Coupon Tip - Signing up for Free Samples

If you've been following along for even a little while, you'll notice that I post a lot of free sample links on my blog. I love to get free samples for a variety of reasons:

• I love to try things before I buy them
• It helps reduce the frequency of having to actually buy the item in some cases (lots of samples of shampoo prolongs your need to buy it!)
• Most of the time COUPONS come with the free sample
• Great for traveling and quick overnight trips just toss them in your bag
• I like to think I'm helping keep the USPS in business ;)
• I love getting mail!!

I always order the sample for myself before I post it to the blog for a few reasons. I want to make sure it's a legit opportunity, I want to make sure it's an easy sign up (who wants to jump through hoops for a free sample), and I want to have as much information as possible to give you before I tell you to go sign up for it! Yes, there have been many samples over the years that I've signed up for that haven't come and that's just part of the process. It was free anyway, so if it doesn't come oh well and if it does - BONUS!

Do you have any favorite free sample you've received? Has trying a sample of something gotten you to buy it again? My favorite free sample this year so far was the Kraft Summertime Pack! Lots of goodies along with an awesome rebate!

Check out my previous coupon tips here!

Coupon Tip - Rainchecks!

Did you know that most stores will give you a raincheck for an item if they no longer have it in stock? Many times when I go out deal hunting I often find the shelf bare of the product I am looking for and leave disappointed. Most of the time I completely FORGET to ask for a raincheck and I'm trying to remember to do that more often! But if you ever find yourself in that position - be sure to ASK FOR ONE!

Rainchecks won't help you out if the deal is weaved with a catalina deal that has a specific end date BUT if your deal is a straight coupon/sale deal, getting a raincheck allows you to extend your chance by 30 days of getting in on it! This weekend I stopped at Ultra to pick up another 2 boxes of Capri Sun Sunrise juice boxes. They had lots of Capri Sun, but no Sunrise. I stopped at CS and picked up a raincheck that will still get me free capri sun paired with my $1/1 coupon when they come back in stock!

How do rainchecks work? Just hand it over at checkout and the cashier will adjust the price of the item indicated on the raincheck! It's that easy!

Looking for more coupon tips? Check out the Coupon Tips Archive for previously posted tips!

New Here? Coupon Tips!

If you are new here, you may have missed all the previous coupon tips I've posted in the past. Just wanted to share them again. I've fallen off the bandwagon of writing a new tip every Monday because well life just got busy...but I'm working on a new list of tips and I'm going to attempt running this weekly feature again in the very near future! If there's anything you've been wondering about - leave a comment here and I'll be sure to put it on my list!

Coupon Tip (2/15/10): Your Questions Answered!

I'm turning this week's coupon tip over to you, showing you some Valentine's love! What questions do you have about couponing? Add a comment below and I'll update this post with the question and my best attempt at an answer!!

From Kari - I know you keep all your coupons inserts in binders but how do you know if you have a coupon for something? Say you need Crest...how do you go about finding out if you have a coupon for it amongst the large stack of inserts in your binder? I have a few ways that I find coupons for a deal, hopefully this helps:

• Most of the time when I read the deal online somewhere a coupon match up has already been done so I know what week and which insert to find the coupon in.
• If I spot the deal on my own I use a coupon database to search and see if there are any coupons available for that item. My favorite coupon database is at Hot Coupon World. You just put in what you are looking for and it will give you a list of where that coupon can be found be it insert, mailer, tearpad, peelie, online etc. You can narrow your search by values, expireds, etc!
• Sometimes the database isn't up-to-date with the most recent inserts and I'll check an insert preview site master list to see if I can find it. My favorite site is Taylor Town Preview. I go to the master list, hit command F and search for the brand I'm looking for.
• And sometimes I just know. Like some coupons tend to repeat themselves and I remember seeing it recently and know that it would be in a P&G insert. Or I've already clipped it and have it in my file in the right category.

For previous coupon tips go here!

Coupon Tip (2/1/10) - Tracking Rebate Status

I currently have 11 outstanding rebates that I've sent and haven't received yet. Are you waiting on some rebates and want to check the status? There are several sites that are available for you to check to see if your rebate has been processed and is on its way! I've listed the processing company sites first, then individual company sites.

• Web-Rebates (Kraft, Estancia Wine-Icon Estates, Sears plus more)
• Check My Rebate (Miller/Coors plus more)
• Rapid Rebates (Sure Personal Care plus more)
• Rewards By Mail (Heinz plus more)
• Ace Hardware
• Budweiser
• Costco
• Kellogg's

Do you know of any other rebate tracking sites? Let me know and I'll update my list!

