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Tip of the Day Tuesday: It "pays" to be friends with your cashiers!

April 13, 2010 by

Over the past few years, I have learned that a little kindness goes a long way with cashiers at some of my favorite stores.  If you’ve had a string of “misadventures” in couponing, then you know that having a cashier who is your ally really does make a difference.

Here are a few things that I have done to build rapport with my cashiers:

Share your tips ~ If your cashier comments on your savings in a positive way (“Wow!  You did great!” or “I wish I could save money like that when I shop”) or seems like they are interested in learning more about coupons (“How did you do that?” or “I need to learn how to use coupons like that), share some of your tips with them!  I have been surprised to find out that many cashiers do not understand coupons and/or do not always know what the “hot deals” at their store are or how to take advantage of them.  I have given cashiers tips on coupon usage and links to websites if they seem interested in learning more about how to save.

Share your coupons ~ If your cashier comments on a particular deal, share your coupons if you have extras!  I remember once I was at CVS buying Adidas deodorant that was free after Extra Care bucks.  My cashier, who had been really friendly and helpful on several visits, commented that he had really been wanting to try the new deodorant.  I gave him one of my “free” coupons so he could get some to try.

Pick up a “manager’s special” item every now and then ~ Most stores have a “target” item that cashiers are supposed to upsell.  These items are usually up near the registers and are typically things such as crackers, gum, or candybars, but I have also seen toothbrushes, pocket kleenex, and other items.  The cashier will typically point out the item during your transaction and ask if you want to purchase it.  They usually get some sort of incentive for upselling these items.  If you need a filler item anyway, why not help out your favorite cashier?

How it “pays off”

I love helping others save, so I honestly haven’t had any “motives” in donig some of the things I mentioend above, but here are some ways that it has paid off for me:

*Cashiers that I have built relationships have been willing to “hold” hot items for me until I can come pick them up

*Cashiers that I have built relationships with have given me copies of ads before they are released so I get a “heads up” on upcoming deals

*Cashiers/managers will sometimes allow you to special order items when hot deals are coming up so you can make sure that they are not out of stock

Plus, there’s the added benefit of not getting “the evil eye” every time you pull out coupons to use!

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Tip of the Day Tuesday: Proper coupon usage

April 6, 2010 by

On a message board that I belong to, someone recently posted this video about a woman who had been arrested for using thousands of dollars in fraudulent coupons. As a “couponer” I know how exciting the “thrill of the bargain” can be, but improper coupon usage hurts us all in the end.  Through the years, I have also learned that just because you read about a deal online, that doesn’t mean that it is “legit.”

Here are some tips for proper coupon usage:

Read “the fine print” ~ Most coupons have specifications such as size limitations included on them.  If the coupon says “good on any” then it truly should be good on any product, including trial sizes.  If the coupon says “one per purchase” that means that you can use one coupon for each item that you are purchasing.  So, if you are purchasing 5 items and you have 5 coupons, you should be able to use all 5 items.  If the coupon says “one per transaction” that means that you can only use one of those coupons in your transaction.  So, if you have 5 coupons, you would have to do 5 separate transactions to use all of those coupons.

Do not copy coupons ~ One of the biggest “newbie” mistakes I hear about is people copying coupons and particularly printable coupons.  Many printable coupons have print limits, which can be frustrating and they all “look” the same, so what’s the harm, right?  What some people don’t realize is that the printable coupons have a unique code that prints in the upper right hand corner of each coupon.  In addition, some have a special background that will not show up if you copy them.  Many store employees have been trained to look for this, and if you have copied coupons, it will quickly become obvious.  A visit with your store’s loss prevention is not worth that extra bargain and will not even end up being a bargain in the long run.

Beware of fake coupons ~ If it looks or sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Just because you found it online or got it in an e-mail doesn’t mean that it’s “real” and you don’t want to be caught using a fraudulent coupon.  Read more about How to Spot Fake Coupons.

Be courteous ~ Don’t clear the shelves in one store and don’t plan big trips during “prime” shopping hours.  Read more about The Rules of Coupon Etiquette.

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Tip of the Day Tuesday: Coupon Trips Gone Wrong

March 30, 2010 by

I apologize for being “absent” these past few days.  We did not have internet access all weekend and I’ve been sick anyway.  Between those two things and trying to keep up with a busy schedule at work, I’m in a bit of a bargain slump.  This is a “short” week for me this week, so hopefully having an extra day off will help me get back on track!  In the meantime, I’m a little bit sad about all the great “bargains” I’m missing out on this week between Toys ‘R Us and Walgreens!

