Mail Call -- Week of 10/9 - 10/15

This week's Mail Call can be summed up in one word: LAME! 

I only received two things this week. One was a Kleenex Cool Touch coupon and sample. And by sample, I mean two tissues. The other thing was a coupon for a free bottle of Bayer Advanced aspirin. I won it by doing this Speed Share thing on their website. Click here if you want to try to win one for yourself. FREE is always great, right?! 

On an average week, I would've been excited about the Bayer coupon. But this week I got the car insurance, house insurance, and property tax statements in the mail! A few extra freebies would've helped soften that blow.

Freebies and cheapies!

I did a little end-of-week shopping on Thursday and Friday. My goal was to spend no more than $2.00 on an item. Here's how I did. 

Thursday's CVS and Walgreens run

 

Walgreens and CVS total before coupons: $23.91 + tax = $25.74
My OOP: $4.18 + tax = $6.01, with $4 ECBs and $3 RRs remaining
Savings: $19.73, 77%

CVS

Dial Nutriskin body wash $2.88
Used -$2.00 CVS email coupon
Cost: $0.88, earned $1 ECB (making this FREE + $0.12 profit)

3 American Greetings “Thank You” cards @ $0.99 = $2.97
Cost: $2.97, earned $3.00 ECBs (making this FREE + $0.03 profit)

Fuze drink $1.69 (not pictured)
Used -$0.75 mfr coupon
Cost: $0.94 (not a great deal, but I love these)

(Used -$1.00 ECB to pay)

Walgreens

2 Cottonelle Ultra Soft toilet paper 12-packs @ $5.00
Used -$2.00 Walgreens coupon
Used (2) -$0.50 mfr coupons
Cost: $7.00, earned $3.00 RR (making these $2.00 each)

2 Arrid deodorants @ $2.99 = $5.98
Used -$4.00 Walgreens in-ad coupon
Used (2) -$1.00 mfr coupons (adjusted down to $0.99 each)
Cost: FREE

Russell Stover chocolate pumpkin $0.39 (filler)

(Used -$7.00 RR to pay)

Friday's Walmart run

 

Walmart total before coupons: $7.92 + tax = $8.66
My OOP: $1.96 + tax = $2.70
Savings: $5.96, 69%

2 Rayovac flashlights @ $2.00 = $4.00
Used (2) -$1.00 mfr coupons
Cost: $2.00 (making these $1.00 each)

2 Glade air fresheners @ $0.98 = $1.96
Used (2) -$1.00 mfr coupons
Cost: -$0.04 (making these FREE + $0.04 profit)

2 Idahoan scalloped potatoes @ $0.98 = $1.96
Used (2) FREE mfr coupons -$1.96
Cost: FREE

I also printed two coupons for a bottle of eyeglasses cleaner and a cloth. I kept one for myself and gave the other to my grandma.

Here are the freebies. (This includes my Thursday's Staples' finds.)

Here are items that cost $1.00 or less.  (Minus the Fuze and pumpkin.)

Here are the items that cost $2.00 or less. 

Good savings at Food Lion

Groceries are one of the hardest things to save money on. However, with a little planning and by matching up coupons with store promotions, I managed to score a decent savings at Food Lion yesterday. Here's a picture of my purchase.

Total Retail w/ sale prices: $63.53 + tax = $67.55
My OOP: $30.60 + tax = $34.62
Savings: $32.93, 49%

This week I decided to do Food Lion's “Big Deal” promotion. You save $5 for every participating 10 items you buy. I wanted to try for the maximum reward--$15 for 30 participating items. "The Big Deal" promotion is running through October 25th. You can get a list of participating items by clicking here.

The total before my MVP card was scanned was $81.24 + tax. If you include that, I saved $50.64. Here's what I bought.

