murphath
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Post by murphath on Apr 29, 2014 9:28:46 GMT -5
I love the Dollar Tree for cards/wrapping paper. Got some large plastic bowls there last year for our 2 DDs graduation party and everyone thought they were real crystal. I've also found 1 lb. bags of popcorn (unpopped) there. I'd been buying that from the bulk bins at Raleys as that was the best price ($1.79 lb on sale) but $1 lb. is even better. DH makes me a bowl every night. I prefer my popcorn made the old fashioned way--much healthier than the microwave kind, I'm told. Who knows? I just think it tastes better.
I'm keeping my eye out for the Rite Aid home improvement cards deal. DS and his gf just bought a house in San Diego so I know they'll appreciate that type of gift card. It's just the cutest little craftsman bungalow with all kinds of built-ins; even a fireplace. So adorable. Their apt. was going up in rent so I told them I thought they could probably find a 1 bed condo somewhere for about the same amount. That started the hunt & they found an actual house! So now two of my three are homeowners. DD2 has 3 more years of residency so don't see her buying anything anytime soon.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 29, 2014 9:43:21 GMT -5
Good job, emhalf. That looks like a scenario from the good ol' days!! Sadly, not to be. We didn't get the efferdent coupons here (which is kind of weird, because we got them last time). I'll probably just get one set of the tablets instead since they are MM even without Qs. I'm always glad to find good deals on contact solution in any case Bummer!! I always hated it when that happened. It was soooo frustrating to put the time and effort into putting together a scenario (with ad and coupon previews) only to find that our area didn't get the coupon(s) needed. In the old days we'd just post a Hound Alert and someone would come to the rescue. I loved that about our group - everyone pitched in to help one another get the most savings possible.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 29, 2014 9:48:30 GMT -5
I love the Dollar Tree for cards/wrapping paper. You sure can't beat $.50 for a greeting card and I find them to be just as suitable as anything American or Hallmark puts out for $3.25. I also love being able to pick up a large gift bag for $1. I always have gift bags for Christmas that I've picked up with after-Xmas clearance, but every time I need one for a wedding/baby/birthday gift, I know I'll be able to find something good at the Dollar Tree and for only $1.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 29, 2014 12:39:24 GMT -5
Just got an email offer from CVS to "pre-order" the "new" Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide razor with Flexball Handle Technology!! Do people really do that.....for razors Geez, I still have some of the "old school" Gillette Fusion "Sport" and "Phantom" and "Gamer" razors that were huge MMs back in the day when P&G changed the name every six months as if they were offering something new. I also have several of the newer Proglide razors that were to follow. By the time we're ready for this new "flexball handle technology", it will be obsolete.
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FreeSalsa
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Post by FreeSalsa on Apr 29, 2014 23:14:28 GMT -5
Just got an email offer from CVS to "pre-order" the "new" Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide razor with Flexball Handle Technology!! Do people really do that.....for razors Geez, I still have some of the "old school" Gillette Fusion "Sport" and "Phantom" and "Gamer" razors that were huge MMs back in the day when P&G changed the name every six months as if they were offering something new. I also have several of the newer Proglide razors that were to follow. By the time we're ready for this new "flexball handle technology", it will be obsolete. I hope that means there will be some freebie deals on them. I never really got into the razor game so I'm always looking for freebies, which are only the Venus these days. DH doesn't think the girlie ones work as well for him. I think they're all the same.