My Tip of the Day Tuesday focuses on how to handle “coupon trips gone wrong.”  Even after using coupons for years, I’ve STILL been there.  You’ve got all of your coupons ready.  You’re so excited to check-out and see how much you’ve saved.  And then you hit the “bargain blocking cashier.”  I have touched on this in the past, but I’ve gotten a few e-mails from people who have experienced this lately, so I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned along the way.

Here are a few tips for handling those roadblocks:

Make sure you buy participating items

When grocery stores offer special promotions, there are typically special tags on participating items. Also read the fine print in the ad because sometimes only specific sizes, scents, flavors, etc. are part of the promotion. Buying one “wrong” item will throw everything off. 

Don’t be afraid to visit customer service

If your deal doesn’t work out as planned, don’t be afraid to visit the customer service desk. Participating promotion items usually have a special marking on the receipt and they can usually easily figure out why your deal didn’t work out as planned. Sometimes it also might be something as simple as a catalina machine that is not working. If you bought an item that did not count toward a specific promotion, if you ask, they will usually let you return the item that did not work and exchange it for the appropriate item.

Make sure you are using your coupons correctly

Make sure you read the fine print on your coupons and that what you are buying matches up with the details on your coupon. I have noticed that many of my stores have become much more particular about coupons. More often than not, they read the fine print and make sure that my items match up, especially if they beep. Avoid embarrassment at check-out by using your coupons legitimately!  (Make sure you check out this article on “How to Spot Fake Coupons” and this article on “Coupon Etiquette“)

Know your store’s coupon policies

If you do a search online for individual stores and “coupon policies” you will find letters that others have received from customer service regarding store coupon policies. Sometimes it’s helpful to print these letters to share with your cashiers, especially if you have had difficulties redeeming coupons at that store in the past. When in doubt, it doesn’t hurt to e-mail customer service yourself to inquire about their coupon policies so that you have your own hard copy.

Remain calm and don’t be afraid to ask for a manager

Even though you may be embarrassed or incredibly frustrated, don’t lose your cool. It will only make the situation worse. Instead, if things get too heated or the cashier refuses to work with you, don’t be afraid to ask to speak with a manager.

It’s OK to walk away

If you are trying to use your coupons correctly and the cashier and/or store manager refuse to work with you, it’s OK to walk away. You can try to visit the store at another time or visit another store in the area. Be sure to contact the store’s corporate customer service department to share the “issues” you had.

Don’t let a bargain hunting trip gone wrong ruin your experience forever. Take a deep breath and move on!  Also, learn from that experience.  There are certain stores and cashiers that I avoid because I know that they are not “coupon friendly.”

Filed Under: Tip of the Day Tuesday

Tip of the Day Tuesday: Frugal Freezer Meals ~ Planning for Success!

March 23, 2010 by

Today’s “Tip of the Day Tuesday” is brought to you by my friend DeAna, who runs Balancing Act Basics.  In addition to working full time, somehow she manages to do a Once a Month freezer cooking day, too!  Here are her “planning for success” tips.  Make sure you check out her blog, too.  It’s great and she’s got lots of frugal recipes (plus pictures) and tips for finding balance in the busyness of life!

Frugal Freezer Meals–Planning For Success
 
Freezer meals, also known as Once a Month Cooking (OAMC) or batch cooking, can be a life-saver for the busy parent.  In one day, you can cook up a freezer full of healthy meals that will save you time in the kitchen, and if planned well, can save some green in your pocket.
 
