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Monday, October 24, 2011

Late Night couponing

I've always found that late at night is the best time to coupon. The stores are generally dead, so if you take forever in line, no one really cares. But it can also be a great time to source additional coupons.

I enjoy a good treasure hunt, so I really get a kick out of dumpster diving. Around here there are several paper recycling dumpsters. They seem to crop up around schools and churches. Whenever I take my paper for recycling I always take a peek to see if I can find any coupon inserts, in whole or in part. My ground rules for this are  (1) that I always deposit more paper than I take from each bin; I've heard that the church/school is rewarded based on the amount of paper collected. (2) I have to be able to reach the paper. I'm not going to climb into a dumpster. I'm far too clumsy for that foolishness. (3) I only take coupons. Here's a handy tip for everyone. DO NOT recycle whole credit card applications. Shred them first, then recycle. I've never not found CC apps when digging for gold. 

Recently I discovered that the local 'free' paper that runs Wednesday and Saturday carries the SmartSource insert in their Saturday edition. Around here it's a pesky little publication that no one reads and few people even bother to collect from the end of their driveway. The past couple of weekends I've gone for a little walk around the neighborhood and have gotten some excellent results. I've set myself some ground rules for this as well. (1) I only collect Sunday night or afterwards, giving people at least 24 hours to collect their papers if they want them. (2) I take the whole paper, and in some cases, all of the papers. Call is neighborhood clean up, and I can sort them out at home. (3) I only take the free one. I had the opportunity to snag 2 Sunday papers, but since those people paid for that paper, I left it alone. In fact, I left them the free one too.

Tonight I managed to get 12 full inserts on my little stroll. The best part is that my Sunday paper didn't have any inserts this week...

I'm not 100% on the legality of these activities, so I'm not recommending anyone else do what I do. I'm just telling my tale.

And now that my recycle boxes are full I think I'll go dump them at the church down the road. Their dumpster is usually packed full after Sunday service. :D

Friday, October 14, 2011

10/14/11 Meijer trip - frozen pizza cats!

Meijer's sale this week is 10 for $10, get the 11th free.

Transaction:
8 cans Campbell's soup (chkn noodle and tomato), $0.59 ea
6 cans Campbell's 'cream of' soups (chkn and mushroom), $0.79 ea
6 cans Spaghettios, $0.50 ea
6 DiGiorno pizzas, $3.99 ea
2 California Kitchen pizzas, $3.99 ea
2 bags of Snickers fun size, $2.50 ea
2 bags Wonka fun size candy (3 lb bags), $6.99 ea
7 Pepsi 2L, 10 for 10 
6 boxes Hamburger Helper, 10 for 10
7 boxes Betty Crocker potatoes, 10 for 10
6 cans Hunt's diced tomatoes, 10 for 10
4 cans Rotel, 10 for 10
2 cans Chef Boyardee pasta, 10 for 10

Coupons:
6 $2/1 Digiorno's (Facebook coupon)
1 $0.55/1 Pepsi Max (10/2 Pespsi insert)
1 $1/2 Sierra Mist Naturals (10/2 Pepsi insert)
3 $0.50/2 BC potatoes (10/2 GM & coupons.com) - only the first 2 double
2 $0.75/3 HHelpers (10/2 GM)
2 $0.45/3 Hunt's tomatoes (10/2 SS)
2 $0.55/2 Rotel (10/2 SS)
1 $0.50/2 Chef Boyardee (Sept All you)
1 $1.50/2 Mars candy bars (Sept All you)
2 $0.40/4 Campbell's CN or tomato soup (10/2 SS)
2 $0.40/3 Campbell's cream of soups (9/11 SS)
2 $1.40/1 Wonka 32 oz or larger (coupons.com)
2 $0.40/3 SpaghettiOs, (9/11 SS)

Catalinas received:
2 $1/2 California Kitchen Pizzas
3 $1 ONYO from DiGiornos

Raincheck:
Wolf Chili, 10 for 10, ($0.40/1 in the 10/2 SS)

Tendered: $63.13
Saved: $76.34, about 55%

Notes:
Check the forums at weusecoupons for more printable Qs. I would have picked up a number of other items if I'd seen the extra Qs.

NOT a bad trip. Getting better than 50% has been really difficult since Extreme Couponing started airing...

The raincheck is good for 5 cans of chili. If I use my 3 cats from this trip and my 2 $0.40/1 Qs I can get 5 cans for $0.40!

DON'T FORGET if you go tomorrow you can get an additional 5% off all food items from mPerks.

Meijer sale

I'm just about to leave for Meijer's. They are having their 10 for $10, get the 11th free sale. Included in the sale are a number of ConAgra tomato products including Hunt's tomatoes and Rotel. Both are perfect for chili, a winter time favorite here. (Check the SS inserts for September and October for tons of Qs).

Another great deal this week is DiGiorno pizzas for $3.99 ea. check their facebook page for a $2/1 Q. That's quite a deal!

Also, if you are shopping tomorrow, check mPerks for a 5% off food items coupon. Not a bad Q at all, but I *really* hate couponing during the weekend. It clogs the checkout lanes.

Finally, I've had a few questions about how frequently I post. I post when I shop. Generally, if there are no sales that interest me, or I've stocked up recently, I don't post. I also don't post if I'm not couponing. For example, a couple months ago Marsh had pork chops and chicken on sale. I bought 40 pounds of pork chops and 20 pounds of chicken, and I still have a bit of each. My pantry is still packed so all I've really purchased is produce, dairy and eggs.

If today's trip is completely awesome I'll post the transactions later today or tomorrow.