Rainchecks, feel it on my fingertips...

Before I get into the drugstore matchups today, I figured I would go into a little more detail about rainchecks - when to get them, how to use them, fine print, etc. You know last week's 2 toothpaste moneymakers at CVS and Rite Aid? Yep, well, so did everyone else, because the shelves were stripped bare at CVS. Rite Aid was also out of the free/moneymaker Dove deodorant. But not to worry!

A raincheck is just a note that the store gives you when they are out of a product that is on sale. The note entitles you to get that product later, whenever it comes in, at the promotional price. Since it was the store's fault they were out of stock, they owe you the opportunity to still take advantage of the sale.

Where it gets a little trickier is when you start throwing store rewards, like Extra Bucks, Register Rewards, and +Up Rewards, and/or manufacturer coupons into the mix. Each store deals with rewards and rainchecks slightly differently.

CVS: I'll start with them, since they are the easiest and also the most generous. When you want a raincheck for a product that is advertised as earning Extra Bucks, CVS writes out the raincheck to include both the sale price, and the ECB code. When you go to buy the product later with your raincheck, they can manually change the price, and prompt the ECB to print, just as it would have during the actual sale. This means that you can treat scenarios on a raincheck exactly as you would have normally, including coupons, and that if it's a moneymaker deal you will still get it. That's not always the case, as you'll see below, and it's yet another reason why CVS is far and away the most coupon-friendly store out there.

Rite Aid: Now it starts to get complicated. When you want a raincheck for a product that earns +Up Rewards, Rite Aid will give you a raincheck that includes both the sale price, and the reward. But when you go to buy the product, they will change the item price to reflect the net of the sale and the +Ups, rather than having the +Ups print separately. So, take for example the Dove deodorant last week: My raincheck states "2 Dove deodorant at 2/$4 with $2 +UP Reward." When I buy them, they will change the price to $1 each to reflect the sale and the reward. ($4-$2=$2, or $1/ea) Which is nice in that it often means less out of pocket, but can be a PITA if you planned on using coupons to make it a moneymaker. If, for instance, I had 2 of the $2/1 Dove coupons, I would not be able to use them anymore, because they would now be for more than I was charged for the item. I know it's confusing - here's the comparison:
Original sale
 $4.00  Buy 2 Dove deodorant
-$4.00  Use 2 $2/1 coupons
 $0.00  Out of pocket
-$2.00  +Up Reward
 $2.00 moneymaker
With Raincheck:
 $2.00  Buy 2 Dove deodorant, price changed to reflect net of sale and +Up
 $2.00  Out of pocket & Net price for 2
This is really only an issue on moneymakers, where the value of your manufacturer coupons is greater than the net price of the item. Still, since those are the best deals and hence the ones that tend to sell out the fastest, it will affect a disproportionate number of your rainchecks. Now, you can usually get a sympathetic manager to at least adjust the price of your coupon so you can get the item for free, but there's no guarantee. So plan ahead to get there early on really good deals, and be prepared to make your case to a cashier or manager.

Walgreens: Aaaand then there's Walgreens. I guess you can give them credit for simplicity, at least - Walgreens doesn't give rainchecks for Register Rewards. I hear they used to do price changes similar to Rite Aid, but as far as I know they won't even do that anymore. You can still get rainchecks for sale prices.

In each case, a lot of raincheck policy is set by the individual store, rather than by corporate, so make sure you ask:

• Does this raincheck expire? (Usually within 30-60 days, although some stores might issue them indefinitely)
• Can I use it at any store, or only at this location? (You should be able to use at any location, but some store managers are funny like that)
• Double check that the information is correct and legible! You don't want a sloppy $ to turn $4.99 into $14.99. You don't want the raincheck to be rejected because the cashier forgot to enter a date or a size. Make sure if it's at CVS or Rite Aid that they included any rewards in addition to the sale price.

Once you have the raincheck in hand, clip it to the coupons you plan on using it with and then remember to use it next time you're in the store! Keep an eye on your coupon expiration date, too.You might not have a lot of time if the coupon expires soon.

