Thank you Target!!

Scary as it may seem, the retail value of these receipts represent over $48. I paid less than $20. Feel free to add the receipts. When calculating, please note that on the cat litter, the real price is listed second, after the Target coupon, and the same is true for the Renu.

My first transaction was the 2 bags of Starbucks coffee, paying $14.78 after the (2) $1.50 coupons. I received a $5 Target gift card for the purchase. I put it in the car, then got the rest of my agenda.

Purina Cat food 7lbs. $7.49

Tidy Cats litter 20 lb. $6.99

Renu solution $5.99

(2) Ben Gay @ $4.24 ea. = $8.48

(2) Skittles (no shame) @ $.79 ea. = $1.58

After Sales and coupons, and the $5 target Gift Card, my total was $4.53, making the grand total $19.31.

Let it be said that these items are very hard to coupon. And let it also be said that if you bring your empty Starbucks bag to Starbucks, they will give you a free 12 oz. coffee, no purchase necessary. You just have to make it there within 30 days of the expiration of the bag. I have until February 2012. Do you think I will make it? LOL!

So how much is a 12 oz. coffee anyway? $2? So you can add $4 on to my total retail value, making a $50+ purchase less than $20. That is officially 60% savings. Thank you Target!!

CVS Freebies or Nearly free. Week ending 9/17

Rephresh tampons $6.79 w/ $6.79 ECB- Use $1 on site coupon for a money maker.  (I used mine last time, but hey, free is still free)

http://www.brilliantcoupon.com/

Soft Soap body was $2.99 w/ $2.00 ECB- Use $.75 printable Q

http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?bt=vg&tqnm=yigdccf80165579&o=90529&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=CP&p=6336659&z=&r=&pc=&tc=

CVS Allergy Relief 5 ct. (assorted) $3.69 w/ $3.69 ECB

St Josephs Aspirin 36 ct. $2.00 w/ $1.00 ECB- Use $1 Q in this weeks SS


Dawn Plus Hand Renewal- $.99 (limit 5)- Use $1 Q from previous P&G insert (exp. 9/30)

My Rite Aid Picks, week ending 9/17

Care Free liners 60 ct. 2/$6 w/ $3 Up+ Rewards- If you are out of the $.50 Q from SS, here is a printable

http://www.carefreeliners.com/special-offers

Caldesene Baby Care products $4.99 w/ $4.00 in Up+ Rewards- Use $1 Printable on site

http://www.caldesene.com/coupon

Aquafresh BOGO Half Off w/ $2 Up+ Rewards WYB 2- Use any $1 Q on site

http://www.aquafresh.com/Savings.aspx 

Irish Spring deodorant $2.99 w/ $2 Up+ Rewards

Lysol Wipes $1.99 ea. Use Rite Aid $1/1 Any Lysol product

http://riteaid.adperk.com/

Axe Body Wash 2/$9- Use Previous RP BOGO Axe Gel or Detailer (exp 9/24)

Bayer Advanced 20-36 ct.$2.99 w/ $1.00 in Up+ Rewards- Use $2 Q in this weeks RP and stack with $1/1 From Rite Aid Video Values (this is a $1.01 money maker)

http://riteaid.adperk.com/

Better food coupons.

*Sea Cuisine $2/1 @  www.smartsource.com

*Hood milk, sour cream, cottage cheese and more

http://www.hood.com/promo/default.aspx?id=2069

*Horizon Organic Diary

http://www.horizondairy.com/

*Kraft Big Slice $.50

http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent.aspx?id=99831

*And a slew of printable coupons through Mambo Sprouts

http://www.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=15046&nid=10&zid=uw18

(Note the Luna. These go on sale at Shaw’s 10/$10 often. DOUBLER!!!)

Coupon Fraud. Yes, it exists, and it is a felony.

I am not going to dignify this too much, because everyone knows how I feel about shelf clearing. So it stands to reason that coupon fraud would really p*ss me off. And it further nauseates me that a show would knowingly air an episode when (allegedly) a consumer was using coupons fraudulently. I knew when TLC’s Extreme Couponing hit the air there would be repercussions. These people are why companies like Target have “Coupon Police.” So just in case you don’t know what constitutes fraud, I will list as many as I can think of off the top of my head.

*Unauthorized duplication of a coupon. Scanning, photo copying, anything that duplicates outside of the means of the original printing process.

*Knowingly using inappropriate coupons for a product. For example, some P&G products have similar codes, but are entirely different products, however might scan for the wrong product. People obviously do this for a higher dollar amount on a coupon.  If you have a big order and think you can sneak one or two by a clerk who is not paying attention, good luck to ya. Because if you scanned a rewards card, or paid with debit, they have every right to audit transactions. Don’t think they don’t. My old man worked for CVS loss prevention. Coupon fraud is the leading source of loss, after employee theft.