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marvholly
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Post by marvholly on Apr 30, 2014 6:39:42 GMT -5
Free Salsa Personally, I use the men's & women's razors interchangable but I don't think my DH would have felt the same. Handle would have been to petit for him at the very least.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 30, 2014 8:11:30 GMT -5
I plan to give DH the Venus that I have if/when we run out of the Fusions (and whatever Hydros I have). When he sees the price of razors, I'm pretty sure he'll be willing to give them a try.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Apr 30, 2014 11:51:03 GMT -5
Hi all!! (waves hands furiously!) I keep thinking of getting the coupons out and trying to score some good deals but my tired aching body always wins. I don't think I was made to have two jobs. I will say that being a grocery store cashier is certainly an I opener!!! If i was ever rude to one before I am so sorry. Man is it harder than I thought! And between a computer that requires lots of particular information and customers tapping their feet in hopes of my checking them out faster doesn't help. I know shocker. If one more person sees me look at a produce sticker and tells me it is a cucumber (or whatever obvious thing it is) I am going to scream. Seriously everyone on the planet knows it's a cucumber but the computer doesn't care, it wants the code, which some genius wrote in white on an orange backround, in a number 2 size font. Rant over. I will say it has also been surprising how many coupons don't go through properly, for God only knows what reason. And not the ones I would have thought but regular low value ones from major manufacturers out of the paper. There was a helmans mayo one that would flip out saying it wasn't valid "yet". No one had a clue WTF that was about. The stupid coupon didn't even have a start date.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 30, 2014 12:48:29 GMT -5
Hi all!! (waves hands furiously!) I keep thinking of getting the coupons out and trying to score some good deals but my tired aching body always wins. I don't think I was made to have two jobs. I will say that being a grocery store cashier is certainly an I opener!!! If i was ever rude to one before I am so sorry. Man is it harder than I thought! And between a computer that requires lots of particular information and customers tapping their feet in hopes of my checking them out faster doesn't help. I know shocker. If one more person sees me look at a produce sticker and tells me it is a cucumber (or whatever obvious thing it is) I am going to scream. Seriously everyone on the planet knows it's a cucumber but the computer doesn't care, it wants the code, which some genius wrote in white on an orange backround, in a number 2 size font. Rant over. I will say it has also been surprising how many coupons don't go through properly, for God only knows what reason. And not the ones I would have thought but regular low value ones from major manufacturers out of the paper. There was a helmans mayo one that would flip out saying it wasn't valid "yet". No one had a clue WTF that was about. The stupid coupon didn't even have a start date. Hi beachbum!! (waves hand furiously back!!) I didn't know you had gone over to the dark side!! That is one thing that I can honestly say and that all of my cashiers will tell you - every time they tell me that they'll be right with me, my coded response is, "Take your time." There is no excuse for people to be rude to cashiers just because they did not allow themselves the time it takes to get their shopping done!! As a cashier, I think I would get just as frustrated at coupons not scanning as the person who is trying to redeem them. How frickin' hard is it to code those things so that the register can read them? Then, some cashiers are hesitant to take them even when it's obvious that the coupon matches the product. If their job is on the line, I can't say that I blame them. It's not the cashier's fault nor is it (usually) the fault of the person trying to redeem them, but it is irritating for them both, to say nothing about the people waiting in line. It would be interesting to hear more stories about "grocery land" from your point of view. Like what do you do when a coupon you believe should scan doesn't? How much trouble can you really get into for manually overriding a coupon that appears to match the product without reading every single word in the fine print? I mean, what cashier has time to do that every time a coupon won't scan?
