March 31, 2010

Try This One Thursday!


Deal Seeking Mom
There are so many great coupon & deal blogs out there. I'll probably never be as good at this as they are, but a girl can dream. So, I've decided to start Try This One Thursday!! Each week I will share with you one of my favorites. I am going to start you off with the one I've been following the longest. I love this site which has recently had a gorgeous makeover. Stop on over and check it out!

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

March 30, 2010

Deal Alert: Possible Free My Little Ponies At Toys R Us Wednesday!


Wednesday 3/31 only, Toys R Us’ Deal of the Day includes Buy 1 Get 1 FREE on all My Little Pony playsets and ponies.  If the B1G1 Free sale includes the Pony Friends Single Assortments, you can also use the B1G1 Free coupon from the Hasbro toy insert from 3/21 or printable here.  This deal will inevitably vary from store to store. Some may let you get 2 for free, others will probably say you have to buy 1 and get 2 free. Either way, there will be free ponies!  I recommend calling ahead to your store to verify that they take manufacturer's coupons *most do* and what their policy is about combining a B1G1 coupon with a B1G1 sale.

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

Walgreen's Deal Alert: Cheap Scrubbing Bubbles Power Sprayer

If you registered your email address when you sent in for the Home Made Simple coupon books, check your email. I just got a coupon to Save $5 on any Scrubbing Bubbles® Power Sprayer Starter. On sale at Walgreen's for $7.99, with a $2RR, combine that with the emailed coupon and you can get it for .99! The regular price is $9.99! I don't know about you, but I don't care how great it works I would NEVER pay $9.99 for a cleaning product!  Don't forget you can submit for the $5 SC Johnson Rebate and this is a potential money maker!
You can submit for the $5 rebate up to 3 times per household when you purchase ANY 3 SC Johnson Products, including:
• Ziploc®
• Glade®
• Windex®
• Scrubbing Bubbles®
• Pledge®
• Shout®
• Fantastik®
• Drano®
• Raid®
• Off®
• Saran™
• Nature’s Source™

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

March 29, 2010

No bad hair days this week at Walgreen's!!

This was supposed to be a midweek Register Reward deal on John Frieda products, but I'm reading everywhere that its working now! Purchase select John Frieda products at 3 for $15 and get a $5 Register Reward!  Use the $3 coupon from the 3/7 SS and you'll pay just a buck for all 3 after RR!
Some Walgreen's have in-store displays showing exactly which products are included (love that! There's nothing worse than the "selected varieties" wording that leaves you guessing.) Included are the Frizz Ease Line, Brilliant Brunette Line and the Sheer Blonde Line.  I love these products but they are usually so pricey. This week's Dove deal may have to take a back seat to this one!

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

A quick stack 'em & crack 'em deal at Jewel Osco!

So, this deal started out with my desire to stock up on some Langers Cranberry Cocktail juice while its on sale. I really like this brand, its not as sweet as some of the bigger "name" brands. Regular price is $2.49, its on sale in the current Jewel ad for $1.99 and the ad has a store coupon for a free dozen eggs when you buy 2. Ok...I can live with that. But, with Easter coming up this weekend I just can't have enough eggs! So I'll throw another dozen into the deal, on sale for $1.39. Well, by doing that now I can stack that store coupon with the FREE 2-Liter of Big Red or Diet Big Red soda when you buy 2 dozen eggs from the 3/28 SS. Now, I'm getting two 64 oz. bottles of cranberry juice, 2 dozen eggs and a 2-liter of soda for $5.37. That means I'm getting 2 dozen eggs, plus the soda for about .39 more than I would be paying for the cranberry juice at the regular price.

Now, obviously this isn't the greatest deal you may ever see on juice or eggs, but it is a good example of stacking coupons, and getting a little something extra for FREE when you are buying something you need (like eggs for Easter!) So...."hop" to it!  You can always use that cranberry juice to make a nice Cosmopolitan to take the edge off when you are scrubbing Easter egg dye off the kitchen floor. (I don't know anyone with little ones who hasn't had to do this at least once!!)

