I am so excited that my blog had nearly 700 hits in the month of May! What started out as a family coupon resource, has surely spread beyond my family. I am overwhelmed that so many people have found my posts valuable as they plan their coupon trips. With so many new readers and with the new craze of "extreme couponing" I have decided to dedicate a post with some basic information about couponing, Rite Aiding, and stockpiling. For many of you, this is a repeat of information. However, I hope that some of you will find this information valuable.
"Why do you take time to cut/sort/file your coupons? I just don't have time for that"
*I hear this literally ALL the time. My response is, I work full time, I am a mommy to be and I get what being busy really means. However, I make time for couponing because it is important to me and it is essential to our way of life. My husband and I easily save a few thousand dollars each year just couponing. Who wouldn't make time for that???
"Don't you love that new TV show Extreme Couponing?"
*Many people are surprised to hear that I do NOT like this show at all. I feel that this gives new couponers the wrong impression of what couponing is all about. Couponing is NOT about seeing how much product you can collect for free. Instead, it is about stockpiling each week based on your family's need. In other words, couponing is not about getting 1,000 bottles of mustard just to stay it was free. Instead, couponing should be about collecting the amount of product your family will actually use keeping in mind that there will be other sales in weeks to come. If you coupon each week and collect a reasonable amount, your stockpile will begin to grow.
*I also feel that Extreme Couponing encourages people to take all the product they find on the shelf when they find a good deal. This is commonly called "shelf clearing" and is really frowned upon by people who have been using coupons for a long time. This does not help you keep a good relationship with the stores and it truly is greedy. Now, if there were two items on the shelf when you get to the store for the sale and you take both, this isn't considered "shelf clearing" but just poor planning on the store's part. But if there are ten and you take them all, that's another story. This is why you will notice that I do my shopping across a few different stores if I am very interested in a deal.
What's with all this Rite Aid lingo?
*Here are the basics you need to know about Rite Aid...
-Rite Aid has a few different programs that they run for their Wellness+ members. You must begin by getting their Wellness + rewards card (free at any store)
-One program is called Single Check Rebate- SCRs are listed in the weekly add. Basically, you go to the store, purchase the product, submit your receipt at www.riteaid.com/scr and click to receive your check at the end of the month. You can use coupons for the SCR products for an even better deal!
-Rite Aid also has +UP rewards that print at the bottom of your receipt. The +UP is like Rite Aid money and can be used to buy basically anything at their stores. For instance, this week the four packs of the Oral B toothbrushes are on sale for $5.99. In addition to the sale, a $4.00 +UP will print at the bottom of your receipt for your next purchase. Meaning that you will "pay" $1.99 for the toothbrushes. If you had a coupon for the toothbrushes, you can use it for an even better deal!
-Rite Aid also has Video Values (VV) found at www.riteaid.com that are like Rite Aid coupons for certain products. You earn the coupons by watching short videos each month. What is great is that these coupons can be combined with regular coupons from the internet or Sunday inserts. This is called "stacking." The rule is that you can use ONE Rite Aid coupon and ONE regular coupon per product. Using more than that is against their coupon policy.
What else do I need to know about couponing?
-I cut EVERY coupon from Sunday papers each week. You never know what coupon will help you with a sale/deal scenario. Sometimes I need to "buy" certain products in order to get products I actually use for free. Strange concept, I know. So cut, cut, cut! :)
-I use three websites for online coupon printing (I have found that any other coupon site is spammy and can cause viruses). www.coupons.com www.smartsource.com www.redplum.com
Also, many product websites will have coupons for their products. One example is www.coppertone.com
-Many coupons can be found by "liking" certain products on Facebook as well.
FINALLY!! :)
Please, please, please follow the rules of couponing (one coupon per item, purchasing the correct product based on the coupon, buying two products if the coupon is a "buy 2 get a $1.00 off, etc). There are great deals to be found by following the rules. If couponers cheat or try to play the system, stores will begin to make harder restrictions for coupon use.
Using your coupons the correct way will help you build a relationship with the cashiers/managers at the stores you visit. I'm not ashamed to say that I know nearly all of the workers at the Rite Aid in our area, they know my name and ask about my due date, they know my sister, mother-in-law, and niece by name. They trust that we are not trying to cheat the system because we use our coupons the right way. This certainly makes for a pleasant shopping experience for us. They value our business and we enjoy shopping there. It's truly a win win!
What did I miss??? What questions do you still have??? If you have a question, please leave it in the comments. Also, for all of my new "mystery" readers I would love to hear how you found my blog. I would love if you would introduce yourself! :) Thanks for reading!
