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.

 

Make Your Certificates Go Further

Already Snagged a Half Off or Better Certificate?

Stretch That Bad Boy Further!

Always read and know the terms and limitations of certificates that you get on the super cheap through sites such as Groupon, Living Social, or Restaurant.com.  Then, rethink just using the certificate to get an even BETTER value out of it!

The other evening, a couple friends were going to use a Living Social certificate they had purchased. They bought the Pan Asia restaurant deal ($20 for $40 certificate).  They invited me and my kids (so nice, right?) to go, their treat!  I said sure!!

Then, they used words that I love to hear: "Let's go to an early dinner and hit the early bird specials!"

Awesome! Almost everything we ordered was off the Early Bird Menu.  At Pan Asia, if you time it right, ALL SUSHI, ALL APPETIZERS, ALL "Create your own Stir Fry", and a LOT of Drinks are HALF OFF!  

Originally, $20 was paid for a $40 certificate. By mostly ordering the half off specials, we got $95 worth of food and paid with the $40 certificate and an extra $15. So, $35 total out of pocket for $80 of really great food!! I was so very proud!!

We made sure to tip on the pre-certificate discount amount.  What a steal!

If you know Pan Asia, you will know that you normally cannot buy:

Garlic Naan, Regular Naan, Avocado Rolls, California Rolls, Tea, Pepsi, 2 Shrimp Stir Frys, 1 Vegetable Stir Fry, Shrimp Pad Thai, AND a Lime Tart Dessert for $35 + Tip. The generous host of the dinner out picked up the remaining tab of about $15 after the certificate was taken off the tab, and the other guest and I split the tip!  Mmm!

The point here is that you should not be too casual in your thinking on these half off or better deals.  You can really stretch the value if you take a moment to think about the deal (and consider the exclusions) to see how to best use such a great certificate! 

*Also, I have had great luck with Blue Plate Specials such as at Blow Fly Inn on the MS Gulf Coast.  They have $2.75 red beans and rice plates that are soo  yummy on Saturdays.  I love taking a Restaurant.com certificate in during red beans and rice lunch!! Talk about stretching that deal far.. mmmm!

Don't you just love a good dinner deal??!

Coupon Puzzler of the Day: Possible to Buy More, But Pay Less?

Can Buying Two Items Really Equal

Paying Less Out Of Pocket 

Than Just Buying the Item You Really Needed?

Again, the Coupon Puzzle of the Day is about changing your couponing perspective.  It goes against the grain to see two items on sale and consider buying them both when you only need the one item. It seems like it goes against everything in you that is a couponer when this situation arises.  So, is it really better to buy more than just the item you need if it is on sale and you have a coupon? Can it really save you more money, out of pocket, than just buying the necessary item? 

YES. But, you have to pay attention and do the math. 

A year ago a friend of mine was looking for those "As seen on TV" bra strap clip things that let you clip your straps so they would not be visible when wearing a racer back tank, etc.  She found a deal on one for $9.99.  She had a coupon for $1.50 off that item. She was about to go to the drugstore to buy it when I called her on the phone and told her to STOP! The drugstore had a sale on those bra clip items and on a leg smoothing kit. Both were "As seen on TV" items. Both were priced $9.99.  The drugstore was running a BOGO deal on them, mix or match.  In the same paper my friend got the bra clip $1.50 off coupon, there was a coupon for the leg smoothing kit. Another $1.50 off.  Since the BOGO deal was a store deal, and the coupons were manuf, the store's policy would allow a coupon on each item, even though one item was free.  I told my friend to go buy BOTH items, and use BOTH coupons. That is $3 off the $9.99 because of the BOGO deal, instead of just buying the bra clip for $1.50.  I went over it and over it with my friend. It took some working to show her the math of why she should buy the other item she didn't want or need.  It made perfect financial sense to buy that extra item since it was free and would let her get another $1.50 off what she did need to buy.  Finally, I convinced her to just trust me and buy both items.  Then, she could put the leg smoother thing in a yard sale for like $1 and save even more off the original purchase of her bra clips... Or even, for that matter, give away or donate the extra item. She still made out better buying that item.  

This is a hard concept to grasp. It takes some rethinking.  You have to work the math and be careful so that you don't fall into a trap where you do pay more for more items when you consider these deals.

Let me give you another, perhaps easier, example.

