My friends and I also went to Bi-lo. They did pretty well; one even got a catalina deal I didn't know about. I saved my shopping for later in the night.
Trip summary:
I had a raincheck for Bounty Basic single rolls BOGO. I bought 16 rolls (don't worry, they had plenty left).
Total before savings and coupon: $20.68
Total out of pocket: $3.07
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saved 85% -- that's just .19 a roll! also this trip will go towards the $50 I need for the P&G $100 coupon book I mentioned here
Showing posts with label raincheck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raincheck. Show all posts
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Bi-lo ----- saved 55%
I didn't need much today, but there's no better day for shopping than Friday, at least for me. My first stop was Bi-lo.
Some of these items will be going to charity or friends. It's nice being able to share blessings.
Trip summary:
We did two transactions. The soda and yogurt were free (a couple of the Pillsbury were too). The onions and carrots were free with the purchase of the roast. I got the eggs for just .88 with an in-ad coupon for spending $25 (that $25 is before savings and coupons so I hand that to the cashier first).
Total before savings: $70.52
Total out of pocket: $32.85
----------------------------
saved 55% ----- a few sale items were out of stock, so I made sure to grab my rainchecks!
Some of these items will be going to charity or friends. It's nice being able to share blessings.
Trip summary:
We did two transactions. The soda and yogurt were free (a couple of the Pillsbury were too). The onions and carrots were free with the purchase of the roast. I got the eggs for just .88 with an in-ad coupon for spending $25 (that $25 is before savings and coupons so I hand that to the cashier first).
Total before savings: $70.52
Total out of pocket: $32.85
----------------------------
saved 55% ----- a few sale items were out of stock, so I made sure to grab my rainchecks!
Friday, January 1, 2010
The importance of rainchecks
As I mentioned in my last post, I use rainchecks. Most stores offer rainchecks; Food Lion, Walgreens, CVS to name just a few. I think a lot of people don't use them because of an increasing amount of ads and commercials that say "rainchecks will not be issued". While there are circumstances where rainchecks will not be issued or redeemed, they are not as common as people seem to think. The worst a store can say is no. If you want, check the store's raincheck policy before going.
If you see a great price in an ad and don't see anything prohibiting rainchecks, don't be afraid to ask a manager for one. Rainchecks are a great way to pay a price you like at a time of your choosing. If a store has run out of a sale item, ask for a raincheck. If you know a coupon will be available later for a sale item, ask for a raincheck. If you've forgotten your wallet at home and are afraid the store will run out before you return, ask for a raincheck.
Rainchecks are a little personal sale just for you!
If you see a great price in an ad and don't see anything prohibiting rainchecks, don't be afraid to ask a manager for one. Rainchecks are a great way to pay a price you like at a time of your choosing. If a store has run out of a sale item, ask for a raincheck. If you know a coupon will be available later for a sale item, ask for a raincheck. If you've forgotten your wallet at home and are afraid the store will run out before you return, ask for a raincheck.
Rainchecks are a little personal sale just for you!
Trip to Food Lion & Save-A-Lot
Yesterday, I stopped by Save-A-Lot. I heard they had some nice deals on produce. I haven't been to Save-A-Lot in years. Their produce section was small, but everything was priced low and looked great. Bananas were .33/lb! I also got .75/lb onions. I'll definitely be stopping by again for produce. Unfortunately, I found the rest of the store to be sub-par. The meat section was disgusting. A lot of stuff on the shelves was processed and expensive. I hope it's only the Save-A-Lot I went to that is like this.
I also stopped by Food Lion. They have a great B1G1 sale this week on General Mills cereal. I also had a raincheck I was hoping to use. I did two transactions.
Transaction 1:
I bought 6 boxes of Cheerios. In preparation for a sale like this, I bought .75 coupons off of ebay and printed out 2 $1 coupons from here.
Total before savings and coupons: $22.71
Total after savings and coupons: $6.72
----------------------------------
saved 72%! ----- I saved $11.34 by just using my MVP card (never leave home without it)
Transaction 2:
I bought 10lbs of russet potatoes, 5lb Boston butt pork roast, and 2 Smithfield Ham Shank portions (total of 19lbs). I had a raincheck for the ham shanks from last week's sale.
Total before savings: $29.47
Total after savings: $23.22
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saved 21% ----- doesn't look impressive but this doesn't include the savings I got from the raincheck.
I paid last week's price of $14.76 instead of this week's price $34.31 for an additional savings of $19.55.
