Saturday, March 2, 2013
This Sunday's Coupons
We were fooled last week! My schedule said there would be a PG Brand Saver, but I didn't see it. This week, there will be a Red Plum and a Smart Source insert. Since it's a new month, they should have some decent coupons.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Happy New Coupon Day!
I'm back from life at my real job and couldn't wait to start the job I really love. Happy March 1st! I love, love, love the first of every month. Why? Because it's the day new coupons are posted. If you printed a coupon in February, chances are you can print it again today. Plus, all the major Internet coupon sites refresh and list new deals at the beginning of the month.
Head over to www.savingstar.com for 22 new deal ideas to clip and save to your grocery loyalty card. And don't forget about our favorite site www.coupons.com where you'll find lots of new coupons.
Happy March!
To receive exclusive deals and coupons, please "Like" The Underground Couponer on Facebook.
Head over to www.savingstar.com for 22 new deal ideas to clip and save to your grocery loyalty card. And don't forget about our favorite site www.coupons.com where you'll find lots of new coupons.
Happy March!
To receive exclusive deals and coupons, please "Like" The Underground Couponer on Facebook.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Printing Tips
Was printing some coupons this morning and realized that I haven't given you my tricks for saving ink and paper.
1. When a coupon prints on a single sheet of paper, cut the coupon portion off, the save the remainder of
the paper. You can put "short sheets" into the printer and they work just fine.
2. If you print lots of coupons from Coupons.com, try to print at least three coupons at a time. That will
fill one sheet of paper.
3. In the beginning of my coupon career, I printed EVERYTHING! As you get to know the coupon sites
and sales cycles, you'll know which coupons are rare and need to be printed quickly and which ones
are fairly routine and come around all the time.
Now, for the great tips - how to get more coupons!
1. When you click on a coupon, look at the address bar of your browser. If the address starts with the
word bricks, you're really in luck. This is a coupon that can be printed twice! You can go back to the
original link to print again, or just hit your browser's back button twice. Two coupons!
2. How many computers do you have in your house? Each one is treated as a different customer when
printing Internet coupons. For example, we have two computers. In the above example, I could print a
Bricks coupon 4 times, two from my computer and two from my son's comupter.
* Disclaimer: in order for the above example to work, my wonderful son would have to let me actually use his computer, which is doubtful.
For exclusive tips and savings, "Like" The Underground Couponer on Facebook!
1. When a coupon prints on a single sheet of paper, cut the coupon portion off, the save the remainder of
the paper. You can put "short sheets" into the printer and they work just fine.
2. If you print lots of coupons from Coupons.com, try to print at least three coupons at a time. That will
fill one sheet of paper.
3. In the beginning of my coupon career, I printed EVERYTHING! As you get to know the coupon sites
and sales cycles, you'll know which coupons are rare and need to be printed quickly and which ones
are fairly routine and come around all the time.
Now, for the great tips - how to get more coupons!
1. When you click on a coupon, look at the address bar of your browser. If the address starts with the
word bricks, you're really in luck. This is a coupon that can be printed twice! You can go back to the
original link to print again, or just hit your browser's back button twice. Two coupons!
2. How many computers do you have in your house? Each one is treated as a different customer when
printing Internet coupons. For example, we have two computers. In the above example, I could print a
Bricks coupon 4 times, two from my computer and two from my son's comupter.
* Disclaimer: in order for the above example to work, my wonderful son would have to let me actually use his computer, which is doubtful.
For exclusive tips and savings, "Like" The Underground Couponer on Facebook!
This Sunday's Coupons
It's going to be a good week for coupons. Major newspapers will have one Smart Source and one Proctor and Gamble insert. If you live around two major areas like we do, I recommend buying one Baltimore paper and one Washington Post. A lot of times, they have different coupons, or coupons with different values.
Please "Like" The Underground Couponer on Facebook. Don't miss exclusive deals and posts!
Please "Like" The Underground Couponer on Facebook. Don't miss exclusive deals and posts!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
SHHHH.....DON'T SHARE THIS SECRET!
In honor of the blog receiving its 3,000th view, I'm sharing a tip I was going to keep for myself! Yes, I'm sneaky like that, but I really can't believe that anyone is taking the time to read this blog. And then you've shared it with your friends...unbelievable! So, here's a real treat.
The most fun thing I do in the couponing world is called Bzz. Here's the link to get you started, then I'll explain.
www.bzzagent.com
When I was a kid, my Mom was part of a group called National Family Opinion. I remember her filling out surveys at the kitchen table, then receiving products in the mail to evaluate. Back then they came in plain black and white boxes so you didn't know what brands they were. Enter the age of the Internet and Bzz! Go to the website and create an account. Bzz will want to know lots of information about your demographics and buying habits. Under the Surveys tab, you'll let them know all kids of things about products you use. You can answer all the surveys at once, over a period of time, or not at all!
