Monday I tried to pricematch and use coupons at walmart. The "cashier police" stopped me from doing that as that's one deal on top of another .. and once can't do that. Since I've done this many times at Walmart I let them reverse the items (all 9 boxes of cling wrap) and just bought the other items I wanted.

I didn't feel like waiting around for a manager and the supervisor (err.. other employee?) had backed up the cashier's statement.

So when I came home I sent walmart an email asking for clarification of policy.

Today ... manager at walmart called. Assured me the cashier was wrong and i was right .. and that they have been SPOKEN TO (uh huh). One can use coupons on price matched items.

So I asked if I could come by tonight and do it with no problem - he assured me I could and I have the name of the manager and the assistant working tonight.

My guess is that emails to head office get logged and the manager gets a black mark for them and a really big black mark if I have to write another email tonight. He assured me that I should phone him if I run into any other issues and he'll handle it "quicker than head office".

Still he was very nice and I did get his phone number.. just in case. I'm keeping that number.

So on the way home I go there and get my cling wrap.

Got to the cash, not a bad line up.. only two in front of me though dyno-boy on cash is straightening the baby clothes on the hangers before he takes them off of the hangers (it was interesting to watch...). Anyways the customer service manager - hey it said so on her tag- came over and took over cash. She assured me no problem about the price matching and coupons. Totally not an issue.

I smile and hand her over the 9 coupons I had - I bought nine boxes of cling wrap (price match for $1 and $1 off coupon .. the sort of deal one gets to like).

And of course you know what happened then don't you?

Yup she tried to tell me that it is one per purchase (you KNEW that was coming didn't you??). So I tell her yup, 9 coupons, I'm purchasing 9 items what's the problem. She looked dubious and she paged someone. I said, well if you want you can do it in 9 transactions. She didn't like that answer much. (and yes I'd have used my debit card for each transaction *grins*). Finally she gets an answer but not before she suspends my transaction and has dyno boy start on the next order.

Luckily for her she didn't end up up having to do 9 transactions for me as someone on the other end of the phone authorized her doing them on one bill. She took me to the cash at customer service so I'd not have to wait any longer. She was very pleasant but .. come on .. shouldn't a customer service manager know policy?

Never mind .. that last question was rhetorical

Gawd saving money is hard work.

Yvonne

Went to walmart today and did a whole bunch of price matching and couponing.

Hard to know what exactly I saved with price matching but here are the highlights.

Royale TP - $8.57 each or so .. pricematched with shoppers $4.88 and used 2 $1 off coupons

Ritz crackers with the free cheese - $2.67 or so at Walmart - pm'd to shoppers and got them for $1.79 X 6 plus whatever the free cheese is worth..

Lipton Sidekicks - $1 something at walmart.. pm'd to Superstore $0.99 cents each - bought ten then used 5 of the buy 2 get $2 off coupons - ALL FREE

KD -$1 something.. pm'd to Zellers 49c sale..

Coffee Mate - $3.50 X 3 - 2 $5 off TMF coupons = 50cents for all three

Bic Soliel - 7.88 minus $5 off coupon x 4

Used a free pledge coupon $3.27 - so free

In the end I used $45 in coupons, spent $106.62

I think with price matching I saved at least as much as in coupons or very close... my guess is I got very close to $200 in groceries for $100

And the cashier was sweet about it all! Personable, friendly and didn't need to scrutinize every coupon.. woo hoo

And to think some say couponing isn't worth it.
Y

I've not really been in the xmas spirit this year but went out today anyways to get some gifts.

Bought two gift cards (keeping it simple) from stores the recipients like. Bought a couple of kid gifts. Still have a few gifts left to get. But that's okay. Got the most of it done.

Had fun at superstore (like a huge walmart). The cashier got quite offended at me having $2.00 coupons for an item that cost $1.99. She couldn't bear the thought of me making a penny on the deal (not that I would have with taxes). I convinced her to put them through at 1.99. Better being out 6c than having to deal with 20 minutes of discussion. My time is worth way more than that (so is keeping my temper!).

Got my car back from Crappy tire. I dropped it off Sunday. The very bright mechanic said "oh I paged you in the store today when it was finished.

I just looked at him and said "I dropped it off Sunday and while I like roving around in the store its now thursday; I don't like your store that much. After a second he got it. If he worked on my car I'm a bit scared.

Cost just under $700. But I got a freebie - A pair of travel mugs and 1.50 in Crappy Tire money.

Did a mall shop today. Saved about 33% using coupons - got a free 2lb margarine and some dove pro-age stuff for less than 50c each plus tax after the Buy 2 save $6.00 coupon!

I always feel accomplished when I get stuff for nothing or next to nothing.