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 30, 2014 12:59:47 GMT -5
So for a while there, DH and my mom were getting $/$$ almost every week from Safeway. Now it seems the cycle has changed and DS started getting them, but DH and my mom aren't. DH got a $5/$30 the week before the Easter ads came out, but nothing since. My mom hasn't gotten anything in about 3 weeks. Anyway, I'll use the $5/$20 from DS's account to stockpile and freeze the Crab Classics that are 3/$5 on Friday only which will bring the price down to $1.25/package for me. I use the product to make a yummy seafood spread that I serve with Ritz crackers: crab classics, celery, onion, tobasco, lemon juice, mayo, and some ground pepper. You can also use it to make fancy crab salad sandwiches. Today I'm going to the GO and hoping to score some cheap nitrite/nitrate free hot dogs. They had a bunch of them last week and the exp date on them is 5/3 so hopefully, they'll mark them down today and I can stock up for the summer. I hate to say it, but when it gets really hot, microwaving a dog appeals to me a lot more than standing over a hot stove. I used to feel a little guilty about it, but with the nitrite/nitrate free varieties, I don't feel guilty at all.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 30, 2014 16:46:12 GMT -5
FreeSalsa Medicines start to deteriorate about the time of the expire date. HOWEVER, keep out what you will use in 6-12 months and freeze the rest properly wrapped and/or in a freeezer baggie. That slows deterioration WAAAY down. Stays good for several years. marvholly: I guess it all boils down to what it is. I've take both Rx cough syrup and Rx pain meds that were over a year out of date and they both worked great. Same with some OTC meds like Zantac and Excedrin Migraine. I certainly wouldn't do it with an Rx prescribed for a critical condition.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 30, 2014 16:55:43 GMT -5
Well, I went to the GO and they still hadn't reduced the hot dogs any further, so I'll patiently wait. But it was by no means a wasted trip!! I scored on some mild Pace picante sauce. I got 38 oz. jars for $.94/ea.!! Hmmm.....and what goes very nicely with chips and salsa? -------> Okay, just pretend that's a margarita.
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rubyslippers
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Post by rubyslippers on Apr 30, 2014 19:45:36 GMT -5
Hi everyone! I feel like I'm out of the loop these days but with my dad in and out of the hospital and in the nursing home plus trying to do yard work in-between the rains, I haven't concentrated too much on deals. I made out my master list of meals for the next 4 weeks and basically, I'll just be filling in with things I don't have on hand.
Today at Meijer, I finished my mperk quota and earned a $9.00 reward. I also bought a Fisher Price Little People Clip and Clop which retails for $34.00. It was on sale for $25.00 and I had a $20.00 mperk on my account. I paid $5.00 + tax and earned another $5.00 reward. I'm putting this back for my great niece for her birthday next year.
At Kroger, I got my gas cards, a gallon of milk and a yogurt. I paid $3.37 OOP for the food using my senior discount and a digital freebie for the yogurt. I'll be able to fill up our vehicles 3 times for a dollar less per gallon and once for $.90 less a gallon. I love quadruple fuel points.
I'll finish up by price matching a head of cauliflower and baby bella mushrooms for $.99 each and a chicken for $1.29 lb.
Beachbum, I do the majority of my shopping at Walmart and Kroger these days and I have a good relationship with a lot of the cashiers. I get more cooperation with a kind word and friendly attitude than with a demanding one. At Kroger, they were always nice to me but they're even nicer now that they know I fill out the surveys every week. (Some have even told me that they appreciate me mentioning them by name in the surveys as it filters down to them from corporate.) I wish you the best with this job!
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FreeSalsa
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Post by FreeSalsa on Apr 30, 2014 23:29:30 GMT -5
Today at Sprouts: Luna bars, Nutz About Chocolate (my favorite flavor!) exp. date today, marked down 1/2 price $.50.
That's all of the official sales. But when I checked my receipt, I had gotten a few extra discounts by mistake.
Potatoes were on sale 3 lb./$1 (or .33/lb.) but rang up as 3 lb./$.33. Instead of charging me 88c each for organic green onions she rang me up as the regular at 33c each. And instead of charging me for the 4 ears of corn I bought, she charged me for only 3. (They were kinda small, and not great, but I already peeled/opened them so I bought them. I don't feel too badly about that one.)
Oops. I hemmed and hawed about going back and telling them about it, but I didn't. Only partly because I didn't want to get the checker in trouble for undercharging people. She seemed kinda new. Also, today is the last day of the sale. If they've been undercharging for potatoes all week, a few more hours won't make a big difference.
I also grabbed some peelies off the Cascadian Farms cereal and the Food Should Taste Good chips. I thought of Suzi Q's "take no prisoners" coupon ways. I don't see anyone else in that store ever using coupons, so I think they would be wasted on someone else. Should I feel bad about all this?
