TARGET TRIP- Excedrin, Kelloggs, and MORE deals!

Target Trip= Success

Found Some Great Deals and Ran Into Some Blog Followers!

Last night, I took a friend with me to Target so I could show her hands on my couponing process.  Of course, we stopped at the in-store Starbucks first for some "Free" coffee. (Pretty Easy to snag free coffee... be super nice and maybe a friend will get you a gift card. Also, you can take your EMPTY Starbucks coffee bags from the grocery section back to Starbucks for a free cup of coffee.)

Here are the highlights from my trip:

• Huggies Pull Ups- $4.99 for the Jumbo Pack. They were $8.99. I used a $2.50 Target Catalina Coupon, and a $1.50 manuf coupon.
• Splendid Little "boutique" Two Piece Outfit on Clearance.. Super adorable, reg $18, I paid $4.74.
• Banana Puffs for Baby- $1.17 after a Target 50c off coupon.
• Planters Peanuts-29c for the single serving. Perfect for an upcoming road trip. Used a 50c off Target coupon.
• Nabisco Honey Graham Crackers, Spongebob Shaped, AND a pack of Nabisco Animal Crackers:  On sale for $1.50 a pack. I used a Target $1 off any 2 Nabisco cookies coupon= $1 each pack!
• Excedrin: 59c  They were $3.59. I had a Target coupon for $3 off. 
• Excedrin:  59c  They were $3.59. I had a Target Q for $3 off (I bought two of these, using two coupons total!)
• Market Pantry Lunch Meat:  $3.90 for 2 packs after a $1 off 2 Target Q
• Market Pantry Fruit Snacks: 89c a box. 10 packs per box. They were on sale for $1.39 each. I had a Target Q for $1 off 2.  I had two of these coupons, so I got 4 boxes of fruit snacks for 89c ea box.
• Kraft Deli Sliced Cheese: $1.95 a pack for the normally $4 packs. They were on sale, plus I used $1 off two Target coupon.

THIS IS A SPECIAL DEAL:
I had some great Kelloggs-y coupons.  Remember the rebate offer I told you about? Go HERE to refresh. Basically, you buy 10 boxes of participating cereals by December, and get a $10 Debit Card Rebate.

Target had a special on various Kelloggs cereals.  They were marked $1.99.  I bought 6 boxes. (3 of the flavors I bought will work towards the $10 rebate offer.)
So, the total for 6 boxes of Kelloggs was $11.94
I used 3 coupons (manuf) that were good for $1 off 2 boxes of Kelloggs.
The new total was $8.94 for 6 boxes of cereal, or $1.49 a box.
THEN,
I had 2 coupons that were $1 off Fresh Produce WYB 2 boxes of Kelloggs.  So, I put $2 worth of bananas in my buggy= FREE BANANAS
AND
I had a coupon for $1 off Eggs WYB 2 Kelloggs Cereals = 39c for a dozen eggs. 

RECAP: Stacking my coupons, I paid $9.33 for 6 boxes of cereal, a dozen eggs, AND 8 large bananas. AND, 3 of the cereals work towards a rebate deal I am working for $10 back.

*I could have bought ten boxes of the participating flavors for a total of $15 after coupons, and gotten $10 rebate back, making it like getting the cereal for 50c a box after rebate. BUT, I was honestly annoyed a teensy bit. I am usually able to get my Kelloggs for less than $1 a box. I never pay more than $1.80 a box, unless my husband demands Crispix and it isn't on sale. (shame on him, right??! LOL) So, I made the decision that I have plenty of time to finish working the rebate offer before December. I plan to turn my rebate deal into a moneymaker. I am determined to do such! :) I will probably end up at CVS with EB's to spend on cheap on sale Kelloggs before all is said and done. 


So, that is my Target Trip this week. Not too shabby:
I spent $81.34 out of my weekly $120 budget. And, I saved $36.72, or 34% off my total (after adjusting for taxes) just by using coupons!