Here’s what you should know to get started:
  • The key to a successful freezer meal cooking day is planning & preparing.  There’s no need to jump off the couch and head to the store tonight to buy 30 days of food that you plan on cooking tomorrow.  Although you can do this if you really, really want to, doing so is ill-advised as you’ll wind up spending more money than if you planned and prepared ahead of time.
  • Cooking partners are a great tool.  If you’re able to find a “freezer friend,” then I highly recommend partnering up with someone else who is also interested in OAMC.  A team of two is a much more powerful means to chopping vegetables, stirring pots, and keeping kids entertained.  I don’t have anyone that I can partner with, but I’ve learned to make adjustments in my cooking by doubling a recipe or cooking up certain meats together (like browning 2-3 lbs of ground beef at once), then splitting into respective meals.
  • Set a date–not too close, but not too far off.  When I plan my OAMC day, I take a careful look at the calendar to see what we’ve got coming up.  I usually schedule for the 3rd or 4th Saturday of the upcoming month.  This gives me plenty of time to buy my ingredients and plan my menu.  For example, about the middle of February, I took a look at March on the calendar, and saw that the dates were already starting to get full.  I scheduled my March cooking day for the 4th Saturday.  Putting it on the calendar gave me a date to look forward to, time enough to stock the freezer and pantry, and no excuse for not getting it done.  It was on the calendar, and I knew that I had dedicated that day to cooking.
  • Decide what type of meals you’re going to make–dinner only?  breakfast, lunch & dinner? I first started making freezer meals a year ago.  I was so gung-ho and optimistic.  For a couple months, I tried making both breakfast & dinner meals, but wound up spending two days in the kitchen.  I don’t work with a partner, and although my husband tries, he’s not so good at distracting the kids.  After a couple months, I just decided my time was better spent on sticking to dinner meals on feezer cooking day.  And to compensate, I usually make a homemade breakfast at least one day on the weekend.
  • Ask yourself if you want to make a month’s worth of meals or just a couple weeks.  The first month I made freezer meals, I just did a week and a half’s supply.  Cooking up multiple meals in one day was a foreign concept, and I didn’t want to get overwhelmed.  But I had to find out if freezer meals were right for me and my family, so I started off small, found out how awesome freezer meals were, then built up from there.  And lately, I’ve been cooking up some of my meat purchases in the slow cooker, then freezing the cooked meat in meal-size portions (one, they fit in the freezer better and two, I don’t have to spend as much time in the kitchen on freezer day).  The point is to aim for something realistic that will work for you.
  • Your grocer’s sales ads are your best friend.  Before heading to the grocery store, look through the sales ads, and circle the items that you need or you’re getting low on.  Take another glance through the ad, and mark the ones that are really marked down.  Usually, the items on the front page are your loss leaders and are at drastically-reduced prices.  Meat and produce sales are typically found on the front & back pages of the ads.  And while planning your regular shopping, take into consideration something that you can add to your cart specifically for your freezer meal cooking day.  Buying a couple onions that are $0.69/lb?  Why not buy that 3lb bag of onions that’s marked down to $0.99 instead?  You’ll have a couple onions for your regular meal planning, and a bagful of onions that you can use on freezer cooking day.  This leads me to my next tip…
  • Stock up on rock-bottom priced meats.  What do you spend on a pound of ground beef?  Chicken, pork loin/roast or ground turkey?  I used to shop exclusively at Walmart, but I had no idea what I spent per pound on my meat purchases.  I had a round-about dollar amount that I thought was acceptable, but we never get sales ads for Walmart.  When I started comparing the meat prices on local grocery store sales ads with what I saw in Walmart, I realized quickly that some things were simply too expensive. 


So now, shopping at grocery stores instead of Walmart (who, in my area, does not match meat sales ads if they are not a brand Walmart sells) I can buy a family pack of ground beef for $1.38/lb, chicken leg quarters for $.48/lb, b/s chicken breasts for $1.50/lb, pork loin for $1.49-$1.59/lb, pork roast for $0.99/lb, and ground turkey for $1/lb.  The key is stocking up on the meats that are reduced to as low as they come.  Try shopping late in the evening, after the 5pm shoppers have come & gone, but before the store closes.  At the end of the day, managers will often reduce the price of meat that is close to its “sell by” date, even if the meat is already on sale.  Also, don’t be afraid to buy family paks (you’re stocking up for a month of freezer cooking anyway, so why not?).  They’re usually cheaper per pound.  If your bulk meat item is too big for your freezer, take a glance here to see an alternative freezer meal method that will help you get around your dilemma.

  • Plan your menu based on your purchases.  After spending 2-3 weeks stocking up your freezer and pantry with the rock-bottom purchases you made during your regular shopping trips, evaluate what you have and plan your freezer menu.  I take inventory of how much I have of each meat, and I go from there.  For example, on a sheet of paper, I write:

                    Chicken ||||| ||||| (these are tic marks)
                    Pork ||||| |||||
                    Gr. Beef ||||| |||
                    Shrimp ||

When I see how much I have for each meat category, I plan out my menu, also taking into consideration the items I’ve stocked up in my pantry and freezer, such as pasta, beans, and veggies.  Click here to view my March freezer menu.  Note that the breakfast items are simply a list that I’ll select from each weekend so I can make a homemade breakfast for my family, like the Chocolate Buttermilk Muffins I recently made.  If there’s anything on my menu that I don’t have in the house, I’ll hold out until just before freezer cooking day to see if it will go on sale, and if I don’t buy it, I’ll try to substitute something else or do without.

