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.

A coupon train came through my station in December that seems to have gone into Postal Limbo. You do enough trains and eventually it happens.

The conductor email the group about it and asked me what had happened. I responded to her privately - in hindsight should have done it to the group.

Now someone on the train - not the next rider has sent out an email with my name on it asking where the train is. Cause she was "so looking forward to it". Pfffffft, cause she is so trying to make me look bad is how I feel about it.

I work hard at making my "station" a good one. I like having a good reputation. I feel like she is trying to smear my reputation. I might be wrong but that is how I feel.

I responded back publically and offered to the conductor to start up a new train for her (not like I am short of coupons). I'll wait and see how she responds.

I am way to angry right now about this. Hopefully its that time of the month when ladies are a bit sensitive about stuff cause if it isn't my reaction to me even feels over the top

Had a fun trip to whole foods today with a coworker who was treating me to lunch!

Did a bit of shopping afterwards - the best deal being some yogurt drink (like YOP) where there was an entire stack of free coupons. Yup, they had coupons that you could by one of the drinks and get it for free! Nice deal eh?

Surprised me. Whole Foods is not "coupon mecca' by any stretch of the imagination. Of course the cashier had no clue how to process it and had to consult with a coworker

A nice surprise getting something for free. Sampled some cheese there if that counts but whatever variety it was I didn't really like - I should have made mental note so I can avoid it in the future, LOL

Stopped in to a Tim Horton's for a coffee after the quilt store visit and found a coupon insert in a pile of flyers on the table. I scooped the inserts, naturally

For some reason in this market coupon inserts aren't even guaranteed if you get home delivery of the paper - they are almost never in the editions in the stores.

No I have no idea why smart source are stingy with flyers here. Seems a stupid way to promote the companies that advertise through them.

Had a note that I had a parcel with the mail last night. I picked it up this morning. A cute teatowel and a hot pad with a cute snowmen on it. This was from an exchange on on of the coupon groups I'm on.

Also in the mail today a coupon train! I'll have to go through that tonight.

Stopped at the grocery store to pick up some of their free calendars (with coupons) to bring for my workmates. I love sharing freebies!

I like wearing skirts, even in the winter, but hate the entire pantyhose thing. I wouldn't mind if I didn't go through them so fast. Pantyhose sure aren't frugal. I stopped on the way to get some tights. At least with the Hanes tights I get more than one wear out of them.

Picked up some specials tonight

20 Boxes of Kraft Dinner aka Kraft Macaroni and Cheese @$0.50 each with 10 coupons buy 2 save $1.00

9 boxes of Whole Wheat Pasta @ 1.00 each with 9 coupons for buy 1 save $0.50

4Litres of Milk $4.69 save $1.00 plus $1.00 off coupon.

Total spent $7.19

Had a bad moment when the cashier tried to tell me I only could use 5 coupons, but that got straightened out pretty quickly.

The KD will go to a local food bank.

I love shopping trips like this one

A local store had KD on 2 for $1. I found a coupon for buy 2 Kraft products save $1. That makes the KD free. Why we call it Kraft Dinner up here and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the states - I dunno - it is exactly the same stuff. Macaroni with this strange orange powder that you mix with milk and butter/margarine.



I eat the stuff rarely. It doesn't quite fit the nutritional profile of food I want to be eating (even when made with skim milk).

I'm going to buy as much of it as I have coupons for (I used 4 coupons today and have 14 more) and donate it all the the food bank. I love finding deals where I can help others at no or little cost to me.

I wanted to try a website while I was visting here in the US. It is one that helps you match coupons with codes. I checked - my boyfriend is in a zip code they cover.

So I went to enter my visa information so I could partake in the trial offer. Of course, its not set up to to work if your visa billing address is outside canada.

I then write as follows to the help box of the site:

I tried to sign up for the trial offer. 'm in the US visiting my boyfriend but I'm Canadian and your form doesn't allow me to enter in my address in Canada which is my billing address. Too bad. I was hoping to do some great shopping here.

Their response

We are working hard to bring our service to your area. For now, our _____ would be an excellent choice for you.
I recommend that you shop at Safeway in combination with the Tips in our ______

*Sigh* Their service is available where I want it, I just can't pay for it with my visa becuase my billing address isn't where they allow it to be. And safeway? They aren't any where I live at all.

