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Clever uses for excess stockpiled items: What are your tricks?

April 30, 2012 By

I found an interesting article over at The Krazy Coupon Lady this morning. A guest writer shared her unique uses for excess stockpiled items. I’m listing what she wrote below, but I’m wondering what unique uses you have for items that we often get for free. Please share your tips in the comments.

Here’s what the writer over at KCL shared:

Aspirin: There is always a surplus of free aspirin to be gleaned from the drugstores. But don’t worry; there are other uses for this plentiful painkiller.

  • Hubby brought home flowers? While you think really hard about what he possibly could have done wrong before dinnertime, drop an aspirin tablet in the vase water to keep your bouquet looking great for days.
  • It’s date night and a pimple (which is ironically the size of an aspirin tablet) erupts on your chin? Apply a paste made of a crushed aspirin tablet and a little water to the area for instant redness relief and size reduction.
  • Forget $10 foot scrubs. To get rid of rough patches and calluses on your feet, simply make a paste using several aspirin, some water, and some fresh lemon juice. Keep your tootsies moist for a bit with a damp towel and then slough off the dead skin.

BenGay: Here in our house, our idea of a sports injury is brush-burning your hand on pool table felt while shooting a game of 8-Ball. If only I’d known about these other nifty uses sooner:

  • Kiddos being super-rambunctious? Get instantly headache relief by rubbing a little of the product on your temples or the back of your neck. If they haven’t given you a massive tension headache, the menthol in BenGay can also help relieve stress using the same application technique!
  • BenGay can also ease sore throats by using it topically.
  • So you went camping, forgot the citronella candles, and the mosquitoes had you for an appetizer, the main course, and dessert? BenGay is very effective at stopping itching and pain from bug bites; just dab it on the afflicted areas.

Listerine: Mouthwash is an antiseptic, so it can be used for much more than a post-coffee or pre-kiss fresh breath remedy.

  • Listerine can be used as a bleach alternative to replicate pricey multipurpose cleaners. Simply mix with water to clean and disinfect counter-tops and floors.
  • Did playing with kitty result in a nasty scratch? The antiseptic properties in Listerine can be used to treat minor scratches and wounds instead of pricey antiseptic creams.
  • Does the laundry room seem plagued by that not-so-fresh feeling? Use Listerine to remove nasty mold and mildew smells that are frequent in moist, wet areas of the house. Bonus: you can also clean your washing machine by running an empty load with a cup of Listerine added to the water.

Toothpaste: Finally, here are some ideas on how to deplete that tower of toothpaste we couponers all seem to possess. I secretly think that free tubes of toothpaste left unattended in a closet or garage adopt the mating habits of small rodents or cockroaches. Here’s how to control the pest population.

  • Don’t take your jewelry in for an expensive professional cleaning. Instead, try scrubbing dingy rings or necklaces with a soft toothbrush and some toothpaste.
  • Are tipsy dinner guests always leaving annoying water rings on your mahogany dining table? Rubbing in a dab of toothpaste with a cloth and then wiping up the paste with a damp washcloth can make them disappear.
  • Is your hubby’s ultra-hot shower fogging up the bathroom mirror you desperately need to use? Simply rub a glob of toothpaste on the mirror to keep it fog-free. And then let him bust out the Windex when he’s done.
  • Toothpaste works like a dream to clean sinks, faucets and other fixtures.
  • And if you’ve used up all your free aspirin, toothpaste also makes an excellent overnight pimple treatment!

Do you have any clever tricks? If so, share!

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Got a question about couponing? Ask the Couponaholic!

February 29, 2012 By

So it’s been a slow day for new deals and coupons and I’m finally catching a breather. Of course, that’s going to change when the mailman shows up with my junk mail…if he ever comes. I swear he takes a few days off each week.

I haven’t done a call for questions lately and I haven’t done any recent “Ask the Couponaholic” posts.  I think I’m going to do a few over the next few days, so submit your questions below. I will choose some of the questions and (attempt to) answer them. Others can then post their comments about how they would handle your particular question.

