Confronted with Coupon Choas....

Last weekend, I ran into a bit of a snag while clipping my coupons.  My adorable niece had decided to add some color to a few, clip corners off of others, and apparently flush the rest.  Mind you my hubby was supposedly caring for our niece as well as our own kiddos while all this was occurring!

Now, thankfully the mess was cleaned up when I returned from work that evening, but I knew as I began to clip the new coupons that old ones were M.I.A! Apparently, the hubbs gave our niece one of my expandable folders that he thought only contained scrap paper we use for crafts. That would be the blue folder dear, not the purple...

Anyhow - He salvaged what he could and tried to reorganize the folder before my return.  He actually did pretty well I must say.  As far as the coupons I lost :( I may never know what they were for sure!

I went almost the entire week without tackling the coupon dilemma, how to reorganize and ensure this NEVER happens again.  I began on the task at hand yesterday and still have things to finish today.  Here are just a few things I learned about coupon chaos this week:

One, I have been a low key couponer for several years.  I am now a full blown, will not buy without a coupon, never paying retail price again couponer.

Two, sorting coupons by product types takes FOREVER.

Three, I love ziploc bags.

So, here's what I have accomplished thus far;

I managed to sort through the pile of madness and split the coupons into product types. They are now safely in their pockets in the purple folder.  I also use the ziploc bags to sort the newest coupons by insert date.  It allows me to notify my readers which insert & date the coupon was from a lot faster than the old way, charting every coupon. Those are placed in the green folder.  Lastly, any expired coupons I placed in an envelope that will be sent to a military family this week.  Military families can use expired coupons up to 90 days later.  As soon as I get the details, I will pass along the information :)

Bottom line, I learned to hide my folders from everyone including my husband.  And that I may very well need to invest in a binder!

Any coupon madness stories to share?

Results from a Mini Shopping Run to Walgreens, CVS, & Walmart

Results of today's mini shopping run:

Here's what we scored on today:

Walmart:

1 Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Kit
1 Crave Cat Treats
1 6 roll pk of bath tissue
1 Brawny trash bags

Walgreens:

4 Act II popcorn singles
1 plastic Halloween tumbler
3 Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins

CVS:

1 Covergirl Foundation Compact
1 Covergirl Invisible Concealer

Retail Price for all items: $34.78
Total after store sales & coupons: $6.33

Plus I got two new coupons from the CVS kiosk :)

Now - the problem I had at Walmart with the One Step Scrubbing Bubbles - they were out of the ones for the advertised sale.  But, the ones on the shelf contained the exact same items, just not the flashy yellow panel on the box.  Luckily, my cashier was able to allow the transaction at the sale price!! Thank goodness - I missed the deal last time all together and really wanted to try it out.  So, if you run into this problem, have your Walmart weekly ad handy and just ask.  Can't guarantee they will do it for everyone, but if you are just purchasing one, give it a try!

Here is the breakdown of each transaction: 

Walmart:

Scrubbing Bubbles on sale for $3.97 - $4 MNFC = FREE w/ $0.03 overage

Crave cat treats $1.47 - MNFC for one FREE up to $1.59

Trash bags $0.96

6pk bath tissue $0.97

Walgreens:

Act II popcorn singles $0.99 ea - SC 4/$1

Reese's Pumpkins on sale $0.39 ea

Peeps on sale $0.39

Plus used $2 RR left over from last week

CVS:

Covergirl deal B1G1H (minus Clean line)

Covergirl foundation $7.79

Covergirl Concealer $2.89 (half price) saved $2.90 instantly

Used $8 off MNFC

The really funny thing today, my hubby had ran to Walmart this morning and thought he would assist me by picking up a few items of our shopping list and using coupons himself.  He came back with oil for his car and 2 O-Cel-O no scratch sponges.

O-Cel-O Sponges on sale for $0.98 ea - $1/2 PMNFC (solutions.3m.com) = $0.96

I guess I should be happy he is trying!! LOL

How has every one's shopping trips turned out today?  Do you shop on Sunday or wait til later in the week?

Happy Bargain Hunting Shoppers!

A Quick & Easy Guide to Coupon Info on Thrifty StL Mummy

After several request, we are changing a few things around on our blog post concerning coupons.  Please refer back to this posting anytime you need a refresher course on coupon lingo or the way it is presented in our postings and we will update as needed!