Go here to check out previous coupon tips!

Coupon Tip (1/25/10) - Catalina Deals

I talk a lot about Catalina Deals and I thought it would be a good idea to have one place I can point back to that explains how catalina deals work. So this week's coupon tip is all about Catalina Deals!

Pairing up a sale with a coupon is a great way to save, but add a catalina deal in the mix and you usually can take home your items for free or close to free (if not MORE than free because you end up leaving with more than you came with - what couponers like to call "moneymakers"). Catalina deals run at Jewel, Dominicks, Ultra and Meijer's (and a few other stores too). You might be asking yourself what is a catalina? A catalina ("cat" for short) is a coupon that comes out of the little printer next to register and its called that because Catalina Marketing are the people responsible for them. Catalina deals usually are something around buying a specified dollar amount or item amount and then you get a catalina coupon for $x off your next order.

To make the most of catalina's couponers like to "roll" them if at all possible. That means buy the items that will generate the catalina and then use that catalina to buy MORE of the same items, pay little to nothing oop (out of pocket) and get another catalina. Wash-Rinse-Repeat.

Jewel

Although they generally work the same way wherever they are offered at Jewel it works a little differently for cat deals that involve a specified dollar amount. Most of the time (even though it is NOT advertised as such), catalinas will generate of the REGULAR non-prefered card price not the sale price. This means it takes less items to get to the specified dollar amount and you only have to pay the sale price! Add coupons on top of this and a lot of the time you can end up breaking even after your catalina prints if not making money on the deal!

Here's an example:

The ad states Buy $30 in one shopping trip earn $15 in catalina coupons to be used on your next order. For this example we are going to use Progresso Broth.

Progresso Broths - the non-preferred card price is $2.99, but the sale price is $1.49.

Non-Preferred Price 11 X $2.99 = $32.89 (enough to trigger your $15 in catalinas)

You actually pay: 11 X $1.49 = $16.39

After the $15 catalina you just paid $1.39 for 11 Progresso Broths.

Add coupons in the mix and you make it even a better deal! Say you only have 3 .50/1 coupons - you pay $14.89 and get back $15 = FREE. If you have 11 .50/1 coupons - you pay $10.89 and get back $15 - you just made $4.11!

If you want to guarantee that your catalina's will print, you should spend $30 in sale prices and your coupons will print. BUT as I mentioned above, the registers are currently programmed to calculate the $30 on the non-preferred card price (this is the first price that scans and prints on your receipt before your preferred card savings is listed). This of course can change at any time, and customer service has told me on more than one occasion that they are working on the fix...but I won't believe it until it happens!

Once you have your first set of $15 catalinas you can "roll" them and essentially pay tax after coupons if you have them, for whatever you want to buy in the deal!

IMPORTANT: And I can't stress this enough...please be kind to your customer service people. If you choose to work the deal in this way (basing it on non-preferred card prices) and your catalina doesn't print (which DOES happen for a variety of reasons)...please do NOT go to customer service and complain, yell or demand your cats. Just be prepared to return everything and try again. Your cat machine might be offline, out of paper, you didn't add right (all of these things have happened to me)...and most of the time it is my mistake (bought the wrong sku, short by a few cents). I can almost guarantee the answer you will get back if you do is that you didn't buy enough because it works on sale prices (which is not actually the case). And ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS double check your math and use a price scanner if you aren't sure what the pre-perfered card price is.

A couple of tips:

• Always check the cat machine if you can to make sure the solid green light is on!
• If you want to be totally sure you'll be over the $ amount that you need to generate the cat before your preferred card savings, use the self check. Do not scan your preferred card first, scan your items. Once your done scanning all of the items for the deal, subtract the tax and if its over the dollar amount your cat should print. Then scan your preferred card so all of your savings come off and pay!
• If you want to try and figure out the Non-preferred card sale price at the shelf. Look at the tag. Add the sale price to the "amount saved" and you should have the price is will actually ring up at the register before preferred card savings.
• Avoid shopping between 11 pm and 2 am when Catalina is updating their machines.
• And always be courteous to the coupon shopper behind you - don't clear the shelf. Of course buy what you need for your family, but if you need a lot (as in the typical amount that is on a shelf) consider putting in a special order. They have no problem ordering items for you.

For all other stores:

The Catalina deals are truly how they are stated in the ads or shelf tags...but using coupons plus electronic savings paired with a cat deal you can get things for free there as well!

Examples

Are you a visual person and want to see some REAL examples...check out my posts here, here or here!

Is there anything I haven't answered? Still have questions? Leave a comment below and I'll update this post with the answer! For previous coupon tips go here!