Could have lived without all the screaming and running around kids and the family reunion in aisle 7..

The local store is cleaning out their 250ml Fructus shampoo and conditers for $1.49. I went up there this morning and bought 14 of them. After the buy 2 get $3.00 off coupons I had I got them all for about $3.00 (taxes).

That's what I call nice shopping.

I'm going to keep 2 or 3 "sets" - the rest will go towards an Xmas hamper the local drop in centre.

I have more coupons. I may go up in the morning or later tonight to see if they have more and buy more so I can give it. I know homeless shelters want mostly foodstuffs - but people need to be clean to and this is just a bit I can add to what I give.

In my paper purging today I have found a number of cheques (totalling about $12 .. a number of free product coupons (at least 3 all still good) and some uncancelled and some unused stamps..

Oh and a $10 bill

Who says purging is a bad thing? I'm finding it nicely lucerative!

Went to walmart because they had splenda on sale.

Got the splenda and a bunch of other items. Nothing outlandish. Got to the cash register and had coupons for 8 of the 11 items I bought.

I wait while the cashier serves the girl ahead of me. She does quickly and pleasantly and then does my order. As I hand her my stack a woman two back in the line does this incredibly loud noise of disapproval and huffs off. I was very very bad and turned and looked at her and said "you'll survive". I know man but gees which barn did she learn her manners in?

The cashier took forever with the coupons as she had to write the price!! on every coupon!!! I apologized to her for this being a bother but that with how much I saved it is like not picking up a $10 bill floating on the ground. I think I had about $12-$13 in coupons - so saved about 20% on my bill.

The cashier was an absolute (abet slow) sweetie. No hassle at all. Said this was her job and didn't mind and kept a smile the entire time.


But man.. its like stores work at putting an obstacle course in your way when you use coupons.

Of course my interac (debit) card took this opportunity not to work and another 5 minutes was spent playing "swipe the card". I guess I'll need to go to the bank today to get a replacement. Being without my interac would be like going naked to work.. it just is too painful to think about.

Was going around the grocery store and noticing all the nice new coupon displays. Seems I was following the lady who puts out the coupons.

She was a sweetie. Showed me all the coupons she was putting out and even handed me 4 or 5 coupons for purfiltre milk. Normally I'd grab more than that for trading but I was gracious and said thank you. I like that type of milk so 4 will go way before the coupons expire.

She said she goes around the store once a week but once a month is the "big" coupon day.

I used some $2 off any lysol product coupons today on some lysol wipes and spray that were on sale for $1.99.

Its sweet shopping when they give it to you to take home!

Okay so I did have to pay that tax. I'm set for wet cleaning wipes and spray for a while now!

I was really excited a while back to sign up for a Kashi welcome kit. I figured a couple of good coupons etc..

Well they outdid themselves. I just got my welcome kit. Talk about a classy company!

4 fullsize boxes of Kashi plus 10 coupons for a free box of Kashi and a t-shirt. Maybe if i eat a better diet along with the Kashi I'll be able to fit into the medium size they sent me...

They are one classy company!

I cleaned up my coupon stash today. So many expired ones.

I am so tired of having coupons that I don't get to good homes before they expire. So I'm making up a bunch of envelopes for people of coupons on their wishlists.

Strangely I've found since I've been less worried about getting and more about giving I'm happier and strangely good things seem to come my way too...

I realised yesterday that I've had to do some things to move on in my life - mostly concerned with "email clutter".

I unsubscribed from the flylady mentor group. 790 unread emails in that email box indicated to me that it was email clutter and not a list that was useful to me. I still do some of the flylady stuff just not using her list. Also unsubscribed from a couple of lists that were based in the city where my x lives. Though friends are on the list it was time to move on. Sad but good that I did.

Two trains have been stalled at my station. Coupon trains that is. One is ready to go out and so is a trade where I already got the other part of the trade. I'm such a scatterhead lately.

Today's mail was a veritable treasure trove of excellent mail.

I got free product coupons for the following stuff:

* Garnier Fructus Style Product
* Free Pledge Duster Plus
* Save $10 Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Cleaner
* Scrubbing Bubbles Soap Scum Remover
* So Good Soy Milk So Trim or Chocolate

And .. a $5 cheque from Pinecone.

Can I have lots more mail days like this one please?

"I don't use those"

That is a quote from my father when I handed him a coupon. He held it like I gave him a box of extra large jumbo tampons with a trail pack of midol on the side to purchase for me along with some birth control pills and condoms.

I just said - well this way you save the tax.

So he did use the $1 off coupon for his tide. But man he did look pained. I was very proud.