Post a comment and give me your question suggestion :)

Filed Under: Ask the Couponaholic

“Ask the Couponaholic” – Where do you get your meat? It seems in all your transactions you barely buy meat.

February 12, 2012 By

I don’t know if this will be an everyday thing, but I’m going to start posting questions/comments from readers. I’ll respond to the question as best I can, but I’d love for you all to continue the discussion in the comments or share how you would handle the situation differently. If you would like to suggest a question for future discussion, go here and post a comment.

Today’s question/subject is from Connie. She writes:

Where do you get your meat? It seems in all your transactions, you barely buy meat, unless you and your roomie are on a very non-meat diet =)

Good question, Connie. I’m not a big meat eater, but my roommate eats lots of it; she’s usually on the low-carb diet. Even so, we’re only a two-person household, so there’s only so much we need to buy, but when we see an incredible deal we stock up for a while. For example, we bought six pounds of bacon about a week ago (Publix trip breakdown & pic here.) Six pounds of bacon will probably last us three months or longer.

Our freezer is packed with chicken. I went a little crazy at $1.89/lb. boneless skinless and split chicken breasts around $1/lb. this fall. I still have tons of the split chicken breasts, but I had to buy some boneless skinless about a month ago (Publix trip breakdown & pic here.) We bought a ton of 73/27 ground beef at $1.99/lb. at Sweetbay a while back too (It cost us only $1.49/lb. after a $10/$40 Sweetbay coupon we got in the newspaper that week.) That’s about gone, so you’ll probably see us take the next great deal we see.

I think the big takeaway is that our needs are different.  Because we don’t have children (other than our pets), we really have a lot of flexibility in what we buy. When we bought about 20 pouches of tuna a few weeks ago, we bought tuna salad for six months at the rate we eat it. Our moneymaker deals go further for us because we don’t have to buy as much as many households.

In short, you have seen all the meat we have bought since starting the site, but we tend to only buy it in big chunks when the price is right. When we need something and there’s space in the freezer, you’ll see a silly purchase. Trust me, it will happen…very soon if a ground beef deal surfaces.

With that said, what strategies do you have for saving on meat. Share your knowledge with a comment below.

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“Ask the Couponaholic” – What do you do when you end up at a cashier that demands you hand over your coupons before the start of a transaction?

February 11, 2012 By

I don’t know if this will be an everyday thing, but I’m going to start posting questions/comments from readers. I’ll respond to the question as best I can, but I’d love for you all to continue the discussion in the comments or share how you would handle the situation differently. If you would like to suggest a question for future discussion, go here and post a comment.

Today’s question/subject is from Milissa in Lutz, FL. She writes:

What do you do when you end up at a cashier that demands you hand over your coupons before the start of a transaction? I would wait till the end to say I have coups but then line behind me will form. The cashier always spreads my coupons everywhere and I’m always so nervous he will forget one. I’ve seen some couponers hand the cashier each coupon at a time but I could only imagine on a big haul with a stack of coups the cashier would kill me.

I think a lot of us will handle this situation in different ways. As for me…I would just hand over the coupons and if there’s an issue with any dollars off the total order coupon (like a coupon for $5 off of a purchase of $30 or more), I’d take it over to customer service to get my money at the end of the transaction. (The receipt prints with a breakdown of how much you saved using coupons, so if the sum of that number and the amount you paid is greater than the purchase requirements, you should have no problem getting cash back at customer service…assuming you are shopping at a store like Publix that typically has good CS.)

Also, about the line forming issue…if possible, shop with someone else and use them to warn shoppers that your transaction will take some time while you watch the transaction to make sure there are no errors :)

I thought we had some good comments from readers on the matter too. Here are a few of them:

AshleyAshley wrote:

Just my two cents…It’s not their purchase, it’s yours. I tell cashiers who ask for them in advance or all together, that because of bad experiences in the past I’d prefer to give them to them at the end, and usually do them in batches – ie all of one product coupon together, then the next products coupons and so on. It helps me make sure that all get scanned and I dont lose control of the situations or my coupons.

