Alright, so let’s get down to the nitty gritty. This is a FUN class. This is the most entertaining lesson, and it is the one that, if you get it, it will change the way you look at things. If you get this lesson, then it will almost guarantee your financial peace. Because while the emergency fund and getting out of debt are some amazingly important steps, that paradime sift we talked about in March comes from what I’m going to teach you tonight. What I’m going to teach you just might rock your world, it might just make you look at money a little differently. It might just put you on the right path towards changing your family tree. So, make sure you get this class tonight!
We are going to be discussing how to buy big bargains and how to have power over our purchases.
Caveat Emptor or Let the Buyer Beware
By now y’all know that I’m a facts kind of gal. I like statistics and so here are some that I found interesting. We already learned that we live in the most heavily marketed culture in the history of the world.
In 1971, the average consumer had 500 advertisements presented to him each day.
Today, we have over 4000 advertisements presented to us each day. That is an 800% increase! Holy cow! We have more people selling us more stuff, in more ways than ever before. It’s no wonder that the phrase caveat emptor or buyer beware is certainly more applicable today than ever.
Companies make their money based on selling us stuff, and they are good at it. They have training rooms full of people, teaching them how to perfect the art of selling their goods and services. This isn’t a game people, and if you think it is, then you’re going to be broke for the rest of your lives.
We have to Just Say No. Yes, that’s a 1980’s flashback, but seriously….it applies. Just say NO.
And because of their marketing on TV, Radio, the internet….it is much more difficult than ever to say no. Did you know that about half of the news is sent out by the public relations department of a company? It is packaged to look like news, but if you pay close attention, all the little kids in the puff piece are wearing osh-kosh clothing, or they’re standing in front of a Dairy Queen while talking about how hot the weather is and how a nice cold ice cream cone goes a long way. On a slow news day, you’ll see these things. We are hit from every angle, and the best trick of the trade is repetition.
I can hear you all now, “Oh, but I’m a wise consumer, that repetition stuff wouldn’t work on me.”
Okay, let’s play a game. You fill in the blanks….just shout out your answers….but you WISE consumers probably won’t know any of these, will you?
1. Bye, bye Miss American ____, drove my ____ to the levy, but the levy was _____.
(((shame on you!)
2. Have it your _____.
3. Melts in your mouth, not in your ______.
Yeah, you’re right….repetition doesn’t work, does it?? It has a HUGE effect on your buying!
Some other things that affect your buying are:
Brand Recognition Name brand versus Generic. Seriously, do you think Kroger and Walmart have their own factories that make all their generic products? No, they don’t. The same people that make the store brand products make the name brand products – they just have different packaging. Those CVS brand paper towels look suspiciously like the Bounty ones. Hummm….
Shelf Positioning. The most expensive name brand stuff will be eye level. The store brand stuff will either be up on the top shelf or on the bottom shelf. Why? Because people who are in a hurry will grab the first thing they see, and if it’s at eye level, guess which one gets picked up? The expensive one.
Packaging & Color. People get paid very well to study the reaction of people to series of colors. That’s why some products have insane packaging…because it catches someone’s eye better than the competition.
Product Placement. This is a BIG deal. They have professional product placers that come in and position things just right so as to optimize their sales. Take those ice barrels at the gas station for example. They are always at the most convenient spot. Two inches to the right, they’re a nuisance because they block to much of the aisle. Two inches to the left, and they don’t sell as many because they’re not obvious. Do you think they keep fresh ice in there at all times for your benefit? No….they do that because when it’s hot outside, there’s nothing that looks more refreshing than pulling that nice, cold bottle of soda out of that ice barrel, watching the ice slide down the bottle, and you know that that is going to be one fine bottle of sprite you’ve got there. They know that you’ll pay more money for that bottle of soda than you would for an entire 12 pack of cans at the grocery store down the street…why? Because it’s placed and presented so that you want it.
Seriously people, this is not a game. It’s what they do on everything – big and small purchases.
Significant Purchases
Let’s talk about significant purchases. Generally speaking, a significant purchase is anything over $200. In our house, it’s anything over $100…in yours it might be anything over $500. Whatever your idea of a significant purchase is, there are some things you need to know.
First, your body actually goes through physiological changes when you make a large purchase (or are about to make a large purchase).
Your eyes dilate slightly, endorphines are released, sweat forms in your palms and upper lip, adrenaline is released, and your heart rate shifts slightly.
You get so excited that you buy that thing. You get it home and then you get hit with it. Buyer’s Remorse. You know, that feeling that you get after making a big purchase without really thinking it through? Where you say to yourself, “what did I do?” and you usually feel sick and scared. Yeah, I bet we’ve all had a case or two of that in our lives.
Did you know that realtors have actually learned to tell people to expect the feeling of buyer’s remorse? Yep, when they started warning people, they found that fewer people would back out of the contracts because they woke up the next morning, felt the buyer’s remorse, and said, “wow honey, we’re normal” and just moved on with the bad purchase.
Well I am going to give you some ways that you can avoid that buyer’s remorse feeling, and that you can have power over purchases.
Power Over Purchase
You have to learn to say, "No!" This is important. We’ve all seen the kids in the supermarket that are flailing on the ground pitching an ever-loving fit because they want those Lucky Charms and they want them now. Well, I hate to tell ya this, but we’ve all got those little kids inside of us. We women, at the furniture store unleash that kid “I know we have china we never use, but I want that china cabinet NOW!” and the men, at the electronics store unleash their kid, “But it is a 52 inch HDTV with surround sound and I know we have a 50 inch but I want 2 more inches. I want it NOW!” We need to learn how to tell those kids inside ourselves to shut-up. Adults delay pleasure, children do what feels good.
As an adult, there are 5 things you do before purchasing: The unwritten #6 is to pay in cash because all of your purchases should be done in cash. If you do these things you will either be very glad you purchased it, or very glad that you didn’t.
1. Wait Overnight. But what if it’s gone the next day? There are 10 more TVs shrink wrapped in plastic on a palate in the back. If it’s gone, then maybe you weren’t supposed to have it.
2. Consider Your Buying Motives. Exactly why do you want it? Do you want it because it’s new and shiny? Do you want it because you need it, or because the neighbors have one and you want one too? (Oh, there’s that grocery store fit kid coming out again)
3. Never buy anything you don't understand. Especially insurance and investments. “Oh, I’d never do that” Oh really….and how long did you have your VCR before it stopped flashing 12:00????
4. Consider the Opportunity Cost. Factor in what opportunity you will lose the chance to do by making that purchase.
5. Seek the council of your spouse. You do NOT make a large purchase without first seeking the council of your spouse – seek their wisdom. Don’t you hate it guys when your wives get “a feeling” Proverbs 31:10-11. If you take the council of a virtuous wife, you will have no lack of gain. Women, you have to virtuous – not a barking Chihuahua. Larry Burkett says, "Ladies this does not give you permission to become the holy spirit." Guys, what’s good for one is good for the other.
