Avengers DVD Deal

If you follow the release of movies you know that Marvel's Avengers was released on DVD and Blu-Ray Tuesday.  Looking at the sales ads just about everyone had it on sale and trying to get you to buy it from them.  I was setting out to purchase two this week.  One for a gift and one for us.  The options before me were to purchase a straight DVD for 15.99 at BJ's, DVD and Blu-Ray combo for 19.99 at Target or Best Buy, or a 4 disc combo advertised at Best Buy for $29.99.  I was leaning towards the 4 disc combo for my house since it included a bonus music.  I thought the $10 extra for the music wasn't that bad.  However, I couldn't remember the music and wanted to make sure it was really something I would listen to.

Where do I go to check out music, Amazon or itunes.  I headed to amazon, never found the music, but got stopped in my tracks that the  DVD I was all set to get for my house was only $19.99 there.  How was I going to tell my son that we were going to the store to purchase a DVD for his friend, but ours was going to be delivered to our house?  I start reading the comments and see that Target dropped their price in store.  Oh great it's already Wednesday and I am just finding out that Target's in store price is now $19.99 for the 4 Disc pack.  AWESOME!  We don't have a blu-ray player that plays 3-D movies so that disc might go to waste, but the free music, the digital copy, the blu-ray and DVD will all get used.

I thought that Target had a DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital copy also on sale for 19.99, but that was a misprint in their ad.  It is just the DVD and Blu-Ray combo for $19.99.  Okay so for the exact same price you can get  more for your money....It's not rocket science...I picked up two of the 4 Disc sets.  Even if the person who the gift is for doesn't use it all, it was still a great deal for the money.  

Wait did I mention that the 4 Disc DVD's normally cost $39.99 not on sale.  By purchasing the two on sale for $19.99 each I saved $32.00.  Not bad...Research pays off.

Back in Business

It paid off to wait.  I headed to Target Sunday to pick up some jeans for my son, while there I couldn't resist looking at the binders.  A day makes a difference since it would appear that binders went on sale.  At first I picked up a 2" ring binder that didn't zip at first.  I was content with this one, but really wanted one that zipped.  I did drop my past binder twice and had to scrabble to pick up all the sheets.  I figured a zippered one would cut down on the spillage.  At first glance though the prices were still on the high side.  I really wanted to get something deeply marked down.  Okay, so if I wanted a binder on Sunday the deeply marked down wasn't going to happen.
However, I did find a binder that screamed me.  Well okay so the colors were not screaming my name, but the durability of the binding and rings.  The built in filing section, but what was the price for this thing of beauty.  $10.00...hmmm was it really worth it to me.  No at first it wasn't.  Well okay it was, but my son did not want to be been with me in stores with this purple and green binder.  Since he is with me on a lot of my shopping trips I tried to make us both happy.  I picked back up the non-zip binder.  Left the aisle and started to walk towards the checkout.
The one thing I did not check and compare at this point was the binding and rings.  Were they cheap feeling?  Would the binder last me a while?  Well you do get what you pay for sometimes.  The regular non-zip binder felt cheap on the inside.  I do open and close the rings a lot to insert more sheets or take sheets out.  I didn't think that one would last that long.  Honestly, I didn't want to have to go down the binder shopping road again any time soon.
I decided to go with the purple and green zip binder.  I haven't had a lot of time to dedicate to couponing this week, but I do look forward to spending more time with my binder in the future.
You can't just settle.  You have to be happy and confident with your choice!

Here's mine:

Boo No More Coupon Binder

Boo Hoo I went to clean out all of the expired coupons from my coupon binder today.  At first everything looked normal, but I flip a few pages and see that the top ring on my binder is bent.  I try to fix it, but am unsuccessful.  I considered for a minute just trying and doing "surgery" to the binder to keep it closed until I could get a new one, but thought better of the idea.  I cleaned out my binder, and sadly threw out my first coupon binder.
I went to Target to try and buy it's replacement and went into sticker shock.  The cheapest one I scanned was $3.00 for just a regular plain 2" ring binder.  Oh no I was not ready to pay those prices.  The most expensive was $16.  Absolutely not.  Just for a binder that zips.  You have to be crazy.
I felt like I was just going to settle for something because I needed it, so I did the wise thing and put everything back.  I didn't want to just settle.  I didn't want to buy on impulse so instead I said I was ok for now.  I would figure something out until I find just the right binder at a price I want to pay.
Don't just settle for something because you need it!