The more surveys you answer, the better the chance you have at being chosen for a "campaign". A campaign is sponsored by a particular product (I'm doing campaigns right now for Garnier, Glade and Cafe Express). You'll receive an invitation in your email box to join a campaign - make sure to respond right away as they fill up fast! I received an invitation yesterday at 4:00pm for a Quaker Cookie campaign and by the time I responded a few hours later, it was full. :(
Now the fun begins!! Your physical mailbox will be a treasure trove - you'll start to stalk the mailman! OK...maybe not stalk. Bzz will either send you full sized products to use, or send coupons that you take to any store and redeem for free products. Also included will be lots of high value coupons to share with your friends (and I do share, ask Michele and Brenda). Even after sharing Glade coupons, I was still able to stockpile 5 brand new Glade systems for free.
So now what? Well you have to create a buzz! The better buzzer you are, the more campaigns you'll get, the more free products you'll receive and the mailman will become your best friend! The website makes it incredibly easy to buzz. They have it all set up, you just press a button. And BTW, they want your honest opinion.
You'll start to develop a Bzz Score - mine is 6.8! It goes from 0-10. The higher your score, the more campaigns you'll be chosen to do. I had my first campaign within a week of signing up.
Give it a try - we can buzz together!
The most fun thing I do in the couponing world is called Bzz. Here's the link to get you started, then I'll explain.
www.bzzagent.com
When I was a kid, my Mom was part of a group called National Family Opinion. I remember her filling out surveys at the kitchen table, then receiving products in the mail to evaluate. Back then they came in plain black and white boxes so you didn't know what brands they were. Enter the age of the Internet and Bzz! Go to the website and create an account. Bzz will want to know lots of information about your demographics and buying habits. Under the Surveys tab, you'll let them know all kids of things about products you use. You can answer all the surveys at once, over a period of time, or not at all!
The more surveys you answer, the better the chance you have at being chosen for a "campaign". A campaign is sponsored by a particular product (I'm doing campaigns right now for Garnier, Glade and Cafe Express). You'll receive an invitation in your email box to join a campaign - make sure to respond right away as they fill up fast! I received an invitation yesterday at 4:00pm for a Quaker Cookie campaign and by the time I responded a few hours later, it was full. :(
Now the fun begins!! Your physical mailbox will be a treasure trove - you'll start to stalk the mailman! OK...maybe not stalk. Bzz will either send you full sized products to use, or send coupons that you take to any store and redeem for free products. Also included will be lots of high value coupons to share with your friends (and I do share, ask Michele and Brenda). Even after sharing Glade coupons, I was still able to stockpile 5 brand new Glade systems for free.
So now what? Well you have to create a buzz! The better buzzer you are, the more campaigns you'll get, the more free products you'll receive and the mailman will become your best friend! The website makes it incredibly easy to buzz. They have it all set up, you just press a button. And BTW, they want your honest opinion.
You'll start to develop a Bzz Score - mine is 6.8! It goes from 0-10. The higher your score, the more campaigns you'll be chosen to do. I had my first campaign within a week of signing up.
Give it a try - we can buzz together!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Why CVS is my favorite store!
I had so much fun today at CVS! The LaVale store is, by far, my favorite coupon stop. The deals are incredible, stock is almost always there, and the staff is helpful, friendly and very used to couponers! Shopping at CVS is similar to shopping at Rite Aid (see my older post). But, I've developed a few tips and tricks to make the experience even better.
First of all, sign up for an Extra Rewards Card. It's free and you can't do anything without it! I checked out today with a full cart for $20.00. The gentleman at the register beside me had two items, no rewards card and his total was $20.00. It pays to carry the card.
After you have your card, head over to the CVS website and register there. Today alone, I received a $10.00 coupon and a BOGO coupon via email. You can also sign up to receive their Deal of the Day. Today, it was BOGO Gain dishwashing liquid, which was also on sale!
This cute red machine is the CVS shopper's best friend. Also known as the "magic coupon machine", this is your first stop once inside the store. You scan your Extra Bucks card and coupons magically appear! Here's my super secret tip - don't just scan your card once! Keep scanning until the screen tells you there are no more coupons to be printed. I've received lots of free items and store cash from this magic machine.
Next, you want to see which items have Extra Care Bucks (ECB's) associated with them. These are like Rite Aid UP rewards with one major difference. ECB's are good right away, while UP rewards aren't good until the next day at 6:00am. Why is that so wonderful? Because you can split your order into different transactions and use the ECB's from one to pay for the other! Brilliant!
CVS is also one of the only stores that allows a BOGO coupon on a store BOGO offer. Confused? Let me explain, because you want to make sure you know this trick. Let's say that CVS is offering Tide as a store special Buy One Get One Free, and you are lucky enough to also have a BOGO coupon for Tide. You would purchase the first one and get the other two free! Don't try to do this in other stores...it won't work!
Remember talking about stacking coupons? CVS is one of the best places to stack. You can use a store coupon for an item, a manufacturers coupon on an item, a store transaction coupon (Get $3.00 off a $10.00 order) and pay for it all with ECB's. I get excited just thinking about it!
