My Coupon Holder

I've evolved over the year from a paper envelope to my latest coupon holder that I carry with me to the store.  The envelopes worked okay but I didn't like the crinkly window plastic making noise. Plus the paper envelope only lasted about a month before the sides were ripping and the window was pooping out. So, I got this clear sturdy plastic poly envelope from the Florida State Lottery. They gave them out free for some promotion when you bought tickets at the State Fair or some other promotion.

 

I love this carrier because it is see through and I can just slip my list in the front with the coupons I'll need for sure right near the front to. Then I use a hair binder to keep it closed. I keep all my store cards and my Publix gift cards in there too, so it needs to be secure. This way I can lay it in the basket of the shopping cart and read my list, and not have to juggle the coupons too. I just pull them out at the end of the shop and verify quantities.

 

I do carry extra coupons for moneymakers items or free stuff in case I want to get them, or need a filler. I also have my rain checks and competitor coupons that I carry, so it sometimes gets a little fat. But then I know its time to clean out, usually when the Advantage Buys end and I need to restock with the new deals coupons.

 

I also put a return address sticker on the inside in case I ever lose it and someone decides they want to be nice and return it. I would recommend labeling your coupon holder with at least a phone number so if you misplace it in the store, someone who finds it could just call and you might actually still be in the area. Good luck with that, but at least you've made an effort to help the finder find you.

 

So here's my latest shop from Publix. Not the greatest (81% saved), but I'm getting a little burned out and I'm totally on budget with spending less than $100 a month this year. We used to spend $5000 a year on groceries, which now amazes me now. I'm glad we have all the tools to make couponing so profitable with our store ad match ups and sneak peeks, coupon databases, forums and blogs and of course our wonderful grocery store coupons booklets and flyers that allow stacking.

 

15-Jul	19		46.93	12.27	26.49	tax	8.84	19	-81.17%
Product	qty	price	subtl	-B1G1	-Q		total	Q#	Q details
lettuce	1	1.49	1.49				1.49
carrots	1	1.69	1.69				1.69
banana	1	0.32	0.32				0.32
mushrooms	1	2.69	2.69				2.69
cucumber	1	0.65	0.65				0.65
cantalope	1	2.50	2.50				2.50
tomato	1	0.50	0.50				0.50
english muffins	1	1.49	1.49				1.49
Bulls Eye BBQ sauce	1	1.50	1.50		1.50		0.00	1	free coupon
Kellogs Fiber Plus cereal BOGO	4	3.99	15.96	7.98	7.00		0.98	8	$1/1 MQ+ 0.75/1 TQ
Cereal GM Total BOGO	2	4.29	8.58	4.29	3.00		1.29	2	$1.50/1 peelie
reusable bag	1	0.99	0.99		0.99	0.07	0.07	1	free wyb 2 GM products
Cover Girl nail polish	2	1.29	2.58		6.00	0.18	-3.24	4	$2/1 MQ+ $1/1 TQ 6-27pg
Cover Girl lip outlast	1	5.99	5.99		3.00	0.42	3.41	2	$2/1 MQ+ $1/1 TQ 6-27pg
$/$$ coupon		0.00	0.00		5.00		-5.00	1	$5/$25 competitor exp 7/15

$2 off Smart Balance Milk Coupon

Coupons.com has a coupon available for $2 off Smart Balance Milk. I just stocked up on this last week with my raincheck at Publix. It goes BOGO every so often. Its $3.59 for a 1/2 gallon so if you have it BOGO and use two of the $2 coupons, its a moneymaker!  You can print 2 times per PC. I used zip code 14075.

 

Twitter Hop Thursday

Would you like more Twitter followers and be introduced to more neat blogs and businesses out there? Come and join us!!

1. Add your Twitter to the MckLinky (you only have to add it to one and it will appear on all).

2. Click on the Twitter for the four hostesses and follow each of them on Twitter. We will follow you back.

3. Follow as many people on Twitter as you like, but make sure to leave comments with links so they'll know where to follow you!

Spread the word and add this MckLinky to your blog! Write your own post or copy and paste this one. Below the MckLinky box, you'll see "Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here for instructions and code…." Have fun Twitter-Hopping along!

Marcal Small Steps $1

Well we waited a long time for this, and its finally going to happen. According to www.whosaysnothinginlifeisfree.com, the new Alberstons ad for 7/14-7/20, has a $5/$50 coupon, plus Marcal Small Steps paper products are on sale for $1.00.

 

This means its time to use the coupon we've all been saving: Marcal Small Steps FREE single roll towel, bath tissue or facial tissue, to $1 OR $1 off any Marcal Small Steps Towel, Bath Tissue, Napkins or Facial Tissue, coupon states "limit one coupon per person" - 06-13-10 SS - valid up to $1.00 (expires 07/25/10).

 

Yeah for free TP and paper towels!

Fisher Fusion Nut Snacks

These are one of my favorite snacks, and it is a bummer that Publix will no longer carry that product. According to Shopping Addict on slickdeals the spaces and product are no longer on the shelves. Gee, now what can I do with my remaining coupons? Does anyone know where to get a good deal on this with the $1/1 coupon?

$10 off $20 Kohls Coupon in Todays Paper

The front of this morning's Tampa  & St Pete newspapers has a "peelie" coupon good for a $10 off $20 purchase at Kohl's.  The coupon is valid July 14th through July 24th in stores only. It is good on everything - regular, sale, and clearance items and can be combined with % off coupons.

Should Unemployment Benefits Be Extended?