Overall, I paid $23.22 instead of $42.09 ---- 45% off.
I also stopped by Food Lion. They have a great B1G1 sale this week on General Mills cereal. I also had a raincheck I was hoping to use. I did two transactions.
Transaction 1:
I bought 6 boxes of Cheerios. In preparation for a sale like this, I bought .75 coupons off of ebay and printed out 2 $1 coupons from here.
Total before savings and coupons: $22.71
Total after savings and coupons: $6.72
----------------------------------
saved 72%! ----- I saved $11.34 by just using my MVP card (never leave home without it)
Transaction 2:
I bought 10lbs of russet potatoes, 5lb Boston butt pork roast, and 2 Smithfield Ham Shank portions (total of 19lbs). I had a raincheck for the ham shanks from last week's sale.
Total before savings: $29.47
Total after savings: $23.22
-----------------------------
saved 21% ----- doesn't look impressive but this doesn't include the savings I got from the raincheck.
I paid last week's price of $14.76 instead of this week's price $34.31 for an additional savings of $19.55.
Overall, I paid $23.22 instead of $42.09 ---- 45% off.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
When deals go BAD
If you've been couponing or bargain shopping for any length of time, you've probably run into a deal that just didn't go your way....the product was out of stock, the coupon was expired, the store wasn't participating, etc. I've had two deals not work out this week, so I wanted to talk a little about what to do if this happens to you.
1) Review what might have gone wrong: Did you check the coupons throughly? Did you pick up the right item? Did the clerk scan in all the coupons? Is the store participating and stocked? Lots of things can lead to a deal going bad, so pay attention to what you can do to prevent that by preparing and throughly reviewing every aspect of a deal before it's time to shop.
2) Get a Raincheck: Stores do run out of items especially during big sales. Sure, you could go another day, but what if there isn't time? Or did you not have the coupon(s) needed? Get a raincheck and you'll be covered! Just go another time when the store will have plenty and you have coupons. Some stores do have limits and expirations on rainchecks so make sure to ask beforehand.
3) Make your own deal: If the product you want/need is not included in a sale, you can try to make your own deal. If you have coupons for other items on sale, you can try to save enough to pay for the item that is not. Coupons on items that will result in overages (ex. $1 coupon on a .80 item) are great for this. Also, use the highest denomination coupon you have for the cheapest size item available to maximize savings ($1 off a 1 lb item is better than $1 off a 2 lb item).
4) Move On! Despite your best efforts, a deal can go sour. Remember, deals come and go (usually about every 6-12 weeks for most items). If you miss it this go around, chances are another deal or an even better one are in your future. So, don't get hung up on what you couldn't do and prepare for the next one!
As for my two failed deals this week, on one I was able to get a raincheck and I will try again at another location; as for the other, the details of the deal were unclear and my clerk was uninformed, so I'm going to contact corporate. It may not solve anything for me, but maybe someone in the future won't be disappointed.
1) Review what might have gone wrong: Did you check the coupons throughly? Did you pick up the right item? Did the clerk scan in all the coupons? Is the store participating and stocked? Lots of things can lead to a deal going bad, so pay attention to what you can do to prevent that by preparing and throughly reviewing every aspect of a deal before it's time to shop.
2) Get a Raincheck: Stores do run out of items especially during big sales. Sure, you could go another day, but what if there isn't time? Or did you not have the coupon(s) needed? Get a raincheck and you'll be covered! Just go another time when the store will have plenty and you have coupons. Some stores do have limits and expirations on rainchecks so make sure to ask beforehand.
3) Make your own deal: If the product you want/need is not included in a sale, you can try to make your own deal. If you have coupons for other items on sale, you can try to save enough to pay for the item that is not. Coupons on items that will result in overages (ex. $1 coupon on a .80 item) are great for this. Also, use the highest denomination coupon you have for the cheapest size item available to maximize savings ($1 off a 1 lb item is better than $1 off a 2 lb item).
4) Move On! Despite your best efforts, a deal can go sour. Remember, deals come and go (usually about every 6-12 weeks for most items). If you miss it this go around, chances are another deal or an even better one are in your future. So, don't get hung up on what you couldn't do and prepare for the next one!
As for my two failed deals this week, on one I was able to get a raincheck and I will try again at another location; as for the other, the details of the deal were unclear and my clerk was uninformed, so I'm going to contact corporate. It may not solve anything for me, but maybe someone in the future won't be disappointed.
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