Now that you’re on the same page and you’re ready to make the big purchase (because you did all 5…well really 6 things), then you need to learn that you should only buy big big bargains.
You do NOT have to pay full price for anything ever again. Seriously, just go under the assumption that everything is negotiable. In America we get in our fleeced car, fill it up with gas card gas, drive to the mall and put something on our 28% credit card because it had the word “Sale” over it. In other countries, there is a process to buying things. How many of you have been to other countries? Negotiating is a way of life. And I’m amazed at how many people get offended when I tell them about the great deals I’ve gotten.
You do not have to harm someone in order to get a good deal. For some reason, we have it so engrained in our heads that if we get a good deal, then we are hurting someone else in the process. That is entirely not true.
You can come to a win/win situation. I’m not saying you need to go in and be relentless, but you can reach a win/win situation that both parties can be happy with. At the mall we’ll automatically just pay whatever the price is for something that we want, but if we go to a yard sale, man….you’ll get vicious. I’ve had many a yard sale and some of those ladies will try to talk me down on a $10 for $.50. They’re vicious, but I bet they pay full price for everything at the store. And you know what….when they’re vicious like that, they don’t get the deal. So I’m hoping to show you how to get the deal so that everyone wins.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Big Purchases - Part 2
You have to keep this in your head at all times. EVERYTHING really is negotiable.
Rule #1: You have to tell the truth. I have no idea why I have to remind people of this, but sadly, I do. You must tell the truth, and you cannot misrepresent yourself in any way.
You MUST have extreme integrity. Not just regular integrity - EXTREME integrity. You cannot misrepresent yourself or the items you’re buying or selling in any way. Ripping off a button to get a discount on a shirt is LYING and STEALING. It’s not living with integrity. You have to have extreme levels of integrity.
Rule #2: You must be paying in cash. Why? Because cash has power.
The Power of Cash
Cash has an emotional value. When you see a big wad of cash you get happy, right? Well, that’s one thing the sales people cannot control. They like to see cash. You pull out cash and you’ve got a flock of salespeople hovering around like seagulls.
With cash, you have a definite limit AND leverage. If you have $700, then you cannot spend any more than $700. That is huge blessing to you. You will not be overpaying or overstretching yourself to purchase the item, and you will have some definite leverage in the purchase process.
Cash has immediacy. When you hand over cash for something, it means the deal is closed. You have your item, they have their money…both people win. There's no waiting for credit approval or checking with their banker. It's done.
You cannot haggle when financing an item. Seriously, you cannot say “yeah, we’re going to finance it 90 days same as cash, and by the way, we’d like a really good deal on it.” They’ll smile at you and walk into the back and laugh. You just can’t get a good deal when you’re financing something. And don’t just say you’re going to pay cash, count it out with a little bit of drama. It messes with people. You’ve got people at the cash register that aren’t sure what to do with it. Honestly, they freak out a little when they have a big wad of cash, because people buy things with cards and don’t get those good deals. The sales associates will follow you around like a slobbering puppy when they see you have a wad of cash. It’s great…have some fun with it. Be proud that you’re paying with cash and snicker if they mention financing (and whip out a wad and say, “no thanks, we’ll be paying in cash.” Or “we don’t do financing.” It messes with them!
I know, you are all thinking, "But what if I get mugged?"
Well honey, you've been getting mugged at the mall for years, why start worrying about it now? Seriously, walking around with it for a couple hours one day isn’t going to kill ya. Don’t walk around with a wad of cash on you at all times, but to the electronics store isn’t going to give you much of a complex.
I mentioned this a bit earlier, but I want to re-emphasize that you need to have some flair when paying with cash. It’s got to be an event. It’s gotta have drama, intrigue, and by all means….have some fun with it.
If you’re buying a $1000 item, have 10 $100 bills and count them out SLOWLY
If you’re buying a $100 item, have 20 $5.00 bills to count out. Either way, the reaction will still be the same…sales associates who get happy when they see cash.
Have some fun with it. I personally like to count it out at least 3 times per large purchase. I do it once on the floor when about to haggle, once after haggling, and once or twice at the register. It’s just SO much fun to mess with them.
And true story…the first time I did this, the gal at the register had to call 2 people over there to count the cash because she kept messing it up. Seriously…..they don’t know what to do with cash!
Know Where To Shop
My favorite place is HH Gregg in Rivergate. I've always gotten great deals there. Other stores where the employees are paid on commission are great places to try. I typically avoid the mom & pop stores because their overhead is so small anyway that I feel that by making them go into my price range, I'd be creating a win/lose situation for them. Big stores like Sears just don't care and won't bother haggling.
Marriage
You CANNOT act Married to an item. You have to at least act indifferent towards it. The sales people are trained to know when you are so “in love” with that new appliance. They see how you gaze at it lovingly, as you imagine all of your laundry going into the super capacity front loading washer – in your favorite color, red. They see how you look at it, and they know at that moment, that they have you. You are already sold to it, and your chances of haggling have just flown out the window.
By all means, admire the heck out of the item, but do it online or at another store. Get it all out of your system before you walk in that store. Walk around a little, checking out other ones, and then begin negotiations.
You CANNOT be married to buying it at that store. Just because you’ve always shopped there isn’t a good reason to keep shopping there.
You must be willing to walk out! Yes, I said it. You must be willing to leave the store and go to another one to try to get the deal. 9 times out of 10, if you offer a half-way sane offer, you will be stopped by that associate before you even reach the parking lot. They know that if you leave their store, or their lot, then they just lost that sale and it went to someone else. They do not want you to leave their store without having first handed over your money. You have value to them – act like it.
Practice
Like our mommas always said, Practice makes perfect, and this is no different.
Practice Asking for a good deal. We have to get rid of the fear.
Practice your body language. My hubby and I honestly practice with each other before we go. We practice our looks of indifference, our thinking and pondering looks.
Practice Your Script. We have a script. We honestly do. We do the good cop bad cop thing…but it’s more like normal husband, shrew of a wife thing. It works because he’s laid back and isn’t into haggling, and I am in it for the kill. :o) So, find a script that works for you and practice it. We have automatic responses to things or key words that we only know the meaning to. It keeps us on our A game because we prepare for all the possibilities.