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

March 28, 2010

Walgreen's is the place to be today!

I hope you all printed those $2.00 Dove coupons I've been telling you about for the last couple of weeks! I didn't...but that's another matter! If not, it's still a money maker with the $1.50 coupons from today's Red Plum circular.

Dove hair care products are on sale for $4.00 with a $4.00 Register Reward good on your next order. Use the coupons and they are paying you $1.50 or $2.00 to take it home!  Even without any coupons it is still FREE after Register Reward. AirWick iMotion Starter Kits are 50% off this week which makes them $3.99. Use the $4.00 coupons in the 3/7 Smart Source and they are yours FREE! Did you sign up to be a Vitamin Water Facebook fan a couple weeks back? Your coupon for a FREE bottle should be in your mailbox soon if you haven't already gotten it. Mine came Friday. Here's how my day looked at Walgreen's:

Trans #1
2 AirWick I-Motion sale price 3.99 each, used 2 $4 q's
1 Dove Shampoo $4.00, used $1.50 q
1 Vitamin Water $1.39, used free vitamin water up to 1.39
Paid $3.62 oop, got back $4 Dove RR = .38 profit :)

Trans #2
1 Dove Conditioner $4, used $1.50 q, paid 2.84 oop got back 4.00RR = 1.16 profit :)

And so on and so on....Now...rumor has it at Walgreen's across the country that this RR is rolling, whereas they normally don't. In most cases if you pay for a Dove with a previous Dove RR you will not get another one. I do NOT advise chancing it. Walgreen's is usually pretty good about fixing these glitches pretty quick. It is just not worth losing out on your free Dove. Just pay out of pocket and use the RR's for other things. This is a not to be missed week at Walgreen's!!

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

Almost FREE Crystal Light & Coffeemate Creamers at Jewel Osco

 Jewel has 16 oz. Coffeemate creamers on sale for $1, use the .75 off coupon in the 2/7 RP and get them for just .25! Note: only the flavored creamers are on sale, I highly recommend the Italian Sweet Cream!

 As long as you are there, grab six boxes of Crystal Lite On The Go or Crystal Lite Canisters. They are on sale for $1.99 with your Preferred Card. They are part of the Kraft Spend $20 Get $5 Catalina deal. At Jewel, the Catalinas are triggered by the shelf price of the item, which in this case is $3.89. So, if you get six, and have multiple inserts it looks like this:

To get to the Catalina trigger of $20:
6 x 3.89 = 23.34, but here's what you will actually pay: 6 x 1.99 = 11.94, use six $1.00 off any Crystal Light coupons from 3/21SS = 5.94, get back a $5.00 Kraft Catalina. Net cost .94 for 6 boxes. If you have previously registered your Preferred Card for the Your Bucks Catalinas, you will also get back $1 Your Buck for buying 2 or more Crystal Light. In that case, Jewel is paying you .06 to take home six boxes! If you haven't signed up yet, read all about how on my Coupon Resources page. Offers take up to 36 hours to activate on your card, but the sale is good through Wednesday...so HURRY! :)

IMPORTANT! Check the list of UPC's which are included in the Catalina deal here before you go! Not all flavors are included, although the only one I personally noticed not being a part of it was the regular Iced Tea Crystal Light. Be sure to scan each box under the self-scanner to verify the shelf price at your location as they can vary.

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

Hy-Vee Deals (through 3/29)

This post is a part of Drugstore Divas' Supermarket Social!
 
