FREE BATH & BODY WORKS
Got this offer in my inbox this morning- for a FREE Anti-Bacterial Foaming Hand Sanitizer w/ANY purchase. Print out the page and take it in with you!
✤Cheapskates Meet & Greet✤
I’d like to kick off a brand new segment tonight on Chattanooga Cheapskate: A weekly interview with different members of our local couponing community. I think these “Meet & Greets” will be a good way to inspire one another by sharing our stories, our savings successes, and anything we’ve learned along the way. Tonight, I’m happy to introduce you to Abbie- let’s all give her a warm Cheapskate Welcome!!
Q. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and/or your family? Also, where do you live?
A. My name is Abbie and I am a 29 year old mother of 2 girls, Bella and Brynlee. Bella will be 3 in August and Brynlee is almost 8 months. I’ve been married to my amazing husband Clint, for going on 6 years. I work 2 days a week as a ultrasonographer in an outpatient imaging facility. Other than that, I stay at home with my sweet girls. I do design and create boutique clothing and gifts for babies and toddlers as something fun to do on the side for extra income. We live in Chattanooga.
Q. How long have you been couponing?
A. I’ve been couponing for about 6 weeks.
Q. Tell us about one of your most successful savings stories!
A. My most successful shopping trip would have to be a few weeks ago when K-Mart ran their semiannual “double coupons up to $2” sale. There was one trip (because I believe I went 5 time that week trying to build my stockpile) that sticks outwhere I ended up with a buggy of about 15 items and my total OOP was -$3.00. Everything was free!
I know the KMart sale only happens a couple times a year, so I would have to say my normal weekly trip to Publix and Bi-Lo last night would have to be my most successful trip yet. I will include the pics of all the purchases, but I saved 80% at Publix and 73% at Bi-Lo. Between the two, I had $35 OOP on a $160 bill. Nothing was generic! That’s the exciting thing about couponing is that you don’t have to settle with generics to save money! You get to try all of the most famous brands for what seems like pennies.
I too, rush out and take advantage of many crazy drug store deals that pop up on the blogs. Just recently, I was able to take advantage of the CVS glass wipes deal that got me $20 in ECB’s for only $4 OOP and also I ended up with 2 of the FREE Tiki umbrellas fom Rite Aid last week. Free stuff is so much fun.
Q. What led you into the crazy world of “extreme couponing”?
A. I’ve always been a very thrifty person anyway. I’ve never paid full price for anything and have always been one to search for the “good deal.” I’ve been cutting coupons here and there since my husband and I got married. However, I would get very frustrated because I would lose them, forget about them, or take them into the store just to learn that the generic brand was still cheaper. I would then quit. I couldn’t tell you how many times over the last 6 years that I’ve started and stopped. About 6 weeks ago, some friends of mine were talking about their new couponing adventures on Facebook. I, once again, decided to pick it back up. This time, however, I decided to do a little research. I knew there had to be something else I was missing. Boy was I right! I remember spending an entire Saturday on the computer just browsing site after site soaking up as much info as I could. I bought 2 Sunday papers that week and began printing coupons like a mad-momma. I don’t think I have ever been so excited about going grocery shopping that week as I was then. I had learned about starting my stockpile, and knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight. My normal grocery budget before couponing was around $125 a week. I decided to spend $50 extra for the first couple of months building my stockpile. On my first trip out, my goal was to save more than I spent. I succeeded! I save 59% on my first trip. Over the last 6 weeks, I have learned so much. I still learn something new everyday! My husband laughed at me at first over my new addiction, but now he is blown away at the results. I am so thankful for this and know God blesses those who are good stewards of their money. Not only am I saving my family a fortune in our food/home item budget, I’ve found a new hobby that I love!