Decoding Coupon Terminology:

MNFC - Manufacturer Coupons
PMNF - Printable Manufacturer Coupon
SC - Store Coupons
PSC - Printable Store Coupons
ISC - Instant Store Coupons
MIR - Mail In Rebate
Textpon - coupons sent via text messages

Store Reward Programs:

CVS Pharmacy offers Extra Bucks on select products in their weekly ads.  Use your rewards card (free to sign up at any location) buy products at the lowest advertised price, earn extra bucks, and additional in store printable coupons.  Extra Bucks print at checkout and can be used on other purchases in your cart or saved to use at a later shopping trip.  Terms to look for in post regarding CVS:

CVS: CVS Pharmacy
EB: Extra Bucks
B1G1F: buy one product get the second one free, always double check the amount of items you may need to buy, example B2G1F and so on.
B1G1H: buy one product get the second one half price

Walgreens offers Register Rewards, buy selected products advertised in weekly ads to earn these, noting only one register reward coupon will print per item selected and can not be used during same visit. They also allow for a multiple number of items to be purchased at the coupon price, limits stated on each store coupon. Terms to look for in future posts:

WAGS - Walgreens
RR - Register Rewards
PhotoC - photo discount codes

Other stores such as Kmart also offer a rewards card they use in conjunction with store coupons, in order to benefit from the store coupons you must apply for a free rewards card similar to CVS.

Target offers store coupons in the Sunday Post Dispatch coupon inserts such as RedPlum or Smart Source, but you can also visit the Target website and print additional coupons.

Store coupons can be combined with manufacturer's coupons, but only one of each per product.  Example, you can use 1 Walgreens store coupon + 1 manufacturer's coupon to purchase a bar of soap.  This is the best way to buy items whenever possible. Also known as "stacking", the more discounts you can get for one item, the lower the price.

Don't forget to thoroughly read coupon details and check store policies.  Some stores only accept MNFC that arrive in mailers and do not accept printed coupons.

How to know which coupons to use on which sales:


Every week Thrifty StL Mummy post "coupon match ups". Post are usually on Saturday or Sunday, include both the early edition and full edition Post Dispatch papers as well as any printable coupons that emerge.  In the past, I have only posted deals that matched with that particular week's coupons because I was trying to avoid any confusion on what inserts from what week, but after several request - I will now begin posting coupon scenarios according to their insert dates or if printable, a link next to coupon. Here is an example of what the new coupon scenario will look like:

Hot Dogs $2 - $2 MNFC 4/5/2011 = FREE

                   or


Hot dogs $2 - $2 PMNF (link) = FREE


I hope in doing this, Thrifty StL Mummy can help score those more EXTREME couponing deals so many have requested!

Although I am far from being an extreme couponer as many of you already know, I do love a great deal, and how you multiply any deals I do post is entirely up to you! 


Tips for becoming a more organized shopper:


Make a list!  Sounds simple enough, but here are a few things to consider about list making;

1. I always jot down things we need as they run out around the house, keeping a magnetized list on the fridge.

2. I put that list into my phone's memo pad, because I most likely will forget the actual list, the night before heading out to do any shopping.

3.  I plan meals according to grocery sales. I make a weekly meal plan and list from there.  It saves time & money.

Organizing your coupons is a must! You have to find that groove that works for you though! It's tricky at first, I still get overwhelmed from time to time, but here are my best pointers:

1. Have a binder with some sort of pockets, it can be clear card holders or even just folders with pockets to start.  Accordion style coupon holders are a great way to start if you are organizing by coupon type.

2. Decide how to categorize your coupons.  By expiration date is good if you don't mind sorting through a stack.  Others just divide up according to product types.

3. Sorting coupons prior to a shopping trip is a must.  You don't want to miss out on a great deal because you couldn't find that coupon at checkout.  Being well prepared makes the whole checkout process smooth and painless.  Just know, that extreme couponing or just the necessities couponing all requires some time and planning.  In the end its well worth it in the amount of money to be saved!

Try to shop without the kiddos whenever possible.  Less distractions will help you stay focused on getting only what you came to get.

Bring your own bags.  Most stores in the area do not charge for bags, but a few do.  Hopefully one day soon, all area stores will offer discounts if you bring your own bags as well. Until then, better to be prepared and feel good about helping the environment too :)

As more people are turning to couponing as a way to save money, couponing

Hope this guide offers assistance in getting you started and a better understanding of how we explain the weekly deals you love reading about :)