Oh well, I'll go play with flyers

... in seaarch of the mysterious product known as Arizona Diet Iced Tea in the gallon jugs. I have never seen this here in that size bottle and frankly its way cheaper to buy it this way than in single serving containers. So I import it in bulk (yes I have no life).

A suggestion for grocers.. when you can't keep it on the shelf try ordering in more at a time. You'll have more sales if you keep the product handy for folks to buy.

Store one - was a nice bloke working in the pop/iced tea aisle. He told me they never manage to keep it in stock as it literally flies of off the shelf.

Store two - got behind a lady buying a ton of stuff in line. There was a crisis with the dozen or so cans of Spagetti-O's she was buying. She was using coupons for this prodcut and for some reason while they were all Spagetti-O's there were two UPC's showing up which caused great distress, involved a manager, made lots keys be punched and items be rescanned. They were efficent but officous, however, they got brownie marks from me as I watched them do some magic and she got her savings. As I don't consider Spagetti-O's food I was pleased for her but not at all envious of her deal on that particular product.

After a less long wait than I feared I was at the counter. When I mentioned I wanted more Iced Tea the cashier got the manager over, she cell phoned the department and had they had them they'd have brought me the 4 bottles more I wanted. This was nice service. Alas the iced tea was on order and due for Monday's shipment. As the store in in another country and about a two hour drive from my home that was nice information but sadly not information that benefited me.

We headed into town to watch the. dragon boat races today. A nice free activity

We watched a few heats and enjoyed some entertainment and wandered the booths. Amongst the stuff to buy were the tables of freebees.

I got samples of Tums, toothpaste and some nicorette gum that one of my coworkers might appreciate (she is trying to cut down/quit
Also grabbed a free waterbottle (I've been wanting one of these so this saved me some money) and a backstratcher. Oh yes and grabbed some coupons good until the end of the year!

Fun and free stuff. Woo Hoo!

The good was the Crest-Pro Health Toothpaste sample from Walmart. A large full tube .. Woo hoo.

The bad was a sample from Covergirl. The wee pouches of foundation opened in transport. Given how they dried on the paper, its matte, cracked and a brownish colour best not described on too much detail. Either the samples had poor quality packaging or the post office had fun with them.

The questions:

Anyone know why so few samples come with coupons. I'd have thought that would be a natural. What about marketing don't I understand? I'd have thought they'd want you to buy it a again and a coupon would help. What am I missing?

What do you do with the samples you don't end up using?

A rainy day, a pile of coupons from you know where.. a perfect marriage. I spent much of the day cleaning up the disaster my coupons had gotten into.

Didn't find any interesting ones. Found lots of expired ones and they are now tossed. The good ones are filed or, in one of the 6 envies for trains I put together. Also put together a few RAOK's for some lucky people.

Now I'm all couponed out - at least untili I go to the store next and SAVE! Woo hoo!

Though I do note now I eat less processed food that there are less coupons that I use. The crappier the food nutrionally the more likely you can get a coupon for it. Sad but true.

I love the walmart free samples. They must cost walmart and or the manufacturer some good money. You'd think they'd enclose a coupon so they could track how many people, through the free sample actually decide to purchase the product. Most of the samples don't seem to include a product coupon

I'd think this would be a marketing 101 sort of thing to do. How else do you know if sending out samples is useful in creating new sales.

Or do they figure all of us who get the samples are people who want free stuff and are likely too cheap to buy their product?

I was asked how I organize coupons.

While I have a method, its not working very well for me right now, hence feeling out of control and having too many coupons.

Coupons for trading are kept in envelopes (business sized) in a plasic "shoe box". The envelopes are in categories that work for me; sweets and baking stuff (think dessert), protien, dairy, cheese (i separate out cheese), soy (for veggie/vegan stuff), bathroom stuff, cleaners, pasta/rice/bread(the starches).

The envelopes don't work very well because they are paper. They tear and rip and are hard to handle. I haven't figured out something of about the same size to replace them. Wondering about file folders cut down to size but haven't got that far, and not sure if this is the right way to go.

Coupons I might use are kept in a smaller check register that fits into my way to big purse. I use the same categories here. This container too needs a good clean out. I've been away so much this summer that coupons are just piling up all over the place.

My problem is I keep too many coupons for trading and for trains I am on. I need to curtail that. Less is more. My current step is to weed out my collection and get rid of expired and soon to be expiring. While doing that I'm limiting duplciates to a maximum of 12.