These were just some of many good things that happened to me today. Yay me. Another thing was that I found $7 ECB in my purse that I forgot about that are good for another week.
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FreeSalsa
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Post by FreeSalsa on Apr 30, 2014 23:33:47 GMT -5
Hi all!! (waves hands furiously!) I keep thinking of getting the coupons out and trying to score some good deals but my tired aching body always wins. I don't think I was made to have two jobs. I will say that being a grocery store cashier is certainly an I opener!!! If i was ever rude to one before I am so sorry. Man is it harder than I thought! And between a computer that requires lots of particular information and customers tapping their feet in hopes of my checking them out faster doesn't help. I know shocker. If one more person sees me look at a produce sticker and tells me it is a cucumber (or whatever obvious thing it is) I am going to scream. Seriously everyone on the planet knows it's a cucumber but the computer doesn't care, it wants the code, which some genius wrote in white on an orange backround, in a number 2 size font. Rant over. I will say it has also been surprising how many coupons don't go through properly, for God only knows what reason. And not the ones I would have thought but regular low value ones from major manufacturers out of the paper. There was a helmans mayo one that would flip out saying it wasn't valid "yet". No one had a clue WTF that was about. The stupid coupon didn't even have a start date. Hi beachbum!! (waves hand furiously back!!) I didn't know you had gone over to the dark side!! That is one thing that I can honestly say and that all of my cashiers will tell you - every time they tell me that they'll be right with me, my coded response is, "Take your time." There is no excuse for people to be rude to cashiers just because they did not allow themselves the time it takes to get their shopping done!! As a cashier, I think I would get just as frustrated at coupons not scanning as the person who is trying to redeem them. How frickin' hard is it to code those things so that the register can read them? Then, some cashiers are hesitant to take them even when it's obvious that the coupon matches the product. If their job is on the line, I can't say that I blame them. It's not the cashier's fault nor is it (usually) the fault of the person trying to redeem them, but it is irritating for them both, to say nothing about the people waiting in line. It would be interesting to hear more stories about "grocery land" from your point of view. Like what do you do when a coupon you believe should scan doesn't? How much trouble can you really get into for manually overriding a coupon that appears to match the product without reading every single word in the fine print? I mean, what cashier has time to do that every time a coupon won't scan? Hi Beach!!! (Also waving!) Welcome back! Good questions, Dancin, and LOL. Do tell, Beach!! We'd love the inside scoop on what checkers and managers are being told to do now, as opposed to the old days when they'd take anything. And you're right, this is a second job. But it's nice that you can make your own hours.
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FreeSalsa
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Post by FreeSalsa on Apr 30, 2014 23:35:27 GMT -5
So for a while there, DH and my mom were getting $/$$ almost every week from Safeway. Now it seems the cycle has changed and DS started getting them, but DH and my mom aren't. DH got a $5/$30 the week before the Easter ads came out, but nothing since. My mom hasn't gotten anything in about 3 weeks. Anyway, I'll use the $5/$20 from DS's account to stockpile and freeze the Crab Classics that are 3/$5 on Friday only which will bring the price down to $1.25/package for me. I use the product to make a yummy seafood spread that I serve with Ritz crackers: crab classics, celery, onion, tobasco, lemon juice, mayo, and some ground pepper. You can also use it to make fancy crab salad sandwiches. Today I'm going to the GO and hoping to score some cheap nitrite/nitrate free hot dogs. They had a bunch of them last week and the exp date on them is 5/3 so hopefully, they'll mark them down today and I can stock up for the summer. I hate to say it, but when it gets really hot, microwaving a dog appeals to me a lot more than standing over a hot stove. I used to feel a little guilty about it, but with the nitrite/nitrate free varieties, I don't feel guilty at all. Hooray for nitrate-free dogs! JMo would be proud! Let me know what price you get so I can be jealous.