Q. Okay, just one more…if you had any little piece of advice for other couponers, what would it be?
A. My advice for anyone just getting started is to jump in feet first and don’t look back. Keep researching and looking up new information. There are SO many bloggers out there who practically do all of the work for you. All you have to do is do your homework at home by having as many coupons as you can get your hands on. Remember, there is no such thing as a bad coupon. Even if you know you won’t ever use the product, if it’s a good enough coupon HOLD ONTO IT. The product could hit rock bottom prices and with your coupons could cause an overage on you bill that deducts money from something else! Try to spend just about 30 minutes a day staying as organized as possible with your coupons. What I learned is to have at least one coupon for every member of your family for a particular product. Sales rotate every 4-6 weeks, so stock up to get you through until the sale runs again. Do your pre-shopping at home, so you know everything that is on sale and include all of the coupons to match. Good Luck!
- The first pic is my total trip for the week at KMart. I believe it was around $20 OOP for all 5 trips. The average saving that week was around 75%. I wish they doubled like that everyday!
- The 2nd trip was my trip last night to Publix and Bi-lo. The total for both trips OOP was $35.80 on a regular $158.20 bill. It was 80% saving at Publix and 73% at Bi-Lo. Both trips combined was an average savings of 77%.
Don’t Throw Away That Parade!!!
Stop right there missy! You’re Parade insert from today’s paper has $7.50 in coupons!
$2 off any CoverGirl and Simply Ageless Product,
$0.50 off Cottonelle Soothing Clean Wipes Tub
$1 off Cottonelle Aloe & E Toilet Tissue 12 Pack
$1 off any flavor of Bit O Luv Dog Treats
$1/1 CoverGirl Product
$2 /2 CoverGirl Products
(Thanks The FreebieBLogger!)
Drugstore Drive-By: 6/28
Here’s a roundup of the best deals you can find at the drugstores this week (in my opinion). Remember, if this all sounds like gibberish- just check out my Coupon Lingo Page!!
WALGREENS
Right Guard or Dry Idea Deodorant, $2.99 Get back $2 RRs
Use $2/1 Dry Idea printable or a $1/1 Right Guard/Soft & Dri from the 4/19 or 5/17 SS inserts= FREE or Possible Overage
Aquafresh Toothpaste: $1.99 Get back $1 RR
$1/1 Aquafresh printable or $1/2 Aquafresh Premium Toothpaste from the 6/21 SS = As low as FREE
Buy 2 Gas-X or Maalox at $4.99 ea Get back $5 RR
Use (2) $1.50/1 Gas-X printable or $3/2 Maalox Product from the 6/14 SS insert= 99¢ each
Pringles, $0.99 (I’ll be stocking up for the pool at this price!)
Use $1/2 Pringles from 5/17 P&G= 49¢ Each
Hawaiian Tropic Sun Care at $8.49 (BOGO)
Use (2) $2/1 Hawaiian Tropic printable = $2.49 each (eh, it’s an ok price, but if you need it for the pool…)
Pepsi (12-pks.): 5/12 or $2.40 each (w/in-ad coupon )
Purex Complete 3-in-1 Sheets: BOGO at $8.99
Use (2) $2/1 Purex Complete 3-in-1 Sheets from SS 6/14 = $2.50 Each (Not soo awesome, since they’re about 20 loads each…but I want to try them out!)
CVS
Buy 2 Colgate Toothpaste or Toothbrushes @ $2.50 Get $2 ECBs (limit 1)
Use (2) $1/1 Colgate printable = 50¢ Each
Coppertone Suncare: $8.99 Get $2 ECBs (limit 2)
Use $1.50/1 Coppertone, exp. 7-31-09 (SS 5/10/09 or $5/1 Coppertone NutraShield printable = As low as $1.99 Each
Wisk Detergent BOGO for around $7-8?
Use (2) $1/1 Wisk Detergent printable = around $2.50- $3.50 Each
RITE-AID
Mars Candy Bars BIGI
Use your FREE CHOCOLATE FRIDAY coupon (or the B1G1 blinkie found at some stores) and get 2 FREE!
Stayfree, Carefree or o.b. products B1G1
-Use B1G1 Stayfree Products from 6/28 SS to get both FREE!
-OR use $2/2 Stayfree products RP 4/26 or $1 off Stayfree printable (IE) or printable (FF)
-And …If you use the B1G1 coupon + a $1/1 coupon, you will make $1 PROFIT!! (The $2/2 coupon expires 6/30, so use it quickly if you’re going to!)
