the first few weeks. My Mom's View is giving away a $75 gift certificate to Zutano's for anything in their Itzy Bitzy line. Contest ends June 22
  • MomDot.com has a whole list of blogs that have contests currently going on. Go here to look at the list and enter the contests.
  • Don't forget about my coupon giveaway. It ends June 24.

Lisette

Kraft Coupons

Go to Share a Little Comfort to donate a box of macaroni and cheese to Feeding America for free. While you are there, print off coupons for $1.50 off 2 boxes of Kraft Deluxe Mac N Cheese or Shells N Cheese and/or Buy 3 get one free!


Lisette

Monday, June 15, 2009

Giveaway - Over $100 in Coupons

** This contest is currently closed. Check back to see who won on Thursday June 25. If you didn't win, please come back to my blog often, because I usually have a coupon giveaway almost every month. **

Would you like to win a lot of coupons? Well, here is your chance to win over $100 in coupons. This contest ends on Wednesday June 24 at 11pm. All coupons expire in July or later. SOme of the coupons you will be getting are for products such as: Eggland's, Pillsbury, YoPlus Yogurt, Mop&Glo, Kelloggs Pop Tarts, Jergens, Purina, manwich, Sunsilk, Nature Valley, Oxy, Betty Crocker, Always, Tide, Crest, dawn, Pampers, Snyder's, and more. So, here's how you can get entries:
  • 1 entry- post a comment under this post saying why you would like to win
  • 1 entry - stumbling this post. Leave a comment below letting me know you did this and what your user name is.
  • 1 entry- following me on twitter. The link is on my sidebar. Please leave me a comment under this post letting me know you are now following me and your twitter name. An additional entry for twittering about my contest. Please leave me http of the twitter. You can just re-tweet this: http://twitter.com/corningcoupons/statuses/2174675942
  • 2 entries- posting about my contest on your blog. Please leave a comment below with the link to the post.
  • 3 entries - putting my badge (which can be found on the sidebar under Grab My Badge) on your blog or website's blogroll. Please leave me a comment below with the link to your site.
  • 2 entries - emailing your friends and family about this contest. Please leave me a comment letting me know you did this and put on cc: (couponqueenofcorning @ hotmail.com).
Good luck everybody. Bonne chance!! The winner will be chosen on Thursday, June 25 and emailed that day with a request for mailing information.



Lisette

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Preparing a List for Shopping - Using Coupons

The other day I was asked how I go about deciding what I am going to buy each week. I have to tell you that it really is a pretty simple process and does not take that long.

The first thing I do (usually on a Sunday afternoon) is make sure all of that day's coupons have been put into the correct section of my coupon holder. Then I look through an ad - usually Tops. If you look on the first page (sometimes the last page also), there are sales on there called the Loss Leaders. These are the deals that are supposed to get you in the door to buy other more expensive things, while you pick up the sale item. Don't fall for this though. Only buy things that are on sale, preferably when you have coupons for these products.

As I am looking through the ad, I circle things that are a good price. I know what I usually pay for the items I buy most, so I know whether or not a price is really good or not. If I think there might be a coupon, I note that next to the item also. After I am done looking through the ad, I look through my coupon holder and find the coupons that correspond with the sales. I then take a piece of paper (I try to use the back of a printed scrap paper so I am not wasting paper) and write down my list of items. I then attach my coupons to my list with a paperclip. I am now ready to go shopping. I also bring my coupon holder just in case I find a bargain that I didn't know about when I did my list.

So, there you have it. That's how I prepare for grocery shopping. How do you prepare for a grocery shopping trip?




Lisette

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Couponing and Stockpiling

It really amazes me the way some people shop. For instance, I was at Tops yesterday and I was waiting for a lady to pick up Domino sugar, so I could get some. She puts a bag in her cart and then looks at a coupon someone had left there. It was for $.50 on 2. Well, she reads it and then puts it back on top of the sugar on the shelf. Maybe it was because she would have had to have bought 2? Or maybe it was because she doesn't know that Tops doubles up to $.99, making that coupon actually $1 off the 2? It was $1.99 for a 5 pound bag of sugar and it was a really good deal anyways, even without a coupon. Maybe she thought that 10 pounds of sugar was a lot, not thinking that sugar lasts like 10 years! If she had bought 2 and used that coupon, each bag of sugar would have been $1.49!!!!

I think there are a lot of people out there who are still only shopping for that week's worth of food. This is the wrong way to go. You end up having to buy stuff that is not on sale. If you buy things and stock up when you have a good deal, you can wait until the next time something is on sale again before you have to buy it. I know this doesn't always work, but probably 98% it does. I very rarely buy something that is not on sale, and usually if I need to I am buying it at Aldi's if it is food and Walmart or Target for household and bath products. If you look at my Tops receipts that I post each week, you will see that very few things are on there that are not on sale (and most of the time with a coupon also), with the exception of bananas. If it's not on sale, I figure I don't need it.