  • Don’t sweat the small stuff.  What I know about freezer meals has been learned through trial and error.  I read up on a few things that got me started, and I simply do what works for me.  Some OAMC cooks swear by aluminum baking dishes, but I rarely use them because they cost money.  Instead, I pretty much stick to quart- and gallon-size freezer bags, or in some instances, freezer bags.  They take up less room in the freezer and are cheaper.  I also don’t let it bother me if my kids are in need of mommy’s attention.  Instead of getting frustrated (and I’ve been there before, I’m no saint) I try to let them help me out by measuring & adding ingredients to the pot or mixing bowl.  Most of all, relax and simply enjoy the moment!  Your kitchen is your domain.  Have fun with it!

DeAna is a full-time professional and wanna-be supermom who blogs at Balancing Act Basics where she shares her adventures in finding balance.  From recipes to menu planning and freezer cooking, gardening and canning to date night with her hubbie, she strives to enjoy the busyness of life. 

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Tip of the Day Tuesday: The Walmart Question

March 16, 2010 by

A question that I get asked a lot by readers is what I like to call “The Walmart Question.”  It goes something like this ~ “Do you shop at Walmart?” or “Isn’t it cheaper to shop at Walmart?”

I’ll be honest – in the past, I have not done much shopping at Walmart.  To be honest, I would maybe go once or twice a year.  Lately, though, I’ve been going almost every week. 

Here are some times when you should shop at Walmart:

*When you want one or two hot sale items from multiple ads – I’ve hit a time of year where things are crazy at work and I’m finding that I just don’t have the time (or energy) to go out and shop to hit all of the deals like I used to, especially when I’m usually trying to do it all on a Saturday morning.  It isn’t time (or cost when you factor in gas) effective to drive around to a bunch of different stores to get one or two things when you can take your ads in and price match and get them all at Walmart. 

*If your grocery stores don’t double or triple coupons or in my case if the face value of a coupon is $.55 or more (since my grocery stores only double or triple up to $.50).  Walmart’s everyday price is typically lower than grocery store prices and even if the item is on sale, you can price match, so if I can’t double or triple the coupon at my grocery store, Walmart is usually a better deal.  An example of this is Sara Lee bread.  The everyday price for the Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Whole Grains White bread, which I love, is $1.72 at Walmart.  Typically, even on sale, the lowest I can find it at a regular grocery store is $2.  Using my $.55 Sara Lee coupons, I pay only $1.17 out of pocket!

*If you need an item or items and you don’t have coupons – again the everyday price at Walmart is probably cheaper than it would be at the grocery store

I know that Target price matches, too, and Target is actually much closer to my house than Walmart, but having to hassle with checking at a register and then taking my items and receipt to the customer service desk isn’t worth it to me right now.

If you are a Walmart shopper or are planning to start shopping at Walmart, here are a few things that you may want to print and keep on hand:

Walmart Price Match Policy

Store managers make the final decision in always taking care of our customers, but we do have guidelines for matching our competition.

•We do honor “Preferred Shopping Card” advertised prices. Must be like items, be advertised and require a competitor’s shopping card, for the discount to apply.

•We do not honor advertisements that require a purchase in order to receive the advertised price or free product.

•We do not honor “Buy One / Get One Free” advertisements.

•We do not honor double or triple coupons or percent off advertisements.

•We do not honor other retailers’ “Misprinted” advertised prices.

•We do not honor Internet Pricing.

•We do not honor competitor advertisements from outside of the store’s or Club’s local trade territory.
 
Walmart Coupon Policy
 
Walmart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below):

•Manufacturer coupons (Cents Off)

•Free merchandise (or manufacturer’s Buy-One-Get-One-Free) coupons

•Store coupons

•Pharmacy (Advertising and Promotional) coupons

•Internet coupons

•Soft drink container caps

The following are guidelines and limits:
•Walmart only accepts coupons for merchandise we sell and only when presented at the time of purchase.

•Coupons should have an expiration date and be presented within the valid dates. Walmart will not accept expired coupons.

•Internet coupons should be legible and say “Manufacturer Coupon.” There should be a valid remit address for the manufacturer and a scannable bar code.

•Only one coupon per item is permitted.

•Use of 40 or more coupons per transaction will require approval by Customer Service Manager.

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