2 bags Cheetos @ $2.50 = $5.00
-$1.00 “Big Deal”
-$1.00/2 mfr coupon
Cost: $3.00 (making these $1.50 each)

2 bags Fritos @ $2.50 = $5.00
-$1.00 “Big Deal”
-$1.00/2 mfr coupon
Cost: $3.00 (making these $1.50 each)

3 boxes Pillsbury frozen breakfast sandwiches 2-pk @ $2.00 = $6.00
-$1.50 “Big Deal”
-(2) $1.10 mfr coupons
-$1.00 mfr coupon
Cost: $1.30 (making these $0.43 each)

1 bag Pillsbury Eggs Scrambles $2.00
-$0.50 “Big Deal”
-$1.00 mfr coupon
Cost: $0.50

2 boxes Pillsbury toaster strudel @ $2.00 = $4.00
-$1.00 “Big Deal”
-$0.50/2 mfr coupon
Cost: $2.50 (making these $1.25 each)

3 boxes Green Giant frozen vegetables $5.00
-$1.50 “Big Deal”
-$0.60/3 mfr coupon
Cost: $2.90 (making these $0.97 each)

2 Pepsi Max 2-liters @ $1.50 = $3.00
-$1.00 “Big Deal”
-$3.18 from using 2 FREE Pepsi Max wyb 2 Cheetos/Fritos (cashier took off $1.59 as original price)
Cost: -$1.18 (making these FREE + $1.18 profit)

1 Brawny paper towel $1.00
-$0.50 “Big Deal”
-$0.50 mfr coupon
Cost: FREE

2 Pillsbury brownie mixes @ $0.99 = $1.98
-$1.00 “Big Deal”
-(2) $0.50 mfr coupons
Cost: -$0.02 (making these FREE + $0.02 profit)

2 Del Monte fruit cups 4-pks @ $2.00 = $4.00
-$1.00 “Big Deal”
Cost: $3.00 (making these $1.50 each)

1 box Quaker instant oatmeal $2.89
-$0.50 “Big Deal”
-$1.00 mfr coupon
Cost: $1.39

1 Hormel Compleats microwave dinner $2.00
-$0.50 “Big Deal”
-$0.75 mfr coupon
Cost: $0.75

4 packages Pillsbury cookies @ $2.50 = $10.00
-$2.00 “Big Deal”
-(2) $1.10/2 mfr coupons
Cost: $5.80 (making these $1.45 each)

2 cans Pillsbury cinnamon rolls @ $2.29 = $4.58
-$1.00 “Big Deal”
-$1.00/2 mfr coupon
Cost: $2.58 (making these $1.29 each)

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls @ $2.29 = $4.58
-$1.00 “Big Deal”
(I had a -$0.40 coupon but the cashier didn’t scan it. Boo!)
Cost: $3.58 (making these $1.79 each)

2 cans Pillsbury Grand’s biscuits @ $1.25 = $2.50 (not a “Big Deal” item)
-$1.00/2 mfr coupon
Cost: $1.50 (making these $0.75 each)

I picked products with distant expiration dates. We're going to save some of these items for family dinners. Maybe the crescent rolls, biscuits, and cookies will make it until Thanksgiving! I'll share the Cheetos and Fritos with my parents. Those are way too dangerous to have around the house!

I went earlier in the week to buy some staples, like milk, eggs, bread, cheese, and meat. That made my total grocery bill about $55. My goal is to keep our grocery bill under $100 this month. We can do it!  

Staples = awesomeness!

I usually reserve Staples for back-to-school shopping. However, I found a deal this week that I couldn't pass up! I'm a Staples Rewards member and I get emails from Staples about once a week. They typically have a sneak peek of their weekly ad and some coupons for computers or other big-ticket items. 

But this week I had a lovely surprise! I opened my email on Thursday to see a $5 reward. I didn't remember buying anything with a reward, so I guess it was a bonus offer that I could use on ANYTHING in the store! So I looked at the last page of their weekly ad and saw a section of Dollar Deals. 

