Showing posts with label Couponing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Couponing. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Do You Even Post Here Any More??


Fine timing I have. I chose to start a blog about couponing just as Walgreens chooses to stop their most profitable program (well for us at least), the economy takes dive causing stores to promote steady low pricing instead of regular loss leaders, and my own personal need for a break from the whole couponing world. Ugh! True confession time...I haven't used more than a handfull of coupons all summer. I'm incredibly competitive by nature and extremely lacking in self-control when doing things just because you should. Couponing has always been a great game. Beating the system, walking in the door weighed down by tons of grocery bags for $10, walking in the door with more money than you walked out with! These were the great motivators that just don't seem to be had anymore. But can I just say...every time I've gone through the Dillons self-check out and it asks "Do you have any coupons?" and I have to press no...yeah, that's just a sad way to end a shopping trip.

Well, I think I'm ready to turn the corner and get back to business (it sure does help to get those weeks and weeks of coupons finally cut). Sometimes a rest can do you good. So does this mean you can plan to see regular posting here again...that is if there is anyone left reading this to begin with? Ummm...let's just take it as it comes. I have a few things already lined up, but this blogging business sure is a lot of work. And! we're starting kindergarten in this house on Monday!! I really need to make sure that my priorities stay in order and this blog falls fairly low on the list. But, I do enjoy it and hope to keep up with semi-regularly. So I'll guess we'll just see what's to come.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Not All Coupon Inserts Are Created Equal!


Clipping coupons and sorting them are not always my favorite part of couponing. I prefer the saving lots of money stuff personally. So, having two paper inserts to go through these past three weeks has also been a test of perseverance as well. Not to mention this week's paper included five coupon inserts! That's a record number as far as I can remember.

So what's there to report? After matching up all similar coupons, these are the results.

Both the P&G Saver and Unilever inserts matched up exactly.

The Wichita Eagle Smart Source insert also included...
$1 Star olive oil
$1 Star balsamic vinegar
$1 Star vinegar

The KC Star Smart Source insert also included...
$.55 Spot Shot carpet cleaner product
$1 Vitamin water 20oz
$2 Benefiber powder
$1 Benefiber chewable or caplet
$1/2 Color Silk products
$1 Welch's dried fruit
$1 Nestea 12 pack bottles
$.55 Ziploc bag with expandable bottom
$2 Benefiber stick pack
$2 Zicam
$.55 Johnsonville brats package
$.55 Johnsonville italian sausage
$1 Ricola

The KC star Red Plum insert also included...
$1 Uncle Ben's rice
$2 Pepcid AC
$1.50 Kellogg's Cereal
$1 Poptarts
$.70 Kellogg's Special K or All-Bran fiber product
$.50 Treasure Cave Cheese package
$.75 Whole Fruit sorbet
$.55 Nexcare bandage
$1 L'Oreal Paris men's skin care product
$.55 Keebler Sandies Cookies
$.55/2 Keebler cookies package
$.75 McCormick spice
$1 wyb $1 Ahorre natural tone product
$.50 Sister Schubert's rolls
$3/2 Tylenol extra strength
$1 Tylenol extra strength
$4 Alaway eye drops
$.50 Pure Life water 20 pack
$.50/2 Clorox bleach
$.50 Pine-Sol
$.75 Clorox Clean-up 409 formula

The Wichita Eagle Smart Source insert also included...
$.60 Viva paper towels
$1 Biore product
$2 Biore product
$1 Jergens moisturizers
$2 John Frieda product
$.40 Ban deodorant
$.75 ban invisible solid
$1 Curel moisturizer

The KC Star Smart Source insert also included...
$1 Opti-free solution
$1 Systane product
$2 Icaps vitamin formula
$.40 Viva paper towels
$2 Bare Naturale product
$1 Kotex
$.75 Kotex pantiliners
$.75 Kotex tampons

The final results? I think I'm switching to the KC Star. There are far more coupons included and for many products that I'll find useful. The best part is my sweet husband doesn't mind picking me up a copy at the gas station on his way in to church each Sunday. I hope you found this informative and now you know when a coupon is listed for a deal and you can't come up with it, it may have never been included in your insert to begin with.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Not All Coupon Inserts Are Created Equal!


No brownie points scored for the Wichita Eagle today. Not only did I find their inserts to have less coupons, but they sent an automated phone message to us today telling us they will no longer be delivering the Wednesday paper as part of the price for buying the weekend edition. Besides our paper carrier always forgetting to leave our Wednesday paper every week (I've called 3 times about this issue and it's never resolved) now the mid-week paper that contains the Dillons insert will cease altogether. *I must mention here my most wonderful neighbor who each Wednesday notices my lack of paper delivery and leaves her Dillons ad under my door mat each morning. She wins the award for The-World's-Best-Neighbor in my book.* As an avid couponer receiving the Dillons ad asap is critical for planning my weekly shopping trips and coupon organization.