Someone commmented on my blog about how they organize coupons in a photo album I think it is. I am going to ask more information about that. Maybe my method could use a change. I'm not sure. I think the weeding out and pruning still needs to be done though.

Oh and add to this my US coupon stash. Though I'm planning on getting that to someone who can use them (I haven't forgotten, life has just got me), other than the few that I might be able to use.

The store had such a nice display of Kleenex boxes. And a nice coupon. Buy 3 get 1 free or something similar. Good for a while.

*grab a couple*

Look at them later and see they are good only in the US. That's fine I'm there frequently and if I don't use them not hard to find someone who might like them. The question has to be asked of Kleenex though - did you fail geography? Why have pads of these coupons sent to stores in Canada?

I feel a letter to Kleenex coming, asking them if they can send me an equivalent coupon that I can actually use in the country I found it in.

Was at the grocery store without my coupons.

YES I KNOW BETTER *hangs head in shame*

Saw tetrapaks of soymilk on for $1 on Tues. Saw sign on and said either 15th or 16 of Aug as the last day (guess is said 15th). I was busy yesterday so got there with my coupons today.

Sale over.

Oh, and yeah, the coupons I had were for $1 off, and I have about 20 of them.

*sigh*

The coupon is good on the 1.89L size of SoGood Soy Milk, Its good on the 1L size of their milk and on the smaller tetrapaks. It isn't good on the 946ml size.

Oops. I hate stupid size restrictions.

Extra paid over planned 40 cents.

For some reason I don't mind coupons that are for one size only. But come on. Don't be fussy. 1L okay but 946L not okay.. really silly.

I walked up to get a coffee this morning in my normal half asleep state.

It hardly can be called a cup of coffee. The extra large, which I buy, is better described as a vat! Makes it easy most days to stick to having only one cup a day!

Fixed my coffee, went to the counter handed her money and my coffee card not realising that I was due a free coffee. Had the money handed back to me and was wished a nice day.

Usually I don't get surprised by being owned a free coffee. This made a very nice start to the day!

Having hair that seems to hate holding colour - red especially, I was in the market for a new colour today!

Checked out the Rite-Aid flyer - Preference on for 6.99. That seemed like a nice price. Checked my coupons. Had a buy 2 get $5 off coupon.

Regular price about 9.70 each, so with the sale and the coupon I ended up with a B1G1 deal.

So, I'm a happy camper. Lets just see if this medium brown colour works. The dark auburn brown had faded to light reddish brown, so this is nice and dark. Let's see if this lasts at all.

Last couple of shopping visits I've managed to save nicely using coupons that the supermarket has placed on items to get them to go before the best before date. 2 packages of certified angus beef both about $8 less the $5 worth of coupons on them. One steak is in the freezer the other made 3 very tasty meals.

Yesterday morning I wanted to take treats to work. We are moving our work area from one floor to the other and it seemed a good time to bring in something. I was going to buy some regular priced bakery treats when I realised all items on the markdown rack were $1 off and that most expired not that day but the day after - trust me at my office there is no chance of goodies lasting more than a few hours. I found three items I wanted on the markdown shelves although one didn't have a sticker on it. A quick walk back to the bakery counter to ask about it and quick as a wink that item too had a sticker! No fuss or anything from the clerk!

I sent away for the Herbal Essence sample a while back. Got the sample - cute one - nice for a weekend away. I so like the trial sizes so much more than the little annoying foil packages.

I took the coupon out of it and looked at it. Noticed this wording "Coupon void if transferred to any person, firm, or group prior to store redemption"

So what do they have against coupon trains anyways? I hope this is just a snarly markting person and not a trend.

The coupon doesn't have my name or any other information that I'm aware of. So what's the big deal with trading anyways?

My poor coupon holder. Left it at my BF's for a week. Had it last week and noticed its becoming HEAVY with coupons. It is actually a cheque register with labels over the months and something more useful written written as a description. I have things by cagetory, Meat, Liquid, Condiments, Bathroom Stuff, Cleaning Stuff, Starches (rice pasta bread), Sweet Stuff etc. Non traditional yes, but it works for me!

Anyways I cleaned it out today. All of the May and June coupons are now gone. Its way lighter now. Of course the 75 cents of Reynolds Foil coupons expired yesterday and the $1 each sale started today! Grumble. Always happens.

A chore done for another month! Or two...

This is one of the best shops I have managed to do! I know I have a ways to go to really maximize my savings but I'm not displeased with how I did.