One last thing - while to my knowledge there are no rules against getting a raincheck on Week 1, finding a coupon in an insert in Week 2, and then using them together on Week 3, I shy away from doing it. The purpose of the raincheck is to allow you to get a sale price that you missed out on because of the store's fault. I don't feel that it's ethically OK to use it to get a deal you would not have been able to get under the original terms of the sale. Other people may disagree, but to me it's just not the Not-Crazy Couponing Way.

What makes a "good" deal?

I remember when I first started serious couponing, I kept jumping at every sale and using every coupon I could get my hands on. I would stock up on tons and tons of stuff, assuming that I would never be able to get such a good price again. And then, a month later, I would see the same item on sale again, for the same super-low price - or even worse, lower.

The truth is that it's hard to know sometimes if the deal you're getting is the best possible one. Week to week, store to store, prices vary a lot. Throw revolving coupons in the mix - new ones coming out, old ones expiring - and you start to think that the whole idea of scoring the lowest price ever is completely futile.

But after awhile, you start to get a sense of pricing trends. I can't say with any certainty that next week, I will be able to buy Brand X shampoo for $1.00 at Store Y. What I can say, with quite a bit of confidence, is that within any given 2 week period I will be able to get some brand of shampoo at some store for $1.00 or less. I know that I will always be able to find free toothpaste, somewhere. I know to stock up on chicken when it's $1.99/lb and toilet paper when I can find it for less than $0.25 a roll.

Eventually, as you keep an eye on what goes on sale, what coupons are available, and what you buy the most of, you'll start to build up your own "price book" - a mental (or written!) list of what you are willing to pay for certain items. If I see an item hit a "buy" price, I will usually grab it. When I see an item go way below my buy price, that's when I try to stock up. Everyone's buy prices will be different, based on which items you buy, how many stores you're able or willing to hit up each week, and how brand loyal you are. All of the items on my list are items that, for me, don't have to be a certain brand. Obviously, if you're loyal to one, that's going to affect the availability of deals for you and you'll have to adjust your buying patterns.

It seems like a lot of work, but in the end having this information will actually help you save time, money and sanity. You won't be jumping all over the place, feeling like you have to snap up every single sale that comes along, and you'll be more willing to let coupons expire without being used if you can't find a really good deal with them.

Just to give you an idea and get you started, here are some entries from my price book.
$0.00 Toothpaste
$4.00 Hair color
$1.00 Shampoo/conditioner, 10-13oz
$1.00 Body wash, 10-12oz
$0.50 Razors, disposable, each
$2.00 Lotion, 10-12oz
$0.25 Toilet paper, roll
$3.00 Laundry detergent, 48 loads
$2.00 Cleaning spray (ie Windex or Fantastik), 32oz
$1.50 Pasta sauce, 26oz
$0.50 Pasta, box
$0.50 Soup, can
$2.00 Cereal, 10-15oz
$1.00 Cake or brownie mix, 18oz
$2.00 Crackers, 10-16oz
$0.40 K-cups coffee, each
$1.00 Soda, 2 liter
$2.00 Juice, 64oz
$0.40 Yogurt, 6oz
$0.75 Frozen veggies, 10oz
$2.00 Frozen dinners
$1.99 Chicken breasts, lb
$2.99 Ground beef, lb

Coupon Organization

So those of you who know me are probably laughing right now at the thought of me talking about ANY kind of organizing. And it's true that my couponing system is much more efficient in theory than in practice. Still, at some point you, like me, will need to figure out a way to store your coupons, and a way to find them again. The more effort you put into the former, the less effort you will need for the latter.

Filing
My mom used to put all her coupons in a plain white envelope. Some extreme couponers keep theirs in large bankers boxes or plastic tubs. I tend to think that the two most sensible, least Crazy options are a coupon file, or a 3-ring binder. These are two very different approaches, and only you know which will work for you.

