Wednesday, June 22, 2011

How to be a respectful Couponer

Today there was a coupon offered by Shreddies cereal on facebook for a free box of cereal. WHAT. A. GONG. SHOW!! As they were doing the final tests on the link, it "went live" for a few minutes and people went CRAZY. There were people ordering it when it wasn't released, people were being incredibly rude, and frankly it was embarrassing. IT'S CEREAL!

This leads to todays post, simply because I am so disgusted with the way some people were acting (and this includes a group of "Canadian Freebies" that I follow on FB. I am consifdering sending her a note and no longer following)

Here are the general guidelines on how to be a respectul and repeat couponer.

1. DO NOT YELL AT CASHIERS! Please understand that they are not personally attacking you for using coupons, lots of cashiers do not understand (or know) the store's policy on coupons. More training is needed. If you encounter an issue at the till (and you aren't trying to scam the store - this is bad), then politely ask to speak to a manager. Ranting and raving will only make them defensive, and make you look like a lunatic.

2. Don't clear the shelves (if they're full). It's rude. Go to a couple stores to prevent doing this, especially if you have a tom of coupons. Most of the time you can price match, so grab a flyer on your way out.

3. Manners, manners manners. People will bemore likely to help you (rain check, re-stock, checking the back for more stock, etc) when you use the words "Please and Thank you".

4. Share. Now this one is a bit tricky, but if you have a coupon for, say CoverGirl, and you don't wear makeup, put it aside to trade or give away. I quite often will pull a coupon out of my binder to give to a random person who is buying something I have coupons for. Ask them to pay it forward. Most people agree.

5. Remember, it requires work to save money, but you are choosing to do this. It won't always go your way, but rudeness and arrogance are not needed. Smile, enjoy yourself, and keep that cash in your wallet!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Extreme Sale this week!!

Yes, this may sound like a repeat from last week, but in fact, it is not.

No Frills has outdone themselves this week, to the point that there are "Commuting Couponers" (hee hee) this week. This sale is a stock up sale ifI've ever seen one!

Highlights Frm the FLYER include:

- Arm and Hammer laundry detergent $2.00 ea (save.ca had a $0.75 off awhile ago)
-Juicy Jumbos or Grill'ems weiners $2.00 ea ($1.00 off from save.ca) W O W!!
-Black Diamond cheese slices $2.00 ea
-Oasis Premium OJ $2.00 ea (use printable $1.00 off from Here )
-Raspberries $1.00 per clamshell (Use the printable $0.50 off coupon from Driscolls when you sign up, Here )
-Munchies mix/Smartfood popcorn $2.00 ea, however found coupon tearpad in the aisle to save $2.00 WUB 2 SCORE!!!
-Energizer batteries (4-AA or 2-AAA), $2.00 ea.
-Unico Pasta Sauce (lg Cans), 3/$2.00

The whole flyer is great, go Here to check it out yourself!

Now here's where things get REALLY great, re: this sale, there are a TON of un-advertised items on sale as well:

Highlights here include (going by Leduc store)
-Old Spice deodorant (biggest size), $2.00. Use $1.00 off from PG brandsaver or PG brandsaver insert.
-Dole Fruit Crisps $2.00. Used These for a crazy deal. (these are a new product, but really good)
-Lemon Merainge pie (bakery) $2.00
-International Delight creamer (smaller bottle), French Van/Vanilla Toffee $2.00 each
-Dual vac-pack pork tenferloins @ $3.00/lb. (my 2 huge ones were $5.26)

This sale is a bonus if you have coupons, and still one heck of a great sale if you have none. My Mother in Law was practically peeing her pants with excitement last night. I highly HIGHLY suggest hitting No Frills this week, there are 3 Locations in this area!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

How to get the coupons you need

I recently have been in desperate need of stackable OFF bug spray coupons for Mr G since he goes through a bottle a week at work, but have been unable to get enough. SO... I appealed to the "couponing community" on Facebook. There are several groups, but the one I frequent the most is Frugal Edmonton Mama . She is based in this area and has a billion followers (ok, maybe not a billion). Anyways, I appealed to her followers on Facebook and within 30 seconds had replies to make some trades.

