Hi guys,
As you can see along the top, I've started added some basic how-to guides. So far I have Couponing, Walgreens, and CVS guides. I wanted to get Rite-Aid done tonight, but the Golden Globes are on! I promise I will get it up tomorrow morning.
Start taking a look and letting me know if you have any questions! I'm really trying to keep it as not-crazy as possible, but there's a lot of information dump to get started. Sorry!
Tomorrow I will also post this week's drugstore deals - hopefully that will help make things a little clearer.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
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!
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!
Inspiration
Part of my inspiration to start this blog came earlier this week. I was making a donation to the Hockanum Valley Community Council Tri-Town Pantry, a local food pantry that serves Tolland County, CT. They're wonderful people there and they are always so nice when I come in! This time, the director, David Engelson, happened to be there. He asked me if I'd ever seen the actual pantry and offered me a tour. We chatted for a bit and I told him that all the stuff I was donating, I'd gotten basically free by couponing. He was quite impressed.
Right now, I'm only working part-time (not by my choice). So I can't necessarily write a check every month, even though I know that's probably what they need the most. What that does mean is that I have the time to track down deals on stuff I know they can use. Here's what I brought in this time around:
That's 5 rolls of toilet paper, 2 jugs of laundry detergent, 6 sticks of deodorant, 4 boxes of tampons, 1 bottle of baby lotion, 7 shampoos, 8 toothbrushes, 15 tubes of toothpaste, approximately 20 razors, 2 bags of cough drops, several assorted food items, and 9 jumbo packs of diapers. Grand total? Maybe $25, $20 of which came from the diapers. I know the toothpaste and brushes were all completely free, as were the deodorants and razors. (Part of my goal with blogging is to keep better track of that kind of thing.)
I try to make a donation about that size every 2-3 months or so. (Except all the diapers - those were a one-time deal at Walgreens. Usually it's only 2-3 jumbo packs.) This is all stuff that was in excess of what my husband and I could use. I know I've talked to people who've said, "I don't want to be one of those people who just buy stuff because it's a good deal, and then end up with a huge pile of stuff going to waste." Which is totally reasonable. Sometimes when you hear serious couponers talking about the kind of things they buy with their coupons, you think, "Who needs that junk?"
I just want to show everyone that, even if you don't need that junk, someone out there might. There's a happy medium between hoarding and passing up on great deals. Such is the Not-Crazy Couponing Way.
Right now, I'm only working part-time (not by my choice). So I can't necessarily write a check every month, even though I know that's probably what they need the most. What that does mean is that I have the time to track down deals on stuff I know they can use. Here's what I brought in this time around:
I try to make a donation about that size every 2-3 months or so. (Except all the diapers - those were a one-time deal at Walgreens. Usually it's only 2-3 jumbo packs.) This is all stuff that was in excess of what my husband and I could use. I know I've talked to people who've said, "I don't want to be one of those people who just buy stuff because it's a good deal, and then end up with a huge pile of stuff going to waste." Which is totally reasonable. Sometimes when you hear serious couponers talking about the kind of things they buy with their coupons, you think, "Who needs that junk?"
I just want to show everyone that, even if you don't need that junk, someone out there might. There's a happy medium between hoarding and passing up on great deals. Such is the Not-Crazy Couponing Way.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
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.
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.
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