Coupon Tip (1/4/10) - Getting Organized!

I had a recent request from a reader asking if I would do a coupon tip on how I keep my coupons organized (Hi waiting! I don't know your real name so that will have to do! And yes, I realize my use of the word "recent" is stretching it!!) It's a new year and time to get organized!

So when I looked at how I keep things organized I realized, I'm not as organized as I like to think I am. In fact one might even say its more like organized chaos...but it works for me. So that is the real tip here...find what works for YOU and stick with it.

Here's how I organize things. I have a coupon file (just a regular ole one) that I carry with me in the car ALL.THE.TIME. I never leave home without it. Sometimes I leave it in the car but I know its always there if I need to run back out and get it.

In here are coupons that I know or think I will probably use. How do I know which coupons to clip for in there? Well, its just stuff that I buy regularly (like our favorite cereals, yogurt, frozen foods, ice cream, paper products, etc) and stuff that I know goes on sale often that I've use the coupons for those items in the past (like conagra, nabisco, campbell's). I have them organized into categories (baby, canned goods, snacks, perishables, frozen, grains, personal items, cleaning, paper products, kitchen, frees and restaurants).

I only clip what I know I may use, everything else I keep intact as a whole insert. I store them like this on my desk:

I used to keep 18 months worth until Jewel stopped accepting expireds. Now I keep about 9 months. This is what it looks like on the inside - MESSY LOL! Each insert is stored by week, but then in date order. Remember the date is on the spine on the insert so you can keep track which week it was from.

I also have a bin of non-insert coupons...tearpads that I've found in the store, special mailers, booklets, etc. I just did a MAJOR clean out over the holidays since I had a lot that were expiring at the end of the year. Here's what it looks like now:

I don't have a log of what's in that box (which is probably a good idea), but they are sorted by expiration date so that I can see what is expiring soon. I rely heavily on coupon databases to tell me where the coupons are for specific deals and lucky for me I have a somewhat photographic memory so if someone references a coupon I usually know whether or not if I have it.

So like I said, it's not really all that organized, but it works for me. I generally have my shopping trips planned, so before leave I make a list, pull all the coupons I will need and put them either in that front empty pocket of my file or in a separate envelope with my list stickied to it. I always bring my coupon file with too just in case I happen upon a deal that I wasn't planning on.

Many couponers like to use coupon binder systems (binders with baseball card sleeves) to keep their things organized. I haven't personally tried this but it seems like a great way to be able to see everything you have. This would probably work well if you like clipping everything (which is not something I advise but if it works for you, you should go for it).

Whatever method you choose, I HIGHLY recommend putting your name and phone number inside or outside or stickered all over your coupon file/binder. The.worst.feeling in the world is when you've left it behind somewhere and you're not sure if it will be there when you get back. At least if you have your contact information attached to it the store can call you or verify that its yours.

And before you even ask, yes - yes I have left mine behind in shopping carts several times. It can happen to anyone and my stomach drops to my feet every time it happens because to me, its one of my most valuable possessions. I know, it can all be replaced, but it would really stink to loose great coupons that you may not happen upon again (like all those frees that you get from emailing your favorite companies!!)

How do you stay organized? Was this post helpful for you?

Check out previous coupon tips here!

Coupon Tip (12/28/09) - Electronic Coupon Savings

Did you know there are electronic coupon savings that you can add to your store savings cards online and the deduction will automatically come off at the time of purchase (as long as you remember to have them scan your loyalty card)? Since I used some of these savings today on my trip to Dominick's I thought I would make it this week's coupon tip to make sure you are taking advantage of ALL the coupon savings available to you.

The best part about Electronic Coupon Savings is that they can be used in addition to traditional clipable coupons. This helps to double your savings!!

Avenu Savings (available for Jewel) - Enter your card number to activate your savings. You MUST check and activate each day before you shop for the savings to automatically be deducted. Offers change on a mid week and weekly basis. Right now my Avenu has $1/1 Febreeze product that would work great with the Jewel P&G catalina deal because I could also use a $1/1 coupon making my total savings $2 off one item! You might remember Avenu terminals being at the front of Jewel stores and you would scan your card and it would print out a sheet of the available savings. It works the same way, except that you do it all online! Sometimes there are limits for the amount of discounts you can use (i.e. 2 per visit) but the savings stays for the duration of the week.

