More on the P&G promo

When I saw this P&G promo, I thought that there would be some great deals to be discovered. In years past, this has been a big stock-up sale for me. I was a little disappointed in the original list, but there are more items connected to the promotion than what is in the ad.

On PYP, they listed a few more: CoverGirl cosmetics, Duracell batteries AA or AAA 4 ct., C or D 2 ct, 9V 1 ct, Herbal Essences or Aussie shampoo, conditioner, or styling products, Olay Skin Care, Gillette Venus or Fusion razors, Swiffer Wet or Dry refills, Swiffer furniture polish

Here's my trip from today:
2 261-count pampers wipes refill
2 gillette series aftershave
1 covergirl eyeshadow
total: $15.47 and received a $5 catalina

I had $1 off coupons for everything except the wipes. Then, I used the doublers from yesterday's paper. Basically, I just paid for the wipes and tax.

Beer Rebates

Beer Rebates are unique enough to warrant their own post. Because beer companies are limited in what promotions they can offer, they put out rebates. In many states, it is illegal to require a beer purchase to redeem the rebate. Utah is one of those states. (I have one in front of me that lists AL, AR, CT, HI IN, KY, MA, ME, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NY, RI, SD, UT, VA, WV.) The rebates are on a wide variety of purchases-- deli chicken, BBQ grills, pizza, produce, TVs, bottled water, health club memberships, etc. I'd estimate that 1/2 of the food rebates are full rebates. For example, I recently sent in a Budweiser rebate for $10 back when you spend $10 on deli items or pizza. Look for tearpads with the rebate forms on beer displays in grocery stores or gas stations.

Rebates

Rebates are a great way to get a bargain. The payback is delayed, but really adds up. In the past 6 months I have submitted $242 worth of rebates. Many of those are full rebates, meaning my entire purchase was reimbursed.
I suggest tracking rebates with a simple spreadsheet. In mine, I have columns for rebate name, rebate amount, date mailed, and any other notes. I highlight them in red when I mail them in and change the font to black when I receive the check. I also scan all my submissions for backup.
Look for rebates:
online
coupon inserts
on product labels
store ads
some stores have regular rebate programs such as: Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Shopko

Maceys 4/29-5/5

Cilantro bunch $0.33
Green onions organic $0.50
Limes $0.20
Mangos $0.69
Yellow onions organic $0.69/lb
Beef London Broil $1.89/lb
Bone-In Pork Shoulder Boston Butt Roast $0.99/lb
Ground Beef, 80% lean $1.49/lb
Shur Saving Gallon Milk $1.67
Western Family Cheese, 2 lb. loaf $4.49
Lynn Wilson's Flour Tortillas, 20 oz $0.79
Western Family diced green chiles 4 oz $0.50
Western Family Louisiana Hot Sauce, 6 oz $0.44
Western Family ranch or onion dip/seasoning mix $0.44

Albertsons 4/29-5/5

P&G Promotion--Save $5 on your next purchase when you spend $20 or more on participating products (also receive a $3 coupon good on 3 select P&G products) (Prices before/after)
Charmin bath tissue 24 regular, 12 double, or 6 mega rolls 6.99/5.24*
Gain liquid laundry detergent 75-100 oz 10.99/8.24*
Pampers Baby Dry or Cruisers Big Pack diapers 60-96 ct (box) 19.99/14.99*
Pampers Refill baby wipes 180-216 ct 6.49/4.88
Pringles Super Stacks 5.71-6.38 oz 1.50/1.13*
Tide liquid laundry detergent 75-100 oz 10.99/8.24
* Find coupons for these items in P&G 4/5
Look for more coupons in Sunday's paper (5/3)

Double Coupons

Look for double coupons once again. Pages C6/C7 in the Deseret News, B4/B5 in the Trib. There are 4. Yipee!

Newspaper Article

Here is an article about couponing from the Deseret Morning News yesterday. I especially like the part about choosing the price we're willing to pay. Check it out!

Buy 10 boxes of cereal, get 36 items free

If you consider a "fair" price for a box of cereal $2, that's what I did. I did my shopping for the week using the Albertsons deals I posted earlier and paid $21 (after catalinas are figured in). Gotta love that!

Albertsons 4/22-4/28

Albertsons has some HOT deals this week. Here are the highlights on 3 promos. After the price I have listed the location for coupons to sweeten the deal. (The price I have listed is without a coupon.) If you need help on decoding coupon locations, click here. (Note: Smiths/Kroger had a special insert the week of 3/22. Only some areas received it.) Click here for the complete grocery smarts list.

