Couponing at the Dollar Store...

Today, I ventured out into the great unchartered territory of couponing at my local Dollar Tree.  All week I had anticipated this trip and figured that it would be much more of a trip just to look around to see what was available. 

Cost for these items: $12.90+ tax-40% Savings (no q-pons for canned fruit)

First of all, the name brands are few and far between but they are there.  This is especially true for the canned and boxed foods.  Cleaning products and toiletries and a few over-the-counter meds are also in the store.  But, the trick to finding great deals with your coupons will be to match the coupon to the item.  Remember, it must match the description exactly, not the pictured item. 

I found that there were several times that I could match a coupon with a brand named product but the size or amount of the item did not.  The sizes of the items in the store are much smaller than you will find in a regular grocery store or pharmacy.  Except for the canned foods, I was unable to find any "regular" sized items.  I only had a short time to look around because it was just about closing time.

It looks like the only coupons that will work without any problem will be the coupons that specify no size or quantity and/or state "any".  I bought some Soft Soap liquid hand soap (8 oz) and Lysol toilet boil cleaner (16 oz).  Each item was $1 before q-pons.  The hand soap and toilet bowl cleaner were 50¢ each after the coupons.  

Surprisingly, I was the first person at my local Dollar Tree that had used coupons since their new policy to accept coupons began this week.  The cashiers were so clueless that I doubt they had ever even seen or held a coupon before today.  My cashier read the printed information of every coupon very closely.  So, it was evident that they had been trained, just not tested. 

I bought $20 worth of hand soap ($1/off 2 coupons), toilet bowl cleaner ($1/off 2 coupons), two cans of Martha Holmes veggies (75¢/2 coupon), and two cans of Libby's canned fruit.  I had no coupons for the fruit @ $1/can.  After my coupons were deducted, I paid $12 + tax.  That was a 40% savings.  

Today was a test run just to check out the sales associates to see how much they knew about coupon redemption.  They knew almost nothing about coupons but seemed eager to learn and were very accommodating.  I also had a chance to look around to get an idea about just what is available and if it would be worth my time and save me money by couponing at Dollar Tree.  

It was evident that the sizes are deliberately smaller and if your coupon has no size or quantity for the item, you will find plenty to restock your stockpile.  Check the expiration dates carefully and know your price points.  Just because it is a dollar, don't assume it is a bargain.  The sizes and quantity are quite small but there are bargains to be found.

I will try again next week and spend more time looking for coupon bargains at Dollar Tree.

Happy Couponing!

ShaRon, The Bizzy Coupon Bee 

No Inserts This Sunday...Now What?

There will be no coupon inserts this coming Sunday because of the holiday.  I guess the advertisers feel that holiday picnics and celebrations of the last days of summer do not lend themselves to couponing.  But, there are other things we couponers can do to find savings during the coupon drought.

First, check with your newspaper subscription service to be sure you are getting the best price possible.  The last thing you want to do is to end up wasting your savings from couponing on the coupons themselves.  I was able to reduce my weekly subscription (Sunday's only) from $1.87 per week to $1.05 per week.  When I first began my Sunday only service, I had a special new subscriber rate of 59¢ per Sunday for one copy.  I supplemented that with 4 papers from 7-11 (2/$3).  So, I was able to get five Sunday newspapers for $6.59 per week.  

Now, I get four newspapers for $4.20 and my sister-in-law and another friend also give me their coupon inserts each week.  In addition, I have the Sunday Insert Schedule and will send a list of the Sunday's that I do not want newspapers delivered to the carrier and the Post (just to be sure they get the notice).  I did not do that last year. By just following this plan, I can save a little more than $100 per year on my newspaper subscription.  

Next, call your cable/internet/phone carrier(s).  Tell them that you are falling on hard times and that you may need to terminate their services if you cannot get the costs down to a manageable level.  Ask them to reevaluate your services to see if they have some specials or new offerings that you could get to lower your monthly costs.

I called DirecTV (the satellite provider for our motorhome) and told them that I could not justify $109 per month for a motorhome and wanted to know how I can lower my bill.  Long story short, by taking just a little time, I was able to lower our bill to $72 a month for one whole year.  I could have lowered it even more but my sweetheart just has to have his boxin' channel and MASN (baseball channel).  Bottom line, I will save $544!  And, if I have the service suspended for the months we do not travel, I will save an additional $72 per month each month it is suspended.  

Finally, I made a call to Verizon.  They provide service for my internet/telephone/television.  I told them that I would like to have the cost of my service evaluated to see if I am getting the best savings.  My contract with Verizon had already expired and so that was enough incentive for them to help me save a little money.  They asked me what things I wanted continued with my service and what things I could drop.  Again, my sweetie pie loves his boxing and sports.  Neither of us really watches the movies on those movie channels but we do like our cooking shows, westerns, the Learning Channel, Discovery, OWN and a few more.  Bottom line: I am getting a free upgrade to a faster internet connection, did not loose any of my favorite stations and my bill will be $15 per month less AND I will receive a VISA gift card for $120.  My obligation is for two years during which time I have the latitude to change my programing options at anytime within the two years.  I will save $180 per year on my bill and an additional $120 with the gift card for a total of $300.

With just less than 45 minutes of my time, I saved $944 without clipping any coupons!    I still have a few other things to renegotiate this weekend.  Our motorhome insurance is up for renewal in September.  Time to see how much we can lower that bill.  

So, don't go into withdrawal this weekend with no coupons to clip.  Instead, sit back, pick up your phone, grab a stack of bills, and make some calls.

Happy Calling!

ShaRon, The Bizzy Coupon Bee