Tonight, I went to Target.  I had a coupon for $4 off any 2 TGI Fridays Appetizers, 12oz or larger,  in the Frozen Foods Section.  I saw TGI Fridays Onion Rings. On Clearance. For $2.18 a box. (They were not dated to expire, just maybe a package redesign thing.)  The thing is that I am the only person in the house that likes onion rings. So I surely do NOT need another box of onion rings. But, this is a good price and I have been wanting to get some onion rings.  Here's the situation: I could buy one box and pay $2.18. OR, I could buy two boxes at $4.36, use the $4 off any two coupon, and PAY 36 CENTS for both boxes.  Why the heck would I pay $2.18 for one box when I could pay just 36 c total for two?!

Don't start the chorus of "but you don't need two boxes."  That is just foolishness. No, I don't need two boxes. I don't have the freezer space. AND I don't intend to eat two boxes worth.  

IF I bought two boxes, I would save a ridiculous amount off the purchase of just one box by using that coupon. At that point, I could buy two boxes and then throw one in the trash.  (GASP! Come on now, you know I am not going to throw food away while folks in this world are wanting for food...)   The point is there. The only way it makes financial sense is to buy two boxes. So, I did. Then, on the way home, I called a friend to see if her husband wanted the extra box of onion rings. He does. He is going to get them this week. So, relax! :) 

The point is, do not automatically shrug away from buying more than you need. Take a breath, do the math, and then make your decision. You can always stop by the soup kitchen on the way home and make a donation. 

Coupon Puzzler of the Day

Here's Your Couponing Philosophy Puzzle

For Today

To be a savvy shopper and deal snagger, you need to pay close attention to the deals offered and not be fooled into thinking you are getting one sort of deal when you see signage in a store.  Today's puzzle is about taking the time to really stop and think about the deal you have found.  Think about what the store is wanting you to think about the deal, and what the deal or signage actually is.

Which deal scenario is better? 

A.  You see a sale where all items included are 1/2 price.

B.  You see a sale where all items included are BOGO.

C.  Neither one is better.. it is 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of another.. they are the same thing, just worded differently

The answer is A.  

I get really annoyed when I hear folks discussing the first two scenarios and claiming them to be "really the same thing."  Because, it really is NOT the same thing. The only time it is "the same thing" is when you buy two identically priced items. Then, ok. You can call it the same thing.

In couponing, the little adds up to be big. Whether it is in savings, or in nickel and diming the money out of your wallet, every penny counts.  In a BOGO scenario, (still a nice sale, don't get me wrong.. and more often than not, you can usually use a manufacturers coupon on each of the items in this scenario, most places!) the lower priced item is the Free Item.  If you buy Chips for $2 and Salsa for $4, and the sale is "BOGO", that means you will save $2 by getting the chips free. (This is a hypothetical.. swap out chips and salsa for widgets and gizmos, or whatever.)  In an "Everything is Half Off" sale, you would save HALF the cost of both items.. in this case, $3.  

Think about this when you are shopping and especially when you are looking through the weekly circulars. IF you see two competing stores and one has a half off sale and one has a BOGO sale, don't think they are the same sale.  Would you rather pay $1 too much? In couponing, this can be a BIG mistake.

Know what I bought for $1 this week? Shout wipes, 2 loads of Tide Detergent, 10pk of Finish Dishwashing Detergent, a tube of Colgate Toothpaste, and some Planter's Peanuts.  Yep. All that for $1 out of pocket. 

So, do the math and stay savvy when you see a deal.  Don't be blase and don't take these deals at what appears to be face value. 

Just changing how you see deals is enough to save you some money in your wallet!

Uh oh! You Scored an Amazing Deal. Only, Now, it is Even Better....

So, You Scored a Great Deal.. Only Now it is CHEAPER!

What to Do??

It happens to the best of us from time to time: You hem and haw over a bargain. You decide it is a great deal. You buy the item.  4 days later, the item goes even cheaper! What do you do?

The other day, I noticed a deal on Couponing to Disney's Facebook wall. It mentioned that there were some really good and cheap deals on Amazon.com for Wii games.  I gave it a cursory browse.  We are on a super tight budget for "extras" at the moment.  And, we really didn't need another Wii game.  But, I saw the High School Musical 3 Just Dance game. It was on sale for $10.99! I already have Amazon Mom, so I would get Free 2 Day Shipping with my order. Done! I bought it. It looked like a lot of fun.  I knew my kids would enjoy it and it would save my sanity from listening to another Dora game or such.

We got it in the mail Friday. It is so much fun.

