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.

Rewards programs are a great way to save especially if you’re a loyal user of the product. Companies wanting to recognize preferred shoppers are offering rewards for multiple purchases. A few of my favorites include:

www.Mycokerewards.com: enter codes from various products to earn coupons for freebies, items such as T-Shirts, and even donate to some of your favorite charities.

www.lorealparisusa.com/rewards is L’Oreal’s program. It works this way. Sign up for the L’Oréal Paris Gold Rewards Program, and when you purchase any 5 L’Oréal Paris hair color products, you’ll receive the next one FREE! Simply enter the code found within each box prior to coloring and it will count toward your reward.

www.Diapers.com Loyalty program, gives $5 off every case of diapers, every time you order. It’s easy! No complicated reward point systems to navigate. Just a cool $5 off every case of diapers, every time. For first time customers, get $10 off.

Enter code TAKEFIVER at checkout (the one and only time you’ll have to enter a code for this program), and start saving on your diapers today!

I’d love to hear about some of the programs you’ve found. Send them along, and we can all share in the savings.

It would be impossible to count, but the average supermarket contains about 70,000 different products and variations of the product that could make any shopper dizzy.

How do manufacturers manage to get your attention with yet another new product? COUPONS. Coupons are still one of the best forms of promotion, and as good shoppers we want to please the manufacturers by using them, and using them a lot.

Most new products never make it past the first year. Depending upon its’ budget, information about the product floods the market during that time. Which mean more promotions, more coupons and more sales.

General Mills is one of my favorite companies for coupons and new product introductions. My family has always been a fan of Honey Nut Cheerios, but when Chocolate Cheerios was recently introduced it captured the palate of one of my sons.

When I found a sale 2/$5 I bought 4 boxes, using a coupon on each, and getting double value to boot. My final cost was 2/$3 or $1.50 per box, about a 75% savings. General Mills made the coupon value so attractive it was hard to pass up the special deal. And it served its purpose, we now buy Chocolate Cheerios on a regular (sale of course) routine.

Enewsletters from many of the manufacturers also alert you to the new introductions and high value coupons on their web sites. That was the case with Comet Cream. The product was introduced with a $1 coupon.

Using high value new product coupons you will reduce your grocery bill and get to try lots of new items, so now it’s time to give it a shot.

How many times have we seen a display, a store sale and ad promoting this type of purchase? What exactly does it mean? Is it necessary to buy all 10 to get the discount?

We know how smart the supermarket gurus can be. They know the more we buy the higher their profits. It’s a great strategy. But knowing this, arms us with information to make us more astute and discerning shoppers.

10 Redpack canned tomatoes for $10 is a good buy. But do you need all 10? I certainly don’t. So I make my purchase of 3 and still get the $1/item sale. Reading the fine print on the ad will keep you informed as to the amount of items you need to purchase and still save.

Most of the time soda displays are a must. For example, a recent ad touted 4-12 packs of Coke for $10. In smaller print were the words: ‘Must Buy 4’. Since I’m accustomed to that, I knew to check more carefully.

That’s the rule of thumb with all multiple purchases. Check the store’s requirements and you’ll never be disappointed at missing out on a great deal.

For quite some time, many retail stores offered a Senior Day, a day that seniors could get a discount on a purchase. The age for a senior varies according to store. For example, at age 62 you can get a senior discount at Kohl’s department store. The day is generally Wednesday.

Museums, hotels and attractions may have a senior day as well. The discount and the age vary according to the venue. Some start at age 55, others 62 and still others 65. The discounts usually start at 5% and generally don’t go above 10%.

Local restaurants offer senior savings as well. Just take a look at IHOP, The International House of Pancakes. They have senior discounts as well as kids’ discounts.

In my latest A&P store flyer, I found an advertisement for Senior Appreciation Day. The age: 55, and the discount 5% with a $30 purchase. A coupon is required to get the discount and can be obtained from either the store flyer or from the online enewsletter from A&P.

I’m thrilled, in addition to double coupons and great sales I can now take advantage of Senior Day.

To take advantage of these bonus savings, check with all of your local retailers to see if they have a Senior Day or discount. Get to learn the different rules and regulations so you’re never disappointed, and if you find some new ones, send them along so we can all share.

Recently, I shopped at Dave’s Supermarket in Richmond Heights, OH for WOIO-TV in Clevelansd, OH.