Practice Shutting Up. You need to learn how to shut-up. Silence creates drama. Ask a question and then shut-up. Someone wants to jump in, and if it’s not you – then they will come down on price before you even enter in on the discussion. You’ll be amazed at what standing there being quiet with cash will do for you. This is an art. Dave related a story where he just felt like messing with someone that day, so he went to a used car lot. The guy came out, Dave was looking at a car, asked a simple question and just shut up. The guy answered the question and when Dave just kinda grunted, he kept talking. He dropped the price twice as Dave went around – silent as can be, just looking intensely at the car. He just so happened to stop at the bumper and just not say anything. The salesman said, “Well, you’re obviously an intelligent guy and you can tell this car has been hit.” Dave had NO idea that it had been hit. None whatsoever, but his silence made that guy not only lower the price but disclose information on the vehicle. Silence is powerful stuff.
Practice Saying "That's Not Good Enough!" You have to let them know that “that’s not good enough.” Quit playing price. If they give you a price you say, “that’s not good enough.” And then shut-up. If they ask “what is” then say “I don’t know, but I know that’s not it.” And then shut-up. Sometimes their first drop in price is lower than what you’d have started with.
Practice using contingency closings. If you’re having trouble ironing out the price, then you can do the “if I” contingency close. If they want you to meet their price, ask them to throw something else in with the deal – free installation, free delivery, a free blue ray player with that big screen TV, free surround sound. If I meet your price, then I’m going to need free surround sound to go with my new TV. “Well, I can’t do that” Well you’re going to have to give me something else...act as if it already came with it.
Whatever their first (and sometimes second) offers are is not good enough. They don’t have to do business with you – someone will. That’s alright.
Now here are some of my personal tips and tricks from having done this a couple times before. Do your research online. Pack your pockets with money (know how much is in each), Act indifferent, and Drop a Competitor's Name.
Let’s see how this played out during our most recent big purchase.
We knew we wanted to get a 42 inch HDTV but we weren’t 100% sure which brand we wanted to go with. We saw that the prices were in the 900-1100 range for them, so we figured that we’d plan on spending $650-750 for one. We set our limit at $750 and started packing our pockets. We had $600 in my hubby’s wallet, $25 in each pocket, and $50 in various places in my wallet. We looked around, saw what we wanted to buy and the hovering sales associate said, “It’s on sale today for $999 (which we knew was the standard price).” I smiled at him and said, “that’s not good enough.” He went away, came back with a new offer of $880. I said, “Yeah, that’s still not good enough. I’m thinking much less than that. What can you do for us?” He said he’d talk to the manager and he himmed and hawed, and went to the computer, back to the manager. Meanwhile, we decided that we were going to be firm in our offer of $715 since we knew we needed some money for a digital antenna. He came back and said $775. I then took out the cash (that we put together in a nice little stack while he was running around doing his thing) and counted it out – NICE AND SLOWLY. I looked at him and said, “Well, here’s $715 cash – will you do the deal for that? He hesitated and I said….if not, it’s okay…we’ll go across the street and try Electronics Express.” He went back one more time and came out willing to do the deal for $715 after tax. So, we got a $999 tv for $655 (before tax) – that’s a savings of $344. I’d say that qualifies as a big, BIG bargain.
And we did the same thing with a new washer the year before. You just cannot get those kinds of deals when using credit.
Rule #1: You have to tell the truth. I have no idea why I have to remind people of this, but sadly, I do. You must tell the truth, and you cannot misrepresent yourself in any way.
You MUST have extreme integrity. Not just regular integrity - EXTREME integrity. You cannot misrepresent yourself or the items you’re buying or selling in any way. Ripping off a button to get a discount on a shirt is LYING and STEALING. It’s not living with integrity. You have to have extreme levels of integrity.
Rule #2: You must be paying in cash. Why? Because cash has power.
The Power of Cash
Cash has an emotional value. When you see a big wad of cash you get happy, right? Well, that’s one thing the sales people cannot control. They like to see cash. You pull out cash and you’ve got a flock of salespeople hovering around like seagulls.
With cash, you have a definite limit AND leverage. If you have $700, then you cannot spend any more than $700. That is huge blessing to you. You will not be overpaying or overstretching yourself to purchase the item, and you will have some definite leverage in the purchase process.
Cash has immediacy. When you hand over cash for something, it means the deal is closed. You have your item, they have their money…both people win. There's no waiting for credit approval or checking with their banker. It's done.
You cannot haggle when financing an item. Seriously, you cannot say “yeah, we’re going to finance it 90 days same as cash, and by the way, we’d like a really good deal on it.” They’ll smile at you and walk into the back and laugh. You just can’t get a good deal when you’re financing something. And don’t just say you’re going to pay cash, count it out with a little bit of drama. It messes with people. You’ve got people at the cash register that aren’t sure what to do with it. Honestly, they freak out a little when they have a big wad of cash, because people buy things with cards and don’t get those good deals. The sales associates will follow you around like a slobbering puppy when they see you have a wad of cash. It’s great…have some fun with it. Be proud that you’re paying with cash and snicker if they mention financing (and whip out a wad and say, “no thanks, we’ll be paying in cash.” Or “we don’t do financing.” It messes with them!
I know, you are all thinking, "But what if I get mugged?"
Well honey, you've been getting mugged at the mall for years, why start worrying about it now? Seriously, walking around with it for a couple hours one day isn’t going to kill ya. Don’t walk around with a wad of cash on you at all times, but to the electronics store isn’t going to give you much of a complex.
I mentioned this a bit earlier, but I want to re-emphasize that you need to have some flair when paying with cash. It’s got to be an event. It’s gotta have drama, intrigue, and by all means….have some fun with it.
If you’re buying a $1000 item, have 10 $100 bills and count them out SLOWLY
If you’re buying a $100 item, have 20 $5.00 bills to count out. Either way, the reaction will still be the same…sales associates who get happy when they see cash.
Have some fun with it. I personally like to count it out at least 3 times per large purchase. I do it once on the floor when about to haggle, once after haggling, and once or twice at the register. It’s just SO much fun to mess with them.
And true story…the first time I did this, the gal at the register had to call 2 people over there to count the cash because she kept messing it up. Seriously…..they don’t know what to do with cash!
Know Where To Shop
My favorite place is HH Gregg in Rivergate. I've always gotten great deals there. Other stores where the employees are paid on commission are great places to try. I typically avoid the mom & pop stores because their overhead is so small anyway that I feel that by making them go into my price range, I'd be creating a win/lose situation for them. Big stores like Sears just don't care and won't bother haggling.
Marriage
You CANNOT act Married to an item. You have to at least act indifferent towards it. The sales people are trained to know when you are so “in love” with that new appliance. They see how you gaze at it lovingly, as you imagine all of your laundry going into the super capacity front loading washer – in your favorite color, red. They see how you look at it, and they know at that moment, that they have you. You are already sold to it, and your chances of haggling have just flown out the window.
By all means, admire the heck out of the item, but do it online or at another store. Get it all out of your system before you walk in that store. Walk around a little, checking out other ones, and then begin negotiations.
You CANNOT be married to buying it at that store. Just because you’ve always shopped there isn’t a good reason to keep shopping there.