Match ups for weekly & online exclusive ads 3/23-3/29

Birdseye frozen vegetables sale price .88, .35 in 3/21SS final price: .53 a bag

No Yolk Noodles sale price 1.58, BOGO in 2/21SS final price: 1.58 for two bags

Campbell's Cream of Mushroom sale price .69, .30/3 in 2/28SS final price: 1.77 for three cans

Carnation Evaporated Milk sale price .88, .50/2 in 1/24SS & .50/2 in 3/21RP final price for two 1.26 or 2.52 for four
 
Dole canned pineapple, mandarin oranges or tropical fruit sale price .99, get 2 pineapple and 2 of either (or 1 of each) oranges or tropical, use .55/2 (any fruit) from 3/21SS and .55/2 pineapple from 1/24 final price 1.43 for two or 2.86 for four
 
Catalina Deals:

Purchase 3-4 (three or four) Kellogg’s Cereals (10oz+), Receive Catalina good for one (1) Free Gallon of Milk
Purchase 5-6 (five or six) Kellogg’s Cereals (10oz+), Receive Catalina good for two (2) Free Gallons of Milk
Purchase 7+ (seven or more) Kellogg’s Cereals (10oz+), Receive Catalina good for three (3) Free Gallons of Milk

Kellogg's cereals selected varieties, sale price 1.88
Print two 1.50/2 Frosted Flakes at Redplum.com 1.88 x 4 = 7.52 - 3.00 in q's = 4.52 for four boxes and get a free gallon of milk, or add in 2 Apple Jacks or Fruit Loops, use $1/2 from 3/7RP and it looks like this: 6 x 1.88 = 11.28 minus 4.00 in q's = 7.28 and get two free gallons of milk up to $4.19 each (a great way to get the organic milk which can be pricey!)

Another Catalina deal for you:
Spend $15 get $5
Spend $20 get $7
Spend $30 get $10
Spend $40 get $15

On these items:
Lipton Teas  ($2.99) .50 3/28RP
Lipton Specialty Teas (2/$4)
Knorr Sides (10/$10)
Bertolli Dinner for 2 or Oven Baked Meals ($5.99) 1.00 3/14RP
Hellman's Mayo ($2.99) .60 3/28RP or $1 on two Hellman's Light printable here (if included)
Wishbone or Western Dressing or Spritzer ($1.77) 1.25 on two 3/28RP
Skippy Peanut Butter ($1.48) .75 on two 3/28RP
Ben & Jerry's or Starbuck's Ice Cream pints ($2.99)
Shedd's Spread Country Crock ($1.99) .40 3/7RP

Here are a couple of quick scenarios:
10 Knorr Sides
2 Skippy Peanut Butter
2 Wish-Bone salad dressings
1 Shedd's Spread
1 Hellman's Mayo
Pre-coupon total: 21.48, use these coupons .60 mayo, .75 on 2 peanut butter, 1.25 on 2 salad dressing, brings it down to 18.88, get $7.00 back, net cost: $11.88.

If you just want to stock up on mayo you could do this:
5 mayo x 2.99 = 14.95
1 Knorr side @ 1.00 to get you over the 15.00 mark = 15.95 - .60 Hellmann's coupon = 15.35, get 5.00 cat back. Net cost for 5 mayo and 1 side = $10.35

And last but not least...for the kitty cats:

Friskie's Cat Food Catalina runs 3/26 – 4/18/10
Purchase 24-35 Friskies Cat Food Cans, Receive $2 OYNO
Purchase 36-47 Friskies Cat Food Cans, Receive $3 OYNO
Purchase 48+ Friskies Cat Food Cans, Receive $4 OYNO

Friskie's canned cat food is on sale 10 for $4.00, buy 30 cans = $12.00, use three $1 off 15 cans from 2/7 RP = $9.00, get a Catalina back for $2.00. Final price $7.00 for 30 cans (this drops the sale price of .40 a can to about .23!!) 

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

March 27, 2010

Jewel Osco Deals Of The Week (through 3/31)

I'm excited that to announce this post is my first as a part of Drugstore Divas' Supermarket Social!