Of course, this is the man who when he forgets something at the grocery store will go and buy it at the convenience store - and he expects to pay extra for the "convenience". This in a town where it is a 5 minute drive to decent priced stores.

I need to start this entry with the information that I am a Bzz agent, and they sent me coupons and free product coupon for Silk soy milk.

A coworker has had digestive difficulties for a while (I'm sure you need no more elaboration to get the picture) and finally had an appointment with a gastroenteritis's who has told her to not eat dairy for the next 6 weeks.

One of the things she wants to do it to try soy milk. It was great having a coupon for $1 off from the Bzz campaign - I wished I had a free product coupon for her so she could try it but the $1 off was nice and so is the fact that Silk has a low calorie one (she like I is trying to lose weight). I have the low calorie one in my fridge now and it tastes great! Like - it has a flavour -unlike regular skim cows milk.

I love when campaigns like this allow me to introduce people to a new product. If you are in Canada and would like to try this product please send me a private email and I'll send you a coupon for $1 off as I have a couple left.

A girl in a our building shelters cat's and fosters them. I had a coupon for a free bag of IAMs cat food. Even ought she is on vacation this week I brought it down to her before I forgot and had it put in her mail to deal with when she's back!

Always nice to get good mail amongst the rushes - and this way I don't forget.

7 items at $1 each

tax of 14 cents

3- $2 off coupons

= a bill of 14c.

Yes I think he forgot to ring something up! I was going to ask him to redo but the line up was huge so I paid what he asked and hustled out of there thinking the 10 folks in line behind me would be happy.

Nice deal but I feel a bit guilty

Ages ago I wrote to this company and complemented one of their foods. It was a few months ago. Today from their US office they sent me a real letter (snail mail) with coupons good in Canada and thanking me for being a customer.

Not huge coupon but 3 50c off any product they make coupons.. a short email saves me $1.50.

Nice! Other than their being a bit slow to respond they've made me feel like a loved customer.

This good mail was accompanied by
Travis Tritt tickets (twang twang, twiddle twang) that I had ordered and my visa bill.

Definitely a mail day of mixed blessings

Anyone who knows me knows I like coupons - and often use them! But sometimes marketing geniuses at large corporations absolutely floor me with their sophisticated marketing plans surrounding coupons

Went into the beer store today to return wine, cooler and beer bottles. Made about $6.50 - proving I'm a lush and/or haven't been there in a while.

A few months back I found Swanson Hungry man coupons at the beer store. Your average beer drinker I would guess would be male and likely not too into coupons. Can you find me a dozen men into voluntarily using coupons please.. oh never mind.. can you think of two men who will use them without prompting?. I didn't get that campaign, but then again I'm not a marketing genius for a major corporation.

Today, I found Degree coupons at the beer store for their *suprise* manly deodorant (with 1 million molecules of protection .. make sure you count the molecules as you swipe it on those hairy pits...).

This was slightly more bemusing than the older fellow in front of me who was getting what I think was a 2-4 of Wee Willy Beer ("Waitress - I'd love a Wee Willy") I really do think that was the name of it ..

Anyways, I was looking at the customers at the beer store. Other than the Wee Willy guy there was another one looking like he was wearing electric blue Hawaiian pyjamas that were cropped off at the knee... he really didn't look like the grab a coupon type...

Oh yeah, they are worth 75 cents off Degree Men and expire Dec 31st.

What is it with Walmart that they can't get enough cashiers? They used to be great but more and more you go there and most of the cash registers are closed and you get to stand there in a line up to pay.

Then when you price match you have to get into a long discussion with the girl that "no the ketchup you are price matching is not the item that was on a two day sale that is now over.." but an item that is on sale until Friday.

Add to that the store was really warm so I felt like I was having a hot flash. I wasn't - the store was just really warm and really crowded and my temper and frustration levels may have been slightly raised.

On a good note - the Ziploc big bags I bought had a $1 off coupon on each of them and I found a coupon in the store for an item that the man in front of me was buying - so I gave it to him (I had lots of time to be nosy and look at what others were buying)

Monday was a very good mail day! I got a small coupon train with at least one coupon I can use, and a cheque from Pinecone! I love pinecone - seem to get survey's pretty regularily and sometimes even products to evaluate!

Well at least that is how this demo-girl was acting.

I have a sip of the minute maid OJ. It is OJ. Pretty good - but OJ gives me heartburn so I don't buy it.

But I'm learning to be better finding deals and coupons for
friends/trading buddies so I ask for a coupon. Demo-girl makes me promise to buy the OJ so I say okay (while thinking not likely). With much fuss I get a 75 cent off coupon that she carefully puts on the bottle (it is a hangtag coupon thingy). I ask if I can have a second coupon. I get told well okay but only I promise to buy a second bottle. I wander down the aisle to see if they have Acid Free. They don't. Demo girl follows me down the aisle and tells me she didn't think they had it, and that I only can get the second coupon if I buy two because there aren't many of these coupons.