Just One of Those Weeks

This weeks seems like just one of those weeks that I got a lot done, but I haven't even set foot in a store with my list and my coupons.  Actually I never made a list for this week.  I don't even know what good sales there are out there.
I think part of the reason for this is I was forced to stay home some this week due to my road getting torn up and then repaved.  This though helped me to do some things I might have been putting off or just not had time for.  I still managed to accomplish a lot.  Sometimes it's just best to take it slow, let some things go for a day or two, and really consider what is most important for you that week.
It's okay to miss a weeks worth of sales.  You don't need to go to the store every week to use your prized coupons.  If you are constantly on the go, trying to save and catch the best deals are you really ever enjoying the fruits of your labor?

Fall Weather and Clothes Shopping

As this is the last day of Summer, it will soon be time pull out the fall clothes.  Sometimes the change of weather has us scrambling to find clothes that fit whether we gained weight, lost weight, or the kids grew since last year you could be seeing the dollars signs.  How do you cut costs?
One way to cut cost is to shop the clearance racks at stores.  Stores currently have racks and racks of marked down merchandise.  Not all the merchandise is summer items, there are jeans, light jackets, long sleeve shirts, shoes, etc that can be found at the various stores.
Shop at places like Goodwill and Savers.  Yes the clothes are not brand new, but they might be broken in just right that you find your next favorite pair of jeans there.
Check out stores like Conway's, which I have heard has brand new clothing for discounted prices.
Ask around and see if anyone knows places to get things on the cheaper side, but the merchandise is still of good quality.
Really strapped for cash and you don't want your children to be wearing a size to small clothes, get in a loop with people who swap clothes with each other that their children have outgrown.  It might even work that the parents benefit when others clean out their closets and find clothes they no longer wear or fit.
You don't have to pay top dollar for your clothes!

Busy Week Last Week and Clearance Finds

Last week I found myself trying to plan the best way to use my Allegra coupons.  I don't know if I will ever buy 10 newspapers again. I knew I had to use the coupons in a weeks time, since the expiration was 9/16.  I also knew that stores had Allegra on sale last week so even though I had until Sunday for the coupon I didn't want to chance paying more after coupons for boxes not on sale.  With help I was successful at getting all ten boxes.  Some days I went and did the shopping and others I sent the coupons with my mom.
Overall I have to say I was very successful.  I got many things on sale, on clearance or even free.
So what did I get, 13 bottles of nail polish all for free, a few blankets on clearance, some shirts on clearance.  What do I need with 13 bottles of nail polish, I hardly wear it.  Hey it was free and I will probably make some people really happy when I give them the nail polish.
Speaking of clearance merchandise if you are at Target check out their clothes racks.  Might even be worth it to scan the item to see if the price is as marked or even lower.  I picked up some shirts and was surprised to see that one that was marked $4.00 actually range up at $2.80.  I wasn't expecting that one, but was happy when I saw it on my receipt.  Prices do vary by store and could depend on the amount of items in stock.  I also purchased a full/queen size blanket on clearance for 8.08.
I was at the Target in Milford and saw a gentleman with a carriage full of notebooks.  Seeing how many he was purchasing I got out of line to check out the prices of them myself.  They scanned at .15 each.  I was tempted to get 10 of them, but then realized that during the back to school sales you could get the notebooks cheaper than that.  I really didn't need the notebooks so I put them back.  Since school has already started .15 could be a good price, but I have a feeling that as the stock just sits there the prices will fall even farther.
Toys R Us is another store that if you can time it just right the clearance savings could be awesome!  I managed to pick up a puzzle and Rubik's cube 360 both on clearance.
Look around in the stores you frequent, the items might not be in one select section set aside just for clearance, but instead might be mixed in with regular priced merchandise, at the end of an isle, etc.  The savings you can rake in are worth those few extra minutes of looking.