Today, I was browsing Amazon to see if there are deals I can share with you guys here.  AND, I see HSM3, Just Dance on SALE! For $8.83!  What??!! Oh NO!  The thing about Amazon.com is that prices change constantly. Usually, if you see a hot deal, snag it. Because it goes up in price without warning. This is the first time I have seen a great deal drop even lower.  

So, I did what any self-respecting deal seeker would do: I contacted Amazon.com through their chat server.  I asked the chat rep what I could do about it.  I told them I really did NOT want to have to go through the hassle of ordering the cheaper, same game. Then, when it came in I would take it, still sealed, and  request a return from the FIRST more expensive order. I would mail the second game back in under the first invoice, for a full refund. That takes a little time and effort. But, $2 is a LOT of money to a couponer! They told me I did not have to go through all that and they would be happy to credit my account the $2.  They set it up so that I don't get "cash back", but I WILL get $2 off my next purchase, automatically. I can live with that.

The point here is to contact the company and nicely inquire what you can do.  Also, again, think creatively. IF they have a full refund return policy, you can always buy the cheaper one and return it under the first invoice if it is the same item.  AND, if you made a purchase in-store, take it back to the store and see about a price adjustment.  

It never hurts to ask.  3 minutes on a chat this morning will save me an additional $2 off my next order.  It all adds up.

Coupon with Integrity and Stand Firm Against the Shenanigans

Even a Seasoned Couponer Who Is a Store Regular

Will Come Across "That" Cashier From Time to Time

I always try to coupon with integrity. Also, I try my hardest to be kind and patient with newer cashiers that are not as well versed in their store's coupons or coupon policy as other cashiers may be.  When you shop in a store and have a big 3-ringed binder full of coupons with you, you tend to get pretty well known. This is especially true when you are a regular of that store.  So, I work hard to develop and maintain a reputation for being straight-forward and honest in my deal seeking ways.  I also try to have a reputation for friendliness too.  Even so, sometimes I come across a cashier who is not so knowledgeable about the whole couponing thing and will still try to make you feel like a criminal of sorts for getting such good deals. They even try to bully you into getting less of a deal by making all kinds of "we don't accept x, y, z" claims.  

When this happens, as it did to me today, you have to stand firm and take comfort in the fact that you are NOT a criminal. You HAVE developed an honest and forthright reputation. And, you KNOW the store' s coupon policy forwards and backwards and even have it on you when you shop.

This is what happened today:

I went in to do my weekly shopping run at my Target. I love my Target. The managers there all know me now. When certain cashiers see me get into their line, they smile. When they are done ringing me up, they write down the total before they scan my coupons. They get almost as excited as I do to see how much money I save.  Today, I did not see any of my fave cashiers. I chose a friendly looking lady to check me out.

The main issue occurred when I went to work a deal on a sale item today.  The sale was that when you bought this item, you would get a $5 Target Gift Card FREE.  **A NOTE: Sometimes Target cashiers will tell you it takes 24 hrs for the promotional gift card to activate. This is another form of shenanigans. They tell you this so that you won't break up your transactions and roll gift card deals into each other. Shame, shame! You can turn around and use your promotional gift card on the very next transaction you make 90% of the time or even 100% of the time. ** Ok, so the sale was buy this item, get a $5 Target gift card FREE.  Then, I had a Target Coupon that stated that when you bought the item, you would get a FREE greeting card of your choice, up to $3 value. Also, I had a Manufacturer's Coupon for $4 off the item. 

Now, the Official Target Coupon Policy is that you can put a Target Coupon and a Manufacturer's Coupon on one item, "stacked" together. It does NOT matter if the item is on sale for the week or not.  Theoretically, you can put one Target and one Manufacturer's coupon on the purchase of every single item in your shopping cart, if you have those coupons.  This is THEIR POLICY. When you shop and make purchases using coupons according to their policy, you are not doing anything wrong. You are not trying to pull a fast one on them. Any cashier that makes you feel like that should be reported immediately. 

This is what happened to me: The cashier rang my items. The gift card drawer popped open, per the weekly sale, to prompt the cashier to give me my $5 gift card. She did. I handed her the coupon for $4 from the manufacturer. I handed her the Target coupon to make the greeting card free. The computer has a sort of glitch from time to time. Sometimes, for no good reason, it will beep at the cashier instead of taking the coupon. In these instances, the cashier has to confirm that you bought the right item(s) according to the coupon fine print. Then, they manually override the computer to give you the right discount.  The two coupons I handed the cashier made the computer beep. Sigh.  So, the cashier looks at the coupons and informs me this happened just yesterday when another lady tried to make the same purchases with the same coupons. Ok, great. So, she knew to override the coupons, then right? Wrong.