Cellfire (available for Dominicks) - Program hooks up to your cellphone but you don't have to download the cell application to be able to load the electronic savings to your Dominick's loyalty card. New savings available for 2 weeks and don't expire for a month, so sometimes you can have multiples of the same offer added to your card at the same time and they BOTH will come off your purchase (like today I had 2 Pillsbury Refrigerated cookie dough for $1/2, one that I added 2 weeks ago and 2 that I added today and they BOTH came off). Plus you can combine with a regular clipable coupon too! Once you use the discount it disappears from your card but if it comes back you can re-add it!

Shortcuts (available for Dominicks) - Add savings to your Dominick's card. Works the same way as Cellfire does. You can combine a regular coupon with these electronic savings also. Once you use the discount it disappears from your card but if it comes back you can re-add it!

P&G eSaver (available for Dominicks) - Limit one use per savings added to card. You can also combine a regular coupon with this e-savings.

Softcoin (available for Dominicks) - Limit one use per savings added to card. You can also combine a regular coupon with this e-savings.

See all past coupon tips here!

Coupon Tip - 12/14/09

I was chatting with a reader yesterday (Hi Cathy!!) and she was excited about learning how to coupon. She mentioned though that she didn't know what some of the abbreviations that I use mean so I thought I'd do a quick list of common couponer's abbreviations! As always, if you ever have a question on something I post, post a comment below and I'll be sure to answer!

Common Coupon Abbreviations/Terms

• B&M - brick and mortar store, a store you can actually walk into (made of bricks and mortar)
• B1G1 or BOGO - buy one get one
• B2G1 - buy two get one
• Blinkie - coupons from smartsource coupon machines instore (there is a light on the side that blinks which is why they are called blinkies.
• BTFE - Box Tops For Education
• Cat - short for Catalina coupon
• Catalina - coupon dispensed after a purchase usually with a store logo printed on it from the store that you received it from. These are distributed by Catalina Marketing.
• CRT - cash register tape (coupons found at the bottom of receipts usually are called CRTs)
• DND - do not double
• ECB - Extra Care Buck (rewards from CVS)
• FAR - free after rebate
• GM - General Mills (they often put out separate coupon inserts)
• Hangtag - coupon found around the neck of a product, usually hanging
• Insert - coupon insert found in the Sunday paper
• IP - internet printable
• IRC- instant retail coupon (also know as peelies)
• MIR - mail in rebate
• MM - moneymaker (an item that you make money buying)
• MQ - manufacturer coupon
• NAPN/NAPR- no alcohol purchase necessary, no alcohol purchase required
• NBPN/NBPR - no beer purchase necessary, no beer purchase required
• NWPN/NWPR - no wine purchase necessary, no wine purchase required
• OAS - on any size
• OOP - out of pocket (amount of cash spent)
• OOS - out of stock
• Overage - the difference between the price of the item and the value of the coupon if the coupon value is higher. Example, you have a $1 coupon and the item is .99, you have .01 overage.
• OYNO - on your next order (typically, these are $$$ off coupons to be used on your next order)
• P&G - Procter & Gamble (they often put out separate coupon inserts)
• Peelie - coupons that are adhered directly to the item that you have to "peel" off
• Printable - a coupon that you print from the internet
• PSA - prices starting at
• Q - coupon
• RC - rain check
• Rebate - mail in offer to receive money back for purchase
• Rolling - using ECBs, catalinas or register rewards to purchase new items that will generate more ECBs, catalinas or register rewards
• RP - Red Plum, distributor of Sunday coupon insert
• RR - Register Reward (offered at Walgreen's)
• Stacking - using one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon per item
• Tearpad - coupons offered at the store that you can tear off a pad
• TMF - Try Me Free form - usually a mail in rebate (MIR) allows you to send in for the full purchase price so that you can try the item for free
• Wags - Walgreen's
• Winetag (or WT) - coupon found on the neck of a wine bottle
• WYB - when you buy
• YMMV - Your market may vary, deal may or may not work for you

Hope that helps. Let me know if I use any others that you don't know and I'll add them to this list!!

Coupon Tip - 12/8/09

I just mailed in a batch of rebates this morning and I thought I would make this week's coupon tip (even though it's a day late) a reminder about rebates.

You can save a lot of money by submitting rebates (even after you deduct the cost of the stamp). The cheapest way to submit rebates is online, so if they offer redemption online always go that route - you'll save yourself the stamp, your rebate will be processed more quickly and you get to keep your original receipt!

If you have no choice but to send them in the mail, ALWAYS make a copy of everything you send in for the rebate. The receipt, the official form and any UPCs or other requirements that you need to send. If you don't have access to a copy machine or a scanner, use your digital camera to take a picture. I'd say of all the rebates I've sent in I've only had to provide proof less than 5 times, but if I hadn't made a copy I'd be out that money.