You must be willing to walk out! Yes, I said it. You must be willing to leave the store and go to another one to try to get the deal. 9 times out of 10, if you offer a half-way sane offer, you will be stopped by that associate before you even reach the parking lot. They know that if you leave their store, or their lot, then they just lost that sale and it went to someone else. They do not want you to leave their store without having first handed over your money. You have value to them – act like it.
Practice
Like our mommas always said, Practice makes perfect, and this is no different.
Practice Asking for a good deal. We have to get rid of the fear.
Practice your body language. My hubby and I honestly practice with each other before we go. We practice our looks of indifference, our thinking and pondering looks.
Practice Your Script. We have a script. We honestly do. We do the good cop bad cop thing…but it’s more like normal husband, shrew of a wife thing. It works because he’s laid back and isn’t into haggling, and I am in it for the kill. :o) So, find a script that works for you and practice it. We have automatic responses to things or key words that we only know the meaning to. It keeps us on our A game because we prepare for all the possibilities.
Practice Shutting Up. You need to learn how to shut-up. Silence creates drama. Ask a question and then shut-up. Someone wants to jump in, and if it’s not you – then they will come down on price before you even enter in on the discussion. You’ll be amazed at what standing there being quiet with cash will do for you. This is an art. Dave related a story where he just felt like messing with someone that day, so he went to a used car lot. The guy came out, Dave was looking at a car, asked a simple question and just shut up. The guy answered the question and when Dave just kinda grunted, he kept talking. He dropped the price twice as Dave went around – silent as can be, just looking intensely at the car. He just so happened to stop at the bumper and just not say anything. The salesman said, “Well, you’re obviously an intelligent guy and you can tell this car has been hit.” Dave had NO idea that it had been hit. None whatsoever, but his silence made that guy not only lower the price but disclose information on the vehicle. Silence is powerful stuff.
Practice Saying "That's Not Good Enough!" You have to let them know that “that’s not good enough.” Quit playing price. If they give you a price you say, “that’s not good enough.” And then shut-up. If they ask “what is” then say “I don’t know, but I know that’s not it.” And then shut-up. Sometimes their first drop in price is lower than what you’d have started with.
Practice using contingency closings. If you’re having trouble ironing out the price, then you can do the “if I” contingency close. If they want you to meet their price, ask them to throw something else in with the deal – free installation, free delivery, a free blue ray player with that big screen TV, free surround sound. If I meet your price, then I’m going to need free surround sound to go with my new TV. “Well, I can’t do that” Well you’re going to have to give me something else...act as if it already came with it.
Whatever their first (and sometimes second) offers are is not good enough. They don’t have to do business with you – someone will. That’s alright.
Now here are some of my personal tips and tricks from having done this a couple times before. Do your research online. Pack your pockets with money (know how much is in each), Act indifferent, and Drop a Competitor's Name.
Let’s see how this played out during our most recent big purchase.
We knew we wanted to get a 42 inch HDTV but we weren’t 100% sure which brand we wanted to go with. We saw that the prices were in the 900-1100 range for them, so we figured that we’d plan on spending $650-750 for one. We set our limit at $750 and started packing our pockets. We had $600 in my hubby’s wallet, $25 in each pocket, and $50 in various places in my wallet. We looked around, saw what we wanted to buy and the hovering sales associate said, “It’s on sale today for $999 (which we knew was the standard price).” I smiled at him and said, “that’s not good enough.” He went away, came back with a new offer of $880. I said, “Yeah, that’s still not good enough. I’m thinking much less than that. What can you do for us?” He said he’d talk to the manager and he himmed and hawed, and went to the computer, back to the manager. Meanwhile, we decided that we were going to be firm in our offer of $715 since we knew we needed some money for a digital antenna. He came back and said $775. I then took out the cash (that we put together in a nice little stack while he was running around doing his thing) and counted it out – NICE AND SLOWLY. I looked at him and said, “Well, here’s $715 cash – will you do the deal for that? He hesitated and I said….if not, it’s okay…we’ll go across the street and try Electronics Express.” He went back one more time and came out willing to do the deal for $715 after tax. So, we got a $999 tv for $655 (before tax) – that’s a savings of $344. I’d say that qualifies as a big, BIG bargain.
And we did the same thing with a new washer the year before. You just cannot get those kinds of deals when using credit.
Smaller Purchases - Part 3
You need to realize that you do NOT have to pay full price for anything ever again (with the exception of some groceries).
Dented cans can be consumed quickly without problems and can save you 50% or more.
Clothing with small flaws can be discounted. I bought a dress at Dress Barn (courtesy of a gift card) a few weeks ago, and the dress I liked had a broken loop on it. I’m talking that this thing only needed 2 stitches to be fixed, and I was able to get 20% off the dress by haggling with the lady. Yes, it was free because of the gift card, but because I got that 20% off, I was able to get a clearance shirt to go with it. Many stores will give you at least 10% off if you buy slightly damaged or defective clothes or items. Remember integrity and don't rip a button off to get a discount.
Never underestimate a scratch, dent, ding, chip, or missing piece. Deep discounts are given when you buy slightly defective merchandise that they wouldn't otherwise be able to sell.
Discounts on Home Maintenance & Other Services: Ask for a discount if you put their sign in your yard (or on your car). Ask for a discount for giving them the names and addresses of your family and friends. If you have a large enough blog or website, then ask for a discount if you feature them on it. I am part of a social networking site of moms, and Walmart sent me 2 $100 gift cards to buy baby clothes and write about my experience. Because they knew that I have the potential to reach thousands of moms a day, they were more than happy to send a couple hundred bucks of free clothes my way.
Bartering: Trading Goods & Services. This is a great way to get things for free (or nearly free). We needed some minor auto work done, and a guy we knew (who just so happened to be a mechanic) needed a sitter for 2 days while his wife was out of town, and so I watched his kid and he fixed our car. No money, no problem – it was a win, win for both of us.
Yard sales and estate sales are great ways to get some good stuff. Yes, some of it is junk, but I know I’ve sold some pretty darn good things in my yard sales. If you buy things at a retail location, they are buying at TV at $100, they have to sell it for more than $100. At yard sales, the person buys something for $100, they’re willing to sell it for $10. You get a much better deal because they see the item as “in the way.” Their stuff has more value to you than it does to them. (Pay attention to that if you’re selling stuff!!!!) Don’t be mean or cut them down, but realize that their stuff means more to you than to them – most of the time. I sold a $50 vase for $5 once – it wasn’t mine (a friend was getting rid of it and I took it for my yard sale), it was in the way, and it was a means to get some money for paying off debt. The person who bought it got a very good deal.
Auctions: You have to be extremely careful at auctions. If you do your homework and know what you’re bidding on, they can be great. But too often people will get all worked up and pay way too much for something they could have gotten elsewhere for much cheaper.
