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coupons, discounts, family, freebies, home, how to save money, money, saving, saving money, tips, top 8, value
2011, the year where Extreme Couponing had its own show. I don’t clip many coupons, since I don’t buy many prepackaged food items (except when pasta is on sale 10 for $10 and I have a lot of $1/1 coupons… yay, free pasta!) and I usually buy generic brands. My extreme couponing takes on a slightly different meaning.
What's in your wallet?
This is my top 8 tips:
J.C. Penny had quite a year of deals for me!
In March their circulars had a one day sale with a $10 coupon off any purchase (including sale & clearance items) $10 or more… I grabbed a stack of circulars (the sale was ending in two hours) and went to town. I checked out merchandise 6 different times (I would’ve continued but I had an appointment to get to), making sure my purchases were no more than $12. I spent a total of $9 to purchase Hubster 3 new polo shirts, 3 sweaters for myself and a few candles for the home
In April they mailed a similar coupon, and I received two in the mail! I got Pumpkin two nice shirts, and only spent $1!
I got similar coupons throughout the year!!!
Victoria’s Secret loves to send out free panty coupons paired with a $10 off a bra purchase coupon. The trick is to get the free panty and not spend money on a new bra. The values for the free panties run $8.50 – $10.50. This year I scored more than one a month, totaling over… $150 of free undies! Once upon a time I used to spend too much money in this store, now they’re paying me back.
Fresh Step cat litter offers Paw Points for each purchase, which you save to earn items for your cat. Luckily, my grandmother saved her points for me (or it would’ve taken me 5 years) and I earned a pet drinking fountain, $25 value. Plus, I got a one-year free subscription to some of my fav’ magazines! Just for cutting out a piece of cardboard!
Bed Bath & Beyond has been my biggest source of free items this past year. I have a BB&B Mastercard when I earn gift cards (which don’t expire) to spend in their store. I used instead of my check card to pay for co-pays, groceries, gas, everyday items and paid it off every month (I firmly believe you shouldn’t carry a balance on a credit card or purchase items that you don’t already have the money to pay for). I earned on average $20-$30 or more a month to spend! When we moved into our apt, I received a 20% off entire purchase. When we moved into our house we received it again… They often send out coupons for 20% one item or a $5 off a $15 purchase and paired with my credit card rewards gift cards, you can’t go wrong!
I scored 6 parson dining chairs ($400 in-store price) for a grand total of $75, and that included shipping!
Oil rubbed bronze bathroom accessories: 2 waste baskets, 1 Q-tip holder, and 2 toothbrush holders I spend $4
2 free Copco mugs & 3 free lunch bags
Plus I have more rewards waiting to be spent!
CVS – Extra Bucks are fantastic and there are so many was to earn them… I was strolling through the store while waiting for a prescription to fill, and I saw a 20 oz. can of cashews of clearance for $6. I scan my card at the kiosk and saw that I have $6 Extra Bucks waiting for me. Over a pound of free cashews? You can’t beat that!
Pairing in-store sales with product coupons, I’ve scored many quality beauty items at almost no cost or even free!
Coupon Sites – There are tons of website advertising deals and coupon match ups for all different stores, Groupon, CouponMom, MamaCheaps, etc… Find a few sites that you like and like them on FB, then you don’t need to keep checking the site, they’ll pop up when you’re on FB. I really like Thrifty Wifey (yes, the name did it for me). The site helped me get Hubster a fantastic shop vac that we desperately needed for 50% off!
RedBox or Block Buster Express – We canceled our Netflix this summer. When Hubster wants a movie, he doesn’t want to wait two days for it, so we’re lucky that our town has two RedBox kiosks and a Block Buster Express. A simple google search will give us free rental codes. You can only use the code once per credit/check card. So we swipe Hubster’s check card, then mine, then his credit card, then mine and then we retire the code once we’re out of cards to swipe. Then we google a new code, afterall 3-4 movies per week can really add up…
Weis Gas Rewards – Many grocery stores have different gas incentive programs. At our local grocery store, you get 10¢ off per gallon for every $50 you spend. You rack up your gas points for three months and then get to redeem them at a Sheetz gas station. Pus you get an additional 3¢ off per gallon when you use your Sheetz Rewards card. You can fill up your vehicle, up to 20 gallons. If your car doesn’t hold 20 gallons, you can fill up your second vehicle with the remaining gallons on the same day. This summer I saw a man fill up his SUV completely free, and I knew it was time to make Weis my main grocery store. Even if you’re extreme couponing you’ll add up some gas rewards to use.
Now if only I could use all these deals to pay off my college loans!
Happy New Year! May the New Year bring you love, happiness, good health and a little extra cash in your pocket!
What is your favorite money-saving store, site or tip?
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