Kraft/General Mills Save $4 instantly when you spend $10 on participating products, including:
Bisquick pancake mix 40 oz $1.50 (SS-4/5)
California Pizza Kitchen Flatbread melts/pizza for one $1.50
Country Time, Tang, or KoolAid drink mix canisters $1.50
Crystal Light On The Go 7-10 ct $1.50
General Mills cereal (select varieties) $1.50 (SS-4/5)
Gold Medal flour 4.25-5 lb $1.50
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers vegetables 12 oz $.75
Jell-O No Bake cheesecake $1.20
Jell-O pudding .9-3.9 oz $.60
Kraft BBQ sauce 18 oz $.60
Kraft pasta salad $.60
Nabisco crackers (Ritz, Wheat Thins, Saltines) $1.20 (SS-3/15)
ConAgra promo Receive a $10 coupon good on your NEXT shopping order when you spend $25 (or more) on participating products, including:
Chef Boyardee pasta 14.5-15 oz. or Microwaveable cup 7.25-7.5 oz $.60 (Smiths-3/22 slc)
Healthy Choice All Natural entrees 9-10 oz $1.20 (SS-4/5)
Hunt's Ketchup 24 oz $.60
Hunt's Manwich Sloppy Joe sauce 15.5-16 oz $.60
Hunt's spaghetti sauce 26-26.5 oz $.60
Marie Callender's Complete dinner or pot pies $1.20 (Smiths-3/22 slc)
Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn 3 ct $1.00 (Smiths-3/22 slc and SS-4/19)
Pam cooking spray $1.80
Peter Pan peanut butter 18 oz $1.20 (Smiths-3/22 slc)
RO-Tel tomatoes 10 oz $.60
Rosarita refried beans 16 oz $.60 (Smiths-3/22 slc)
Van Camp's pork and beans $.30
Kellogg's Movie Ticket promo Receive 2 FREE movie tickets (valued at $24) when you buy any 10 participating items, including:
Keebler Chips Deluxe cookies $1.97 (RP-4/5)
Kellogg's cereal (select varieties) $2.50 (RP-4/5)
Kellogg's PopTarts 21-22 oz $2.50 (RP-4/5)
Kellogg's Rice Krispie Treats $2.00 (RP-3/15)

Earth Day Rebate

Reynolds Wrap is giving away free rolls of aluminum 100% recycled. Go here to print your rebate form. It is only available to print today, Earth Day. Then you just buy a roll before May 4 and send it in.

Doubles Again

Check your Sunday papers for Albertsons double coupons.

Also, come back for some great Albertsons sales this week (starting Wed). I'll get working on my list.

Coupon Preview/Schedule

Taylortown Preview

This is a great site. It shows you the coupon schedule for the year-- when each insert comes. If I would've checked it this past week, I would've realized that last Sunday's paper had no coupons. (Most holiday weekends the papers don't have coupon inserts.)

Another nice thing about Taylortown is that on Thursdays they have a list of coupons that will be in the coupon inserts that weekend. So, you know if you want to pick some extras up at the newsstand and if you should wait for the coupons to do your shopping that week.

Newspaper Subscriptions

I have been taking the paper for almost 4 years. What's funny is that my husband had to convince me to subscribe. He wanted it for the Church News (in Utah that's the only way to get it). When I didn't want to fork over the money, he appealed to my frugality by suggesting that I could use the coupons (smart man!). I'd always shopped bargains, but I had never used newspaper coupons. I was doubtful, but agreed. Fast forward 4 years... I'm the main reason we take the paper!

Some of you have asked questions about newspaper subscriptions that I'll address here:

Do I need to subscribe to the paper? Yes! Newspapers are a great way to get a lot of coupons for very little money. Occassionally I will buy a paper (or 2) from the newsstand (when that week's coupons are especially good), but most of the time home delivery is much less expensive. And it sure is convenient to have it on your doorstep!

How many papers do you take? I get 3 Sunday papers. That is just about right for me. If you are serious about couponing, I'd suggest at least getting 2. I actually renewed today and the customer service rep said that you can only get 2 of each. (I've had 3 Deseret News before, but whatever.) So, I will be getting 2 Deseret News and 1 Tribune.

What kind of subscription do you need? Sunday papers are the ones with the coupon inserts. So, a Sunday subscription is sufficient if you are subscribing solely for coupons.

Do they all have the same coupons? This will vary depending on your location, but I'll answer for Utah papers. The Deseret Morning News and the Tribune have the most coupons. Often, you will get identical inserts from the smaller papers as well (ie: Standard, Herald Journal, Daily Herald, etc). However, frequently the inserts will vary a little. You will get the same insert, except for 2 or 3 coupons. Less often (I'd say 3 times a year), you will completely miss out on an entire insert. These are usually the best inserts, unfortunately.

Edit: As of August 2009, RedPlum inserts are being delivered by mail. They are no longer included with most Sunday papers in Utah. The only exceptions are the Provo Daily Herald and St George Spectrum. Smart Source and P&G are still included in every paper.

How do you get the best deal? Don't pay full price for the paper! The regular price of the Deseret Morning News is $96 for 26 weeks. If you call and ask for their best deal, you will likely get it at half price (at least).