There is sooo much going on at Jewel this week! Some of these deals will reference Your Bucks, which is a rotating set of Catalina deals available only at Jewel if you register your Preferred card. There is a full explanation of the YB program and a link to register your card on my Coupon Resources page. Here are some of the highlights:

Cereal Stock Up!
There is Post Cereal Catalina that runs 3/26 – 4/18/10
Purchase three (3) Post Pebbles Cereals, Receive $2 OYNO
Purchase four (4) Post Pebbles Cereals, Receive $3 OYNO
Purchase five or more (5+) Post Pebbles Cereals, Receive $4 OYNO
AND, it overlaps with the YourBucks when you buy Any 2 (Two) or more Post® Honey Bunches of Oats or Fruity Pebbles 10oz or larger you get a $2YB back. To make the most of this deal split transactions up into groups of 4. You'll need the $1 off on 2 coupons from the 2/28 &/or 3/14 Smart Source.

Transaction #1 buy 4 boxes Post Fruity Pebbles, 1.59 x 4 = $6.36 use two $1/2 coupons = Pay 4.36, get back 5.00 in cats (3.00 Post cat, 2.00 YB cat) if you have more coupons you can do more transactions and roll those cats! (Of course unless you have any $1 YB's that you've been hanging onto or have other items in the same order you won't be able to use the whole $5 in cats from the previous transaction because you can't pay more in cats (or go into tax) than you are spending. If you are only buying cereal you could use the $3 one and pay 1.36 oop for additional transactions! (But there is so much more that's great this week why stop there?)

If you prefer Kellogg's cereals and/or want free milk here is another great cereal Catalina deal:

Purchase 3-4 (three or four) Kellogg’s Cereals (10oz+), Receive Catalina good for one (1) Free Gallon of Milk
Purchase 5-6 (five or six) Kellogg’s Cereals (10oz+), Receive Catalina good for two (2) Free Gallons of Milk
Purchase 7+ (seven or more) Kellogg’s Cereals (10oz+), Receive Catalina good for three (3) Free Gallons of Milk
runs 3/19 – 4/10/10

Kellogg's cereals are on sale for 1.98. Print two $1.50/2 Frosted Flakes from Red Plum. Also, use one $1/2 Apple Jacks, Froot Loops or Corn Pops from 3/7 Red Plum circular. In one transaction buy:
4 Frosted Flakes, any combination of 3 Apple Jacks, Froot Loops or Corn Pops 7 x 1.98 = 13.86 minus 4.00 in coupons = $9.84, get back a Catalina for 3 free gallons of milk up to $4.19 EACH. So that is a value of $12.57 in free milk. When you deduct the cost of the cereal you have just been paid $2.73 to bring home 7 boxes of cereal and 3 gallons of milk! If you have a lot of milk drinkers or prefer organic milk this is the way to go. Organic milk can be very pricey and coupons for it can be harder to come by.

Jewel also has a great Buy 10, get the 11th item FREE promotion going on. There are a lot of items on sale for $1 which are also part of this! I will be working up more deals on this but here are a couple quick ones to get you started.You can do these in groups of 10 and get an 11th free or you can do them individually, or mix them up any which way!

Pepsi Max 2 liters $1 get a $1 YB back = FREE
Reach Dental Floss $1 use the $1 off in 3/7 RP = FREE
Ice Mountain 6 packs $1/2 off two in 3/7 RP = .50 a 6-pack
Ice Mountain 3 Liter Bottles $1 use the B2G1 in 3/7 RP
Coffeemate 16 oz. creamer $1, Buy 2 Get .50 Your Buck Catalina, use two .75 off from 2/7 RP and get 2 for FREE after coupons and .50 Catalina back

There is also a spend $20 get $5 back Kraft Catalina deal running so check back Sunday for a full post of those deals!! 

