Stockpiling Is A GOOD Thing...

While on this couponing journey, I've heard a lot about stockpiling. I've seen Extreme Couponing how people have more supplies that a person who ever use in a lifetime.

Stockpiling doesn't have to be that extreme, but it's the process of buying items so that you are not a slave to the store.What do I mean by being a "slave to the store" is buying groceries when you need them. That might sound crazy, but read on...

If you only buy products when you need them, then you are forced to buy the product at the price the store sets for you. If you need butter and the cheapest butter you can find is $4.00 than that's the price you will have to the price that they set. But if you collect coupons and have one that's $1.00 off one pack of butter, you wait for the butter to go on sale (say $3.00 a pack), and then use your coupons to bring the price down to $2.00 a pack. So even though you don't need the butter, you buy some when it's a "stockpile price" because you know you use butter in the near future.

Stockpiling allows you to wait until the products you use on a regular basis are at rock bottom prices (and hopefully with coupons). Then you buy enough to last you until a rock bottom price comes around again. How do you know how many to buy? Think about how much you use an item in a 3 to 6 month period. This is how much you buy (if you have space) because this is about how long it may take for that item to be at rock bottom price again. Sales usually come back around every 3 to 6 months. In this area, it's a little sooner since we have so many different grocery and drug store in close proximity.

The idea is that with your stockpile, you can go there when you need something that you will always pay rock bottom prices for instead of going back to the store and more than likely having to pay full price.

Speaking of rock bottom prices, I was able to match up a sale with coupons to get 20 ounce Lipton Natural Tea for $.09 a bottle! Got these at the Safeway this morning! The sale is on until Tuesday, Sept 30.

Don't Sleep On Thrift Stores!

I do shop with coupons and sales even for clothes but don't go much to thrift stores to get clothing.  I usually just donate old or outgrown clothing.  Well, my couponing gf and I decided to go to this one thrift store that I've donated to, but had really looked for any clothing in since my daughter was very little (at least 5 years).  But times are tight and a deal is a deal.  Lo and behold, what do I see?  A pair of Timberland boots that I've been in love with for since they first came out (maybe 5 years ago).  They were my size!  I just couldn't resist.  They looked brand new like they had never been worn.  I carried them with me around the store trying to decide whether I would get them or not.  One thing for sure...  I couldn't put them down.  If someone else got them, I was going to be HURT!  For 29.99, I just couldn't pass them up!  As soon as I got them home, I looked them up on the Timberland.com website and sure enough, they are still being sold for $165!  I would have never paid that price of course, but I was just too excited!  I won't sleep on thrift stores ever again!

Blame It On The Clearance Section!!!

In my couponing research, I've seen people talk about Target's clearance section, but never really shopped the store that way until last night. I was able to get some serious deals that way last night!

On Target.com, they had a $5 off any Merona bottom. I went STRAIGHT to the clearance section and was able to find some capris marked all the way down from $16.99 to $4.24! So with my $5 off coupon, they were FREE!

I also was in need of some new towels and wash clothes. I was prepared to only buy maybe 2 or 3 sets. Wouldn't you know that they had beach towels on clearance! So instead of paying $6.99 for one, they were $1.74! I was able to get 8 towels all together. They would have normally been $55.92 but I paid $13.92!

There are great deals to be had by looking in Targets clearance section first (while matching them up with coupons whenever possible of course!)

Stack Those Coupons!

It's been very busy with back-to-school season. While I had to take a few moments away from blogging to help my new middle schooler get adjusted, I have not taken a break from couponing! While on a family vacation, I was able to get 8 bottle of Nivea shower gel TOTALLY FREE!!!!

But this post is about shopping at Target. Not sure if you know, but Target has three kinds of coupons that you can use...

1. If you sign up thru Target.com, every few weeks, Target will send you coupons straight to your cell phone. This is very convenient because as long as you have your cell phone with you (which most of us don't leave home without).

2. & 3. Also on Target.com, you are able to print Target coupons and manufacturers coupons. While you can only use one manufacturers coupon or one store coupon on one item, you can use one store coupon and one manufacturers coupon on one product to get extra savings.

Case in point, a friend of mine worked this deal last night... She needed diapers for her daughter. She had two manufacturers coupons for $2 off Huggies diaper of any size. I had two Target store coupons $3 off coupon any Huggies diapers. Target had a jumbo pack of diapers on sale for $19.XX. Her first thought was to get the jumbo for $19 and use one of my coupons to take $3 off giving her a total of $16. Once we looked closer, she was able to buy two of the smaller packages which were $9.49 a piece. Then once she used both the manufacturers coupon and the store coupon for $4.49 total for each package. So she paid $9 and got around the same amount of diapers as if she would have bought the jumbo pack!

PS, sometimes the Sunday paper has Target coupons as well.