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FreeSalsa
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Post by FreeSalsa on Apr 30, 2014 23:43:49 GMT -5
Oh, speaking of gas perks (which I don't use because I hardly buy enough food at one of those stores to earn any points), can we talk about the price of gasoline?!!??! I got $4.11 the other day but many of the places are $4.50 ad $4.60. And the sad part is that we are all so used to gas going up that I haven't heard anyone complain about it. Not my friends, co-workers, on the radio (granted, I've cut way down on listening time) and not here.
Only DH mentioned it because he paid $50 to fill his tank, more than ever before. He was way low and filled all the way up. He never pays attention to the prices so he was shocked at the final cost. I should have warned him, I guess, but I didn't know he was going. The good news is that he works at home so he only gets gas about every three months now.
You can get free gas cards from Swagbucks so I'm thinking about doing that. I have about $35 worth of something to cash in.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 30, 2014 23:55:38 GMT -5
So for a while there, DH and my mom were getting $/$$ almost every week from Safeway. Now it seems the cycle has changed and DS started getting them, but DH and my mom aren't. DH got a $5/$30 the week before the Easter ads came out, but nothing since. My mom hasn't gotten anything in about 3 weeks. Anyway, I'll use the $5/$20 from DS's account to stockpile and freeze the Crab Classics that are 3/$5 on Friday only which will bring the price down to $1.25/package for me. I use the product to make a yummy seafood spread that I serve with Ritz crackers: crab classics, celery, onion, tobasco, lemon juice, mayo, and some ground pepper. You can also use it to make fancy crab salad sandwiches. Today I'm going to the GO and hoping to score some cheap nitrite/nitrate free hot dogs. They had a bunch of them last week and the exp date on them is 5/3 so hopefully, they'll mark them down today and I can stock up for the summer. I hate to say it, but when it gets really hot, microwaving a dog appeals to me a lot more than standing over a hot stove. I used to feel a little guilty about it, but with the nitrite/nitrate free varieties, I don't feel guilty at all. Hooray for nitrate-free dogs! JMo would be proud! Let me know what price you get so I can be jealous. When I stockpiled them last August, Hebrew National 11 oz. packages were $.50/ea. From past experience, I can predict that this time they will be $.74/ea. for Ball Park 14 oz. packages. Keeping my fingers crossed cuz I think there's only one package left in the freezer.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 1, 2014 0:08:48 GMT -5
Oh, speaking of gas perks (which I don't use because I hardly buy enough food at one of those stores to earn any points), can we talk about the price of gasoline?!!??! I got $4.11 the other day but many of the places are $4.50 ad $4.60. And the sad part is that we are all so used to gas going up that I haven't heard anyone complain about it. Not my friends, co-workers, on the radio (granted, I've cut way down on listening time) and not here. Only DH mentioned it because he paid $50 to fill his tank, more than ever before. He was way low and filled all the way up. He never pays attention to the prices so he was shocked at the final cost. I should have warned him, I guess, but I didn't know he was going. The good news is that he works at home so he only gets gas about every three months now. You can get free gas cards from Swagbucks so I'm thinking about doing that. I have about $35 worth of something to cash in. Yes, it's ridiculous and like you said, no one seems to be talking about it. Earlier this week Valero was $4.11/gal, but Costco was $4.03. I noticed today that Valero was up to $4.17 and I'm not sure if that includes the normal price increase we see in CA for the summer additive.