The 2009 Stimulus packaged passed last year authorized up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits to those who have lost their jobs. Now almost 2 years later, some people are still unemployed, collecting at least $250/wk to stay out of work. That in my opinion is not a bad deal. These people have time to pursue new training, educating themselves for a different, more needed job, or to begin a business on their own. But do they want to do that? I'm not so sure.

 

Before you cast stones and say I'm being mean and I don't know what its like to be unemployed, you're wrong. I worked for fifteen years in the food industry and in the beginning of the decade I was laid off from 4 different jobs within 2 years. The companies eliminated my research and development position, or closed the facility to move operations to another state, or cut back on quality control since it was an expense. I was on unemployment briefly for a month before finding another position. But now I make 25% less money than I did in the food industry. But I have a job. Luckily its a stable job. But I certainly didn't take it for the money, or for the stimulation. I make the same amount of money now that I made just a few years out of college. But I know better than to quit in hopes of making more money, or getting more personal satisfaction from a job - its too risky for me. So I hang out in a terribly boring job.

 

I don't think Congress should extend the unemployment compensation past 26 weeks for people. There are jobs out there and they need staff. I have other part time jobs doing security for concerts and sporting events, and secret shops at restaurants. Its not much money, just over minimum wage - but I do it for the event, not the money. But my part time employers are contacting us weekly because they need more people to work.

 

Most people on unemployment don't want to lose their full benefits to work and only earn half as much. I can understand that. The government is demotivating people from working, when they can stay home and not work - but bring home more money.  So the incentive to not work needs to go away. Unemployment compensation needs to stop after a reasonable amount of time. I think 26 weeks is reasonable.

 

By the time Congress returns from its July 4 recess this week, more than 2.1 million unemployed people will have missed checks. The House passed a bill to reauthorize the benefits last week; a similar bill did not pass in the upper chamber due to a Republican filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that as soon as there is a replacement for the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), Democrats will have the 60 votes they need and the bill will pass. If Reid is correct, layoff victims will be paid retroactively for any missed checks. Without a reauthorization, 3.2 million long-term unemployed will have found themselves ineligible for extended benefits by the end of the month.

 

Maybe when the unemployment gravy runs out, people will get back to work.

Publix Sneak Peek 7/15-7/21

I was getting a new box of cereal off the stockpile shelf and noticed I'm getting a little low on supply, less than a dozen boxes. So, lucky for me I have some of the good peelies for GM cereals because they're going to be BOGO this coming week. For a complete listing with most of the coupon matchups, check out True Couponing.

That One Coupon...

You know how sometimes you're reading the store sales with the coupon match ups and think, I wish I had that one coupon. That happened to me this week since Publix finally has the 18 lb bag of Purina One Dog Food on sale. The salmon flavor is the only one my dog should eat because other brands and flavors irritate her skin allergies. Anyway, there was a single page flyer available in Publix last month for $3.50/1 and I never was able to locate a copy. I have a bunch of the $2/1 but that was almost half the value of the elusive $3.50 Q.

 

I looked every time I was at Publix, which is about 3 or 4 times a week, but never found the Purina flyer. I finally figured I needed to try to buy some. But it wasn't listed on any coupon clipper sites. I did see it for sale on ebay, but the price was too high and shipping killed the deal. Plus I needed it this week - I haven't had the quickest deals ever go through on ebay. So I started perusing the forums, like Slickdeals and Hot Coupon World for trades. But since I've never traded, I don't have much clout. I signed up on some blogs on the trader wall for ISO (in search of) coupon and no response.

 

So how did I get the coupon, you're wondering. Well, I PM'd one of the forum members who happened to make an entry about the seeing the Purina coupons. Sure enough, this person had nine copies of the coupon I needed, and she wasn't going to use them. We agreed on 10% cost (0.35 ea) and the cost of a stamp. I used paypal to pay her (use personal, gift check boxes to ensure no fees are added), and she mailed the coupons.

 

Sometimes, if you really need THAT ONE COUPON, try searching the forum for a keyword. Ask individuals if they have them. It works, but you need to think outside the box and be persistent. If you're frugal you're persistent anyway so that shouldn't be a problem.

Free Food But No Free Beer

For our daily exercise yesterday, we decided to take a lap around Busch Gardens. I happened to notice all sorts of people with the bright neon wristbands indicating they had purchased the Play All Day & Dine For Free offer. Since the takeover of Anheuser Busch last December by Merlin, there have not been many improvements and upgrades in the theme park. Granted they did have the spring concert series, but nothing special on July 4th this year - just fireworks.

 

Anyway, I find it ironic that they stopped serving free beer samples in January of 2009 and their attendance tanked. The former hospitality house has been empty most days, and no one dances to Dr. Dave or Andre as they play the piano by the bird gardens. But now they want to get more business since it has not been the same since. So if you're willing to shell out $74.99 for a full price ticket, they'll give you a $30 meal plan. The plan is actually pretty good, and if you can be frugal and "share" the food with your partner, its not a bad deal.

 

But Busch Gardens certainly doesn't act like they appreciate Florida residents at their park. Even people who don't spend hundreds of dollars when they visit, are good for making it seem like the place is crowded and a cool place to be. They take away the free beer, but now they give away free food. I've got to think the food deal costs them more than a few 10 oz beers.

 

By the way, if you haven't gone to the Summer Nights events, you're missing out on some good entertainment. Jeff Civilico the juggler, was there last year and now has shows on Fri, Sat & Sun only. Each of the three daily shows is different and funny. I like the 6:30 pm show where he gets male audience members to help him get up on his unicycle.

 

We haven't been to the Kinetix show yet, but were intrigued by the preview of three jugglers with glowing face paint and glow in the dark clubs. We're planning on seeing it this weekend.

 

Meanwhile, I'm waiting for the free beer.