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Do you ever wonder if people actually win prizes playing games that various companies use to promote their products? The short answer is a very big YES! I used to play these types of games much more often than I do now. But there are a couple I'm digging right now so I thought I'd share. First is the Kikkoman Chinese New Year game. I love this one, because you don't have to purchase one of their products to play. Simply sign up and they will email you a code. I played twice (different email addresses!) and I won a great set of Stainless Steel Kitchen Tongs!      Try your luck at the Kikkoman Chinese New Year Game
The next one is a game sponsored by Hellman's & Bobby Flay. At some point I must have signed up for something at the Hellman's web site because an email inviting me to play greeted me this morning. Now even though I didn't win today, I like that you get 3 chances each day to win instant prizes like Bobby Flay cookbooks, portable grills w/ 3 piece BBQ tool set, mixing bowls, food processors, crock pots, blenders and more! Also each day you play you are entered into a sweepstakes where you can win a $500 grocery gift card to the store of your choice or a gas grill valued at $500 ! Give this one a whirl here: The Real Food Project brings you the Wheel of Real

Good luck and be sure to drop me a note if you win!

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

March 26, 2010

New Jewel Deals!

Finally! I have new deals up for you for the current Jewel ad. It's been a busy week, and I'm really far behind. There are some unbelievable stock up deals going on, so be sure to check them out on the Where My Money's At This Week page. I'll be adding more deals on Saturday for the Kraft spend $20 get $5 back Catalina deal. Don't forget to print those $2.00 Dove coupons I've been telling you about! That deal starts Sunday at Walgreen's and I will tell you all about that tomorrow too! If you haven't already, go here and print them!

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

March 20, 2010

Coupon Organization

There are generally two ways of organizing your coupons. I actually use a system that is a cross between these two methods. First, let's take a look at both methods:
  • File by insert With this method you just file your inserts by date. Paper clip an index card with the date of the insert and which one it is. For example, the Smart Source insert that came out on July 25th would look like this:
If you get multiple inserts (like I do) you don't need a separate date card for each one. Just stack multiples underneath the one with the date on it. When using this method, you will rely heavily on a coupon database such as Coupon Tom to locate which insert a particular coupon is in or where it can be printed. Coupon Tom is an invaluable resource and I would be lost without it! The downside to this method is that you might miss out on an unadvertised deal by not having every coupon with you at all times. 

To store your stacks of inserts, you can use inexpensive plastic bins. The ones pictured here were bought at the dollar store. At a minimum, you should have a bin for Red Plum, Smart Source, Procter & Gamble. I also recommend one for All You magazines and one for "blinkies" & misc. coupons you pick up along the way. I drop all my blinkies in that bin when I return from shopping and file them in my organizer about once a week.


The above picture is from my early couponing days. I've since upgraded to bigger bins and my storage now are more of a milk crate size and look like this:


  • Coupon Binder With this method you would clip all of your coupons and file them in baseball card holders in 3 ring binder. Using this method, you carry the binder with you to store and will have all of your coupons readily available. 
I personally find the coupon binder to be extremely time-consuming.  As you know, I generally get 6-8 papers each week. Clipping ALL of my coupons and carrying them around with me is simply not an option. So, I mainly work from the file by insert method. The difference is that I will cut any high value ($2 and up) coupons for items I buy regularly or often spot on clearance. I am not one to run from store to store every day chasing deals. I plan my trips carefully, cut the coupons I will need and I'm on my way. The combining of these two methods helps me have the coupons I may want for a spontaneous purchase when I see a great deal.

I do carry a coupon wallet with me when I shop. It is divided into categories for the items I purchase most often, or have high value coupons for.  This one was bought in the Dollar Spot at Target.




I also recommend printing a copy of the coupon policies for the stores you shop at most often and carrying those in your coupon wallet as well. You never know when you will run into a situation where the cashier is not familiar with their store's policy. Having their policy on hand will usually resolve any questions pretty quickly.

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

March 19, 2010

Jewel paid me $3.84 to take home 24 boxes of cereal!