So how did the coupon ads between the KC Star and the Wichita Eagle stack up? I matched up all the coupons that could be found in the inserts of both papers and the following lists are the ones left over that were unique to each paper.

Wichita Eagle Red Plum insert also contained:
$1 Morton Salt System Saver Pellets (water softener)
Buy 3 get 1 free Cesar Canine Cuisine entree
BOGO MAX Face product

KC Star Red Plum insert also contained:
$2 L'Oreal Paris Excellence to-go hair color
$2 L'Oreal Paris Excellence Creme hair color
$1/2 Del Monte Fruit Chillers
$1 ThermaCare Heat Wraps
$1.50 ThermaCare Arthritis Heat Wrap
$2 Alavert product
$.55 package of Hefty One Zip
$.50 package Vanity Fair napkins
$.50 package Vanity Fair bowls or plates
$1 Real Simple magazine
$.75 McCormick Vanilla extract or food coloring
$1.25 Pond's cream, towelette or cleansing product
$1.50 Pond's wet cleansing towelettes
$.50 Newman's Own pasta sauce, salsa, or popcorn
$.50 Newman's Own dressing, marinade, lemonade
$1 Betty Crocker cupcake icing
$1 Quaker rice snack product

Wichita Eagle Smart Source insert also contained:
$.50 French's french fried onions
$.40/3 Swanson broth
$.55/2 cans Dole canned fruit
$1 Scott bath tissue
$1.50/2 Emerald Nut product
$.50 package Poppycock
$1 Glade fragrance collection
$3/2 Glade fragrance collection
$1/2 Welch's jelly
$1/3 Welch's frozen concentrates
$1/2 Polident product

KC Star Smart Source insert also contained:
$1 Imodium product
$1/2 Mrs. Smith's pies
$.75 Scott bath tissue
$.75 French's spicy mustard
$1 French's honey dijon
$.50 Cottonelle toilet paper (2 of these)
$.50 Cottonelle moist wipes
$.50 Softsoap 8.5oz
$.35 Softsoap 7.5oz
$2 Pearls brand probiotics
$3 Whole Body Cleanse
$1 No Nonsense product
$1 T/Gel haircare item
$.35 Steamfresh vegetable or rice
$.75/2 Speed Stick deodorants
$.75 Speed Stick 24/7 deodorant
$1.50 Comtrex cough cold product
$.75 Softsoap body wash
$.40/4 Campbell's cooking soups
$.50 French's Classic yellow mustard
$.40/4 Swanson broth
$.25 Palmolive dish liquid
$.40 Palmolive Pure + Clear liquid dish soap
$.75 Energizer batteries
$1.50 4-Way nasal spray product
$1 Halls cough drops
$.75 French's french fried onions
$.55 Eckrich smoked sausage product
$1 Zantac 150 product
$1.50 Zantac 75 product
$1/2 Natural Almond Accents

You can decide for yourself which set of inserts would be more profitable to you. KC Star has more coupons in general and for me more items I might buy. Next weeks paper looks to have the Proctor and Gamble insert included in it, so one more week of comparison and I think my decision will be made.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Not All Coupon Inserts Are Created Equal!

Ever have that nagging feeling that you're not getting all the same great coupons as everyone else? I always assumed that it must be my own operator error. I threw it away, used it, misfiled it...any number of reasons. Till a sweet young friend of mine tipped me off that the Kansas City Star newspaper coupon inserts carry better coupons than the Wichita Eagle! She had been picking up her KC newspaper for weeks at a local gas station. Between the delivery problems I have been having with the Eagle and the increased prices I was easily convinced this was worth looking into. My husband kindly picked up a KC Star for me this Sunday, and since I forgot to call this week and cancel my subscription to the Eagle, I now had the two papers to compare myself.

The Results
I matched up the coupons that both inserts equally contained. However,

KC Star also contained coupons for:
Blue Diamond Almonds
Renuzit Super Odor Neutralizer
L'Oreal Paris hair color
L'Oreal Paris Ever Pure shampoo or conditioner
L'Oreal Paris Skincare product
Softsoap Ensembles Liquid hand soap (new product)
Stride gum

Wichita Eagle also contained coupons for:
Glass Plus
Playtex Personal Cleansing Cloths
Nature's Own bread products
Physician's Formula cosmetic product
and that great Dillon's insert filled with coupons!!

Final Verdict
As of this issue I would continue to purchase the Eagle over the Star. Missing the Dillon's insert alone would have been a big disappointment. However, this week's paper only included the Smart Source coupon insert. I'm interested to see the difference between other coupon circulars. So for the time being I'll continue to have the Eagle delivered and pick up the Star and keep you posted.