I recently met Kathy Spencer of Boxford, MA, the creator of the website How to Shop for Free, and writer of a book of the same name. She was a guest on a show at my work, and she gets so much for free, that she is more than stockpiled at home, and is able to donate to food pantries and other charities. I plan to buy her book on my Nook next week, and I highly recommend it to you and I also recommend signing up on her website. I've also signed up on Coupon Mom so I can use both to my advantage in my search for deals.
The best stores to search for deals are the ones that offer incentives and rewards, like CVS and Rite Aid, and Walgreens. If you haven't already, sign up for CVS Extra Care, and Rite Aid Wellness+, and get the rewards cards, and sign the cards up on the store's websites. Also, you can sign up through the Rite Aid website for Rite Aid Single Check Rebates. Certain items have rebates, you can enter your receipt information, and once it processes, you can cut a check! You can also get deals at Target, Walmart, and the grocery store with a little more work.
Part of the work is getting the circulars in the paper or online, and going through them. Coupon Mom and How to Shop for Free do this for you and will list out the deals of the week, in conjunction with the coupons that are online, as well as in the Sunday paper inserts. You also have to find a way to come across multiple coupon inserts or this won't work to it's full potential. I have an alliance with a board member at work who gives his coupon inserts to me when he's done, and he barely clips any of them so it works out in my favor to load up. I'm also thinking of reaching out to people in my apartment complex. You can also print out up to 2 of each coupon per computer from the coupon printing websites, so if you have multiple computers between home and work, go for it!
I'm not going to get into too much more detail in this post, otherwise it will be a novel! I will try to provide posts with tips along with my usual recipes, and show any deals that I get. I will try to shop earlier in the week as time goes on so you can take advantage of the deals too! You don't get everything for free right away, but once you add in the rewards and things, you will start to see it snowball. I will keep tabs on my rolling total as well.
So without further ado, here is my pile for this week!
From left to right: 4 bags of Chex Mix, 2 packs of Goodnights, 4 boxes of pasta, 4 tubes of toothpaste, 2 Almay eyeliners, 3 boxes of Gain dryer sheets, 1 bottle of spray butter, 4 bottles of Suave body wash, and 1 bottle of Dove body wash. My grand total for all of this between Target, Market Basket (grocery store), CVS, and Rite Aid was $81.54. The end total spent after manufacturer coupons, store incentives and rewards, used and unused (but they still count toward the end total), and rebates, $26.36. That's a savings of $54.58! If I look at my receipts, that's like paying only for my Target bill (pre-coupons), and getting the rest free! I will break everything down for you by store. The totals don't include tax.
Market Basket (grocery store)
4 boxes of Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta, $1 each, with 4 $1 off coupons = FREE!
2 boxes of Swanson Chicken Broth (not pictured) $2.39 ea, with $1 off 2 coupon = 3.78
Original Merch Total: $7.98
MFR(manufacturer) Coupons Total = $4.00
Out of Pocket Expense = 3.78
Target
3 boxes of Gain dryer sheets, $4.34 ea ($13.02), with 3 $3 off coupons = 4.02
4 bottles of Suave body wash, $1.84 ea ($7.36), with 4 $1 off coupons = 3.36
1 bottle of Dove body wash, $5.84, with $1 off 1 coupon = 4.84
Original Merch Total: $26.22
MFR Coupons Total: $14.00
Out of Pocket expense: $12.22
That's like paying only for the dryer sheets, plus a few cents and getting the rest free!
Rite Aid (two separate trips)
2 tubes of Colgate Toothpaste, $3.50 each, with 2 $1 off coupons = 5.00
4 bags of Chex Mix, 2 for $3, with 1 $1 off 2 coupon = 5.00
2 Almay Eyeliners, 40% off on sale, $4.49 each, with 2 $1 coupons = 6.98
Merch Total: $21.98
+UP dollars earned for toothpaste purchase: $7.00
+UP dollars earned for Chex Mix purchase: $4.00
Rite Aid Single Check Rebates on Eyeliners: $4.00 ($2 each, limit 2)
Original Merch Total: $21.98
MFR Coupons Total: $5.00
+UP and Rebate Total: $15.00
Out of Pocket expense : $1.98
That's like paying for only one bag of the Chex Mix at the sale price, plus a few cents and getting the rest free!
CVS (two separate trips)
2 tubes of Colgate toothpaste, $3.79 each with 2 $1 off coupons = 5.58
2 packs of Huggies Goodnights, 2 for $17.98, with 2 $1.50 off coupons = 14.98
Extra Care Bucks (ECB's) earned for toothpaste purchase: $7.58
ECB's earned for diaper purchase: $4.00
Original Merch Total: $25.56
MFR Coupons Total: $5.00
ECB's Total: $11.58
Out of Pocket Expense: $8.98
That's like paying for one pack of the Goodnights at the sale price and getting the rest free!
The butter was free with a Buy one get one Free coupon that I used at Hannaford during my weekly grocery trip. I didn't count Hannaford toward my couponing, but I counted the butter as part of my freebies :) I suppose it would actually throw off the math a little, but let's pretend it doesn't because I don't feel like trying to recalculate all over again for a second time!
Grand Merchandise Total: $81.54
MFR Coupon Total: $28.00
Rewards Total (extra dollars and rebates): $26.58
Current Out of Pocket Expense: $36.96
Grand End Total: $26.96!
I have $10 in unused rewards and rebates to come, but they contribute to my rolling total. Hopefully I can earn rebates and extra dollars back over time to make that total go down. I will also earn some extra dollars back from CVS every quarter, so the more I spend there, the more I will earn! I hope to learn more as I get to read Kathy's book as well.
I know it's a lot to read and take in, but it is work to do this. Like I said, it's not all free at first, you have to get into it, but as time goes on, the numbers should eventually even out! I started an excel workbook with tabs for each store, and an over all tab to log it all so I can track my progress. I will be sure to keep sharing as I learn more and give tips and deals through out the weeks to come!
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