Happy Martin Luther King Day to me.
With Scott out of school, we had a low-key day which was just nice and relaxing! It was a great chance to hit up two different Targets to get the following loot. :)
A few tips for beginner's:
1. In order to do multiple transactions or buy several of one thing, in most cases, you need access to more than one computer/printer. We have a desktop, laptop, multiple devices, and then you can bum off family members to print things for you at their house. So it's normally never a problem to get multiple prints for me as long as I can use the internet. NOW, if it's a coupon from the newspaper, and you need multiple, Cinci's pricing for papers at $2.25 is just too much for me to handle, so normally I pass up those deals...however good they may be.
2. In this case scenario, most likely, it will be confusing no matter how I spell it out. Normally, couponing isn't that hard once you get the hang of it. FUN stuff, I tell ya.
3. At Target and other stores that I coupon at, I like to keep either gift cards or Extra Bucks (etc.) on hand so I don't have to spend a lot out of pocket. For Target, I always keep at least one $5 gift card on hand, because a lot of their deals are something along the lines of "Buy 3, get back a $5 Target gift card." If I already have one, I can pay with the one I have and lower my cost up front. Then I get another one to replace the one I just spent. Works good.
4. If you like numbers, you will like couponing and the following scenario. I love crunching numbers to see what little I can spend up front. Sometimes, I go in a store knowing exactly what I'm getting and what I will be paying. Yesterday, not so - just had to play around and see what best scenario I could come up with...and as you can see, I was quite happy with the result.
5. Most importantly, some stores will be different. One Target might let you use all of your coupons. Another may not. You must understand that sometimes scenarios will not work out, and you must be prepared for the low blow. :) DO NOT let it get you upset, especially so much that you go postal on the cashier. They're just doing their job...as they know how to do it.
Here's part of the breakdown of what I did in order to score all of the following for only $.81 cents out of my pocket. I didn't even need to bring my "necessity" envelope...was able to use my change from my purse. Makes me delirious when that happens.
I did three transactions. So I could use as many coupons as possible to lower my out of pocket expense. This is my first transaction just to give you an idea of what I did.
First Transaction:
1. Purchased 4 L'Oreal Advanced Haircare - $3.99 each ($15.96)
2. Purchased 2 L'Oreal Advanced Haircare - marked down to $3.38 each ($6.76)
3. Purchased Nautica Aqua Body Spray - originally $13, but marked down to $2.98
Total before coupons and taxes: $25.70
Handed over the following coupons in this order:
1. One $5 off a L'Oreal Paris Purchase of $20 or more, found here. Subtracted $5, total down to $20.70.
2. Three $5/2 L'Oreal Advanced Haircare Product, found here. Subtracted $15, total down to $5.70.
3. Two Target store $1/1 L'Oreal Advance hair care item, found here. Subtracted $2, total down to $3.70, pre-taxes.
4. Let cashier scan my mobile Target coupon (free $5 gift card with a L'Oreal purchase of $20 or more - Text LOREAL20 to 827-438 to receive this offer - good until 2.1.14). Didn't subtract anything...just let her know to scan a $5 gift card for me.
(The cashier told me I had to do my gift card Target mobile coupon last - so I handed over #1 and #2 coupons first. Once I saw my grand total, taxes included, I gave her the two Target coupons to lower my total out of pocket.)
Pre-total is $3.70 - plus taxes of $1.12 - Grand Total: $4.82
Remember those $5 gift cards I keep on hand...? That's what I paid with. Nothing out of my pocket.
However, if you don't have a gift card to start with, $4.82 is all you pay, and you're getting a $5 gift card back, so basically, the trip costs you only $.18 cents.
The few reasons why these exact scenarios can be tricky are as follows:
1. For each transaction, I needed to make sure my subtotal was above $25 so both of the $5 off L'Oreal coupons were sure to work. Hence me buying body sprays or fruit or cutlery for my dear children and hubby. You can buy whatever you want to get you over the $25 as long as you have 6 L'Oreal products that qualify for those coupons that I have shared...baby wipes, cheap clearance items that you need, hemorrhoid cream, whatever. You won't be judged.
2. If I saw that my grand total was higher out of pocket, I could have used more Target $1/1 coupons to lower it. For one transaction, you can use up to FOUR Target store coupons. Since I had 6 bottles of shampoo/conditioner, I could have used all FOUR Target store coupons. But I didn't need to.
3. Keep in mind that if you find clearanced L'Oreal products, buy those as well. As long as you get over the $20 mark with your L'Oreal products, you're good to go. Just remember - for it to work as I did it, I got my total over $25 with other extra items (fruit, etc.). It might work for you otherwise. I'm telling you what I did though.
Let me know if this was helpful or not so much. I know it's extremely wordy - I don't know what all knowledge most people have of couponing though. If you have any questions, let me know. Would love to help any out that I can!
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