And now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for….my #1 way of saving money & getting free stuff……
CLIPPING COUPONS!!!!
Where do you get the coupons? The Sunday paper, some Friday papers, Printable Coupons Online, Manufacturer Websites, In Stores, From Promotions, From Free Samples. The possibilities are endless as to where you can get coupons. You just have to dig around and see what’s out there. Sometimes you can get your family and friends to give you their coupons that they aren’t using. Coupons are wonderful, wonderful things.
Now if you’re saying, “I don’t have time to clip coupons” then I urge you to stop thinking that this very instant and just listen. It’s not like it used to be. It’s not something that poor people do to make ends meet. It’s something that smart people do because they’re tired of seeing all their money go to other people. You don’t have time NOT to clip coupons because it can be a huge blessing to your family, if used properly.
Couponing Rules:
Don't buy something just because you have a coupon. Seriously, if it’s $1.50 more than the generic equivalent even after the coupon savings, it’s not worth it just to use the coupon. So, only use the coupons if it truly is going to save you money. Just because you have a coupon for $1.00 off colon cleanse, it doesn’t mean you need to run out and buy it….unless you really need it.
Match coupons with sales ads to maximize savings. Coupons by themselves are good, but when paired with sales for additional savings, they can be phenomenal. I’m going to give the Walmart spill, but they will honor competitor’s sale prices. You just have to bring the sales ads with you. So you can get all the sales in one stop, and you can use your coupons to maximize your savings.
All coupons are potential money makers. Just because you don’t use Colon Cleanse, doesn’t mean that you should throw that coupon away. Sometimes stores, especially CVS and Walgreens, will have sales that will earn you money by buying certain products. I will explain it later, but all coupons are potential money makers.
Couponing Secrets
At most stores B1G1 deals accept the use of 2 coupons.
B1G1 coupons can also be used with B1G1 sales, making it a B1G2 deal.
One coupon per purchase means that each item is a purchase. Each time you cash out is a transaction. Don't let a clueless cashier ruin your couponing by saying you can't use more than 1 of the same coupon in a transaction. As long as you are using the same number of coupons as you have purchases, you're fine.
The Walgreens Game
This is where it gets a little confusing, but bear with me and we’ll sort it all out.
Walgreens has a few different ways to save: Register Rewards (RRs), Rebates, and in-ad coupons.
You can use both a Walgreens coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on the same product.
When buying an item to get RRs, you cannot use a RR from the same company and get more. This is a serious pain in the rump. They do this to keep limits on how many each person can buy. However, if you buy some Huggies diapers and get some RRs from that, then you use those RRs to purchase Ragu pasta sauce to get more RRs, then you can use the Pasta Sauce RRs for more Huggies. You have to interchange them for it to work. BUT, you have to know your companies. You have to know who makes these products because Proctor and Gamble does things like Pringles, Always, Gillette, Crest, and Tide. You wouldn’t always mesh those things together, but it can ruin your RR flow.
You must have the same number of items as you have coupons. This is especially tricky. You can use a manufacturer’s coupon and a Walgreens coupon for one item, but you cannot use a register reward, a Walgreens coupons and a manufacturer’s coupon for one item because Register Rewards count as Coupons!!! So, you need to get some filler products. Leftover pencils from the previous holiday are great things. Also candy bars or clearanced products work just as well.
Easy Saver Catalogs have been discontinued. There is some buzz going around about a loyalty program like CVS has, but nothing has been put in stone yet. As of now, there is no more ESC. Some items will still give rebates, and the rebates are now printed from the Catalina machine.
Call me if a Register Reward doesn't print. I have a number to call. You will have to keep your receipt so you can verify the information.
Now let’s play the game a little bit this week (5/17): Bayer Quick Crystals are $2.49 with $2.49 RR. That means, you pay $2.49 and you are then given $2.49 in RR after you check out. You can then use that $2.49 towards the purchase of Colgate Visible White for $4.49. There is a $1.00 off coupon if you go to www.iheartwags.com to find the link. You would need to pick up a very cheap item (because you'd need 2 items since you'd be using 2 coupons). You'd use your $2.49 RR from your first purchase and you'd get back a $4.49 RR. You could then take that $4.49 RR and use it towards the purchase of the $5.00 Clinical Strength Dry Idea. There is a $2.00 off coupon (see iheartwags.com again). Pick up another cheap item since you'll be using 2 coupons. You'd get both for free, and you'd get $5.00 in RR to use on your next purchase.
The CVS Game
CVS is also going through some changes and their sales are not what they used to be. They have caught onto us frugal shoppers out there, and they’ve lowered their limits and have changed some things. But don’t fret, good deals are still to be had.
You must have a CVS Extra Care Card. Ask for one at the register. Call the 1-800 number on the back to register it. Make sure to give them your email address because they will email you valuable coupons, somtimes certificates for free stuff! All of your coupons and Extra Care Bucks are tied to this card!
Ways to save: Extra Care Bucks (ECBs), in-store coupons, cash register tape coupons, beauty book coupons (ask for them in store. For those in class, those are the coupons I handed out), and magic machine coupons. That's the red box that acts as a scanner for pricing. If you scan your card under it, it will print out coupons. One scan per day.
You can use a CVS coupon and a manufacturer coupon together. Those are the cash register tape coupons, magic machine coupons, beauty book coupons, and emailed coupons.
You can use several ECBs in one transaction. Unlike Walgreens, ECBs do not count as coupons, and you can use 10 for one purchase if you like. You just have to be careful because if you have one for $5.00 and you only spend $3.00 – you lose the other $2.00. So always get enough to use up your ECBs.
Use $/$$ CVS coupons first, then use other coupons, THEN use ECBs. Sometimes lovely things will print out or be emailed to you for $/$$ purchase (example is $5/$25). They are handy and can save you quite a bit of money. There is an order to it though. You must FIRST give them the $/$$ coupon, then the other coupons, THEN the ECBs. That is the best way to maximize your savings.
You do not pay tax when paying with ECBs. Unlike Walgreens, ECBs do not act like coupons - they act like cash. So, when using ECBs to pay for a purchase in full, there is no sales tax. It is counted as a pre-tax discount, unlike coupons. So if you have a $4.99 ECB and you buy something that costs $4.99 before tax, then you walk out of there having paid NOTHING.
Watch for limits per hoursehold. There are limits on the sales items, especially those that give you ECBs. If there’s a limit of 1, then you should only buy 1 of that item, get your ECBs and use those towards another item that earns you more ECBs.
You can roll ECBs, if there's a limit of more than 1, to get more ECBs on the same item. So if the limit is 2, unlike Walgreens, you can use the same ECB from the first transaction, to pay for the exact same item in the second transaction, and more ECBs will print. You then would take those and max out the number of items that it will allow you to get, and then go on to the next item that earns you more ECBs.