Ready for this? She told me to PICK ONE COUPON to use. Either the free card one or the $4 off one. I said, "No, that's ok. I will use both. Thanks though."  She insisted I had to choose one. I told her that one was a manufacturer's coupon and one was a Target coupon. That the coupons were even technically for two different items. That I was legitimate in my use of them and I was more than happy to show her the store's coupon policy.  I stayed polite and friendly.  She responded that she already knew the coupon policy. I begged to differ and offered it to her again. At this point, I am requesting the manager on duty by name. You know, just so I can make sure I understand the policy too. 

Another cashier walks up, curious. And she looks at my coupons and says the problem is that they are both manufacturer's coupons. Although I am now annoyed another inexperienced cashier is playing buttinsky, I calmly flip the coupon over and show her the bold printed words "TARGET COUPON".  Finally, my fave manager walks up. I tell her I am causing trouble. She chuckles. She hears the cashier's argument. She hears my POV. She tells the cashier I am totally right. (DUH) and tells the cashier to override the coupons. (DUH)  The cashier said NO!!! Can you believe that nonsense? She starts saying all this stuff about couponers trying to get away with stuff and how she isn't going to lose her job over a $4 coupon and that the manager can enter the coupon herself if she wants to take responsibility for letting it go through.  So, the manager entered the coupon in.

Trying to further prove that she understands how to coupon and such, as the cashier continued ringing up my items, she took a peelie coupon worth 50 cents off one of my items, said, "Here, see??!" and scanned it. I sighed. I said, "Please take that coupon off and hand it back to me. I left it on the package because the coupon I have for that item expires sooner and is for $1 instead of 50 cents. Thanks so much for looking out for me though."

What an experience today was at Target.  

The point here is that you have to learn the store you shop in's coupon policy. It is smart to even carry it with you. Always be polite, but stand firm.  This cashier was trying to block a legitimate $7 in savings I had in those coupons.  Just coupon with integrity, without being a bully about it or trying to pull fast ones. Get to know cashiers and managers by name. Things will go much more smoothly.  Every now and then, you will get challenged or bullied like I was today.  But, you know what? I held my head high as I walked out of there having saved about $60.

And yes, I did thank the girl for her patience and for helping us figure out the coupon thing.  Throwing a fit or causing a scene might have felt good for half a second, but it would not have gotten my deal worked out.  But, don't think I wont write a nicely worded email to corporate should I have more of these encounters.

Mini Coupon Philosophy Tutorial

Changing the Way You View Coupons

Can Save You Money

You have two manufacturer's coupons for Pampers. One is $1.50 off any diaper or training pants. One is for $1.50 off any diaper.  You need diapers. Both coupons expire on the same date. Also, you know you wont run out of training pants before the expiration date on the coupon and you need diapers now.  So, do you :

A.  Use the $1.50 off diaper coupon

B. Use the $1.50 off diaper or training pants coupon

C.  Use whichever coupon comes to your hand first, because it really doesn't matter. This is a trick question.

The answer is A.

It really does matter.  What if you find a really amazing deal on training pants before the coupon expires? If you could get them for $3 a pack using a coupon, wouldn't you stock up? IF ONLY you hadn't used that coupon on diapers... But you didn't know that deal was coming!  OR, what if you could trade your training pants coupon with someone to get a coupon that makes your Olay bodywash free?  You never know when you might need that other coupon. You never know when the opportunity will present itself to use, trade, etc that other coupon.  It may look like 6 of one, a half dozen of another at first glance, but if you absolutely don't need to use a coupon like that, Don't! It really really does make a difference sometimes.

The example here is for diapers/training pants. BUT, these scenarios present themselves all the time.  Especially when a manufacturer does a rebate offer. You will wish you had specifically used the coupon you specifically needed and not wasted a more flexible coupon.  Stores even do $ back or gift card deals from time to time.  I am especially glad I don't throw out the formula checks I still magically get in the mail. I have made $7 so far this year buying formula I don't need with those checks. But, guess what? I make money AND friends with little babies get free formula from me.  Win Win.  

So, don't waste a flexible coupon. Not unless you really need to use it OR it is about to expire.