1) Coupon file: You can find these at any office supply store for about $2. They look just like an expandable file folder, but smaller. If you decide to go this route, you will also have to decide how you want to organize your clipped coupons. Usually, that's some combination of category (health & beauty, groceries, household), expiration date, and/or source.
Since this is the method I use, I can tell you how I do mine, although of course you should customize this to meet your needs. Mine are separated first by category, each in its own little section in the file.

• Current shopping trip (coupons I plan on using that day)
• Store coupons and rewards (RR, ECB, etc)
• Grocery, non-perishable
• Grocery, refrigerated and frozen
• Health (OTC medication, dental care, deodorant, razors)
• Beauty (hair care, lotion, makeup, skin care, soap)
• Household (cleaning products, paper goods, etc)
• Pet (cat food and litter)
• Miscellaneous (includes restaurants)

And then within each section, I put them in order by expiration date. This makes it easy to purge coupons as they expire, and also helps me make sure I see coupons expiring soon so I don't forget to use them.  

Pros: Highly portable - you can always have your coupons with you. Easy to rotate coupons in and out. Can incorporate printable coupons into your filing system easily.

Cons: Takes a lot of time to clip and file coupons. Coupon file can get very bulky, especially if you have duplicates. 

2) Three-ring binders: This system requires less effort up front. All you need is a heavy duty binder and some of those plastic sleeves. Each week, file the entire coupon insert(s) into a new sleeve. You only clip coupons as you need them. 

A lot of the more experienced couponers use this system or a variation. If you have multiples of the same insert, they suggest merging them - lining up all the page 1s, then all the page 2s, etc, rather than keeping them separate. Again, you will have to organize the inserts in a way that makes sense to you. You can put all the RedPlums in one section, the SmartSources in another, etc. Or you can file them strictly by date. You'll also have to take into account how you want to file internet printables, coupons from inside product, etc. 

Pros: No advance clipping - you don't throw away any coupons, and you don't clip what you don't need. Easy to find as long as your matchup lists the coupon source. 

Cons: Bulky - most of your coupons stay at home, which gives you less flexibility in the store. Harder to filter out expired coupons or know when it's safe to toss an insert. (Maven of Savin' has a good article on How to determine what coupon inserts are expired.) Even if you know what insert a coupon came from, you will still have to page through the whole insert looking for it. 

Finding Your Coupons

Regardless of which system you use, there's no way you can keep track of every coupon you have and where it's filed by memory alone. 

Here's my secret: a coupon database. You all thought I was pulling all those matchups out of my head, didn't you? The truth is that I would be completely lost without a database. I used to make my own in Excel, until I realized there were some already out there ready to use. 

Maven of Savin and Common Sense With Money use a common shared database that is very popular with a lot of other coupon bloggers. Deal Seeking Mom has her own version, so does Hot Coupon World. You can search by product (Schick or razors), source date, or expiration date. The lovely thing about them is that they include internet printables in addition to inserts - coupons you might not have even known about otherwise!

Now, none of these is perfect. Because of regional variations, I have found gaps and different values in all of these databases where their info differs from the coupons available in CT. Sometimes printables are no longer available or are expired, but still show up in the database. But a coupon database makes it possible to get your hands on any coupon already in your file, plus printable coupons from all across the web, in a matter of minutes. However you end up filing your coupons, when it comes to retrieving them you're going to need a good database. 

Getting Your Coupons From Your File Into The Store

As you've probably figured out, the time to dig out the coupon you want is not when you're standing in line ready to pay. You do not want to be "that person." Put together your list and get your coupons ready before you go. You'll need to print any internet coupons, anyway. As I write out my shopping list, I will usually make a note of which items I have coupons for, just as a double check to myself. After I go through the store and find all my items, but before I go to pay, I pull out the stack and go through it once more, setting aside any coupons for items I didn't end up getting. As I'm shopping, if I see something I missed or an unadvertised sale, I will go through my coupon file right away (this is why I like being able to bring the whole collection with me) and pull out the coupon - otherwise I will either forget to grab it entirely, or I will remember at the last second and become "that person" at the register. That way I can hand the cashier a nice little stack and hopefully forestall any eye-rolling.

