Target Trip..Plus Bonus Surprise Coupons!

Quick Run To Target For a Few Necessities

AND

Hooray for Surprise Coupons!

Today's trip to Target was not a "Full Run", but rather a "we need just a few things" trip. I found some good deals AND I got bonus coupons in specially marked packages of stuff I was needing to buy anyway! Hooray for rolling the savings forward in unexpected ways.  

Here are the highlights:

I needed toilet paper. I had stackable coupons for Charmin.  These coupons took $1.25 off the pack I bought and made the pack slightly more than 25c a regular roll. My stock up price is 25c per regular roll. This pack was on sale AND was specially marked to contain bonus coupons inside on "brands you love".  I thought, ok, I like P&G, so let's do it. Here is what I found inside my toilet paper pack:  

• $1 off Charmin Mega Roll
• $1 off ANY Charmin Freshmates (Find a Travel size and it will be FREE!)$1`
• $5 off Align
• $1 off 3 Pringles Super Stack
• $1 off Metamucil
• Buy 1 Gillette Deodorant, GET 1 Body Wash FREE (exc Trial Size)
• $1 off 2 Pringles Snack Stack or Stix
• $1 off any Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap (hello FREE at drugstores!)
• $1 off Zest, Ivory, or Safeguard body wash, bar or hand soap (can we say free?)
•  $1 off Olay Body Wash or Body Lotion
• BOGO Old Spice.. it says Fresh Collection, Invisible Solid, or Body Spray, Get one Body Spray Free. It shows the Body WASH though.. so maybe a typo??
• $2 Off Gillette Body Wash (exc trial)
• $1 off Bounce Dryer Bar
• $1 off CASCADE! Super woot! this is a rare one.
• $2 off any 2 Old Spice Red Zone, Odor Blocker, or Dry Skin Defense Body Wash (this picture shows a deodorant.. weird huh?)
• $1 off Bounty Either 6 roll paper towels or 2 any size paper towels, OR any size napkins. (Hello 50c ea rolls of paper towels!)
•  
• These Expire 6/30/13!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, even if you find the Charmin TP to be just barely over the stock up price, snag a pack if you like these special coupons as much as I do.  DISCLAIMER.. I have no way to know if these coupons are the same in ea pack.


Nutrigrain Bars:  Buy 4, Get the 5th FREE this week.  They are $2.99/pack at my local Target.  There are also SPECIALLY MARKED Boxes that have "Save $5 on Breakfast" coupons included.  There are 3 different sets of coupons and one set is randomly put inside ea box.  They are numbered "1 of 3" or whatever.   They have save $1 off 2 boxes of Kelloggs coupons, $1 off 2 Nutrigrain bars, coupons for Silk, Juice, Eggs, Produce, etc.  I LOVE using these coupons to get cereal for as low as 75c a box when I pair them with store coupons or drugstore sales.  Anyway, here is what I did:
Buy 4 Nutrigrain specially marked boxes at $2.99 ea.  Get a 5th box free. Used 2 $1 off 2 coupons.  = $10 for 5 boxes of Nutrigrain bars, or $2 a box.  That is a good price on those. BUT, now, I have more coupon books!! :)



Other Cheap Deals today:
Kandoo Flushable Wipes-  Used a $1 off manuf coupon = 42c!
Kandoo Flushable Wipes- Used a $1 off manuf coupon = 42c!
Circo Socks-  50c a pair for cute non-skid sole socks
Pink Pants (Circo)- On Clearance for $2.25. Used $1 off Circo Target Coupon = $1.25!
Earth's Best Organic Crackers for Baby-  $1.37 ea on sale. Used a $1 off 2 manuf coupon= 2 boxes at 87c each box!
Kids' Suave 3 in 1 Body Wash, Shampoo, Conditioner- The BIG size- $2.79-75c Target Q= $2.04.  Not such a wonderful price, but the kids are out. Bummer. Shame on me, right?? Funny.
Paul Frank Astronaut Monkey Napkins- was $3, I paid 75c on clearance. These are fun and will be great for Father's day!

