Friday Food for Thought

This is a question I have been pondering since the beginning of my coupon existence. Do managers like or hate couponers? How do you think they really feel? Please leave a comment and then I will tell you what I think!

Catalina, working out the bugs

So today, I had only one child with me so I decided to do some shopping! I gathered my supplies
Yes, I took all this and my toddler in the store, thankfully she doesn't request car carts yet!

Here is what I got, but...the catalina didn't print :( I asked the cashier, one of my favs, right after I paid and the catalina didn't print anything. She added it up (had to use a calculator because of the prices!) and confirmed I should have got one. So she called the manager over, another one of my favs. She said "the coupons probably mess it up, but they shouldn't have". They didn't have the override code to print out the coupons, (they have to call corporate), so they just gave me $15 cash, which is great....but

I was trying to teach you how to roll a cat. This is why I usually wait until the sale has been going a few day, so all the bugs are worked out and they have the override code. (I live in a "small" town and have only one Albertsons.) However, I did get my "rewards". It is important that you bring it up if your cat doesn't print, because they need to know of problems. One of the managers that came over, is in charge of making sure items are entered right so they trigger the catalina. When you let her know of a problem, she can fix it for the rest of us. I hope it works for you. I am probably going to give it another try on Monday, hopefully there will be doubles this weekend. Has anyone tried the deal? Did it work for you?

*Ironically, I did get two Cottonelle wipe coupons, and two future promo coupons out of the catalina machine. 1) Buy $10 in participating items, get $2 cat (picture shows Duncan Hines, Vlasic, Log Cabin, and Mrs. Butterworth) Runs from 11/1/09-11/30/09 and 2) Free diaper clutch (via mail) with any Pampers Big Pack purchase valid from 11/4/09-12/8/09. Look for $20 in coupon savings in specially marked packages too. Thanks for the info catalina, next time though, I will be expecting my $15 coups!

Safeway/Kohls deal

I don't usually blog about Safeway deals, because I don't usually go there. (It is the most expensive and farthest away for me.) However, frugal living NW has a great post about several overlapping catalinas for this weekend, including earning Kohls cash. I don't have a Kohls near me, but it sounds like a good deal if you do. It is complicated and definitely advanced, but check it out if you are interested.

Catalina round #1

I am going to run down a catalina deal for you, so you can see how it is supposed to work. Even if you aren't in Albies land anymore, follow me on these string of posts, because catalina promos work the same at many stores.

Round #1: Look through ads, your pantry, and coupons to see what you want/need. I looked through my coupon stash and the ad and saw what I had coupons for (or could print easily) and came up with: cookie mix, frosting, potatoes, flushable wipes, toaster strudels, paper towels, Kleenex, salad dressing, soup, brownie mix, yogurt, Chex mix, and pasta sides. I also wanted to get some soup mix, cake mix, bar soap, mayonnaise, and veggies at these prices, even without coupons. I added up what coupons I had and I had enough to do three transactions. This step took longer than I thought because of those crazy uneven prices.
Next I divided them up into three separate transactions. I made a list (you couldn't see anything in the picture I took so I didn't post it, sorry) of each transaction. I wrote the quantity of each item, the amount, and then the total amount. Remember you total is $30 before tax and coupons. Use the prices directly from the ad, don't try to calculate in coupons and the catalina discount. So tomorrow, I am going to do one transaction and buy:

2 Wishbone Dressings (2@1.99) 3.98

2 Progresso Soups (2@1.69) 3.38

2 Viva Paper Towels (2@1.99) 3.98

3 Betty Crocker Frostings (3@1.69) 5.07

7 Cottonelle Tubs or Refills (not sure which size is included by the ad, but we LOVE these. If you have small children learning to potty train, they are a must!!) (7@1.99) 13.93

Total $30.34

Now I will use 2 $.75 dressing, 2 $1.00 soup, 2 $.50 paper towels, 3 $.50 frosting, 2 $1/2 wipes, 1 $.50 wipes, and 1 $.50/2 wipes (again not sure on the sizes, so I might not need to use all these wipe coupons). For a total of $10 in coupons so my new total is $20.34 and I should get back $15 (usually in the form of 3 $5 catalina coupons, which will print out AFTER I pay). So I will need to pay $20.34 for this transaction. I leave the store with the above items and my $15 cat coupons. I am going to do this Thursday AM, so I will post my results and see how it turned out.

Store Secrets: Staples Ink

I love Staples! They often have free or cheap after rebate items. Plus their rewards card, which sends you a rebate coupon on your total purchase amount every quarter. The best part of all though, is their ink cartridge recycling program. Just bring in any empty (I mean any...even that old one from the mid 1990s...) and they will credit your account for $3 each. Sometimes they even run promotions where they credit you for $5 each. My Staples usually lets me turn in 3 cartridges at a time. Then at the end of each quarter, they mail you a coupon check for the amount. I usually use mine to buy what else, more ink! This is a great program, especially since you are using lots of ink to print coupons, right? Now you know another store secret: that was easy :)

Deals of the week

First off, some news about Fresh Market/Albertsons for Utah readers. Pinching your pennies has the details about what stores are actually staying Albertsons and what you can score with your Albertsons card.

Second, there are some good produce coupons on the back, so check those out. There are also lots of deals on baking supplies, mostly Albertsons brand. I suspect these will go lower or similar sales will last on these throughout the month. A couple of quick mini promos too. Buy a Whole Cure 81 ham, get a free Honeysuckle white turkey breast. Also, Idaho potatoes 5 lbs bags are .75, with a .75 coupon available on Gourmet Crispy Onions (not exactly sure what that is, but possibly free potatoes).