So what do you guys think? Do you have a method that works for you, or are you still experimenting? Any tips or tricks? Questions, comments? 

How to shop

Actually going into stores and shopping can be both the most fun and the most stressful part of couponing. There’s nothing like watching that total on the register go down… and down… and down. There’s also nothing like the eye rolls you get from cashiers… or the frustration of not finding what you need on the shelves… or having to drive around town to 4 different stores to get the best deals.

There’s not much you can do about that last one, except be honest with yourself about how much your time is worth. But there are ways to make your shopping experience smoother, and Less Crazy, for all.

Cashiers.  Cashiers can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Look, I’ve done it. Cashiers are paid terrible money to put up with all sorts of crap. Don’t make their jobs any harder. That means being organized and as efficient as possible when you get to the register. (Organization will be the subject of an upcoming post!) Have all your coupons ready to be handed over. If you have rainchecks, price adjustments, price matches, etc, be sure to set those aside and tell the cashier as they’re scanning them. If you have an issue, don’t scream at the cashier – they are not paid enough to care and will probably just respond by digging in their heels. Ask politely to speak to a manager and then – this is important – step out of line so the poor cashier can keep doing his/her job and the people behind you in line don’t stage a bloody mutiny.

That said, you do have to keep a close eye on the cashier. There are a couple different types. Maybe 10%* of all cashiers are awesome – they are impressed by your saving skills, they will point out deals you may have missed, and they make sure that every coupon goes in correctly. Their only drawback is that they tend to be verrrry slow.

At the other end of the spectrum, you have the 20% who are sure that you are somehow ripping them off and will do anything to stop you from using your coupons. You will hear everything – that the store doesn’t accept internet coupons, that you can’t use multiples of the same coupon, that you can’t use coupons to get something for free, that you can’t combine store and manufacturer coupons, etc. Your only defense is to travel armed with a copy of the store’s coupon policy and be prepared to counter each and every objection.

By far, the vast majority of cashiers will barely register (no pun) your presence (see “not paid enough to care” above). This means they probably won’t put up much of a fight. On the other hand, this is the group you have to watch most closely, since they often don’t ring in all your coupons correctly. This is a big problem at Rite Aid – their registers can be really slow, and if the cashier just flashes the coupons past the scanner without checking to see if they all go in, invariably some will not go in properly. You might have to ask them – nicely – to hold on and check that the last one went through before they continue.

In any case, if a cashier tells you that you can’t use a coupon, ask them why. Often what happens is that a coupon will beep or not go through on the first swipe. Rather than figure out why, they will try to just hand it back to you (see “not paid enough to care” above). Make them tell you why they can’t accept it. If they won’t budge, that’s when you ask for a manager. In the cashier’s defense, sometimes they cannot override a register beep on their own, but a manager can. Unless there’s a valid reason they can’t take the coupon (expired, wrong product, size limits, etc) I’ve found most managers to be pretty reasonable. Just be polite, firm, and Not Crazy. I find myself frequently taking the same tone I use on students. :-)

Stuff on shelves, or lack thereof. This one really corks me, especially when I have a whole scenario planned out or I need to buy a certain amount of something to use a store coupon… and they’re out of it. This is the worst towards the end of the week, obviously, which is unfortunately when I tend to get around to my shopping. If you really need the item in that trip, there’s not much you can do. You can try another store – I’m lucky enough to live within easy driving distance of 2 Rite Aids, 4 CVSs, 3 Walgreens, 2 Stop & Shops, and 2 Big Y – but that’s a huge pain, and a major waste of your valuable time.

If you don’t need the item right away, but it’s a good deal, you should always ask for a raincheck. This was a revelation to me! No more missing out on deals just because a bunch of Crazy shelf-clearers got there ahead of me (or because a store did not plan ahead and order enough stock).

Now, there are limitations on which promotions you can get rainchecks on. Anything advertised as “limited quantities” is, of course, a no-go. CVS and Rite Aid will honor ECB and +UP reward deals on rainchecks, but as far as I know Walgreens and grocery stores won’t. Clearance items also aren’t raincheckable. But if they’re out of stock on a deal you want, just ask a salesperson if they have any more in stock, and if not ask if you can get a raincheck. You’ve got nothing to lose.

