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

In 1973 when I discovered the world of coupons and refunds, nothing was automated. Coupons were added up by the cashier, and I was handed the cash. I was amazed, when stores could deduct the coupons via the register. What a time saver.

Today, Single Check Rebates have become such time savers. Stores that we are all familiar with: Rite Aid, Walgreen and Eckerds have initiated these programs. For example for the month of May, Rite has $910 in various refunds and rebates. These range from toothpaste, tissues, and cleaning products to small appliances and other assorted merchandise sold in the store.

The concept is simple, sign up online (even I can and have done so), enter all register receipts for the month and at the end of May hit the submit button and believe it or no, your refund check is in the mail. I have gotten upwards of $40 on an occasion. No computer access, no problem, you can submit all your receipts by mail and receive the same benefits.

All the rebates are listed online or in a booklet distributed as you enter the store. Get those cash savings started, and let me know how well you’re doing.

Every time I check the Sunday store flyers and coupon inserts I look for new product introductions. I love finding new items because for a couponer it’s a windfall.

New products are always heavily couponed. Samples are often available in the supermarket or in the mail. The items are generally on sale. All these provide great savings for the smart shopper.

For example, Birds Eye recently came out with a new frozen vegetable meal. The item was promoted with ads and of course coupons. Birds Eye was also on sale locally. I bought a couple of bags with my coupons and liked the frozen mixture. More coupons were issued, so I bought enough to fill my freezer; all at substantial discounts.

Being alert is the name of the game. The more aware you are of manufacturer’s techniques and supermarket strategies the more you can use your own inventiveness to save money. Let me know some of your ideas too.

Over the years I have heard this request many times: Eliminate Coupons—Reduce Prices. It will never happen.

Manufacturers have an advertising budget that is used in many different ways. Television and radio commercials, newspaper advertisements and other promotions that include coupon distribution are all part of getting their product out there.

Television gives the product instant recognition as do radio and newspapers. But commercials are expensive, and that adds to the cost of the product. But, a coupon, although part of the advertising budget provides the shopper with a savings, the only money-saving form of media out there. Match that coupon to a store sale and you have a double savings.

For the manufacturer a coupon is a way to get you to try a product, and to keep you using that product. Savvy consumers take advantage of these discounts. After all you can’t take TV commercial to the supermarket and ask for a 20% discount. You can take coupons and get a 20-50% reduction each and every time you shop.

The idea might be to eliminate all forms of advertising; that would surely reduce prices. But with 50,000 to 75,000 products in the average market manufacturers use whatever tools available to get you to buy their product. It’s all part of our competitive system which is not likely to change.

You can watch the video here: Coupon Queen Visits Fresno – $174.29 for only $6.76

Early Monday morning, April 27, we headed over to one of the nicest supermarkets I’ve ever seen and were greeted by a charming manager, Rick Ripada. The store was perfectly arranged for my coupon shopping trip, and we soon met up with Shannon Handy the reporter KFSN. She accompanied us along the way, and we found lots of great bargains and tips.

One of the best was the number of Specially Marked Packages in the aisles. Many packages offered money-off, refunds, or extra product. Keep that in mind when shopping too. The supermarket can be a wealth of savings. Sue