I wanted to prepare my shopping list before I left home so I went online and found Dave’s weekly sale flyer. First I noticed a 5% Senior discount, my lucky day. Next they outlined their doubling program, up to and including $.99. With these in mind, I proceeded to organize my list. Here are a few of the great deals I found:

ITEM:
Aquafresh tooth paste $1.
Skippy Peanut Butter 2/$4
SeedlessGrapes $.99/lb.
Cocoa Puffs Cereal $2.50
Cinnamon Crunch $2.50
Kraft Cheese 2/$4

COUPON VALUE:
$1/1
$1/2
$.50 doubled $1.
$.50 doubled $1.
$.50 doubled $1.
$1

RETAIL SAVINGS :
$1.95
$7.95
$1.99
$2.09
$2.09
$2.99

I combined these and some of my free product coupons and planned my entire order. At the end of the day, my total was $160.04. I got $7.52 in senior discounts and wound up paying a grand total of $9.22.

I know this is extreme shopping, but it shows what coupons can do. Regularly you can count on a 50% savings. Checking the supermarkets web site will give a look into their specials, deals and promotions, so take the extra few minutes to arm yourself with this knowledge.

Stop and smell the roses. How does that apply to the supermarket.

About 10% of all products in the supermarket are specially marked packages. I’ll bet that the marjority of these great deals are passed up.

A specially marked package bears some type of an extra bonus as part of its makeup. These could include:
• A peel off coupon
• Extra product at no extra charge
• A buy one get one free (BOGOF) as a bundle pack
• A free toothbrush on the container of toothpaste.
•
Here’s what I just found:
$15 in savings on a Tropicana 64oz. container
Free toothbrush on Crest
Free travel bottle on the Listerine
$1 Peel off coupon on the 2 liter coke
$.55 coupon on Hefty Bags
Extra bags inside Ziploc
2 free Quaker Oatmeal inside the instant box
Full purchase price refund on Clorox 2

I could name many more. How many have you spotted lately? If you become aware of that these bonuses exist, you’re more likely to be alert when shopping. If you find some, post them on the discussion board: www.selectcouponprogram.com to share with others.

Stop and smell the roses. How does that apply to the supermarket.

About 10% of all products in the supermarket are specially marked packages. I’ll bet that the marjority of these great deals are passed up.

A specially marked package bears some type of an extra bonus as part of its makeup. These could include:
• A peel off coupon
• Extra product at no extra charge
• A buy one get one free (BOGOF) as a bundle pack
• A free toothbrush on the container of toothpaste.
•
Here’s what I just found:
$15 in savings on a Tropicana 64oz. container
Free toothbrush on Crest
Free travel bottle on the Listerine
$1 Peel off coupon on the 2 liter coke
$.55 coupon on Hefty Bags
Extra bags inside Ziploc
2 free Quaker Oatmeal inside the instant box
Full purchase price refund on Clorox 2

I could name many more. How many have you spotted lately? If you become aware of that these bonuses exist, you’re more likely to be alert when shopping. If you find some, post them on the discussion board: www.selectcouponprogram.com to share with others.

Over the 37 years that I have been refunding, there have been lots of changes in finding and submitting the offers. The biggest is of course the internet. When I began everything was via mail, no shortcuts.

But times have changed. Probably 1/3 of all rebates are now found on the internet, and about ½ of those can be submitted online directly.

For example at Staples.com I can submit rebates directly online. It takes about 1 minute. The reason it’s so easy is that all my information has been preloaded through my frequent shopper card.

RiteAid.com has a wonderful program too. Throughout each month you enter receipts, and at the end of the month submit the total. You receive one refund for all your purchases. These can sometimes be as much as $500. Best of all unless you don’t have access to a computer everything is done online.

Other refunds are printable off the site. You can then submit them with the correct proofs of purchase. The check, free gift or free product coupon will be mailed directly to you.

This is such a benefit since years ago rebates were distributed through the supermarkets, and once all the forms were gone, you were out of luck. This method gives everyone an opportunity.

www.Refundlebundle.com lists about 400 different refund offers each month. Have a look at the discussion board on our site for almost daily updates of rebates and freebie.

More and more manufacturers are offering e-newsletters for a simple sign up procedure.

These newsletters can be a boon for the consumer because they contain coupon savings, great tips, recipes and more.

A couple of my favorites because of their constant coupon savings are Betty Crocker.com, Kraft.com, Eat Better America.com and Arm & Hammer.com. The coupons are often valued at $15 or $20.

Some retail outlets send coupons too. I get them most often from Borders.com, Kohl’s.com and TruValue.com. The sign up is very easy, and the information requested is generally along the lines of name, address and zip code. A few go into a little more detail, but not at all invasive.

Beside the coupons, I’ve gotten some great recipes. The best recipes of 2009 listed simple but great ideas. Even for me, the non-cook, I found a few I could incorporate into my specialties.

So chose some of your favorite products, and check online for the e-newsletters.