Travel Size and Clearance-"Money Makers"

Now, for the most part, unless you live near a store that pays you back overage, you can't actually make money with coupons. (Sans rebates, etc.) However, something you can do to be creative at Target is use travel sizes and clearance items to your advantage to get you a bigger discount off other items.
Note: You DO have to pick the right cashier for this one. Today my cashier was a very nice young man who pushed all my coupons through.
ALWAYS look at clearance end panels. Today there were a ton of diapers, laundry detergent, cat food, and feminine hygiene products on clearance. I got a laundry booster that was normally 6.99 for 1.88 with a coupon I had saved from awhile ago. There was also a dog food package for 1.27 but I had a three dollar off coupon, making me 1.73 to spend on other items. Then I had a coupon that did not exclude travel sizes and got some toothpaste, which make me .50 to use on other items. So my total came to .62 because I had to buy a filler item to absorb the extra. :)

This is a great way to get "extra discounts" on things, however, it does take the right cashier, and I can't stress that enough. :p

Okay, so look at clearance. :)
Also, always check to see if coupons for health and beauty items exclude travel sizes. If they don't, this is a great way to get items for free! Most deodorants, shampoos and conditioners can be found in travel sizes. Toothpaste and Johnson and Johnson stuff is also easy to find in travel sizes. Coupons for these items are usually for a dollar off, and most of the stuff is priced at a dollar, so it makes it free. Sometimes you'll even get a few extra cents off your other items because the travel size item is .97 or so. It's a fun way to fill up baby shower baskets, decorate diaper cakes, or fill up stockings or easter baskets. :) Most coupons say (excludes trial sizes) like that or have a size restriction, but a lot of them don't, even ones that come in the paper! A TON of printables lately haven't had size restrictions, and those are the most common coupons to not have size restrictions, but occasionally you will get that lucky smartsource coupon.

Just remember, Target is really the only place you can do this because while they are supposed to adjust the coupons down, they don't, so if you pick the right cashier, you can get an extra discount on your other items there. :) Other places will just adjust the price down for you. So if you have coupons that make items free, it's still a good deal, just fun if you can get an extra discount at Target. :)

If you missed the Sunday Paper yesterday...

Check your local Walgreens. I forgot to get a paper yesterday (We were running errands all day and playing video games, oops) but I remembered that I had seen the Sunday paper at Walgreens with a sign that said it is sold there all week. So I made a quick trip to my Walgreens and to my delight they had both the Seattle Times Sunday and the Everett Herald Sunday papers! :)

Just another tip I hope you find helpful. :)

Steals outside of stores

There are multiple ways to also save money outside of stores. Often, the online branch of a store will have a better sale than the store itself. For instance, often online at Old Navy, they will have free shipping or something in addition to sale prices on the site that are not available in store. In that case, even if you end up spending more than you would in store to reach the $50 free shipping total, you would save more money, because you would be getting more product for that $50 than you would have in store. The only thing I have to say about this is just to make sure you can return the items in store or it will not be convenient for you at all. Be sure to check other sites before you shop to see if you can get the items cheaper by waiting a week or so to get them. :)

One of my favorite sites to visit daily is www.babysteals.com. Every day they offer a different name brand baby item at about 60% of a discount. It's wonderful if you have baby showers to shop for or if you have a baby yourself! They even have baby carriers and diaper bags on sale usually once a week! It's a great place to look for organic clothing and good baby music, etc.

Sometimes store coupons can be used online as well, using a little discount code that is usually found at the bottom of the coupon. Usually these coupons are coupons you are handed in store, when you check out or buy a certain amount of items at retailers like Kohls, Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, etc. Most store coupons from Target or Wal Mart or Kmart can not be used online, but Target does have the occasional coupon on their site you can use online. Target sometimes has special deals on beauty products if you order them from online as well.

Shopping online does take patience, as you can't be shopping for something you desperately need this week, but if you are willing to wait a bit, you can often save more money than if you bought it in store.

Be sure to factor in shipping when you shop online though, because sometimes with the shipping cost included, even sale prices turn out to not be any better than store prices.

Paper day!

I have become quite excited on Sundays lately. :) Why Sundays? It's when the Sunday paper comes out! And the Sunday paper has coupons in it!

There are a few ways you can get the Sunday paper. Newspaper offices do offer the option to have just the Sunday paper delivered for a year at a time at a discounted price, but since I live in an apartment and will be moving before the year is over, I choose to just pick them up at the grocery store at some point during the day. :)

Sundays are also when the ads come out, and when I spend my time matching ads and coupons so I can plan my shopping trips! It's just easiest to do right away on Sunday, Sundays are usually my lazy days. :)

Anyway, run out and get a paper today! Consider it your first step to becoming obsessed with couponing!