More Walgreen's Shopping

I headed out to a different Walgreen's today.  I had set out to get two boxes of Allegra and a few bottles of Wet and Wild Nail Polish.  They only had one box of the Allegra, but many bottles of nail polish to choose from.  I'm glad that I didn't need both transactions to make my deals.  Quick regrouping I figure I will pay for the Allegra and Nail Polish all in the same transaction.  This worked out good because the nail polish should produce .04 overage that will then lower the Allegra final price.  I made sure to read the coupon for the nail polish before I left home.  There is no limit as to how many coupons you can use per transaction, now each stores limit may vary.  I placed my coupons and items on the counter, the cashier was really friendly and worked with me.  There was an issue with the nail polish coupons.  The price of the nail polish was .99 however the coupon was for $1.00 off 1.  Since there was an overage of a penny it would only allow three coupons to be used.  However, after some checking on both my end and the cashiers we discovered that if I only bought one it was not taking the dollar off.  Since I know that Walgreen's coupon policy is to bring down the price of the coupon to the price of the item, I asked the cashier if she could override the coupon price to .99 for each instead of the dollar.  She decided to put three of the coupons through as the dollar off and just override the fourth coupon to the .99, the actual cost of the item.  By her doing the override I was able to use all four coupons and get the four nail polish completely free.  Knowing their policy paid off.  You can find most if not all coupon policies on the individual stores websites.  It is a good idea to print out a copy and keep it in your binder just in case you run into issues.

Total out of pocket at Walgreen's 11.66, just the cost of the Allegra and tax

Total saved 14.99 for a total savings of 58%  

Putting the Allegra Coupon to the Test

After buying 10 newspapers yesterday that had the Allegra coupon in it, I decided to go and buy two boxes today.  Just about everywhere has it on sale.  I opted to go to Walgreen's today and get 2 boxes of the 30 count.  They are on sale there for 17.99, normally these go for 21.99 not on sale.  I made sure I clipped two coupons before I left the house.  Divided my order into two and saved $11 per  order.  With tax I only paid $11.69 per box.
Looking towards the future a little.  Once all ten coupons are used I will have saved a total of $110 and my mother will not have to buy her Allegra for a year.

Allegra $7 off Coupon

I'm proud of myself.  I checked my e-mails yesterday and saw that there should be an Allegra $7.00 off coupon in today's inserts.  Since it's a product that my mom uses to control her allergies I made a mental note of this.  As soon as I came downstairs today I went outside to get our newspaper, checked the inserts and found that we did not get that coupon in our paper.  I headed out to Stop and Shop checked both New York papers and found it in The New York Post Metro Edition.  The paper itself only cost 1.75 and just with the Allegra coupon I will be saving $7.00.  So far I purchased three papers.  If you buy multiple or even one paper check the coupon inserts to make sure whatever you want is really in there.  One of the New York Post's I picked up, but didn't buy had two of a different insert in it, but not the one I was looking for.  Never assume it's in there because it's suppose to be.
Let's do some savings math

Allegra Coupon           $7.00
Newspaper Cost -       $1.75
Total Savings               $5. 25

Before any sales or use of other coupons in the same newspaper by going out and purchasing the New York Post I am already saving $5.25.  Pretty good savings to start out with :-)

Are You In Need of Bread?

Did you just use your last slice of bread for your morning toast?   Are you dreading going to the store and paying those prices just for a loaf of bread.  How does 2 loaves for a dollar sound?  No I'm not making these prices up.  Stop and Shop has their 16 oz Round Top White Bread on sale this week.  You can get two loaves for a dollar until September 13th.