The cool part was running into some new followers at the check out! They were using coupons.. I was so proud. AND, I flipped open my binder and started handing the cashier more coupons for them while they were checking out.  They saved $18 this trip. That is a good start. After all, $18 a week saved adds up to $936 a year! The funny part was when the cashier (one of my fave Target employees.. we got lucky!) had forgotten to hand me my Catalina coupons.. and she joked and handed them to my new followers!  I let them keep the coupons.. I think this time they were advertisements instead of coupons. LOL!

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons

Coupons:

Where to Get Them

How to Store Them

A Refresher

Some of you are old pros at the coupon thing. Some of you are just starting out.  Either way, it is time to round your coupons up and organize them.

Where to get your Coupons?

The Sunday paper is a classic and great place for coupons.

Check around the stores you shop at for coupon booklets (like in drugstores), peelies,  card scanner coupon printing kiosks, etc.

There are a LOT of new and reset printable coupons out there right now. Check out the ones on Coupons.com and Target.com.  Also, go visit your favorite coupon printing sites now. You should find some favorites have reset, or even some new ones added.

Also, Did You Know you can get high value coupons that are not released for general printing and such just by contacting your favorite companies' sites?? You can! For example, a Fan of Kandoo? Go to the official site for Kandoo and click "Contact Us." Then, send off a short email about how you love the product and why. Have a gripe? That works too.  Just be polite. And include your mailing address. You just might be surprised at what you get in return.

All companies do not automatically send out coupons, etc.  But if you make a habit of mailing companies your compliments or complaints, you will start noticing some nice responses in your mailbox. You don't have to ask for coupons. You can if you want. 

For example, I emailed Kelloggs a lovely email thanking them for their constant promotions. Due to their coupons in the paper, store deals, and promotions, I was able to go on a nice date to the movies with my husband for close to free! I thanked them and told them that was our anniversary date last year. They mailed me a Kelloggs cookbook, a lovely letter, and several vouchers for FREE Kelloggs product ($5 value each!). 

So, you never know!

Couponing to Disney has a 5 a Day series if you are looking for a list of contact us links, etc. Or, you can search your own.  Let me know what response you get!

Also, sign up for MOBILE Coupons from Target if you have an unlimited data plan or smart phone.

How to Store Your Coupons?

I recommend a Bargain Binder.  Go HERE to check out how I organize mine.

Bargain Binder-Keep it all Together!

Inside the Covers of My Bargain Binder

Folks are always stopping me when I go shopping. See, I am a rare sight. I shop with a huge three-ringed binder. You can find me flipping through it on almost every aisle I go down. It is my best shopping buddy, and I hardly ever leave home without it, because you just never know when you will come across a good sale! It keeps me organized and helps me routinely save more than 50% off my shopping trip totals. I spend about 3 hrs every week clipping and organizing the coupons in this binder. It helps me plan out my shopping trips to have this binder on hand when I pore over the weekly circulars to get the best bang for my buck.

Some of you have asked me how I organize my deals. Many people have stopped me in stores to ask questions about my binder and how to coupon.  I am going to let you take a peak inside how I organize my Bargain Binder.