Ask for rainchecks if they are out of an item. Sometimes their stock just stinks, and then there are greedy people who empty shelves. If they are out of something, ask for a raincheck. Depending on the cashier, you will either get the ECBs subtracted off the purchase price (sometimes making it free) or you will act like it’s a normal purchase and they’ll manually print out the ECBs for you.
Quarterly ECBs are given. They are 2% of your quarterly spending. When you get really great at playing the game, you will find that you MIGHT get $1.00 every quarter. But in the beginning, especially if you get a new card, you can get some really great quarterly earnings. My card, when I first got it, had over $300 worth of purchases on it because that’s the one they’d just use at the register whenever people without a card would go through the line. That was nice!
ECBs (like RRs) expire. And once they expire, there’s nothing they can do about them. They are now refusing to reset them for people, and so you will get stuck with them if you do not use them.
This isn’t necessarily a game of buying only needs. Sometimes you buy stupid things just because they are free and earn you more ECBs. The things you do not want, you can donate, because you’re not out anything.
So, let’s do a little playing with the CVS game this week (5/17): Dry Idea deodorant is 2 for $5.00 with $2.00 ECB when you buy 2. There are $2.00 off coupons (go to www.iheartcvs.com for link). With both coupons, you would pay $1.00 out of pocket for 2 dry idea deodorants. You would then receive $2.00 in ECBs. That is a profit of $1.00. You could then spend the $2.00 on another purchase that earns you more ECBs. Generally I do not buy anything there unless it earns me more ECBs.
Publix
Watch carefully for B1G1 sales. You can use 2 coupons on a B1G1 sale.
Publix doubles manfacturer coupons up to $.50 every day.
Publix in-ad coupons and mailed coupons (register for their clubs at Publix.com)can be used with manufacturer coupons for double the savings.
Monday is penny item day. If you spend $10 (before coupons) you get the featured item for 1 penny!
Publix sales run from Wednesday to Tuesday.
Publix offers a UPromise shopping card, so if you have student loans, have a child, or are in college yourself, then you can set up an account and a percentage of qualifying purchases gets put into your UPromise account.
Let's look at a possible good deal at Publix (as an example): Ritz crackers are B1G1 at publix for $3.69 (I think...lost the ad). There are $1.00 off coupons at kraftfoods.com. If you print 2 of those coupons out, you can get 2 boxes of Ritz crackers for $1.69 (or whatever the price is) because you can use 1 coupon per item (even on a B1G1 deal). That's a huge savings if you eat crackers in your house. We certainly do!
As a side note, Fred's doubles coupons up to $.75 every Saturday.
Now I know what you’re asking. Does it really save that much money? Does playing the CVS and the Walgreens and the Publix games really matter that much? Is it really worth the time and effort?
Is It Worth It?
Yes, Yes it is! And that is just the free stuff!
For as much as we have, we've given almost that much away. Can you believe that? Between family, friends, and charities, we’ve given away boxes and boxes and boxes of this stuff…stuff that I got for free….just by using coupons and sales ads, and playing the games.
I realize that there was not a lot of food pictured, but that’s because we eat it. I never think to take pictures of my grocery shopping trips because I just put it away and call it good. We have been so blessed by using coupons. It’s kept our grocery, toiletry, diaper, and household product part of the budget down to $200 a month for our family of 5 (and that’s living large). We’ve been able to build a year’s supply of toiletries and household products for our family by doing this. This is not a game folks…we call it one, but it’s not. It’s life. It’s a way for me to hold onto the money we have and do something more positive with it than just buy stuff. I realize food is not “stuff” but the less I have to spend on these things, the more money I have to change our family tree.
All it takes is a couple hours a week and some planning and plotting. It takes changing the way you look at buying things – both big things and small things. It takes changing your attitude towards things, and not being frivolous with your money. If something is sub standard, or the product is defective, call them on it. Complain, give them the info from the packaging. They will replace it. We've gotten free batteries, diapers, taco shells and more by complaining about sub-standard products. I have 2 coupons in my coupon files for 2 free boxes of Taco Shells because we bought some that were greasy and chewy. There were defects in about half a box of some Huggies diapers I bought (24 out of 70 diapers) and they sent me a coupon for a free box. So stop settling for less than the best. Start thinking about where your money is going. Stop just handing it over….try holding onto some of it.
How Do You Do This?
By Starting! Just take the time to begin. Start getting your feet wet.
Clip those coupons, search the sales, hit the internet, dig for the good deals, plot and plan. On average, spend about 1-2 hours a week doing those things. In the last year, I spent (on average) 78 hours doing the coupon thing (and I know it was less since I took a 3 month break) and I got over $2500 worth of stuff for FREE. I kept some, donated some, and gave some away. For every hour I spent clipping coupons, I made my family $32.05. Where else can you get $32.05 an hour?
Now you are not going to start out bringing in hundreds of dollars of free stuff. It took me a couple years to get to this point, but with time, effort, and know-how…you can get there too.
Again, keep your integrity in tact! This is the most important thing to remember. You will not win with money if you do things that are not right. You cannot get something for free with coupons and then return it. It’s not right. You cannot illegally obtain coupons and use them. You cannot lie, cheat, or manipulate the system. You cannot have the intention to do harm to those you do business with. You cannot be merciless when haggling with people. You must have extreme integrity when you do these things. You MUST, or you WILL NOT win with money.
You need to wake up, look at what you're spending your money on. Decide today that you are going to stop handing over your money to someone else, by paying full price for things that you can get for less. It's YOUR money, keep it in YOUR pocket.
Dented cans can be consumed quickly without problems and can save you 50% or more.
Clothing with small flaws can be discounted. I bought a dress at Dress Barn (courtesy of a gift card) a few weeks ago, and the dress I liked had a broken loop on it. I’m talking that this thing only needed 2 stitches to be fixed, and I was able to get 20% off the dress by haggling with the lady. Yes, it was free because of the gift card, but because I got that 20% off, I was able to get a clearance shirt to go with it. Many stores will give you at least 10% off if you buy slightly damaged or defective clothes or items. Remember integrity and don't rip a button off to get a discount.
Never underestimate a scratch, dent, ding, chip, or missing piece. Deep discounts are given when you buy slightly defective merchandise that they wouldn't otherwise be able to sell.
Discounts on Home Maintenance & Other Services: Ask for a discount if you put their sign in your yard (or on your car). Ask for a discount for giving them the names and addresses of your family and friends. If you have a large enough blog or website, then ask for a discount if you feature them on it. I am part of a social networking site of moms, and Walmart sent me 2 $100 gift cards to buy baby clothes and write about my experience. Because they knew that I have the potential to reach thousands of moms a day, they were more than happy to send a couple hundred bucks of free clothes my way.