Of course, the corollary law to the problem of empty shelves is, Don’t clean out the shelves! Don’t be that person who hoards – yes, I said it – hundreds of items that they don’t need and keeps other people who could use it from getting it. Not cool, and definitely not the Not-Crazy Way.


*87% of all statistics in this post are completely fabricated.

How to get coupons

So now we get to the question, "Where do you find all these coupons, anyway?" Two main places, really: Newspaper coupon inserts (SmartSource, RedPlum, the P&G Brand Saver) and Internet printables.

Newspaper inserts. The obvious. Most papers include their inserts on Sundays. Some, like the Manchester Journal Inquirer, have theirs on Saturday since they don’t publish on Sunday. You can also find “weekend editions” of some papers, like the Hartford Courant, in convenience stores on Saturday. They are less expensive than the Sunday edition, and include all the coupon inserts, but not the weekly store flyers.

Internet printable coupons. These are available from a number of different sites. There are aggregate sites, like RedPlum.com, SmartSource.com, and Coupons.com . Some of their coupons are the same as the ones in the inserts, and some are unique.
Many manufacturers offer printable coupons on their websites. Some that are still stuck in the Stone Age make you fill out a form and then mail you paper coupons. (Which you redeem at Ye Olde Grocerie Shoppe, I guess?) Of those that offer printables, sometimes you can just hit Print, and sometimes you have to give them personal information, which can range from just your email to your address, DOB, and a survey about your shopping habits. I know, I’m a little skeeved about that too. I’ve come up with a few strategies to protect as much of my privacy as possible.

• Have a separate email account just for giving out to websites. This will keep your regular account from getting bombed with spam on the chance that your information gets sold. (Which every company swears up, down, and sideways they will never, ever do. Yup.) Check it every week or so, since some goodies will get sent there, like more coupons. 
• Don’t give them your name. Or rather, give them a version of your name that is not related to your bank account, credit card statement, address, etc. I use my husband’s last name. You can use your maiden name, or your middle name instead of your first name, or a nickname. 
• Don’t give them your birthdate. OK, this one involves actually lying, which might be controversial. But in my mind, asking for my birthdate is intrusive. If their only real purpose is to verify that I’m over 18, then it won’t matter to them if I change the month or the day. 

Finally, companies have started to offer coupons on Facebook when you 'like' them. There will usually be a tab on their page that says something like Special Offer, Coupon, or Promotion.
In each of these cases, the first time you go to print an Internet coupon, you’ll be asked to download a small program. It’s OK, go ahead and install it. (If you’re nervous, go to one of the big sites like Coupons.com first so you know it’s legit.) 95% of Internet printables have a print limit of 2. What the program does is keep track of how many times you’ve printed a specific coupon, and generate unique barcodes for each. You cannot copy or duplicate printable coupons! Each unique barcode can only be redeemed once. Doing otherwise is coupon fraud and most definitely NOT the Not-Crazy Couponer Way! (Coupons offered in PDF format, on the other hand, have no print limits. Copy away.)

Coupon clipping sites. Need even more coupons? There are several websites where you can order multiple copies of coupons from the Sunday inserts. Now technically, you cannot sell or buy coupons. What you’re actually paying for from these companies is a fee to cover their time and labor. Regardless, clipping sites usually charge a percentage of the face value of the coupon. So a $1.00 off coupon would cost from $0.08-$0.10, while a $5.00 coupon would be more like $0.50. Most have minimum and maximum limits on both individual coupons and your whole order.
In the past I’ve tried to wait for store matchups to be posted and then order a bunch of coupons just for that week. Which, as it turned out, was just Crazy. I’d sit there waiting all week, nervously checking the mailbox, until the coupons finally showed up on Friday or, worse yet, Saturday, at which point I’d race out to the stores only to find the shelves already cleared. Argh.
The Not-Crazy Way? Only order bulk coupons for items you buy all the time. For example, in the 1/16 SmartSource insert there’s a coupon for $1/15 cans of Friskies cat food. (Yes, we feed our incredibly spoiled cat wet food.) 15 cans will last us about a week. The coupon expires 4/30, or in about 15 weeks. So I will order 15 copies of that coupon. I also do this with coffee K-cups, almond milk, pasta, and other staples.
You can also order extras of high value coupons, especially BOGO coupons. Just be aware of minimum orders. If you have to order 10 coupons and they cost $0.50 each, and the face value is $5.00, this only makes sense if you’re going to use at least 2 of the coupons.
Some good clipping sites: TheCouponClippers.com, Coupon DeDe, and TheCouponMaster.com. You can also find them on eBay. Be aware that some coupons are regional, so expect some differences in availability and face value.