4 Animal Puzzles Set for Pre-Schoolers- on clearance for $1.98 (and, it is environmentally friendly! It used vegetable dyes for the coloring, and is 100% biodegradable for quick degradation. Woot!)

In case I haven't said it yet this week.. I LOVE TARGET!

Buy Pantene for Profit? Yep.

ReThink Your Couponing Philosophy

And Buy Pantene for Profit

Recently, I have had a few of those "just gotta sigh, tsk, and shake my head" moments with some of my friends I am helping with the couponing thing.  The following experience(s) I have had got me to thinking that maybe I should post this part of my couponing philosophy here for all of you. All it takes to make a little money on drugstore items or turn brands like Pantene into your fave shampoo  is taking a moment to adjust your own couponing philosophy.

"When you can score an easy moneymaker at the drugstore.. or a freebie.. or a pricey item for 25c, etc... you totally should take it home with you." 

Common Comments and Questions I get when I say that:

• But that isn't the brand I use
• I don't need it, Mine at home is still full, etc
• My closet is pretty full and I don't have room for it

That used to be the way I viewed these situations. Now, I think those points are just plain silly. (sorry!)  


Here's why:
1. If it isn't the brand you use, use it to get your brand! Turn it into your brand by getting the name brand item (Gillette Razor, Pantene Shampoo, whatever) and SELL IT! If it is free to you or even a moneymaker by working a sale, why not take it home and sell it to get $$ to buy the brand you actually want? *More on this later in the post.  


2. If you are currently stocked up in some part and "don't need" the item, do you have a 6 month supply of this item? If you don't, you really need to consider buying it now.  Sometimes the types and brands of items on sale will cycle in 3-6 month increments. It might be a while before you can get it free again without a lot of extra dealing work.  Sometimes those that are new to couponing will unintentionally take it for granted that you can just walk into CVS any week and walk out with free Old Spice Body Wash.  That isn't necessarily the case.  So, BUY BEFORE YOU NEED IT.


3.  You don't have room? Ok. Sell it! or Donate it! Or Gift it to a friend you know uses the product.  Turn these items into profit or good Karma points.




Now, a word on selling drugstore items.  I don't have time, energy, patience, or the room to be an Extreme Couponer.  I have the knowledge, etc... but I just don't want to do that.  So, when my shelves get really full, or about every 6 months, I have a yard sale. I make some nice money putting my "overstock" or "free but I don't need or use them" items in a yard sale.  I even use Craigslist to advertise my sale for free... and I put cheap signs out by the street. I am lucky to live in an easy to access area that is always having sales. (Did You Know that DOLLAR TREE sells Garage Sale Signs sometimes and just about always sells the price stickers?)


I called a friend to come sell with me last weekend. They are moving and she prefers to not take her "store", as I call it, with her. She would rather start over when they get settled.  Ok. So, she called me the night before the sale asking what to price her items. As she is now used to getting them for free, she was not sure what folks would pay. I told her to mark her big shampoos and conditioners $1 each... Deodorants and the like 50c, and razors $2.50. Razor Refills go for about $4.  Finish dishwasher tabs can fetch $1-$1.50 in a yard sale.  (I have sold Airwick/Glade starter spray sets for $4 each and Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaners for $6 without problems!)


So, she priced her items the way I told her. When she got to the sale and opened her box, shoppers pounced on her and cleared her out of drugstore items in about 5 minutes!  They didn't even try to haggle. 


She came up to me later and said she hadn't doubted me.. but at the same time.. she just didn't believe she could put that high of a price on those items and actually sell them.  By putting those prices on there and by selling baby clothes at an average of 50c a piece, she made $114 in about 3 hrs at the sale!


Alternatively, I have also had great luck selling drugstore items on Ebay for a tidy profit. I don't put items like shampoo up there because they could spill in transit.  However, I put our extra Gillette or Schick Quattro razors up there.. also the Venus and the refills for all those. AND, the refill packs I get for the Sense and Spray type room fresheners always inspire a bid war.


At the very least, if it is free or a moneymaker, and you don't need it, don't use it, don't have room for it, and don't want to sell it... DONATE IT!  Drugstore items are always in high demand at shelters.