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picghaw
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Post by picghaw on May 1, 2014 1:25:43 GMT -5
It's hard to let them go even though everything is telling you that paying for extra coupons is just not worth it anymore, isn't it? That's where I was at with picking up the free coupons. I kept doing it even though I knew I wasn't using that many of them because I knew that once I stopped picking them up, that would be it. I was kind of glad when the place sold and it forced me to give them up. Today, almost every major manufacturer has jumped on the coupon usage limit bandwagon. Gone are the days when you could use (10) of the same coupon to stockpile (10) of the same product in one transaction. And with the cost of gas, you diminish your savings if you have to make multiple trips to the store. If you're not getting your money back from the investment, which you obviously are not since you're not even opening the papers, then I'd just the subscription and tell myself, "It was good while it lasted." Yes, it feels hard to let go...but I'm there now. Just can't justify it anymore while I'm staring at a stack of 10 weeks worth. I have a interest from someone but if that does not pan out I will cancel the sub on Friday. I hope that is enough time to stop the charge for the new 13-week cycle.
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picghaw
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Post by picghaw on May 1, 2014 1:27:20 GMT -5
Yes, we remember you! I'd get rid of them. Maybe keep one or two subscriptions if they are that cheap but Q's are not worth what they used to be and you can print a lot of them instead. And if you already have tons that you are not using then you are wasting money as you said, as well as adding clutter and stress, which is a big problem for me. But please recycle or compost the ones in the basement, instead of throwing them in the trash. It's a lot of trees. The Earth and I would thank you tremendously. Welcome back!Thanks FreeSalsa. Yes, it is adding clutter, so its time to go. Some years back, you mentioned using a food dehydrator to stockpile fruits. What brand do you have? I am interested in getting one for other reasons.
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picghaw
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Post by picghaw on May 1, 2014 1:33:43 GMT -5
Speaking of clutter, how are you ladies keeping your Insert organized? Is there a way to tell if an Insert if should be tossed cos all the coupons have expired? With the PG insert its the end of the month, but I was wondering about SS and RP. I remember a fellow poster was creating a spreadsheet for all the coupons in an insert and their expiration dates....I think it was Leanna?
Thanks!
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marvholly
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Post by marvholly on May 1, 2014 6:35:56 GMT -5
picghaw There is an online site for determining if all the coupons have expired: coupontom.com/coupons/browse However, it is a bit of a PITA to use. I just figure 99% of coupons expire within 6 months. There is a new fruit/veg market that has gotten a decent review by a local blogger. I will NOT make a special trip BUT if/when I am going to DD1's I will check the ad & may try them.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on May 1, 2014 8:39:48 GMT -5
"It would be interesting to hear more stories about "grocery land" from your point of view. Like what do you do when a coupon you believe should scan doesn't? How much trouble can you really get into for manually overriding a coupon that appears to match the product without reading every single word in the fine print? I mean, what cashier has time to do that every time a coupon won't scan?" Honestly for smaller amount coupons they really don't check on us cashiers as far as I know. The only ones that they seem to check are the higher value ones, and mostly those are internet, not ones from the insert in the newspaper. The reason is, most fraud is from the internet coupons, not the ones in the paper. The only ones they don't take period are internet coupons for free items and any internet coupon over $4.99, and any internet coupon that doesn't scan. If I thought it was a legit one I could still ask the CSR to come over and look at it, but I have never had one yet. The store I work at doesn't have a limit to the number of identical coupons so I thought that would be a big thing, but most people only come in with one or two anyway. Some coupons you do get used to not scanning on their own. Hanover frozen veggies never scan properly. They always say not enough items bought even though the people did. Those are super easy to fix thought. It is just one button to push to say "ok" and it goes thought automatically then. If it really won't scan, and some don't, I can do a manual entry. It isn't hard it just takes a minute or so to do it, and does require me actually reading the vital parts of the coupon. Seriously I am not getting out a magnifying glass to read that whole thing! I just read the exp dates and what had to be bought. If it is in the dates and they did buy what it seems to say had to be bought, I just type it in and never give it another thought. dancinmama you would love the doubling policy.! They double all coupons of 99 cents or less! And this is the store I scored some free razors combining a b1g1f sale with a b1g1f coupon. As far as I know they still allow that as long as it isn't an internet coupon but from the paper. And while they do try and enforce the rules, most cashiers are pretty relaxed as far as I see. There are a few PITA's but I don't think that is because of the job. I think they were born that way.