Sometimes rebates get rejected because the processing company doesn't have their information straight with the manufacturer (since manufacturer's rarely managed their own rebates), for example they think you need to submit UPCs but it wasn't a requirement. Sometimes rebates get lost in the mail and you'd have no other proof that you sent it. If you have a copy you can always contact the company and resubmit (and you won't feel crazy when you KNOW you sent in what it said on the form!!)

Look for rebates attached to packages, online, in magazines & coupon inserts, or in the liquor department of your grocery store (many times there is no alcohol required for those rebates)!

I have saved $462.48 in rebates so far this year....they really can add up!

Coupon Tip - 11/16/09

Welcome to a cold and dreary Monday! You'll probably be staying inside today which inspired today's coupon tip! I used to do this more often a few years back, and now I only do it every now and then even though I should get back on the band wagon - so maybe today I'll take some time out and get on it!

Today's coupon tip is to think about your favorite brands and take the time to drop an email to those companies. Often times a compliment about how you love to use a product will get you some free coupons! And even better than that, sometimes these coupons are for FREE items not just cents off of a product (even though you'd likely use those too if it's a product you love)!

Kristin from Couponing to Disney has a great list that will help you get started here. All of the companies that sent her coupons for FREE items are at the top and she has convenient links to their online feedback forms. If you don't find anything on the list that appeals to you, look at what's right in your own cabinet and start there!

On the flipside, if you ever have an unpleasant experience with a product, ALWAYS let the company know. Almost 100% of the time they will send you a coupon for a free item to replace the product. This could be anything like faulty packaging, reduced package sizing or broken diaper tabs! Although, don't complain unless you really have something to complain about!

Not sure what to write? Kristin has some tips here that will help getting your writing juices flowing. Companies love to hear from their consumers when you take the time to tell them how you feel! Good luck!

Coupon Tips - Archive

As I mentioned in my first coupon tip, I will be sharing a new coupon tip each Monday (until I run out LOL)! I wanted to have a place to keep them all together, so I will update this post each week with previous weeks Coupon Tips!

Here are the Coupon Tips so far:

6/28/10 - Signing up for Free Samples

2/16/10 - Your questions answered

2/1/10 - Tracking Rebates

1/25/10 - Catalina Deals

1/4/10 - Getting your coupons organized

12/28/09 - Electronic Coupon Savings

12/21/09 - Getting extra coupon inserts cheap

12/14/09 - Coupon Abbreviations

12/8/09 - Rebates

11/23/09 - Where to get coupons

11/16/09 - Write your favorite companies

11/9/09 - Always check the bottoms of your receipts

11/2/09 - Save your Inserts

Look for a new tip each Monday!

Coupon Tip - 11/2/09

So I was chatting with a friend of mine about couponing and the thought came to me that some of my readers are seasoned couponers and some of them are probably new to the idea of "super" couponing! So I will try to start each week with a coupon tip on Monday.

So here's my first tip. ALWAYS save your newspaper coupon inserts. I know, it seems silly to someone who shops like a regular person (you know the kind of person that goes to the store once a week or once every other week). When you become a super couponer - you will not only find yourself at the store MORE often, but you will find yourself wishing you had held onto those old inserts! So SAVE them!

Saving them doesn't mean that you have to clip every coupon out and file them all away (in fact I think that would be harder to organize over the long run). What I like to do is go through the insert and see if its worthy of picking up extra papers or not (some weeks have multiple inserts or sometimes have FREEs in them and some weeks are much thinner). Then I clip what I know I will use for sure (items that I know will go on sale and I can get for pennies, or items that are staples in our home). I leave what's left as a whole insert and combine them together so there is one wrapper over the whole thing. If you take a close look at the spine of your coupon inserts you'll see that they are stamped with a date. If you store yours together like this, when a deal comes up you can reference back to the week the coupon was in that you need and its much easier to find AND you don't have to waste all that time clipping coupons you may never use!

You might be thinking - why save them if I know they are things I would never buy for my household? There are a few reasons - 1. Chances are you will become less brand loyal as a couponer. Once its in your blood its hard to pass on a great deal. And you are more likely to give other brands a try when they are FREE! 2. Couponers often "buy" things they don't need to get things they do need for free! Who says no to free money (and you can always donate the items that you don't need!!)

At the end of the day - you REALLY should be saving all your coupon inserts. Since Jewel doesn't take expireds anymore, you only have to hang on to maybe the last 6 months or so (before when they did take expireds I stored up to 18 months worth!!) File them in a cabinet, on your desk, in a box...wherever you can get back to them if you need to for a deal!

Do you have a great coupon tip? Send me an email at bargainisthenewblack@gmail.com!