While you're shopping, make sure to look for these yellow tags. They aren't sale tags (which are bolder and in a different font), they're clearance tags. For example, the Biotene pictured was originally $9.49 but is on clearance for $2.37. But you know that's not the bottom line price - you have a coupon! I'm able to snag lots of good deals for my stockpile this way.
A few more thoughts about CVS - if an item isn't in stock, make sure to get a raincheck. If the item has ECB's attached to it, your friendly cashier will manually enter them also when you redeem the raincheck.
First of all, sign up for an Extra Rewards Card. It's free and you can't do anything without it! I checked out today with a full cart for $20.00. The gentleman at the register beside me had two items, no rewards card and his total was $20.00. It pays to carry the card.
After you have your card, head over to the CVS website and register there. Today alone, I received a $10.00 coupon and a BOGO coupon via email. You can also sign up to receive their Deal of the Day. Today, it was BOGO Gain dishwashing liquid, which was also on sale!
Next, you want to see which items have Extra Care Bucks (ECB's) associated with them. These are like Rite Aid UP rewards with one major difference. ECB's are good right away, while UP rewards aren't good until the next day at 6:00am. Why is that so wonderful? Because you can split your order into different transactions and use the ECB's from one to pay for the other! Brilliant!
CVS is also one of the only stores that allows a BOGO coupon on a store BOGO offer. Confused? Let me explain, because you want to make sure you know this trick. Let's say that CVS is offering Tide as a store special Buy One Get One Free, and you are lucky enough to also have a BOGO coupon for Tide. You would purchase the first one and get the other two free! Don't try to do this in other stores...it won't work!
Remember talking about stacking coupons? CVS is one of the best places to stack. You can use a store coupon for an item, a manufacturers coupon on an item, a store transaction coupon (Get $3.00 off a $10.00 order) and pay for it all with ECB's. I get excited just thinking about it!
While you're shopping, make sure to look for these yellow tags. They aren't sale tags (which are bolder and in a different font), they're clearance tags. For example, the Biotene pictured was originally $9.49 but is on clearance for $2.37. But you know that's not the bottom line price - you have a coupon! I'm able to snag lots of good deals for my stockpile this way.
A few more thoughts about CVS - if an item isn't in stock, make sure to get a raincheck. If the item has ECB's attached to it, your friendly cashier will manually enter them also when you redeem the raincheck.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
How to "Read" Sale Cycles
It's been a slow coupon week so I've been cleaning out my massive binder. I usually keep a separate envelope of expiring coupons so I can use them, but I've just been too busy lately to organize them! As I was sorting, I thought it would make a good post to talk about sales cycles.
There are TONS of coupons expiring at the end of February - more than a normal month. When I look ahead to Sunday coupon inserts, there isn't a big week coming for a while. What does that mean? It means that the sales cycle is about to change. Different products are on sale at different times of the year, so available coupons will reflect those sales.
When you think of these rotten winter months (can you tell I'm a beach girl) what products do you use? Soup, hot chocolate, lotion, cold medicine, cough drops, etc. These are also the products which are on sale and have the most coupons. You don't see coupons right now for suntan lotion, but you will!
February is National Hot Breakfast Month, and if you look in today's Martin's flyer, you'll see instant savings on Quaker Oatmeal products. Makes sense, right?
So what does that mean for us coupon queens? Two words my friends - STOCK UP! I have a nice little stockpile of soup, about 10 bottles of lotion, Halls cough drops and lots of lip balm. Think about the amount of product you will use in a month, then multiply it by 3. That's the amount of stockpile you should keep if you have good coupons. You don't need a garage full of stuff because the sales cycle will switch again (and again, and again).
If you see me in the stores this week, I'll have my smaller envelope of expiring coupons with me. I just hate to throw them away! I'll try Dollar Tree first and see how much I can get.
There are TONS of coupons expiring at the end of February - more than a normal month. When I look ahead to Sunday coupon inserts, there isn't a big week coming for a while. What does that mean? It means that the sales cycle is about to change. Different products are on sale at different times of the year, so available coupons will reflect those sales.
When you think of these rotten winter months (can you tell I'm a beach girl) what products do you use? Soup, hot chocolate, lotion, cold medicine, cough drops, etc. These are also the products which are on sale and have the most coupons. You don't see coupons right now for suntan lotion, but you will!
February is National Hot Breakfast Month, and if you look in today's Martin's flyer, you'll see instant savings on Quaker Oatmeal products. Makes sense, right?
So what does that mean for us coupon queens? Two words my friends - STOCK UP! I have a nice little stockpile of soup, about 10 bottles of lotion, Halls cough drops and lots of lip balm. Think about the amount of product you will use in a month, then multiply it by 3. That's the amount of stockpile you should keep if you have good coupons. You don't need a garage full of stuff because the sales cycle will switch again (and again, and again).
If you see me in the stores this week, I'll have my smaller envelope of expiring coupons with me. I just hate to throw them away! I'll try Dollar Tree first and see how much I can get.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)