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emhalf
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Post by emhalf on May 1, 2014 9:58:56 GMT -5
Speaking of clutter, how are you ladies keeping your Insert organized? Is there a way to tell if an Insert if should be tossed cos all the coupons have expired? With the PG insert its the end of the month, but I was wondering about SS and RP. I remember a fellow poster was creating a spreadsheet for all the coupons in an insert and their expiration dates....I think it was Leanna? Thanks! I have a plastic file box that I got free after rebate at staples and I put inserts from each weekend into a separate hanging folder. I keep as many as will fit in the box, which usually means going back 7-8 months. When I need to rotate in new ones, I just throw out the old ones without really paying attention to the dates. Like Holly said, they're almost guaranteed to be expired by then, especially now that coupons seem to be issued for shorter periods than they used to.
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murphath
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Joined: Dec 22, 2010 16:12:33 GMT -5
Posts: 1,981
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Post by murphath on May 1, 2014 10:03:22 GMT -5
Speaking of clutter, how are you ladies keeping your Insert organized? Is there a way to tell if an Insert if should be tossed cos all the coupons have expired? With the PG insert its the end of the month, but I was wondering about SS and RP. I remember a fellow poster was creating a spreadsheet for all the coupons in an insert and their expiration dates....I think it was Leanna?
Thanks!
I file the inserts by month in a filing cabinet by my desk. When the first insert for May arrives, I will remove all the previous year's May inserts and put them in recycling. I write the date of the insert on the front so I know which is which. They all look the same, you know!
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dancinmama
Senior Associate
LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 20:49:45 GMT -5
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Post by dancinmama on May 1, 2014 10:04:08 GMT -5
Speaking of clutter, how are you ladies keeping your Insert organized? Is there a way to tell if an Insert if should be tossed cos all the coupons have expired? With the PG insert its the end of the month, but I was wondering about SS and RP. I remember a fellow poster was creating a spreadsheet for all the coupons in an insert and their expiration dates....I think it was Leanna? Thanks! We have seen hide nor hair of Leanna in ages. Like marvholly said, expiration dates aren't what they used to be.....not even close. Once couponers became "in your face" about how much money could be saved on Extreme Couponing, the manufacturers took action. Besides placing limits on coupon usage, they also reduced the window of opportunity for stockpilers to be able to combine a rock bottom sale price with a coupon. I'm sure that the average, everyday coupon clipper barely noticed that anything had changed. Side note: Can you imagine the nightmare that shortened expiration dates cause/caused "the binder gals"? More time and effort with no greater results. The problem for the manufacturer is that with the power of the internet and later, Extreme Couponing, the coupon for many (and the glossy inserts they came from) went from being an advertising tool used by manufacturers to entice ordinary, everyday people to buy products to being currency used by couponers to stockpile products for free or at ridiculously low prices. What really SHOCKS me is that the manufacturers didn't catch on to us a lot sooner than they did. I mean they must have seen continual increases in coupon redemption. Maybe they just attributed it to a great need by the general population to save money due to the recession. Or maybe they realized to a certain extent what we were doing, but were afraid to rock the boat for fear of losing market share - as if we were brand loyal in the first place!! In any case, the party (the freebie gravy train) appears to be over.....for now.
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rubyslippers
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Joined: Jan 2, 2011 19:32:42 GMT -5
Posts: 1,001
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Post by rubyslippers on May 1, 2014 10:26:50 GMT -5
I used to be a "binder" girl but I haven't cut inserts for over 2 years. I mark the date on the front of each insert and under that, I write down the last expired coupon. I have my stack of inserts in a drawer with the latest ones on top. I only carry the coupons I need as my cherry picking list dictates.