It was a big day at Jewel! All together I bought:

24 boxes of Post cereal
12 2- Liters bottles 7-UP
4 Oscar Mayer Bologna
2 Oscar Mayer Salami
3 Edy's Grand Ice Cream (1/2 gallon size)
2 Sara Lee Ciabatta Sandwich Rolls (4 packs)
1/2 lb. Deli Jennie-O Turkey Breast
1/2 lb. Deli Wisconsin Colby Cheese
1 Gallon Milk

The grand total? $27.24 minus $12.00 in Catalina's from a previous transaction = $15.24 out of pocket. Here is an example of how matching a great sale, coupons and a Catalina promotion can get you a lot for very little. Here's how I did it:

1. I registered my Jewel Preferred Card for their Your Bucks Catalina Promotion Here This is a rotating set of offers, in which you receive a Catalina back good on your next order (OYNO). Among the current offers is $2 back when you buy Any 2 or more Post® Honey Bunches of Oats or Fruity Pebbles 10oz or larger.  At the same time there is a National Post Cereal Catalina deal running, which gives you a $3 cat back when you buy 4 boxes. So, in my case...here's how I made $3.84 to bring home 24 boxes of Post cereal.  Jewel currently has these cereals on sale for $1.59. I had twelve $1 off on 2 boxes of Post cereal coupons from the 2/28 and 3/14 Smart Source circular.s  Since you get the Your Bucks catalina on 2 boxes, and the Post cat on 4 boxes I needed to break this up into 6 separate transactions of 4 boxes each. 

Transaction #1 4 boxes Post cereal 1.59 x 4 = $6.36 - two $1/2 coupons = 4.36 paid, got 5.00 back in catalinas I'm now up .64 and I have 4 boxes of cereal. Now it gets even more fun for transactions 2 through 6 because I can "roll" the 5.00 in Catalinas to pay for the next rounds!

Transactions #2-6  I buy 4 boxes Post cereal $1.59 x 4 = $6.36 - two $1/2 coupons = 4.36 -4.00 in cats from previous transactions, now I am only paying .47 in tax for each group of 4 boxes.

The Oscar Mayer? Also FREE...here's how....they are currently on sale for $1 each. Buy in groups of two and use the $1 off of 2 coupon in the 3/7 Smart Source. Now, here again they are part of the current Your Bucks offers, when you buy any 2 packages of Oscar Mayer Lunch Meat, Bacon or Hot Dogs gets you $1 back in Catalinas. So you will have paid $1 out of pocket, and gotten it right back for use OYNO.

Now...if bologna is not your thing...how about a turkey and colby on a ciabatta roll? Sara Lee ciabatta rolls are on sale for $2.99 (found on the rack below the deli counter). Taped with coupons for $2 off any 1/2 lb. of deli meat or cheese. Well, it so happens that Jennie-O Turkey is on sale at the deli counter for $1.99 1/2 lb. So....grab a half pound for FREE when you buy the bread.  Pick up a second pack (with another coupon!) and get a 1/2 lb. of the Wisconsin Colby which is 2.49 1/2 lb. When was the last time you got a half pound of anything at the deli for just 49 cents?!?!

Thirsty? 2-liters of Dr. Pepper, 7-UP and Sunkist are all on sale for .79. That is a stock up big price! They usually run about $1.29...that is a savings of 40% no coupons needed!!

Now we've had our breakfast and lunch...let's talk dessert!  Half gallons of Edy's ice cream is currently Buy One Get Two FREE at Jewel.  Single price is 6.49, but you are getting 2 more for free. That works out to just $2.16 each!!

Just starting out? No cereal coupons? Don't want to register for the Your Bucks program? (Offers take 36 hours to become available after you register) This is still stock up time! 4 boxes of Post cereal at $1.59 is $6.36. you will automatically get the $3 Post Catalina back, so you are still only paying $3.36 for four boxes. That is just .84 a box!!!