I will post all this information in a permalink, too! 

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

I know some of you are anxious to jump right in to the deals! Since today is Sunday, make sure that you get a newspaper. There are two coupon inserts this week: a SmartSource and a P&G BrandSaver (my favorite!).

Also, before you throw the paper in the recycle bin, grab the store flyers for Walgreens, CVS, and Rite-Aid, as well as any other stores you might be interested in. If you're at all crafty, always be on the lookout for flyers from Michael's, Jo-Ann's, or A.C. Moore - they will usually have coupons for 40-50% off one regularly priced item. I also notice that Staples has some good deals this week, if you're in need of office supplies. (Hint - you are going to be needing a lot of ink for printable coupons.)

I am going to post some quick How-To guides for my three main drugstores tonight, and I will post detailed deal lists tomorrow. (Yay for school holidays!) Already I can tell you that there will be good deals on cheap Schick and Gillette razors, Dove shampoo, Clearasil, cold medicine, and lotion, plus free toilet paper, gum, toothpaste, and cough drops, and discounts on diapers and contact solution.

Start clipping, and stay tuned!

A completely sane manifesto

My name is Ashley, and I swear I'm not insane.

I feel like I need to stipulate this, because as soon as I admit that I use coupons on a regular basis, people start backing away slowly. "Oh... Are you one of those people?" TLC, or Totally Loco Channel, is not helping with their latest series on the most pathological, obsessive, and ridiculous among the couponing community.

I'm probably not helping much either, since every time I step up to a cashier I try to fend off her ire with a self-depricating, "Heh-heh, sorry. I'm one of those crazy coupon ladies." At which point she will usually get a sickly smile on her face, assure me that it's fine, and ostentatiously call for register backup.

Well, I'm done apologizing. Yes, I use coupons. A lot of them. And I score a lot of stuff for free or very cheap. But I'm not a hoarder. Nor am I a dumpster diver. To me, couponing is a fun pasttime, with rewards that I can share with my family, friends, and community.

I think that a lot of people would be interested in learning how to save money without sacrificing, you know, their life. Or their garage. And there are certainly a ton of blogs out there for the committed couponer. I know, I use them all the time and I love them and I will probably be linking to them a lot here, because the amazing people who write those blogs are serious about what they do and very, very good at it. But they can be a little intimidating to the beginner or the casual couponer.

My goal with this blog is to create a Not-Crazy Couponing Way, a how-to guide for those who might not want to spend 3 hours a week scanning store ads or driving to 10 different stores a week. Those who have no intention of stockpiling 200 deodorants or 1000 boxes of pasta, or digging through other people's trash for coupon inserts, or taking up 3 checkout lines at the grocery store. (That TLC show really, really bugged me.) Those who want to get some great deals on stuff for their family, and maybe a little bit to donate to charity.

So my posts over the next week or so are going to center around establishing The Way, the Tao, if you will, of Not-Crazy Couponing. Then the plan is to feature a few really great deals each week, with maybe some real-life examples of what you can get for your money. I have no idea if I'm going to be speaking to an audience of 5, or 50, but of course I welcome suggestions on what you the readers want to know more about.

Thank you for bearing with me! Leave a comment to tell me you were here so I can get to know you better.