Last, there is a catalina promo this week! (If you are confused already, please read this.) Yeah, I am very excited, since these deals have become my favorites. We are going to walk through this one together, to learn a little bit more about catalinas. So first off, it is mainly General Mills products and for some reason they are priced weird, so it makes the math a little complicated. You are not going to hit $30 exactly, but try to get as close as possible to make the best deal. This is how it works, spend $30 get $15 catalina coupon for your next trip. This total is before tax and before coupons. Then you can roll the $15 catalina on another transaction to earn another $15 catalina, repeat, repeat, etc...etc... You do have to divide these up though. You can't spend $60 at once and get $30 back, it will only give you $15. Let's look at matchups first the krazy coupon lady and a thrifty mom. (I am not just going to cut and paste these bloggers posts...so click on over to check out there great lists!)
Look through your stash and head over to http://www.coupons.com and print out Betty Crocker frosting, potatoes, Pillsbury crescents, Kleenex tissues, Progresso soup,Chex mix, Cheerios, Betty Crocker Cookie Mix, Progresso Broth, and Yoplait Delights. Remember these coupons have a set number of prints before they are gone, so print early. There are lots of printables available at the links above too.

**Homework: go through your pantry and your coupons and decide what you need or want. On Thursday, we will work through some possible scenarios. It should be fun to figure this out together!

Step #8: Balancing the Stockpile

If you have been doing this awhile you have seen those videos/pictures with huge stockpiles that make most KMarts jealous. Which brings up the whole ethical issue with me, how much is too much? (On my soapbox now...)

Several wise men in my church and our FEMA program have stated that we need a "years supply" of food and personal items. That is my guideline. I try to have what I think we could and would use within a year. More than that is extravagant and wasteful for me. I mean are 87 toothbrushes really going to come in handy if there is a catastrophe? Would it be more helpful to have say 25 cans of tuna? Am I really going to eat 10 cans of vegetables before they expire(yes), but 100 probably not. Is this instant food healthy or just cheap and convenient, would it make more sense to buy fresh ingredients and make a casserole? Once you really get started into couponing, the deals are aplenty. What separates a good couponer from an excellent one (in my opinion) is learning when to say when. This has been a huge challenge for me, but I am getting better. I think I have found my own personal balance.

So here is my stockpile, I don't think it is huge, but manageable. I also recently had my "cupboard month", which I will talk about later. Basically we mostly make meals out of the cupboard to try and use up some food so it doesn't expire.

My kitchen pantry. The soup is from case lots sale last winter. The bottom boxes are tuna that my husband caught and had canned. I also have baking supplies on the other side, but it is mostly in bulk and not that exciting. Most everything else was bought here and there in reasonable quantities.
My bathroom stockpile. I am good with shampoo/conditioner/lotion/etc... we have a large supply. A lot of this I bought when I first started, before I realized how quick cheap shampoo multiplies. :)

Diapers. These are mostly in the next two sizes up, but I am mostly stocked up on these too. I think after I earn my free coupon from Rite Aid, I am good for about a year. By the way, these were all bought a pack at a time.

One of my favorite quotes is "Happiness is a place between too little and too much" (Finnish proverb). This is how I try to live my life, but also how I try to coupon. You know those "hoarding" shows, look in the background and you will see lots of full "deal" bags and coupons waiting to be clipped on the counter. Sad, but true most of these so called hoarders are "excellent" deal finders, but not so much "excellent coupon balancers." Okay, sorry for the tirade just sharing what I think. I hope it will give you some inspiration to find your balance: :)

Want to read more the coupon project has a great post on this subject.

November deals

What can you get cheap in November?
*For starters, Halloween candy and decorations should go on sale soon and continue until about mid month. It is also a great time to buy costume to use as dress-up. Last year I bought my son a knight and firefighter costume for $3 each and they have been favorites. You might have a wait a couple weeks to get rock bottom prices, but patience will pay off.

*Wedding dresses are cheap now. This is the time stores clear out their inventory and the boutiques are less busy, so maybe you will score an additional discount.

*Let's not forget BLACK FRIDAY! This is an ideal time to buy stereos, TVs, and clothing. This is one of my favorite shopping days of the year! I am thinking this year the stores will have some pretty great deals to try and get you in the door. Do you brave the crowds to get outrageous deals? When it gets closer, I will ask for your deals and stories, so be thinking!

Deals, deals, deals

Rite Aid is not the greatest this week, but the $3/15 coupons help. Head on over to coupons.com, while you are there print the new $2 Huggies coupon as well.

*Huggies diapers Mega are $14.99, plus $2 SCR, plus on more towards your free pack. Use coupon above.
* Oral B Crossaction Toothbrush $5, get $2 SCR, use $3 coupon from 11/1 P&G to get it for free.
my frugal adventures has the matchups, if you are looking for more deals.

Albertsons had a $10 off $50 good through Tuesday in the paper. There are also rumors of a good promo starting on Wednesday, so stay tuned.

Fred Meyer had Del Monte canned vegetables on sale for $2/1 (limit 10) Use with 9/20 SS for cheap veggies.

And the Winner is...

Yankee Wife was chosen by random draw. If you could please email me at dealsbydawn at yahoo dot com, with your name, address, and what store you would like your gift card from. Thanks for all who entered and all who read.

I wanted to apologize for the lack of posts this weekend. My computer/blogger have been having issues. I think I finally have it all figured out, but if the posts are a little crazy these next few days, please understand.