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

March 16, 2010

Reminder!! Get ready now for upcoming FREE Dove Hair Care

Putting this back up at the top as a reminder! You'll want to print these NOW for a fabulous deal coming up at Walgreen's starting this Sunday 3/28 that will net you free Dove products and maybe (according to my sources) make you a couple of bucks on each bottle!! On your mark, get set... Get your Dove coupons!

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur

March 13, 2010

Building a coupon stockpile

Some of the questions I get asked most often center around where I get all my coupons.  As I shared with you last time, I get several copies of the largest newspaper in my area.  There are  also a wealth of other places to get coupons besides the Sunday paper.  I am currently working on the Coupon Resources page. There you will find links for printable coupons, coupon clipping services and places to download electronic coupons directly to your grocery store loyalty card.

When you are just starting to build your own coupon stockpile, I highly recommend buying at least 2  copies of your Sunday newspaper, and spending some time visiting coupons.com and printing the coupons for items that interest you even if those items are not on sale right now. The key to effective couponing is to stock up when things are on sale, and to use as many coupons as you have to bring down those prices even more. Most internet coupons have a print limit of two per coupon. If you have multiple computers, you can print two from each computer.  Printing internet coupons and utilizing a clipping service is particularly useful if you live in a rural area which may not have a large number of coupons available in your Sunday paper.

The next time you go to the grocery store, begin to take notice of just how many coupons are available to you for free!  Most grocery stores now have coupon dispensers attached to shelves or in front of the dairy case. These are commonly referred to as "blinkies" due to the small red flashing light on the dispenser. The chip and soda aisles frequently have "tearpads" of coupons as well.  Just remember to use proper coupon etiquette by taking only a couple of each, and leave some for others!

In the coming days I will begin to share how I combine and utilize all of these great coupons to save big!

