Today I was featured in the New York Times. It is a great article by Stephanie Rosenbloom called “A Clip-and-Save Renaissance“.

I recently found I needed some printing paper, and new security software. I had some Staples coupons, so I scoured their weekly flyer to check for good deals. Here’s what I spotted.

Norton Anti-virus software was on sale for $39.99 with a $20 rebate and Hammermill Paper had a Buy One Get One Free on 2-10 ream boxes up to $38.99. I never did the Easy Rebate via the internet because I’m so used to the mail-in type. But I decided to take the plunge. I made my purchases and returned home with my product and cash register receipts.

I sat down at the computer and fulfilled the sign-in procedure. Next I followed the directions to submit my online rebates. About 2 minutes later I was done, and then received an email confirmation. I couldn’t believe how easy and fast the whole procedure was.

I hope this is the wave of the future. It eliminates so much time because my information was pre-filled, no envelope, no postage and even with my limited internet skills I was successful. I have already received a $20 Visa card for my Norton purchase.

I recently heard from Tom Carney, he does the family preparation for shopping. Here’s what Tom told me. He created a Spreadsheet on Microsoft Excel. He listed all the products his family uses. Next, he checks the stores flyers and decides on the best place to shop. He checks off the sale items that match his family’s favorites.

He found this system very time saving. He has the one master list, makes his choices by the sales and coupon offerings, and prints it off. Each week his purchases change to take advantage of all the great deals.

He never has to make another list. What a time saver, and what an easy way to prepare for your weekly shopping. He does adjust the list on occasion to allow for change in preferences. One last mention from Tom, he also goes to other stores, discount drug chains etc. to take advantage of their specials.

Everyone has jumped on the savings bandwagon. The Sunday newspaper today is chocked full of sales brochures, coupons and refund opportunities. Pet items, stationery, hardware shops have all found the benefit of offering coupons, rebates and loyalty programs. Here’s how it works.

I needed a few office supplies so I checked out the Staples flyer, also found online.
Not only were many of the products on sale, but there were rebates offering 100% of the cost or substantial discounts. I just got back a full refund on a new electric pencil sharpener on sale for only $10. I returned 3 used ink cartridges and got a $9 credit toward future purchases, and in a couple of weeks, when I need a new security program from Norton, I’ll look for the $20 rebate.

Next stop, Petco, where they were offering a $5 coupon on a $25 purchase. I picked up the Iams dog food, and with a purchase of 10 bags over the year, I’ll get one free.

It’s easy to rack up the savings. Think of your favorite stores, check the Sunday papers, and of course the internet. You’ll find a wealth of deals.

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

One of the most common questions I hear is how to Find a Grocery that doubles coupon values. First of course there’s always word of mouth, one friend tells another. It’s not very scientific but it is effective. Next you can check the supermarket’s weekly flyer. Almost all flyers will indicate somewhere on the front page that they will double coupon values. The last place is the store itself.

Details of the doubling are also available at the store, generally the courtesy desk. For example, my local A&P will double any coupon with a value of $.50 or less, raising the coupon value to $1.00. My A&P also has no limits on the number of coupons you can use for doubling.

But doubling is an individual store creation. So the store can set any guidelines it chooses. Some stores limit the number of coupons that can be doubled to 5. Others may limit the day you can use doubles, such as Tuesday (generally a slow day). The best, check with all your local stores and shop at the ones that give you the best coupon deals.

Refunders are a resourceful lot. A couple of years ago I was in touch with a fellow couponer. He loved getting things on sale and used his coupons to the fullest. As a matter of fact he stocked up so much on non-perishable items i.e. detergents, toothpaste, household cleaners, paper goods that his garage was being over-run. He came up with a great idea: a Garage Sale. He could sell his extra products at a 50% reduction, thereby saving the buyer and making some extra money for himself. He did quite well, and cleaned out his garage at the same time.

If you’d like to do some stocking up, wait for the product to go on sale, not just a sale, but a super sale. Take matching coupons in hand, and head for the supermarket. This is a great concept because whenever you use the product you’ll know you got it at the best possible price.

Place your earliest expiration dates to the front of each category and alphabetize the coupons in each category to insure the most efficient coupon use. Match up coupons to store sales to insure your best savings. However, never buy a product just because you have a coupon. I often let a coupon expire if the item is not on sale. I place all my coupons in a 3” x 8” coupon file (with my name, address and phone number in case of lose). Included in my file is a small scissors and all my store loyalty cards. Store Loyalty Cards allow us to take advantage of store sales and in some cases reward the shopper with other benefits.

Store Loyalty Cards are a great bonus. In some cases combined purchases around the holidays get us a free turkey. But these loyalty cards have expanded well beyond the supermarket. At office supply stores (i.e. Staples), hardware (Ace and TruValue) and major drug chains (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid) we can earn store credit toward future purchases. These loyalty cards also track our purchases and help the participating chains keep inventory. So these cards have multiple benefits for all concerned. Many cards also come with a key chain counterpart for ease of use.