Bartering: Trading Goods & Services. This is a great way to get things for free (or nearly free). We needed some minor auto work done, and a guy we knew (who just so happened to be a mechanic) needed a sitter for 2 days while his wife was out of town, and so I watched his kid and he fixed our car. No money, no problem – it was a win, win for both of us.
Yard sales and estate sales are great ways to get some good stuff. Yes, some of it is junk, but I know I’ve sold some pretty darn good things in my yard sales. If you buy things at a retail location, they are buying at TV at $100, they have to sell it for more than $100. At yard sales, the person buys something for $100, they’re willing to sell it for $10. You get a much better deal because they see the item as “in the way.” Their stuff has more value to you than it does to them. (Pay attention to that if you’re selling stuff!!!!) Don’t be mean or cut them down, but realize that their stuff means more to you than to them – most of the time. I sold a $50 vase for $5 once – it wasn’t mine (a friend was getting rid of it and I took it for my yard sale), it was in the way, and it was a means to get some money for paying off debt. The person who bought it got a very good deal.
Auctions: You have to be extremely careful at auctions. If you do your homework and know what you’re bidding on, they can be great. But too often people will get all worked up and pay way too much for something they could have gotten elsewhere for much cheaper.
And now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for….my #1 way of saving money & getting free stuff……
CLIPPING COUPONS!!!!
Where do you get the coupons? The Sunday paper, some Friday papers, Printable Coupons Online, Manufacturer Websites, In Stores, From Promotions, From Free Samples. The possibilities are endless as to where you can get coupons. You just have to dig around and see what’s out there. Sometimes you can get your family and friends to give you their coupons that they aren’t using. Coupons are wonderful, wonderful things.
Now if you’re saying, “I don’t have time to clip coupons” then I urge you to stop thinking that this very instant and just listen. It’s not like it used to be. It’s not something that poor people do to make ends meet. It’s something that smart people do because they’re tired of seeing all their money go to other people. You don’t have time NOT to clip coupons because it can be a huge blessing to your family, if used properly.
Couponing Rules:
Don't buy something just because you have a coupon. Seriously, if it’s $1.50 more than the generic equivalent even after the coupon savings, it’s not worth it just to use the coupon. So, only use the coupons if it truly is going to save you money. Just because you have a coupon for $1.00 off colon cleanse, it doesn’t mean you need to run out and buy it….unless you really need it.
Match coupons with sales ads to maximize savings. Coupons by themselves are good, but when paired with sales for additional savings, they can be phenomenal. I’m going to give the Walmart spill, but they will honor competitor’s sale prices. You just have to bring the sales ads with you. So you can get all the sales in one stop, and you can use your coupons to maximize your savings.
All coupons are potential money makers. Just because you don’t use Colon Cleanse, doesn’t mean that you should throw that coupon away. Sometimes stores, especially CVS and Walgreens, will have sales that will earn you money by buying certain products. I will explain it later, but all coupons are potential money makers.
Couponing Secrets
At most stores B1G1 deals accept the use of 2 coupons.
B1G1 coupons can also be used with B1G1 sales, making it a B1G2 deal.
One coupon per purchase means that each item is a purchase. Each time you cash out is a transaction. Don't let a clueless cashier ruin your couponing by saying you can't use more than 1 of the same coupon in a transaction. As long as you are using the same number of coupons as you have purchases, you're fine.
The Walgreens Game
This is where it gets a little confusing, but bear with me and we’ll sort it all out.
Walgreens has a few different ways to save: Register Rewards (RRs), Rebates, and in-ad coupons.
You can use both a Walgreens coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on the same product.
When buying an item to get RRs, you cannot use a RR from the same company and get more. This is a serious pain in the rump. They do this to keep limits on how many each person can buy. However, if you buy some Huggies diapers and get some RRs from that, then you use those RRs to purchase Ragu pasta sauce to get more RRs, then you can use the Pasta Sauce RRs for more Huggies. You have to interchange them for it to work. BUT, you have to know your companies. You have to know who makes these products because Proctor and Gamble does things like Pringles, Always, Gillette, Crest, and Tide. You wouldn’t always mesh those things together, but it can ruin your RR flow.
You must have the same number of items as you have coupons. This is especially tricky. You can use a manufacturer’s coupon and a Walgreens coupon for one item, but you cannot use a register reward, a Walgreens coupons and a manufacturer’s coupon for one item because Register Rewards count as Coupons!!! So, you need to get some filler products. Leftover pencils from the previous holiday are great things. Also candy bars or clearanced products work just as well.
Easy Saver Catalogs have been discontinued. There is some buzz going around about a loyalty program like CVS has, but nothing has been put in stone yet. As of now, there is no more ESC. Some items will still give rebates, and the rebates are now printed from the Catalina machine.
Call me if a Register Reward doesn't print. I have a number to call. You will have to keep your receipt so you can verify the information.
Now let’s play the game a little bit this week (5/17): Bayer Quick Crystals are $2.49 with $2.49 RR. That means, you pay $2.49 and you are then given $2.49 in RR after you check out. You can then use that $2.49 towards the purchase of Colgate Visible White for $4.49. There is a $1.00 off coupon if you go to www.iheartwags.com to find the link. You would need to pick up a very cheap item (because you'd need 2 items since you'd be using 2 coupons). You'd use your $2.49 RR from your first purchase and you'd get back a $4.49 RR. You could then take that $4.49 RR and use it towards the purchase of the $5.00 Clinical Strength Dry Idea. There is a $2.00 off coupon (see iheartwags.com again). Pick up another cheap item since you'll be using 2 coupons. You'd get both for free, and you'd get $5.00 in RR to use on your next purchase.
The CVS Game
CVS is also going through some changes and their sales are not what they used to be. They have caught onto us frugal shoppers out there, and they’ve lowered their limits and have changed some things. But don’t fret, good deals are still to be had.
You must have a CVS Extra Care Card. Ask for one at the register. Call the 1-800 number on the back to register it. Make sure to give them your email address because they will email you valuable coupons, somtimes certificates for free stuff! All of your coupons and Extra Care Bucks are tied to this card!
Ways to save: Extra Care Bucks (ECBs), in-store coupons, cash register tape coupons, beauty book coupons (ask for them in store. For those in class, those are the coupons I handed out), and magic machine coupons. That's the red box that acts as a scanner for pricing. If you scan your card under it, it will print out coupons. One scan per day.
You can use a CVS coupon and a manufacturer coupon together. Those are the cash register tape coupons, magic machine coupons, beauty book coupons, and emailed coupons.
You can use several ECBs in one transaction. Unlike Walgreens, ECBs do not count as coupons, and you can use 10 for one purchase if you like. You just have to be careful because if you have one for $5.00 and you only spend $3.00 – you lose the other $2.00. So always get enough to use up your ECBs.