Till next time... 
The Coupon Connoisseur

Coupon Abbreviations

AY means All You magazine. This magazine is sold only at Walmart or by subscription. It is full of great coupons and has them all listed on one of the first pages. If you utilize the coupon look up Coupon Tom, you will see this abbreviation there also. 
BLINKIES means manufacturer coupons that are in little machines attached to the shelf in stores. The term blinkie refers to the flashing red light on the sides of some of the machines. Some stores are moving away from the ones with the lights. The new ones are a little harder to spot, so keep your eyes peeled!
BOGO means Buy One, Get One Free, either referring to a coupon or a sale. This is sometimes shown as B1G1. If it says B2G2 - you buy two and get two free etc.
BTFE means Box Tops for Education
BXGY means a coupon or sale which requires you to buy one item to get a different item free.
CATALINA means a coupon that will print from a machine at the register when you purchase items that "trigger" it. It can be for money off a specific item (either a store or manufacturer coupon) or for money off your next purchase (essentially coupon money!) Catalina Marketing is the company that makes & maintains these machines and that is how they get there name. I often shorten this to "CAT".
COUPONING I use this word a lot. Yes, I know it isn't really a word. Coupon is a noun, and the "ing" tries to turn it into a verb...blah...blah...When I use this word it means the act of using coupons. I sometimes refer to shopping as "going couponing". You probably will too!
GM means General Mills, once in a while they will put out a coupon insert in the Sunday paper for their products. It may also be used to refer to the company itself.
IP means Internet Printable, coupons you can print off the internet (legitimately of course!). I usually refer to them as printables.
IVC means Walgreen's Instant Value Coupon (these are found in the monthly coupon book near the front door with the sales fliers)
K means Kellogg's. They usually release a coupon insert in August for "back to school". May also refer to the company itself.
MFR or Mfr. means manufacturer i.e. mfr. coupon, mfr. discount etc.
MIR means mail in rebate. One of my favorites, you'll see this one a lot here!
OOP means out-of-pocket. What I've spent in "real" money after coupons etc. but before factoring in Catalinas received back.
OVERAGE This is a great word, music to a couponer's ears! This can occur when you are able to use a coupon that is more than the price of the product. The difference gets applied to the cost of the rest of your items. For example, If I buy something for $1.75 and I have a $2.00 coupon I may get .25 in overage. This is not a guarantee, or a right. A store is WELL within their rights to adjust the coupon down to the actual selling price. Be happy when you get it, be silent when you don't!
OYNO This one means on your next order. It means a coupon you can use like cash on your next transaction or shopping trip. These are most often part of Catalina Deals (more on those in a little bit).
PEELIES These are little "stickers" that are stuck to products and contain coupons. They are meant to be used for the products they are attached to. PLEASE DO NOT BE A PEELIE STEALER! If you purchase a product with a peelie on it but have a higher value coupon already, that is ok too. Simply keep the peelie for next time. It is NOT ok to take peelies off of products you are not purchasing.
P&G means Procter & Gamble. Generally I refer to this in terms of their coupon insert that comes out (usually) at the beginning of the month in the Sunday paper. This may also mean the company itself.
PP means participating products.
Q is short for coupon. I use this one a LOT!
ROLL another favorite word! This simply means using a Catalina (or Register Reward-RR from Walgreen's) to buy more Catalina or Register Reward triggering products.
RP means Red Plum coupon insert which is found in most Sunday papers.
RR means Register Rewards. These are a "catalina" coupon that print out only at Walgreen's and can be used like cash on your next order. As a general rule, RR's do NOT roll. That means if you buy a product, get a RR and use it to pay for the an identical item you will NOT get another one. We will go over this one again in more detail later.
SS means Smart Source coupon insert which is found in most Sunday papers. Sometimes you will receive two different Smart Source inserts in the same week. The one that is on top when you open your insert packet is referred to as SS1, the second will b referred to as SS2.
STACK or STACKING means to use more than one type of coupon to buy a single product i.e. a store coupon + a mfr. = stacking. NOTE: You can stack a mfr. and a store coupon together, you can not stack two mfr. or two store coupons together on one item. If this is used when referring to a Catalina it means you can do the cat deal more than once in a single transaction. For example if your store was having a Buy $25 in participating products, get $10.00 OYNO and the deal "stacks" you could purchase $50 in PP and get $20.00 ONYO. Some catalina deals stack and others don't. Never assume that yours will. If I know for sure that a deal stacks I will let you know.
TEARPADS means a coupon that you "tear off" a pad. These are often found near in-store displays. Don't be greedy, take a couple and leave some for others.
WYB means when you buy
YMMV means Your Mileage May Vary. This simply means that a deal may or may not work for you. Often used when discussing a deal that involves clearance items, or temporary price reductions etc. Also, refers to deals at stores which may have different coupon acceptance policies than yours. For example, if I find three Targets in my area that have an item on clearance, and I tell you how to get an even better deal using coupons, I may add that YMMV. Just means I can't guarantee the Target store where you shop will have the same item available at the same price.

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons

It's been quite a week! So many great coupons and even better Catalina deals! I've been going crazy! Today is catch-up day. Time to finish organizing all of last weeks coupons and receipts so I can see my desk. Saturday is usually my day to start thinking about the new week of deals. Peeking ahead at what coupon inserts will be in Sunday's paper comes first. This is the best way to plan how many papers to buy. Last week was an 8 paper week! Sounds like a lot right? Maybe...but it scored me a whole lot of Pantene hair products for very little money. In all I got 10 bottles of shampoo, 4 conditioners, 1 hair spray and 1 mousse. Total cost by combining coupons with a great sale and the Procter&Gamble Catalina deal? $3.84!! That works out to .24 each! In the very near future I will be posting what I think are the best deals of the week and where you can find the coupons to save big! In the meantime, be sure to get the largest Sunday paper in your area so you will be ready for this week's bargains. Where I live it happens to be The Chicago Tribune. The paper with the largest circulation will have the most coupon inserts, and the higher dollar value of the coupons!

Till next time...
The Coupon Connoisseur


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