The Deseret Morning News/Tribune has a special for new customers-- $39/year for a weekend (F, Sat, Sun) subscription (ask for code 52/39). I actually got really lucky and I only pay about $15/year. If you watch for those specials, you might be able to get a really good deal too.

I would also suggest paying for 6-12 months if you have a daily subscription. It will often get you a better deal than paying by the month. Another reason to do this, is because the paper may raise your rate. When we first subscribed, we were on a 12-week payment plan. Each time the bill would come it was high. I would call them to say that I wanted the lower rate back. They would lower it, but I got sick of calling! When we started paying a yearly fee, it was sooo much easier and actually cost less per paper. Now, when they raise our rate each year, it's only 1 call to request a better rate.

How much?

Occassionally, I'll post a list of the items I buy and ask for your guesses on how much they cost. I hope it will give you an idea of how much coupons/bargain shopping really can save you. In a few days, I'll edit the post with the average guess and the actual amount I spent.

4 Snuggle Dryer sheet (70-80 ct)
2 Kraft Tartar Sauce
2 Lipton Secrets onion soup mix
2 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner
6 Philadelphia Cream Cheese 8 oz
5.5 lbs- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
loaf of french bread

What would you guess the total was?

Average guess: $30
Actual total: $22.86

Albertsons 4/8-4/14

Albertsons is having a really good sale this week. It is complicated, but worth the headache (in my opinion)! I have listed below prices on some of the items. There are tons more, click here for the full list and coupons to pair with them.

To make it even better, the Unilever coupon insert from Sunday (4/5) has a $20 rebate. Buy $40 of qualifying products (many in the sale qualify, click here for a complete list) and a ham or turkey, get the price of the ham/turkey back up to $20. This promo gives you the meat free already, and the rebate is on top of that. Crazy good deal.

Also, watch for tearpad coupons on the displays. I saw coupons for marshmallows, jello, cream cheese, whipped cream, tartar sauce, and crystal light.

Kraft/Unilever promo: Spend $25 on participating products, and get FREE meat or seafood instantly, up to $10. Including:
Breyers Ice Cream $3.00
Cool Whip 8 oz $1.00
Kraft macaroni & cheese 5 pack $3.99
Lipton Recipe Secrets dry soup mix $1.00
Nabisco Graham crackers $3.00
Philadelphia cream cheese 8 oz $1.00
Skippy Peanut Butter 16.3 oz $2.00
Snuggle Creme fabric softener 32 oz. or dryer sheets $3.99
Stove Top Stuffing 5-6 oz $1.00
Velveeta Shells & Cheese $2.50
Wish-Bone salad dressing $2.00

(These prices may not seem all that amazing , but if you figure in the meat discount, the prices above are all reduced by 40%.)

Good deals on meat:
Beef round rump roast, boneless $1.88/lb
Cook's shank portion ham, bone-in $.99/lb
Hormel Cure 81 boneless ham $3.29/lb
Pork top loin roasts $1.99/lb
Boneless, skinless Chicken $1.88'/lb

Albertsons Promo 4/9-4/12

Spend $25 or more between Thursday, April 9th and Sunday, April 12th using your Preferred Card, and get two 10% off coupons off your purchase over $50. First coupon effective April 13-19, Second coupon effective April 20-26.

Maceys 4/8-4/14

Here are some of the best deals this week at Maceys...
Strawberries, 1 lb. pkg $1.25
Sugar Tree Bone-In Spiral Sliced Ham $1.28/lb
Shur Saving Gallon Milk, 1%, 2% or Skim $1.67
Western Family Large Eggs, dozen $.98
Western Family Medium Cheddar Cheese, 2 lb. loaf $3.99
Western Family Sweet Cream Butter, 16 oz. quarters $1.50
Seneca Applesauce, 46-47.8 oz $2.19
Dole 100% Juice, 12 oz. pineapple or orange blends $1.00 (so yummy!)

Albertsons Gift Card through 4/15

Albertsons is running a special right now. It has been going on for awhile, but I thought I'd mention it here. When you buy a $250 gift card, you get a bonus $20. If you buy a $300 gift card, the bonus is $30. I like the idea of 10% more for my money! I'm curious how long it will take me to spend that $330...

???Questions???

Since this blog is intended to help the beginning couponer, I want to clarify common questions. You'll notice that on my sidebar, I have a list of labels. Click on a word to get all the articles related to that topic. These basic topics will be classified under the label "coupons" (clever huh? ;) and will hopefully be useful as you're navigating the sometimes-confusing world of couponing. So, what questions do you have? Ask anything!

Types of Coupons

As you read my blog, you'll notice that I refer to several kinds of coupons. Here is a quick list:
insert- come with the Sunday newspaper
tearpad- coupons that are part of a coupon notepad on a display in the store
blinkies- coupons that are dispensed from machines in grocery store aisles that have red blinking lights
peelies- coupons that are on a product, like a sticker
catalina- coupons that print at checkout from a separate machine than the register
mailer- coupons that come via snail mail
printables- coupons printed from the internet