Stores like to gain your loyalty by offering all sorts of promotions and to encourage multiple purchases. Some good, some not. The discriminating shopper can tell the difference.

One of my favorites requires spending anywhere from $15 to $30 in a single shopping trip and earning $5 to $10 back in rewards. Is this a worthwhile deal? Yes and no. First, you have to know the best prices of the items. Next you have to determine the quantity required and the type of item, perishable or not. And last, do you have corresponding coupon.

Here’s an example. Procter & Gamble offered $10 back on a $30 purchase of their products. Puffs were 3/$5, Charmin double rolls 6 pack for $6.99, Bounty 8 pack $5.99, Cascade $3.99 and Bounce $3.99. Some of the prices were higher than the best sales, but I did have coupons on all the items and then of course was the $10 for my next shopping trip.

So in this case I made the purchase, but savvy shopping is important. Keep in mind the following:
• Know the best price of the product
• Decide if the quantity is right for you
• Use coupons to maximize your savings

On a recent trip to Walgreens I split my order into 2 purchases. Here’s my strategy. Walgreens gives out rewards on purchases that are used toward your next purchase. I bought Duracell batteries, $5 register rewards with a $15 purchase, Hershey’s Pot ‘o Gold $3 register rewards with the purchase of 2, and $5 Register Rewards with the purchase of $25 on specific Procter & Gamble items. In addition I used manufacturers’ coupons on the batteries and the P&G goods. Of course I also handed in my AARP card for additional savings.

When the total appeared I received $13 in register rewards. Next, I purchased the other items on my list, all sale items and most accompanied by a coupon. My total before any coupons was $30.50. Coupons deducted the total was $8.57 (with tax) and my savings was $21.93. I was thrilled.

But the point of all this, is you can split your order in 2, same at CVS, and use the rewards on your second purchase and not run the risk of forgetting the savings earned.

Just the other day and for the first time, my Sunday insert flyer contained Lowe’s coupons.

I’ve always seen items on sale at Lowe’s, but I never saw any actual coupon. The flyer contained 6 items. They included:

• $2 off Brita Water Pitcher
• $10 off Filtrete Under Sink Filtration System
• $2 off Filtrete Maximum or Extra Reduction Filters
• $2 off 3-pack PUR Faucet Filters
• $2 off Whole House Universal-Fit Replacement Water Filter
• $20 off ProHeat 2X Healthy Home Carpet Cleaners

The list is not extensive, but I feel greatly encouraged that this is just the beginning. Competition and a slow economy have increased coupons, and their value in today’s market is a big bonus for the consumer.

Home Depot has not issued traditional coupons like Lowe’s, but they have coupons for their Garden Club members with an internet signup.

This year alone I have received some really good money-saving deals. Some of my favorites include:

• Buy 1 orchid get 1 free
• Buy 1 outdoor plant get 1 free (I chose the hydrangea)
• $2 off outdoor Clorox
• Money off fertiziler
• Buy 1 bug spray get 1 free

In addition throughout the growing and planting season, Home Depot sends garden tips which can be customized for a specific region of the country. The tips outline the best planting time, how to maintain your gardens and time-saving ideas.

Home Depot and Lowe’s do offer sales on a regular basis so it pays to watch for them. Last year we went to Lowe’s after seeing a grill on sale. It had all the features we wanted, and a savings of $50. We decided to take out a Lowe’s credit card and saved another 10% on the entire purchase.

Home Depot in conjunction with General Electric appliances often gives a 10% discount and as of this writing, over $1,000 in various rebates was offered. Since these rebates have specific time frames, it’s important to watch for these specials.

Home Depot offers its’ own Behr paint. These come with $5 savings per gallon when they have Spring and Fall Make-overs. If you’re considering a paint job, it’s a good time to stock up for your project.

Another famous option is the end of the season ‘Clearance Sales’. My friend and neighbor bought a fabulous outdoor dining set and umbrella for a 75% discount.

Savings abound and the savvy shopper will use them all to his/her advantage.

Happy Holidays! Here are a few sales, coupon codes, discounts, special offers and more!

• Walmart Value of the day
• Other Walmart Sale Items
• Best Buy Deals
• Home Depot
• Macys in Store Savings pass
• Lord and Taylor in store savings pass
• Toys R Us Cyber Sale
• L.L. bean Free shipping plus Free $10 gift card
• L.L. Bean Sale Items
• Old Navy Savings Circular
• Gap Take $25% off today (December 7^th take 20% off and December 8^th Take 15% off)
• Godiva Enter Code “Merry” for free shipping on orders $60 or more
• Babys R Us Weekly Sale Circular
• Diapers.com get cash back on Diapers

Plus a few more!

• Additional Diapers.com Sale items
• Amazon.com daily deals
• B&H Photo holiday offers
• Saks 5^th Avenue Deals
• Williams Sonoma $20 off cookware
• American Apparel Free HolidayGift When you spend $175
• Footlocker 25% with coupon code IPFLFFTD
• Kenneth Cole Sale Items
• Ralph Lauren Sale

Cyber Monday. The Monday following black Friday is infamous for fantastic online deals. Everything from Flat Panel LCD TV’s, Appliances, Video Games, Clothes, Cosmetics, Jewelry and much more.

Some experts estimate that it is one of the biggest shopping days of the year!

To get the holiday season started right, I have included just a few of the amazing deals.

Walmart:

Electronics and Gaming:
• Philips 8GB Vibe MP3 Video Player – $39.98
• Garmin Nuvi 295W 3.5″ Portable GPS – $89
• Viore 24″ Class LED-LCD HDTV – $199
• HP Mini 210 Netbook PC – $318
• Sony PlayStation 3 Entertainment Value Bundle (includes PS3 160GB console, choice of 2 games, choice of Blu-ray movie and Sony Blu-ray remote) – $388
• Element 42″ Class LED-LCD HDTV – $499
• HP 17.3″ DV7 Laptop PC – $578

Toys:
• Hot Wheels Turbo Town Mega Garage Playset (includes five ramps, working car elevator and two car launchers)- $29
• VTech MobiGo Touch Learning Game Bundle (includes Toy Story 3 Bonus Software Cartridge) – $49.97

Cameras and Personalized Gifts:
• FujiFilm Digital Camera Bundle (includes camera case, 4GB SD card and 100 4″ x 6″ prints from Walmart One Hour Photo) – $89
• Kodak Easyshare Digital Camera – $199
• Personalized Photo Christmas Stockings with a bonus stocking holder – $10
Source: examiner.com

• Target:  http://prod.beta.mtw.target.sf.akqa.com/cybermondaysignup
• Best Buy:  http://www.bestbuy.com/site/null/null/pcmcat197800050000.c?id=pcmcat197800050000
• Amazon.com:   http://www.amazon.com/Black-Friday-After-Thanksgiving-Sale/b?ie=UTF8&node=384082011
• Home depot: http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/home-decorators-collection-10-days-of-deals-now-through-cyber-monday/
• Dell:  http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/cyber-monday?c=us&l=en&cs=19
• Toys R us:  http://www.toysrus.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3912217
• Buy.com:  http://www.buy.com/specialty_store_6b/black-friday-thanksgiving-deals/63214.html

Here are some additional sites you might want to take a look at:

• Bradsdeals.com
• Mycoupons.com
• Shopathome.com
• Dealcatcher.com
• Fatwallet.com
• Dealio.com

Happy shopping!

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