As a result of these trades (I traded Enfamil and huggies), I was able to get Mr G. 6 bottles of Deep Woods off for *FREE*!!!

Since this is such a valuable tool I would like to start some more regular trades. If you are interested in making some trades, please post in the comments and we'll see how well this goes. I will start a new tab for trades up by printables if we have the demand.

What coupons are you seeking? Are you overwhelmed with one certain coupon (I am, I have a StacK of Scrubbing bubbles/Fantastic).

Let the trades begin!

Monday, June 13, 2011

New news tomorrow

sorry everyone, toook a small hiatus (the "Things" were, well being 2 and 3 year olds)

Back tomorrow with new and exciting info to share....

stay tuned

Thursday, June 9, 2011

How to save money planning a Wedding.

Weddings... Beautiful brides, dashing grooms, gorgeous flowers, good food, dancing... and LARGE BILLS! So sure, this blog is mainly about couponing and how to save yourself a ton of cash every week buying everyday items, but tis the season for weddings, and frankly, they are ridiculously expensive!

Realistically, you have to know your limits. Are you crafty? Do you suffer panic attacks when you come within 15 feet of a crafty store? Do you work 16 hours a day and have no time? There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with "outsourcing" wedding planning and all the "jooys" that go along with it, however, I so suggest you do several price comparisons to avoid overpaying (and in some cases, grossly over paying).


Here are some money saving tips when planning a wedding.

Invitations
Many companies have come out with gorgeous print-your-own invitation kits. They're stunning, and man do they save you a lot. When the Mr and I were married almost 5 yrs ago, there were very few kits available, so I made ours using program paper, and hand tied ribbons. Beautiful, yes, big giant pain in the rear, absolutely. These new kits are easy peasy, and compared to $4-$10 PER invitation/save the date/reply from a printer, this is a great way to save some cash to use elsewhere.

Flowers
LOOK AROUND!! Determine what you like and the colors, and think about timing. For example, a friend of mine was married in the month of February, and wanted red roses as the flowers. KA-CHING!! Bad month for roses unfortunately! Do the legwork here, not only to save the money, but to see if you like the florist's style.

Groom's Attire
This one is great. This time of year there are always coupons out in wedding magazines for groom wear (tux). Lots of stores will also do a "Rent X number, and get the Groom for free". This one has been around forever, but is still a great deal!

Decor/Centerpieces
This is where you *need* to know your limits. I am a crafter, always have been, so we did most of this ourselves. Start with your "theme". Say you are having a fall wedding, time permitting, stock up when things go on clearance for the seasonal turnover. Michaels is fantastic for great clearance sales (and they have disount coupons). Little things add up, ribbon, vases etc. This is where frequent walk throughs will find you wonderful bargains!

I couls break this down further, but really the most important thing you need to know is that retails WANT to make the most profit they can, however that mosst certainly doesn't mean you need to pay retail. Look around, and dont be afraid to say "No sorry, that is too much for us", many times things can be adjusted to work for you and your budget!

Do you have any money saving tips for a bride-to-be? Share below!

FREE Glasses!!

Clearly Contacts.ca is doing it again! Today only, they are giving away 10000 FREE pairs of glasses! (some exceptions apply, make sure the frame doesn't say "Coupons not applicable).

Go to their site HERE and use promo code FREECANADA69 . You *MAY* have to pay for lenses depending on your prescription, but regardless this is a great deal. Mr. G is currently sporting 3 free pairs from last months promos!

Which frames did you pick?

Are you getting married??

Do you need a billion stamps? Well, here's the deal for you!

JUNE 10-16 ONLY, Rexall Pharmacy's are having a 10% sale on stamps (books). Limit of 3 per person, but make a couple trips and you'll save yourself some cash that can go towards, say, a diamon in that wedding band! :-D Or flowers, or, or, or....
More on how to save big $$ on weddings tomorrow...

Stay tuned!