I bought two 4-packs of Bic Atlantis pens and a cute little notebook.

And check out my receipt!

I didn't have to pay tax or anything. Awesome!

I'm not 100% sure about their rewards program, but I think you only get a rewards statement once per quarter. If you buy something in the ad that says you get 100% in rewards back, it's not an automatic reward like you get at CVS or Walgreens. You have to wait awhile. You also receive rewards if you recycle ink cartridges there. I need to remember that the next time I have an empty cartridge. 

Rude cashiers

You know what irks me? Rude cashiers. Don't get me wrong, most cashiers I encounter are very friendly and helpful. I especially love my CVS and Rite Aid cashiers. However, once in awhile, I'll run across a cashier who is just plain old rude and grumpy. That really puts a damper on the checkout experience. 

On average, I say about 20% of my checkout experiences have been unpleasant. This has been for a couple of different reasons. 

1. The cashier has an attitude before he/she even knows you're using coupons. Maybe they've had a bad day, just heard some bad news, dislike their job, whatever. They act like it's an inconvenience to scan and bag your items. 
2. The cashier sees you're using coupons and his/her attitude completely changes. They go from being nice and friendly to rolling their eyes and huffing and puffing. I think some cashiers incorrectly assume that you're making the store lose money by using coupons. WRONG! Stores get reimbursed by the manufacturer of the products if the coupon is redeemed on the correct product, PLUS they normally get an additional 8 cents for handling.
3. The cashier knows the register is super fussy and that it typically has problems when coupons are scanned. Sometimes you hear a loud BEEP when a coupon doesn't want to go through. This can indicate that it's being used on the wrong product, but it also often happens for no reason at all. It's unfortunate that a register malfunction can make a cashier refuse a coupon that is totally legitimate and valid.

Granted, some cashiers may have gotten in trouble for accepting coupons for the wrong products. Some people who coupon aren't honest about it. They deliberately use coupons on the wrong products or totally disregard the limits stated on the coupon. They've shown cases of that on TLC's Extreme Couponing and I've saw people brag about it on websites. That's NOT COOL at all. People like that give us "regular" couponers a bad rep and make stores become more strict on their coupon redemption policies. 

I always read the fine-print on my coupons and double check to make sure I have the exact product specified (size, brand, etc.) I'm an honest person and would never deliberately misuse a coupon. If you don't use the coupon the correct way, the store might not be reimbursed. That would make the store lose money. 

So, what do you do when you have a grumpy cashier? It's best to keep smiling and stay polite. Sometimes it's hard, though. Just today, I had a very rude cashier at a local grocery store. VERY RUDE. Possibly the rudest one I've ever encountered. (I've also had other rude cashiers at this same store--if the sales weren't so good, I'd avoid it completely.) She actually rolled her eyes and sarcastically said, "I love coupons." She had to type everything in because she said the register wouldn't scan them. She tried ONE coupon and it wouldn't scan, so she didn't feel the need to try scanning the other ten or so. I guess she wanted to make more work for herself. She was just so hateful. My mother and grandmother both noticed her terrible attitude. Oh, and by the way, it's not like I got everything for free. I had to pay $34 out-of-pocket in addition to my coupons. 

I hate leaving a store and not feeling like a valued customer. I wish that all cashiers would realize that paying customers (whether they pay with cash, credit card, coupons, whatever) are the reason they have jobs.  

So even if you get a rude cashier, keep your head held high and know that you deserve great customer service. Using coupons doesn't make you any less valuable to their business. In fact, using coupons may actually encourage you to buy MORE products at their stores, therefore increasing their profit. Be honest, use your coupons correctly, and learn your store's coupon policies. Don't be afraid to inform a cashier about their coupon redemption policy if they act clueless. Don't be afraid to stand your ground and talk to a manager if you know you're within the coupon acceptance guidelines.

Just remember that you're saving money! That's what I do. :)