 

And the Winner Is....

Blog Launch Party Giveaway Results

AND 1st Month Blog Stats!

Wow, thanks so much for an awesome first month on the blog!  Here are some fun numbers for you guys:

618- number of blog views to date

#1 and #2 most popular posts are the Sneak Peaks at the CVS circulars

#3 popular post is the Lean Cuisine freebie offer

576 views from the US

20 views from Singapore

8 views from Canada

6 views from UK

3 views from Belgium

1 view from Germany

1 view from Denmark

53% of you guys are using Windows.

28% of you guys are using Macs

5% use I-Phones

1% use Blackberries

And, now, the moment you have all been waiting for: The Winner of the Blog Launch Party Giveaway is SUMMER!   Thanks so much for all your comments and participation! Just a refresher, Summer will be receiving:

1 Glade Sense and Spray Clean Linen Scented Starter Set 

1 Gillette Men's Fusion with Case and 1 Refill

1Scrubbing Bubbles Extend a Clean Power Sprayer

A 4.6 oz Kids' Crest Toothpaste

1 Olay Body Bar

1 Johnson and Johnson TO GO First Aid kit

 

The best part of this prize pack worth more than $30? I got all of these items absolutely FREE by couponing!  You can get your own prize pack doing the same! 

Thanks again! And, keep following my posts. I want to know what deals you guys are looking for so I can hunt them down for you.  Happy Couponing!

 

 

Blog Launch Party Giveaway

The Drawing for the Prize Pack
is Just Around the Corner.

Tuesday We Will Announce Our Winner!

I don't know about all of you, but I am getting pretty excited about the drawing that is at the beginning of next week.  You guys are so great! We have had 552 blog views since our first post this month. 

By now you all know the terms of the contest: Get an entry into the prize drawing for every new post you leave a comment under.  Pretty easy! Then, I will have a random drawing and announce the winner sometime in the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 1.   

Currently, the following readers are entered to win the drawing. The number next to their name responds to the number of entries they are getting, thus far.  Keep commenting to get better odds. And, if you haven't been leaving a comment, hurry and do so! You don't want to miss out on this prize pack.

The Chubee Chick Diaries-  1

Summer -  18

Jenn- 2

Laura-1

Velma - 1

Tammy - 1

Stephanie -1

*You will notice comments from a "John". He doesn't get any entries because he is affiliated with this blog.  Sorry, John!

What the Grand Prize Winner Will Receive:

1 Glade Sense and Spray Clean Linen Scented Starter Set 

1 Gillette Men's Fusion with Case and 1 Refill

1Scrubbing Bubbles Extend a Clean Power Sprayer

A 4.6 oz Kids' Crest Toothpaste

1 Olay Body Bar

1 Johnson and Johnson TO GO First Aid kit

Contest Reminder

Stats are in:  You Guys are Reading Me!

Now, Get Yourselves Entered to Win our Launch Party Giveaway!

The statistics are in. You all are reading me, with anywhere from 20-60+ views per post entry. On average, my posts are read 40 times by you guys! Thanks so much!  Of course, this is a modest blog, just really getting going.  I am so appreciative of the support...even if you all are not leaving comments.

However, you can't win the Launch Party prize drawing if you don't enter! As a refresher: every new post you leave a comment under is one entry into the drawing to win our grand prize.  Comment as much as you like.  The first comment you leave under a new post is the one that gets you an entry into the random drawing we will have on Feb 1st.  

The Prize Pack: 

1 Glade Sense and Spray Clean Linen Scented Starter Set 

1 Gillette Men's Fusion with Case and 1 Refill

1Scrubbing Bubbles Extend a Clean Power Sprayer

A 4.6 oz Kids' Crest Toothpaste

1 Olay Body Bar

1 Johnson and Johnson TO GO First Aid kit

 

So, since you are viewing the blog and keeping up with me, anyway, might as well leave a comment and get a chance to snag this really great pack!

*ALL of the items in the pack are brand-new in never opened packaging. AND, the best part, every single item on his list was FREE after couponing!!!! 

Thanks again for keeping up with me! Good Luck to all of you entrants in the giveaway!