The Coupon Update

A few weeks ago I mentioned I was trying to get back into couponing/deal shopping. Attempt to find a new normal for this stage of my life.

Rex has always said, sometimes you have more time than money and sometimes more money than time. I'm not sure where I fall in that category right now, I'd guess most likely somewhere in the middle. Trouble is I *know* what good deals I am missing out on because I'm not clipping coupons and keeping up with it like I have (at times) in the past. Do you know how hard it is to pay for toothpaste when you've very nearly been paid TO BUY it for two years?! It's hard!

In the comments of that post, and some emails I've received, a few of you mentioned similar struggles. I thought I'd give a little update for what is working for us right now. (that is my disclaimer! It leaves me plenty of room to change it all tomorrow! ha!)

I'm sure you've all heard of Crystal over at Money Saving Mom. I subscribe to her blog and use the feed to figure out all of the deals. You just have to be ok with skimming LOTS of posts that you won't use. There are SO many deals out there - it could EASILY be consuming or a full time thing.

Here is my current couponing/deal strategy:

1. Fill out any and all free sample forms offered on MSM for products we are interested in, or already use. (the key here is to have an auto form filler on your computer, then it just takes seconds) I have found that if I do this, there is a steady stream of freebies coming to the house. And with them come GREAT coupons, many times for full size products. Just this week I received one for a 64oz bottle of Old Orchard Juice, a few weeks ago a coupon for up to a $5 box of Kashi cereal. (You don't have to give your name to the denture people for a free sample of denture cream - just the ones you'll use!)

2. Looks for deals on MSM that only require printables. (i.e. no newspaper buying, clipping, sorting, etc) I have found that the best ones are usually for Target. I did this one from last week, and bought: 7 pkgs of wipes, 4 bottles of Ocean Spray, 4 pkgs of Marshmallows, 1 pkg of size 5 huggies all for $12.34 It literally only took my 5 minutes to print coupons, and let's be honest - who doesn't love Target! Talk about an enjoyable couponing experience! :) In and out in 10 minutes.

3. Alice.com, I also heard about this from MSM (love her, in case you haven't noticed!) It is an online service where you can order household items, shipped to you for free. (No minimum purchase total for free shipping, you just have to order 6 items) It seems similar to grocery store/pharmacy shopping. You cannot just get on there and order whatever you need! That would end up costing a small fortune. But you can look at it and buy the loss leaders, or their hot deals. Slowly building a small stockpile of items that you NORMALLY buy for a fraction of the cost.

Here is the thing with Alice.com, they have manufacture coupons available for certain items. There is a little symbol next to them, so it is easy to see. If you add the product to your cart they deduct the amount of the coupon off your total. They have a great search feature for looking for items, and you can sort the results by the coupon amount, unit price or however floats your boat.

This is the part that MOST appeals to me. Coupon shopping withOUT the coupons. ;) And since I'm not paying for shipping, and I don't have to drive anywhere, the deals are even sweeter. It usually only takes 2-3 days to receive an order.

They also have a referral program. If you sign up under someone, when you have spent/purchased $50 worth of merchandise, they give you $10 off your next order. They awarded me my $10 after my first two orders, (totalling $27.90 oop) which makes me think they calculate your total spent BEFORE coupons and discounts. They also give you a 3% kickback on those you refer. If you'd like to try it, and would like to use me as a referral, you can click here.

Here is a glimpse of my three orders:

order #1

4 bottles of Suave Shampoo

1 Gillette 5 blade razor with 2 cartridges

1 12 ct pkg of Schick disposable razors

total: $9.80

order #2

1 12ct pkg of Angel Soft toilet paper

1 pkg size 5 Luvs diapers

3 Reach toothbrushes

1 Gillette 5 blade razor with 2 cartridges

total: $18.10

order #3 (received today - pics below)

2 pkgs Luvs size 5 diapers

1 Crest toothpaste

1 Puffs facial tissue

1 Kleenex facial tissue

1 24ct package Angel Soft toilet paper

total: $14.69

As an added bonus, the packing materials make great polly pocket mattresses!

So there you have it! Let me know if you have any questions about any of this - I'd be happy to help you. I've been thrilled to find away to snag some deals with a fraction of time and commitment that I had given it before. I hope it gives you ideas of what may work for your family right now as well!