1. First you need a 3-ringed Binder. The zip kinds are great for keeping everything together. I use a regular school kind that doesn't zip. This is just purely because I got a whole bunch of these on sale for less than 50 cents each at back to school clearance sales. If you go the cheap route like me, you want one that has a clearview front so that you can easily slide in your shopping list to view while you shop. I use my binder so much, I am replacing it every few months. Once I go through the small stockpile I have of these cheap ones, I am going to swap to a zip one too.
2. Get a large pack, or even a couple large packs, of Baseball Card Protector Sheets. You will use these to store your coupons in your binder with. Essentially, you will put one coupon type in each sleeve. IF you put more than one coupon in one spot, make sure you put the coupon that expires FIRST on top so you don't miss the chance to use any coupons. For example, if you have two 75c off one Betty Crocker cake mix coupons, you could put them both in one protector sleeve, just put the one that expires first on top so you can see it and will use it first.  *some folks have said they find these at their local Dollar Trees. I have never seen baseball card protector sleeves at my Dollar Tree. :(  But, you can get these at office supply places, and even Hobby Lobby. Take a coupon with you and make these a good deal! Hobby Lobby routinely puts out a 40% off one item coupon. Use one of these on your protector sheets!
3. Subject Dividers are a must.  Coupons are only good if you use them. And you can only use them if you can easily find them. Having protector sheets making your coupons easy to view is worthless if you don't have the sheets organized by some system of your choosing. Use the dividers to organize the coupons the way you will easily see them. Some people organize alphabetically. Some organize by store aisles if they shop in one store faithfully. You have to pick a way that works for you. If you have more than, say, 5 different categories, I suggest making a table of contents sheet for the very front so that you can refer back to it. I divide my Bargain Binder by having a section for: Target Store Coupons, Grocery Coupons, Non-Food and Household Coupons, Baby Related Items Coupons, CVS Store Coupons, and Restaurant and Retail (like Gap or Ruby Tuesday) Coupons.
4. I use School Report Page Protectors in my Bargain Binder to hold all the large coupons that don't fit in a baseball card protector sleeve. The larger, cardboard coupons or even Formula checks work well in these. Also, I use more page protectors as a "dumping place" for all the coupons I clip that I think I wont need or use. Sometimes a random rebate offer that could be a money maker turns up for coupons I have in what I call my "coupon morgue". Keep these rotated though, by going through them every few weeks and tossing the expired ones.
5. To work the rebate deals, you need a Folder. Any folder that can snap into the binder works fine. Just print, clip, or slip the rebate forms into your folder so that you can have them handy when you shop. This way you will know what you need to purchase to work any given rebate offer. *Remember, most rebates consider the cost of the rebate items as the pre-coupon amount. Also, many rebates want the original cash register receipt, not copies. Keep this in mind when you shop and break up a transaction if you need to so that you can keep the receipt of the non-rebate items. Read the fine print of your rebates.
6. A place for your printed out Official Store Coupon Policies. You can use the same folder you use for your rebate deals forms to store your coupon policies in. You want to definitely carry these with you. Not all clerks, cashiers, or even managers know the official policy as well as you do! One friend even highlights the pertinent part to minimize the time she has to stand there while the employee scans the policy.
7. (Optional) A Pencil Case that can clip into your Bargain Binder. If you make a detailed plan of action before you go to the store, you can put all the coupons you plan to use in that shopping trip into such a case. Then, you have them ready to go and can make a quick(er) run by just grabbing that case. I still suggest bringing your Bargain Binder too. Again, you never know when you might find a clearance item or sale that would make an item free, "if only you had the Bargain Binder with you". 
8. Remember the Freebies Coupons/Vouchers. They need a place in your Bargain Binder. A zip pencil case might keep them together. Or a plain envelop tucked into your Binder pockets. Or maybe you add a new category to keep all these straight... However you want to organize these, do NOT forget about them! 
9. (Optional) A Cool Bag to carry your Bargain Binder and Circulars in! I made a canvas tote at VistaPrint. I love it. OF COURSE, that's because it says "Coupon Couture- Lahni" on it! And, yes, I got it during a freebie sale and only paid shipping for it!

However you design your Bargain Binder, this is what works for me. You will invest a little bit of money in it up front. However, if you keep couponing diligently, you will make up the cost of it in less than one shopping trip! Better yet, use sales and coupons to get your Bargain Binder supplies and convince a friend to start couponing with you. Buy a larger pack for cheaper and split the cost and the pack with them!

Spending on average 3 hrs a week planning, clipping, and organizing saves me more than $70 a week.