Know When to Ask to See a Manager

I ran a lot of errands a few days ago, and didn't bring something to drink with me.  By the time I got to Target I needed something cold to quench my thirst.  I remembered I had a Target receipt stamped from last week.  I head to Starbucks, fish out my receipt, placed my order, the cashier sees my receipt and says he can't take it anymore.  What he went on to explain just was not making any sense.  I purchased a drink from Starbucks in Target on 8/28 and the cashier at the time stamped my receipt, but the cashier now was telling me he couldn't take it because it wasn't dated 8/31.  If it was dated 8/31 he would be able to accept it.  I said, but I was within my 14 days.  He still insisted he couldn't take it.  I asked if he could page someone above him.  He got frustrated and just accepted my receipt and gave me the drink for 2.13.  I have a feeling that the promotion ended at close on August 31st.  However, the first cashier who stamped my receipt did not state that.  

By the end of me getting my beverage me and the cashier were engaged in a conversation about what toppings people put on the beverage I ordered.  What could have been a bad experience turned completely around to a good one.  I think it was good that I left on a positive note since it is a Starbucks that gets a lot of my business.  

By not being afraid to speak up for what I felt was right and asking for a manager I got what I felt I was entitled to.  

When using coupons and issues arise try to not let your temper get the best of you.  More than likely it is a store that you will be in again and you want to maintain a good relationship with the employees and managers.

Saved $17.54 at Rite Aid

One thing I dislike about being on allergy medicine is that with Zyrtec-D I have to go every 10-12 days.  Now that you do not need a prescription for it they only sell it in two sizes.  The most you can get is a 12 day supply.  So, it was that time that I had to buy another box.  I checked to see who had it on sale this week.  Rite Aid has the 24 count box on sale for $18..99.  I had a $5.00 off Zyrtec coupon and $5.00 in Up Rewards from a previous purchase.  I chose to use them both even though I did not receive any Up rewards for the Zyrtec.  While there I also picked up a .75 oz box of Super Poligrip.  Nobody in my house uses or needs Super Poligrip, but a few weeks ago in the coupon inserts there was a free .75 oz box of Super Poligrip up to 2.60.  Finally I found a store that had it in stock.  

Let me show you the math before sales and coupons:

$22.99 Zyrtec-D Full Price

$  2.49 Super Poligrip

$25.48  Total Before Tax

Now to show you the Savings Math:

 18.99 Zyrtec-D

   2.49 Super Poligrip

 21.48  Total Before Tax and Coupons

-  5.00 Zyrtec Coupon

-  5.00 Up Reward

-  2.49 Price of Super Poligrip

8.99 Total Before Tax

Yes, it would have made more sense to use my Up rewards to get more Up rewards, but I am very happy only paying $9.56 out of pocket for the items pictured below.  

                                             

  

Only Spent .03 Today at Target

As I was going through and cutting my coupons today I noticed that I had a save $3 Bic razor coupon expiring today.  I didn't check to see how my stock on razors was, but had a decision to make.  I knew I was going to use the coupon, but the question was where.  I knew if I went to Target I might have to pay .09 for the pack of razors, but if I went to Walmart I would get the razors for free and maybe even have an overage.  I decided to go to Target and take a reusable back with me.  I set out to get a few things on my list and knew that the most I would pay would be .09 plus tax.  They only had the 10 pack of razors and febreze noticeables scented oil warmer in stock.  I got one of each looked around the store a little.  Checked out the clearance clothes for men, got nothing today but there was some really good clearance deals.  Headed to the check out with coupons in hand.

I now make sure I have at least one reusable bag in my pocketbook, I pulled that out and made sure I put it up with the items I was about to purchase.  Happily handed the cashier my coupons, she scanned the items, took off .05 for my reusable, took off my coupons and told me my total will be .03.  I happily took three pennies out of my wallet and handed them to the cashier.

I knew when I left the house I wasn't planning on spending much and also know that in the past I had issues debiting anything under a dollar.  I now try and always have cash or change on me.  So with the three cents I paid with, this is what it bought me