Lowes is having a Black Friday sale on a lot of garden/outside stuff. I just ordered a bunch of mulch and used a coupon code for $10/50. After using some of the leftover Lowes gift cards with a little money left on them, I paid $23.88 for 25 bags of red mulch.
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dancinmama
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LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 20:49:45 GMT -5
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Post by dancinmama on May 1, 2014 10:42:37 GMT -5
"It would be interesting to hear more stories about "grocery land" from your point of view. Like what do you do when a coupon you believe should scan doesn't? How much trouble can you really get into for manually overriding a coupon that appears to match the product without reading every single word in the fine print? I mean, what cashier has time to do that every time a coupon won't scan?" Honestly for smaller amount coupons they really don't check on us cashiers as far as I know. The only ones that they seem to check are the higher value ones, and mostly those are internet, not ones from the insert in the newspaper. The reason is, most fraud is from the internet coupons, not the ones in the paper. The only ones they don't take period are internet coupons for free items and any internet coupon over $4.99, and any internet coupon that doesn't scan. If I thought it was a legit one I could still ask the CSR to come over and look at it, but I have never had one yet. The store I work at doesn't have a limit to the number of identical coupons so I thought that would be a big thing, but most people only come in with one or two anyway. Some coupons you do get used to not scanning on their own. Hanover frozen veggies never scan properly. They always say not enough items bought even though the people did. Those are super easy to fix thought. It is just one button to push to say "ok" and it goes thought automatically then. If it really won't scan, and some don't, I can do a manual entry. It isn't hard it just takes a minute or so to do it, and does require me actually reading the vital parts of the coupon. Seriously I am not getting out a magnifying glass to read that whole thing! I just read the exp dates and what had to be bought. If it is in the dates and they did buy what it seems to say had to be bought, I just type it in and never give it another thought. dancinmama you would love the doubling policy.! They double all coupons of 99 cents or less! And this is the store I scored some free razors combining a b1g1f sale with a b1g1f coupon. As far as I know they still allow that as long as it isn't an internet coupon but from the paper. And while they do try and enforce the rules, most cashiers are pretty relaxed as far as I see. There are a few PITA's but I don't think that is because of the job. I think they were born that way. Doubled coupons these days seem to becoming the way of the dinosaur and obviously the limits on coupons have made the payoff in getting them less than it used to be. I wonder how much longer the retailers that still offer them are going to hold out? I haven't been able to double a coupon since 2003, but back in the day a rock bottom sale combined with a doubled coupon meant great savings especially on food items and with no coupon limits....well, you can imagine. But even then, I knew that what I was doing was "extreme" and might not be looked upon too kindly, so I did everything that I could to stay "under the radar". We lived in a very small town and don't ask me why, but the store that doubled had (3) locations in very close proximity to one another, so for the killer deals, I'd make a loop and hit all (3) of them to create a decent stockpile without too much notice. BTW, thanks for taking the time to post. I think we all love to hear the behind the scenes stuff.
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dancinmama
Senior Associate
LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 20:49:45 GMT -5
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Post by dancinmama on May 1, 2014 11:33:07 GMT -5
I used to be a "binder" girl but I haven't cut inserts for over 2 years. I mark the date on the front of each insert and under that, I write down the last expired coupon. I have my stack of inserts in a drawer with the latest ones on top. I only carry the coupons I need as my cherry picking list dictates.
Lowes is having a Black Friday sale on a lot of garden/outside stuff. I just ordered a bunch of mulch and used a coupon code for $10/50. After using some of the leftover Lowes gift cards with a little money left on them, I paid $23.88 for 25 bags of red mulch. That's probably a good deal for bagged mulch, but just so you know, rockeries carry that kind of stuff pretty cheaply in bulk. The last time I went, redwood chips were $33/cubic yard (which is a lot of chips) + I got a 5% contractors' discount cuz I asked if there were any discounts available. If you don't have a pickup truck (or know someone who does) you'd have to add delivery to the cost which might kill the buying in bulk strategy.
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