Janice Bowers
Growing Stockpiles
My little stockpiles are starting to grow! I dont get as much as many of you, since we dont have any doubling or fantastic deals here like I read about in other parts of the country, but I can do well sometimes with trial sizes and some Internet coupons and watching for special offers. Reading my Refund Cents and Chit Chat alerts me to savings I may have missed or ideas that I may be able to use later on.
Recently at Target I was able to buy 75 pounds of Fresh Step kitty litter for just $7.35! I had a free coupon from the Fresh Step Paw Points Program (I love that program!). Im glad I waited to use it. At Target I discovered they had bonus boxes--25 lbs.--on sale for $7.35. I used my free coupon to purchase the first box, then I used a B2G1F coupon from a previously-purchased SMP to purchase the other two boxes, my net total being $7.35 for all 75 pounds! I was very happy with that deal. We have three cats so free kitty litter is always a good thing. I had read in Refund Cents about someone saving their free coupons to use to purchase the first item when you find a B2G1F (or similar) coupon or sale. Had I not read that at one time, I dont know that I would have thought of it when I came across this, so I hope this helps someone else. Our son, Rhett, is in the photo with the Fresh Step. He is 18 months old, and he likes to help!
I bought over 20 Old Spice High Endurance deodorants either free or at a small profit. Target sells them for 99¢ and Wal Mart for 78¢, and there were some $1 OAS coupons out. I also purchased several Crest toothpastes for free at Wal-Mart with my $1/2 coupons (they are 50¢ each). I got many, many free boxes of hair color, results of the Walgreens deal awhile back, where you could combine a Walgreens coupon with a manufacturers coupon, and send for a Walgreens rebate, too. This made the hair color free. I got two bottles of Simple Green (an all purpose cleaner) I was alerted to on Chit Chat. There was an Internet coupon available for $2, the price is $2 at Dollar General, making it free. There was also an Internet coupon available for $1 off Old El Paso taco shells which sell for $1 at Wal-Mart. Later, there was another coupon available for 85¢ off, and even 15¢ for a box of taco shells is a good deal here.
I havent had too many problems using my coupons. Occasionally a cashier will question it, but usually it can be handled politely. Target seems to be especially nice about them. I usually dont buy a large quantity of free items at one time. That seems to upset cashiers and cause needless anxiety. I dont live close to Wal-Mart or Target, but yet I can still manage to use up most of my good coupons before they expire; I just plan my trips around other errands.
It is a nice feeling to have a small supply of items that you know you wont have to buy for awhile. I think of it as freeing up money to use on something else.
I had a fun shopping day recently. We had cashed in our Discover card reward for a Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card as you can stretch your $20 into a $25 gift card. I signed up at their website to be on their mailing list, and received a coupon from them. Using both, I was able to get a $30 kitchen clock, completely free.
That same day I also went to Kohls as they had sent me a $10 coupon for $10 off any purchase to celebrate the grand opening of a new Kohls store in another part of the state. I found a 2-piece outfit for my son, regular price $22, marked down to $9, so, even with tax, it was completely free. I also took my Rayovac DVD checks to Best Buy, and got a new DVD for tax only, 69¢. That same evening we did a mystery shop at one of our favorite restaurants. The total was $20.23, of which $20 will be reimbursed. So that was one excellent day--all that and I only spent less than one dollar out of pocket!
So even if you live in an area without doubling, you can still find some savings. Sometimes it requires a little thinking outside the box and (the most important thing of all) reading Refund Cents and Chit Chat!!
Janice Bowers, Independence, IA