Use $/$$ CVS coupons first, then use other coupons, THEN use ECBs. Sometimes lovely things will print out or be emailed to you for $/$$ purchase (example is $5/$25). They are handy and can save you quite a bit of money. There is an order to it though. You must FIRST give them the $/$$ coupon, then the other coupons, THEN the ECBs. That is the best way to maximize your savings.
You do not pay tax when paying with ECBs. Unlike Walgreens, ECBs do not act like coupons - they act like cash. So, when using ECBs to pay for a purchase in full, there is no sales tax. It is counted as a pre-tax discount, unlike coupons. So if you have a $4.99 ECB and you buy something that costs $4.99 before tax, then you walk out of there having paid NOTHING.
Watch for limits per hoursehold. There are limits on the sales items, especially those that give you ECBs. If there’s a limit of 1, then you should only buy 1 of that item, get your ECBs and use those towards another item that earns you more ECBs.
You can roll ECBs, if there's a limit of more than 1, to get more ECBs on the same item. So if the limit is 2, unlike Walgreens, you can use the same ECB from the first transaction, to pay for the exact same item in the second transaction, and more ECBs will print. You then would take those and max out the number of items that it will allow you to get, and then go on to the next item that earns you more ECBs.
Ask for rainchecks if they are out of an item. Sometimes their stock just stinks, and then there are greedy people who empty shelves. If they are out of something, ask for a raincheck. Depending on the cashier, you will either get the ECBs subtracted off the purchase price (sometimes making it free) or you will act like it’s a normal purchase and they’ll manually print out the ECBs for you.
Quarterly ECBs are given. They are 2% of your quarterly spending. When you get really great at playing the game, you will find that you MIGHT get $1.00 every quarter. But in the beginning, especially if you get a new card, you can get some really great quarterly earnings. My card, when I first got it, had over $300 worth of purchases on it because that’s the one they’d just use at the register whenever people without a card would go through the line. That was nice!
ECBs (like RRs) expire. And once they expire, there’s nothing they can do about them. They are now refusing to reset them for people, and so you will get stuck with them if you do not use them.
This isn’t necessarily a game of buying only needs. Sometimes you buy stupid things just because they are free and earn you more ECBs. The things you do not want, you can donate, because you’re not out anything.
So, let’s do a little playing with the CVS game this week (5/17): Dry Idea deodorant is 2 for $5.00 with $2.00 ECB when you buy 2. There are $2.00 off coupons (go to www.iheartcvs.com for link). With both coupons, you would pay $1.00 out of pocket for 2 dry idea deodorants. You would then receive $2.00 in ECBs. That is a profit of $1.00. You could then spend the $2.00 on another purchase that earns you more ECBs. Generally I do not buy anything there unless it earns me more ECBs.
Publix
Watch carefully for B1G1 sales. You can use 2 coupons on a B1G1 sale.
Publix doubles manfacturer coupons up to $.50 every day.
Publix in-ad coupons and mailed coupons (register for their clubs at Publix.com)can be used with manufacturer coupons for double the savings.
Monday is penny item day. If you spend $10 (before coupons) you get the featured item for 1 penny!
Publix sales run from Wednesday to Tuesday.
Publix offers a UPromise shopping card, so if you have student loans, have a child, or are in college yourself, then you can set up an account and a percentage of qualifying purchases gets put into your UPromise account.
Let's look at a possible good deal at Publix (as an example): Ritz crackers are B1G1 at publix for $3.69 (I think...lost the ad). There are $1.00 off coupons at kraftfoods.com. If you print 2 of those coupons out, you can get 2 boxes of Ritz crackers for $1.69 (or whatever the price is) because you can use 1 coupon per item (even on a B1G1 deal). That's a huge savings if you eat crackers in your house. We certainly do!
As a side note, Fred's doubles coupons up to $.75 every Saturday.
Now I know what you’re asking. Does it really save that much money? Does playing the CVS and the Walgreens and the Publix games really matter that much? Is it really worth the time and effort?
Is It Worth It?
Yes, Yes it is! And that is just the free stuff!
For as much as we have, we've given almost that much away. Can you believe that? Between family, friends, and charities, we’ve given away boxes and boxes and boxes of this stuff…stuff that I got for free….just by using coupons and sales ads, and playing the games.
I realize that there was not a lot of food pictured, but that’s because we eat it. I never think to take pictures of my grocery shopping trips because I just put it away and call it good. We have been so blessed by using coupons. It’s kept our grocery, toiletry, diaper, and household product part of the budget down to $200 a month for our family of 5 (and that’s living large). We’ve been able to build a year’s supply of toiletries and household products for our family by doing this. This is not a game folks…we call it one, but it’s not. It’s life. It’s a way for me to hold onto the money we have and do something more positive with it than just buy stuff. I realize food is not “stuff” but the less I have to spend on these things, the more money I have to change our family tree.
All it takes is a couple hours a week and some planning and plotting. It takes changing the way you look at buying things – both big things and small things. It takes changing your attitude towards things, and not being frivolous with your money. If something is sub standard, or the product is defective, call them on it. Complain, give them the info from the packaging. They will replace it. We've gotten free batteries, diapers, taco shells and more by complaining about sub-standard products. I have 2 coupons in my coupon files for 2 free boxes of Taco Shells because we bought some that were greasy and chewy. There were defects in about half a box of some Huggies diapers I bought (24 out of 70 diapers) and they sent me a coupon for a free box. So stop settling for less than the best. Start thinking about where your money is going. Stop just handing it over….try holding onto some of it.
How Do You Do This?
By Starting! Just take the time to begin. Start getting your feet wet.
Clip those coupons, search the sales, hit the internet, dig for the good deals, plot and plan. On average, spend about 1-2 hours a week doing those things. In the last year, I spent (on average) 78 hours doing the coupon thing (and I know it was less since I took a 3 month break) and I got over $2500 worth of stuff for FREE. I kept some, donated some, and gave some away. For every hour I spent clipping coupons, I made my family $32.05. Where else can you get $32.05 an hour?
Now you are not going to start out bringing in hundreds of dollars of free stuff. It took me a couple years to get to this point, but with time, effort, and know-how…you can get there too.
Again, keep your integrity in tact! This is the most important thing to remember. You will not win with money if you do things that are not right. You cannot get something for free with coupons and then return it. It’s not right. You cannot illegally obtain coupons and use them. You cannot lie, cheat, or manipulate the system. You cannot have the intention to do harm to those you do business with. You cannot be merciless when haggling with people. You must have extreme integrity when you do these things. You MUST, or you WILL NOT win with money.
You need to wake up, look at what you're spending your money on. Decide today that you are going to stop handing over your money to someone else, by paying full price for things that you can get for less. It's YOUR money, keep it in YOUR pocket.
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