Couponing and stockpiling go hand in hand in my opinion. In order to save the most money, you need to buy enough of the products on sale to last you until the next time they are on sale. Along with saving you money, this also provides you with food and other products during times of crisis, like natural disasters or lay offs. Having a stockpile is like money in the bank. There for you when you need it most. Plus, no more running to the store just to buy "one thing". If you plan and keep your stockpile up, you will always have the stuff you need. For instance, my husband needed a new toothbrush the other day. Instead of running to the store to get one, I told him to shop the stockpile. I have about 5 or 6 toothbrushes down there that I had gotten cheap or even free, along with other household and bath products. I would say I have a stockpile of at least a year of most HBA products.

As a side note, knowing how much of each product you use is essential to building a great stockpile. If you aren't going to eat something before it goes bad, don't buy it. If you know you use 3 of a certain product each month this will also help you stock up enough to last you until the next sale. Sale cycles are usually 12 weeks, but may vary depending on if there are any holidays.

Do you have a stockpile? What kind of things do you always keep in there and how much of a supply do you have? Please let me know by leaving me a comment.


Lisette

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Coupon Giveaway at Saving Cents with Sense

If you didn't win my coupon giveaway, head on over to Saving Cents with Sense. She is giving away 4 paper's worth of inserts from 5/17 (there were 4 inserts that weekend!) to 2 lucky winners. There was some really good coupons in the paper that week. All you have to do is head over to her Coupon Giveaway and leave a comment.


Lisette

How Do You Organize Your Coupons?

Different people have different preferences as to how they use their coupons and how they find the deals. In this post, I want to explore the different ways to store coupons.

I store my coupons in a slightly larger coupon holder. I do this because this holder fits in my purse, so I am less likely to lose it. I like to have my coupons with me because I often find clearance prices on products or even unadvertised sales. If I left my extra coupons at home I would not be able to take advantage of these surprise deals. Some people keep their coupons in a 3-ring binder with plastic inserts that you would normally put baseball cards in. I haven't tried this yet because I usually have a child sitting in the cart. So for the time being, this is one method that would not work for me.

Other people don't even cut out their coupons. They put them in a large accordion-style organizer and write the date on the first page of the inserts. They then use couponmom.com, afullcup.com, or the coupongame.com to find out what coupons correspond with which deals. These sites also tell you the date of the insert, so you can find the coupons easily. You then just clip out the coupons you need and take only those. This is especially great if you are on a budget and using cash, since you can figure out right then how much money you are going to need.

How you store your coupons is really about preference. Whatever works for you is the way to go. It may take trying a few different ways, but you will find a way that works best for you.




Lisette

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wegmans receipts

I just wanted to let you all know that Wegmans has coupons on the backs of their receipts now. These are Wegmans coupons for normal and everyday food. I found this out late last night, otherwise I would have went to customer service and asked them about using these coupons along with a manufacture coupon (like you can at Target and Walgreens). I will try to ask this the next time I am in there during regular hours. So, just don't throw your receipts out - check and make sure there isn't a coupon on the back that you could use.


Lisette

Blue Bunny Ice Cream

There is a coupon for Blue Bunny that you can print here. Many stores like Walmart currently have the large sized individual bars for $1. With the coupon, your ice cream novelty would be free.

Lisette

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

And the Winner of the Coupons Is....

Shawna. Congratulations Shawna!! I will be emailing you this evening to get your mailing information. Thank you to everyone who entered. There will be another giveaway sometime in June, so watch for that.



Lisette

Monday, May 25, 2009

Coupon Giveaway - Over $75 in Coupons!!!

Would you like to win a lot of coupons? Well, here is your chance to win over $75 in coupons. This contest ends on Monday, May 25 and all coupons expire in June or later. So, here's how you can get entries:
  • 1 entry- post a comment under this post saying why you would like to win.
  • 1 entry - stumbling this post. Leave a comment below letting me know you did this and what your user name is.
  • 2 entries- following me on twitter. The link is on my sidebar. Please leave me a comment under this post letting me know you are now following me and your twitter name.
  • 3 entries- posting about my contest on your blog or website. Please leave a comment below with the link to the post.
  • 3 entries - putting my badge (which can be found on the sidebar under Grab My Badge) on your blog or website's blogroll or sidebar. Please leave me a comment below with the link to your site.
  • 2 entries - emailing your friends and family about this contest. Please leave me a comment letting me know you did this and put on cc: (couponqueenofcorning @ hotmail.com).
Good luck everybody. Bonne chance!! The winner will be chosen on Tuesday, May 26 and emailed that day with a request for mailing information.




Lisette