Janice Bowers
Growing Stockpiles “My little stockpiles are starting to grow! I don’t get as much as many of you, since we don’t 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!). I’m 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 don’t 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 manufacturer’s 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 haven’t 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 don’t buy a large quantity of free items at one time. That seems to upset cashiers and cause needless anxiety. I don’t 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 won’t 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