I go shopping. The OJ gets ditched in the cheese cooler. The coupon goes in my purse.

I stand in line to pay praying demo-girl (at the back of the store) doesn't come up to check on me.

I have heartburn all evening.

Who says finding coupons is easy?

Went and used more of my coupons for beans. Bought 18 cans. Effectively was paid $3.18 to take them home with me!

Did I ever mention how much I love coupons and sales?

Oh and a friend bought my lunch today. Free lunch and free stuff. Life is good!

Bought:

9 cans of Heinz Beans
dozen eggs
2 2pks onion soup mix
Splenda (200 pkg)
Milk (2L)
Oatmeal Packages
Shampoo and Conditioner (Herbal Essence)
Gel and Hairspray (Herbal Essences)

Used about $24 in coupons, spent $8.98

Couponing can really pay off some shopping trips!

Quite often when there are contests that involve food products there is a option for an entry that doesn't involve purchasing the product. Taking advantage of this method of entry can sometimes result in getting a Free Product Coupon - allowing you to purchase the item for the cost of the postage and sometimes a self addressed stamped envelope. This particular offer didn't require the SASE.

So this past weekend I got organized and wrote out 20 entries (the rules allow one request per day via mail) and got them into envelopes, addressed and stamps, that way I can drop one in the mail every couple of days.

I'm planning to pick up a couple of the sauces for myself and likely will give away some of the FPC's as RAOKs.

Used $9 worth of coupons today. Effectively got two products for free (it is sweet when the coupon covers the sale price of the product) and got some other items for about 1/3 of their regular cost.

Cashier credited me with $7.60 in coupons. I'm still not quite sure how she did that when being given coupons as follows:

3@$2.00
4@$0.75

Ended up making a trip to the customer service desk for a cash refund of $1.40 to get things straight.

Its really wearying to have to argue and be so on top of things when using coupons. Still my entire order came up to $24 so I did some nice savings on my items.

Today was the first time I did any of the CVS deals that get you extra care dollars. Was surprised not to even see a note about them on the receipt. Only note was that I get $2.50 off my next sleep aid. I'm using those these days to sleep so likely will use that in the next few days.

Bought 2 Excedrin products - the two of them came to *just* $20 but hopefully I'll get the extra care bucks for $20. Also bought Aleve that was supposed to get me another $1 in Extra care bucks.

In next weeks flyer they mention that buying 2 intuition cartridges gets you $10 extra care bucks. I use intuition so that seems a good deal (though dang it those are expensive, at least I have one $2 off coupon).

If life is really good maybe I can use the extra care bucks I hopefully got today on monday to purchase the intuition and get more extra care bucks..

I am in a small group with a bunch of ladies who coupon. It is a small group and from what I can tell the people are all good people.

I've been sending out a ton of RAOK envelopes (Random Act of Kindness)to people in that group with coupons in them that are on their wishlists. This has made me feel wonderful. Mostly they are coupons I'll never use or ones that greedy me found a lot more of than I'll ever use *oink oink*.

Honestly the warm fuzzy when I get thanked is great (I don't put my name in it but usually they'll figure it out as I do put my return addy on the envelope), and is worth way more than the cost of the postage in "warm fuzzies"

I got a note from one of the girls with $3-$4 in stamps (I never did count them) with the note .. "gotcha - this is to help you with your raok wh*&ring. I have not laughed so hard in a while. She made me feel so good about what I am doing and is only encouraging me to do more of it. Which might have been her idea. Seeing I found a few coupons tonight that I know a couple of folks are looking for - it won't be a problem to use up those stamps, LOL

One of the other girls on the list sent me an envie today with a free product coupon in it for a product I use all the time. My is it ever nice to get mail like that!

Oh and on a related note, I've found Staples in their clearance section often has fancy envelopes marked down to good prices - I've found some pretty ones for a good price. They aren't shiny-shiny but they are pretty-pretty.

Those sweet gals at bath and bodyworks saved me some money today. I had a coupon for $10 off something so I stopped off in there to see if I could score a good deal.

I found the product but it looked way more expensive then $10. The gals working there were standing and talking amongst themselves in the back corner of the store - ignoring all the customers wandering around - there were at least 2 other people in the store other than me...

I might have been tempted to spend money had they encouraged me. I love crappy sales help when they help me save money I shouldn't be trying to spend. Yeah, I know I shouldn't have gone in there in the first place...

I'm sure their employer is equally enamored of their lack of effort to part me from my money.