*Which leads me to a subject that drives me to drink. Having multiple cards under an alias is coupon fraud. Let me ask you, does anyone really need 20 free Airwick room fresheners, or do you think that the 1 or 2 a month between, IDK, 5 stores is good enough? Is it enough temptation to pay a lawyer to avoid a felony? I say no.

This is basically the crux of the situation. This allegation of this show is not new. I see fraud happen enough in real life, without a network (allegedly) promoting it. This week, people are blogging that a certain deal at CVS is valid, but they are using the wrong coupon, because of the much higher value. This is fraud. You know, I understand what temptation is, but folks, I know the penalty. It is so not worth having something that embarrassing on your record.

And yes, my first sentence is a lie. I dignified it too much. 

Vehicle Maintenance: 3 things I never pay for.

Battery terminal cleaning:

First of all, the typical charge for such a cleaning is about $25. Basically what they do is unscrew the cables, negative side first with vice grips, scrape the caked acid with maybe a jack knife or such, scrub with a cleaning element (usually baking soda and water paste, not kidding) and a toothbrush, smear petroleum jelly or grease on the posts, then put the cables back on making sure the nut is as tight as it can go. 


Some places even twist and yank the cables to loosen them. This can crack your battery and spill even more acid. They need to have the nut loosened, and worked with vice grips to separate them.

It is important to do the negative side first and then put it back together so there is no chance of having a piece of metal hitting the positive post when you are in the middle of cleaning that. Same theory as improperly jumping a car. FIREWORKS!!! If you do this, please use safety glasses.

Radiator Flush:

With the exception of having an actual leak, there is NO reason that a Radiator flush should cost upwards of $100. I understand they have to treat the fluid like hazardous waste, but if you do this yourself , you can bring the antifreeze, and other labeled household chemicals to a yearly or bi-yearly community chemical waste day. They are usually done during the first portion of spring.

One  would need a pan twice the size of the radiator storage tank, safety glasses, possibly a jack, funnel, garden hose, and new antifreeze. At the bottom of the radiator, there is a screw, possibly with a protective cap on it. Once bottom and top is unscrewed, the fluid will spill into the pan. The pan is put aside, then tank is flushed with funnel and hose, the bottom is screwed back on, and antifreeze funneled into the radiator, but not filled to the top.

'Disclaimer': If you chose to do this at home, please discharge antifreeze responsibly. When flushing with water, I am not supposed to recommend that you let that water fall to the ground, although I would submit that the amount of debris left in your empty tank when diluted, is equivalent to the toxicity in a can of hairspray, or the triclosan in our drinking water from antibacterial soaps. Just saying.

Air Filters:

Um.... NEVER SAY YES TO AN AIR FILTER AT THE GARAGE!!! If you know how to fasten a barrette, you can change an air filter. There should be 4 or so fasteners that clamp your filter together. The filter pad itself is about $8-$10 at Walmart or Auto Zone etc... But a garage or dealership will charge you twice the amount. This is clearly not an issue of labor, rather making their money on convenience by doubling the retail. No really, braiding hair is more complicated than changing the air filter. And Auto Zone will gladly comply with the right filter when you give them the make and model of your car.

Coupon Couth

I have written about this before. No doubt everyone is eager to start saving money, but nothing is more unattractive than witnessing bad behavior from a couponer. I cringe when I have to stand behind someone that just argued with a cashier, and that person had ‘NO IDEA’ whatsoever how a particular stores policy worked. Quite frankly it is embarrassing, and it is why some businesses are acting like coupon Nazi’s.

 If we chose to devote this kind of time into saving some serious cake, then part of that is knowing each stores individual policy. Honestly, it’s our responsibility, and it is the people that try to circumvent those policies, and then ARGUE about it, that gives the whole gig a bad rap. So as a courtesy, I am posting as many links to policies as I can find tonight to aid in our journey towards Coupon Couth.

Walgreens:

http://www.walgreens.com/topic/generalhelp/coupon_policy_main.jsp

CVS:

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvscontent/faq/couponpolicy.pdf

Rite Aid:

http://content.riteaid.com/stores/CustomerCouponAcceptancePolicyAugust2010.pdf

Target:

http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-040400

Walmart:

http://walmartstores.com/7655.aspx

Shaw’s:

https://www.shaws.com/contact/faqs/coupons.jsp  (then hit the down arrow on “Read Full Policy")

Hannaford:

http://www.couponmom.com/hannaford-coupon-policy-627

Market Basket:

While DeMoulas does not even have a website, rather a fan club that runs a site in their honor, their policy is pretty simple.

*They do not double coupons.

*You must abide by the language in the coupon.

*They do not honor expired coupons.

*You can use a Market Basket coupon in conjunction with a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item, so long as all the criteria and language on both coupons are met.

*They do not allow a coupon to out value a sale price. They will adjust the value of the coupon.

*They will not let you combine a B1G1 coupon with a $/1 coupon.

*There is no limit to how many like item coupons coupons you can use, so long as all the criteria is met.

*They do not take competitors coupons.




P.S. Even though you may not be a violator, maybe you can take someone who is, gently by the hand ;)