Total Before Sales and Coupons 49.35
Coupon Savings 15.75
in Store Sales 11.88
Total Paid 20.72

Took ages to get through the register. But the girl was nice.

I'm really happy at how I combined in store sales with using coupons to maximimize my savings!

Bought some bagged salad last week (late last week)with an expiry date of June 30. Opened it last night. Its already going liquid. It has that special "rotting lettuce" smell. YUCK

Called the company today. I learnt something. When you buy salad always look for the bags with the least moisture and that aren't too poofy. Poofy bags are good for potato chips but bad for salad.

They will be sending me a coupon, which will be nice as I've had to throw out the salad I had from them.

I got fed up when I found a stash of coupons today. Not my trading stash or my personal use stash. But some I'd stashed in a drawer probably when I was doing a quick "stash and dash" before having company. It was painful to toss them but I grabbed them all and heaved them into the garbage.

Okay so I did pull out three but I didn't go thorugh them properly at all.

I'm tired of coupons all over the place.

Okay so it is the cheap chinese grocery store. It is part of a small chain. Fruit and veggies there are cheap cheap cheap. They have meat, fish and lots of "dry goods" too. Most stuff is not stuff I'm familiar with. This is an honest to goodness ethnic supermarket. I'm a nice white WASP girl. I am adventurous to a point...

I go there for cheap produce and tofu products. Today I ran in there for some yogurt. I have chicken thighs that have been in the freezer a bit long and I'm thinking marinade in yogurt for a few hours and then shake and bake. I'd love to hear other ideas though. This is the huge "club" pack. I could do a couple of things with them really now I think about it...

Anyways I go into the store and grab the yogurt. It has a peel and stick coupon on it for 50c off and the cashier refused to take it. Annoying but somehow not surprising. It has neve occured to me to take my coupons in to this store. But come on people. Don't have coupons hanging around on products in the store if you ain't going to accept them.

I brought a coupon train to work today to mail out. One of my coworkers and I were talking earlier in the day about products we use. She happened to mention one that was in the train - $3 off of her hair colour. I dropped it on her desk when I had an opportunity and it wasn't long before she was at my desk going through the train!

She was like a kid in a candy store. I have another train here that I'll bring in Monday for her to go through.

I told her about the basic rule - add more than you take and she's going to look this weekend for any high value coupons she has to add. She mentioned she had some good ones from surveys that she'd not likely use and would like to contribute

*beams proudly* Does she have serious couponing potential or what? She already brings me in flyers she gets at her house that I don't get at mine!

I think I may lure her into the deep dark dangerous world of serious couponing!

I did a quick shop tonight as the BF (aka GT) is coming for the weekend. He's vegan so I always need to get in a provision or two different than my normal stuff.

The store was full of staff. Friendly, no attitude, and attentive if you asked for assistance. Got to joking with the produce guy and another offered help when I was muttering to myself about something having to do with me being a twit. The cashier was great. I did the check out yourself thing but she was awesome.

So the trip was good that way. But my coupon holder is still with the BF. I'm working from my "B" coupon stash. The one for trading. Lots of good coupons it yes. But the ones I want are in my holder.

Total before coupons 23.13. I tendered $2.75 in coupons. The bill shows coupon savings of $8.29, but that is due to a B1G1 and some sales that show the amount off due to the sale as a coupons I guess I didn't to too badly if you look at the $8.29 in savings (but to do that you need to add 5.54 to the bill to add back in the store sale savings).

The joys of being a bit of a math geek

I don't know if I like how this store shows coupons savings. I guess in my mind I don't think of sales as coupon savings but as "smart shopping".

I will have to nose around other people's blogs or the sites to see how they figure all of this out. Do you save from the regular prices or the sale price?

I am drowning in coupons!

I try to put them all in one spot. But like pens they escape from said spot and end up in all kinds of unlikely spots. And they tend not to be where I want them to be when I need one.

I have coupons I'll use, I have coupons for trading. I have expired coupons that seem to refuse to end up in the garbage. I have coupons that are organized and I have an unending (it seems) number of coupons that seem to be scattered thoughout the house.

I'm almost ready to dump them all and start afresh. Almost but not quite.

Can you tell I'm going through paper stuff and seeming to find coupons all over the place.

Oh, and while going through my coupons I realised I left my 'bring to the store' stash of coupons with my boyfriend and I'm not going to see him until friday. Then again with all the mess around here I should find at least a couple for the sales I wanted to catch this week!