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.

 

Update on the P&G Olay, Pantene, Venus, etc Rebate Checks

The P&G "Ladies" Brands Rebate Checks are Going Out

I Got Mine Friday!

Did you all work the P&G Rebate a couple months ago? The deal was you had to buy $50 worth of participating P&G brand products (Venus, CoverGirl, Olay, Pantene,etc) and you would receive a $20 rebate check.  I LOVED this rebate offer! Like many, you got credit for spending the pre-coupon amount, AND travel sized items counted towards the rebate! I worked some really great CVS deals and ended up spending $2-$4 out of pocket to qualify for the rebate. Yes, I got $50 worth of great P&G brand items for between $2-$4.  That was a wonderful deal in and of itself.  

Then, Friday, I received my $20 rebate check in the mail. I deposited it today.  I made more than $16 in profit to own those items.  

Give rebates a try! You just might start making a little extra money doing them. 

The P&G Rebate Books are being Mailed!

My P&G Brands Rebate Book of Coupons 

Worth More than $110 in Savings Came in!

I got this HUGE padded envelop in my mailbox yesterday from P&G. I was pretty excited to see what it was. Then, I laughed. Because it was just a small coupon book in that big envelop.  That small coupon book was such a welcome sight, though! This coupon book has more than $110 worth of P&G brand coupons in it! There are several of each kind and include: 

• $1 off Any One Tide (I will use most of these for FREE 1-Load packs in the Travel Section, and keep one or two in case of a really good deal. If I don't see such a deal, I will buy more free loads right before they expire.)
• $1 off Gain Detergent or Fabric Enhancer
• $1 off any One Downy
• 50c off Bounce
• 50c off Dawn (which would make the dishsoap 50c or less during a drugstore sale!)
• $1 off Cascade
• $1 off Gain Dish Soap (Again, less than 50c or even FREE during a sale!)
• $3 off Swiffer Wet Jet
• $1 off any Duster/Sweeper (Swiffer)
• 50c off any Swiffer Refill
• $1 off any Charmin MegaRoll
• $1 off Bounty Towel 6ct or Higher
• $1 off Pampers Diapers
• $1 off Luvs Diapers
• $1 off 8pk or Larger Duracell Coppertop
• $1 off ANY TWO PRINGLES (look for the snack size, or a sale for super cheap Pringles!)
• $1 off Iams dry pet food (dog or cat)
• $1 off any one Pepto-Bismol
• $1 off Metamucil
• $1 off any Always
• $1 off any Tampax
• $1 off any CREST Toothpaste or gel 4.0oz or larger
• $1 off any Crest Mouthwash, 946mL or larger
• $1 off any Oral B Manual Toothbrush
• $1 off Olay Facial Moisturizer
• $1 off Pantene Conditioner WYB Pantene Shampoo
• $1 off one Herbal Essences or Aussie Product (Get it free by looking in the Travel section!)
• $1 off any Head and Shoulders (free in travel section!)
• $2 off Clairol Hair Color
• $1 off CoverGirl
• $1 off Olay PCC or Lotion
• $1 off Venus Embrace
• $1 off any Secret (Travel!)
• $1 off any Old Spice Deodorant (Travel!)
• $1 off Old Spice Body Wash (Travel)

These coupons are awesome. They will make for several nice freebies. But, you say, if you buy travel sizes, you have to keep buying them. What I do is I keep the coupons in case of a deal or promotion. If I don't see one to my liking, I go pay for travel sized items with them. The travel sizes come out free, or pretty close to it. Yes, I have a shelf in my bathroom dedicated to such items. Yes, I have to go to that shelf more frequently to get a new one to use than if I had bought larger sizes. But, really. When it is free, why would I mind that? Plus, the travel sizes fit nicer on my in shower shelf rack than the larger ones that always topple over.

How did I get such a lovely coupon rebate book? Periodically, P&G brands will release a rebate form. You have to spend somewhere between $50 and $100 (Pre-coupon amount!) on participating P&G Brands. Then, you circle those items and their prices on your receipts and mail those receipts in! This is one reason why it is a good thing to keep your receipts! Often, a rebate will come out for an item I recently worked a deal on. All I have to do is thumb through my receipt envelop for the right one, and mail it in! Easy! And, if you were to use lots of coupons to get travel sized items for free, you would have already had that much $ towards the rebate done.. for free! If I used 5 $1 off coupons for participating items, and the items themselves each cost $1, my out of pocket would have been $0. BUT I would have gotten credit for $5 worth!  (Pre-Coupon amount).

Did you get the rebate book? Work with a friend and swap for the coupons you each want and need! Cooperate!

Good couponing!