**ALSO: MoneySavingMom has a very enterprising scenario on how to turn some of this week’s deals into a good moneymaker, but it will require buying many newspapers and waiting for a rebate check. If you’re interested though- check it out here!
Band-Aids are B1G1
There are several 50¢ and $1 Off coupons out there from inserts.
My list does not include the SCR deals, for the full list check out SouthernSavers!
Beauty Freebies
Free Sample of Kiss My FACE Aromatherapy Shower Gel by signing up HERE. All these little trial size freebies would be handy for throwing in your purse for the gym!
Go to your nearest JCPenney Sephora make-up counter to receive your FREE 10-Day Sample of Bare Escentuals Make-Up and a Baby Buki Brush. I LOVE the Buki brushes, and those things are about $10 at Wal-Mart, so this is a great freebie! If you don’t have a JCPenney make-up counter around, you can get this online by entering code “10DAY” at check-out on Sephora. But the shipping’s not fre…
(Thanks to DealSeekingMom!)
Free Bic Triumph Pen
Bic is giving away 100 of thier new Triumph pens every day until July 15th– go here to get yours!
50¢ Eggo Bakeshops @ Target
Well good morning Sunshine!!! While you’re waking up with your coffee, I just wanted to share a little breakfast-time bargain with you…
If you go Here, and HERE, also Here, and while your’e at it HERE (or HERE)- then you will be able to print off a total of 8 glorious $1/1 Eggo Bakeshop Coupons.
Use these at Target, where they are on sale for $1.50- and you can take home 8 lovely boxes of mini muffin tops or waffles for only $4.00!! That’s 8 easy-peasy breakfast days for you and the family! Okay, if you’re my family of 6, it’s maybe 4 easy-peasy breakfast days…
An easy way to make waffles go farther and fill up the belly a bit more is topping them with peanut butter instead of syrup. For a filling breakfast, or a breakfast-on-the-go, I spread peanut butter on a waffle, slap a top on it, and send the boys on their way with “waffle-wiches”. If we’re heading out the door, I tuck each one in it’s own coffee-filter for a handy waffle-wich sleeve!
(Thanks to MoneySavingMom for the heads up!)
Yard-Sailing: A Crash Course
I would’ve gotten this post up earlier today, except while looking for a good sailing picture, I was momentarily distracted by him, and him, and (Oh My!) Them!! I know that was a brief detour from the point of this post, and all I can say is “You’re Welcome!”
Now on to the subject at hand. Yard-Sailing. It is the art of sailing from yard to yard searching for buried treasure. The preferred weekend pasttime of the Optimistic Cheapskate. You never know what you will find in a morning’s worth of Yard Sailing- indeed, sometimes you’ll come home empty-handed – and yet the optimist in you will pull you out of bed on a Saturday morning time and time again for another coffee-fueled expedition.
With the rise in gas prices, yard-sailing has become a more expensive pasttime than in years gone by. The only way to sail the subdivisions without spending a fortune in gas is to map out your route ahead of time. How? Well, you can buy a copy of the Tennessee Trader or the morning paper as you head out OR you can print out a list of all the local yardsales and just scratch off the ones you’re not interested in. To make it even easier to get Yard Sale-Ready, I’ve just added links to both Chattanooga AND Cleveland Yard Sale Lists on my sidebar!
Everyone has their own method, but here’s how I do it.
Most Friday nights, before I fall into bed, I take a look at the weekend yard sale list and jot down which ones I really want to go to. If I don’t recognize the road, I type the address into Mapquest to see if it’s near enough to be worth it. I map out my trip by grouping together yard sales that are close together on my route through town. My list might look something like this:
❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋
- Victory St. Church Rummage Sale on way out of subdivision .
- Sales off Ocoee Street – 8th Street(Boy Clothes!), Centenary Ave (★NICE Stuff!), 20th St. (★★Lee College Kids Mission Trip Sale!★★)
- Heading toward Peerless Ave – 1 Behind McDonalds (Lots of Furniture)
- Coming Home- 4 sales on Georgetown Rd.
❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋
And yes, I do put stars or exclamation points next to the ones that look like goodies, since my sleepy Saturday morning brain won’t recall anything. And yes, the Lee College kids do put on some mighty good mission trip yard sales. Two-Star Yard Sales you might say! You have possibly never seen so much Abercrombie and Gap for so cheap.
Besides charting a course for your treasure-hunt, there are a few other tips and tricks I’ve learned:
☀YARD SALE TIPS☀
1) If at all possible, go the first day of the sale. That’s when most of the treasures will disappear quickly.
2) If you can’t make it early, make it late. On the last day of a sale, when the homeowners have been sitting in the sun haggling over prices for too many hours, they’ll likely take whatever you’re willing to offer to avoid hauling everything back inside. I’ve gotten many things totally free by showing up after 12.
3) When strapped for time and gas-money, search the paper for these: Neighborhood/Subdivision Yard Sales, Church Rummage Sales, or School Sales. These will yield the biggest selection of stuff, with the least amount of driving around. Plus, church yard sales are CHEAP!!!
4) Carry small bills and change. Although it’s no crime to talk someone down from $5 to $2 for a cute set of dishes, it will hurt their feelings when you brandish your crisp $20 bill to pay for it. It’s just bad form, sailor!
5) Big-Ticket-Item Strategy: Mrs. Smith was very attached to her old couch. She needs to sell it, but her memories won’t let it go cheaply. $200?!? Is she crazy? You really, really NEED a couch, but what can you do?
✭The Haggle: Ask if she would take $100 for the couch. Notice aloud that there are a few stains and a rip on the side, even murmur an “I don’t know…” or two while circling the couch. She says no? Well, either meet her halfway(i.e. $150) or it’s time to stage….
✭The Walkaway: In order to be a good bargainer, you have to be willing to walk away. In my experience, this will yield a “shout-out” 50% of the time. For instance, “You know, if you really want that I’ll take 50¢!!” or “Tell you what, give me $1 for it and it’s yours!” Course if they don’t do that and you’re not ready to give up hope- just pretend you were walking to your car for pen and paper so that you could perform…
✭The “Here’s My Number”: If a yard sales is still in progress, and Mrs. Smith still holds out hope to sell her beloved couch for $200, she’s not likely to go down on the price. However, there is one more chance to get what you want. Give her your phone number and tell her why you need the item. I know, this sounds corny, but it works. For instance: “Listen, I really just love this couch, but I honestly can’t afford what you’re asking. If you don’t end up selling it, and you don’t want to donate it, I can offer you $50. I know that’s not what you’re hoping for, but I love it so much I couldn’t leave without trying!” We got our whole living room set totally free that way. (*NOTE: This is not the time to insult the item’s value like in the haggling step. If they’ve priced it high it’s because they like it, and therefore will want it to go to a good home where someone else will love it.)
With your map in your pocket, hot coffee in the cupholder, and a hopeful spirit- you’ll be ready to sail through a sea of subdivisions!
Free Chocolate!
I keep forgetting, and maybe you do too, to go sign up for my Free Chocolate Coupon on Friday mornings! Here’s the link, go do it! These are really nice to tuck away in Ye Old Coupon Binder for a BIGI sale. If a store has Mars chocolate bars on sale B1G1 Free, and you use this coupon, you’ll get 2 free instead of 1! (This is mostly true for drugstores…Bi-Lo and Publix can be trickier.)
Rock Point Books Reading Hour: TODAY
Just a reminder for you Chattanooga moms:
Rock Point Books(at 401 Broad St.) holds a Children’s Reading Hour every Friday at 10:30 AM. “Fun Fridays” always features a special guest sponsor to come and read to the children (for instance, a few weeks ago it was a ballerina from the Chattanooga Ballet!) This week, Read 20 wil be coming with their BookMobile to get kids excited about reading. The “Fun Fridays” coordinator told me that Read 20 usually brings books or stuffed animals to give out to the children!
In case you can’t make it this week, never fear- Next Friday the Hunter Art Museum is coming and the focus will be”Jellies: Living Art”. They are also bringing artist Dale Chihuly with all the supplies to make artsy wire chandeliers with the kids!
Chattanooga Cheapskate 