Melissa wrote:

I stack all of my coupons on top of the products and don’t allow the cashier to check me out until I’m done. This works 2 ways 1) I puchased the correct product. 2) I can make sure they scan every coupon. Most of the cashiers don’t mind this, and I even get comments of what a great job I’ve done.

Comments? Feel free to share your wisdom on this issue with use by posting a comment below :)

Filed Under: Ask the Couponaholic

“Ask the Couponaholic” – How does a BOGO coupon work with a BOGO sale?

February 10, 2012 By

I don’t know if this will be an everyday thing, but I’m going to start posting questions/comments from readers. I’ll respond to the question as best I can, but I’d love for you all to continue the discussion in the comments or share how you would handle the situation differently. If you would like to suggest a question for future discussion, go here and post a comment.

Today’s question/subject is from Lynn in St. Petersburg. She writes:

Please explain using a BOGO coupon while a BOGO sale is going on. I had a cashier [at Publix] say  to me ” Your already getting the second item free- you do not need /can’t use a BOGO coupon. I didn’t really know how to explain it to her. The lady behind me was already  breathing heavy because I had 26 coupons to use and I didn’t want to hold up the line any longer. Thanks!

First of all, we all have to suck it up and ask for a manager in a situation like this. If we can get this cashier properly educated, it will be save a lot of headache for future shoppers. The manager might know that you’re right and explain it to the cashier. If it comes directly from her supervisor, the problem is solved.

From my experience, this only works a fraction of the time. Sometimes you will need to do more. If the first level of attack (the supervisor) does not work, come back to the store next time with your coupon policies in hand.

From the Publix Corporate Coupon Policy:

“For a buy-one-get-one free (BOGO) offer, each item is considered a separate sale.”

Because each item is a “separate sale,” in their eyes you are buying two, even if you only pay for one. Because you are buying a total of two, one is made free by a BOGO coupon.

You can reassure them by bringing even clearer examples from other coupon policies you may want to take with you to the store.

For example, you may want to take the CVS Coupon Policy with you as an example of how to handle these coupons:

“Ex. Suave Shampoo is on sale for $2.00 BOGO and customer has a MFG coupon for Suave BOGO. Customer will receive both items for free but will need to pay any applicable tax.”

If your store/cashier still insists otherwise, I would take your stance to Publix Corporate and ask them to weigh in on the matter. Present the details of your situation and clearly articulate your argument with the examples I stated above. Assuming you get an adequate answer, ask them to contact the store in question and also request an email from them that you can print and take with you on your next visit.

It sounds time consuming (and it is), but it will alleviate the headache for yourself and numerous other couponers at that store in the future. I hope this helps and thanks for the very good question!

If any of you have any other suggestions for Lynn, or if you’d like to discuss this issue, feel free to leave your comments.

Filed Under: Ask the Couponaholic

Have a question about couponing? Submit your “Ask the Couponaholic” questions here

February 8, 2012 By

I’m thinking about picking one question per day to have an open discussion topic. With that in mind, I’m wondering what couponing questions you have and/or what issues you might be interested in discussing here on the site.

I will try to grab a comment or question from the comments on this post to spark a discussion each day. I’ll give my best answer and/or position on the issue posed, and then I’d like to hear from you.

So, to get the ball rolling, what are your questions? Or what issues do you want to discuss? I’m curious to know what’s on your minds ;)

Filed Under: Ask the Couponaholic

Ask the Couponaholic – Moneymakers, Coupon Classes & Peelies

December 4, 2011 By

Kathy wrote:
“Are there certain things I should be looking for in coupons that would make them potential moneymakers? I have noticed one thing in common so far and that’s when no size is specified or when it doesn’t include trial size?”

The Couponaholic says:
You are right about size restrictions. When a coupon has no size specifications, that’s a good indicator that you might be able to find a moneymaker scenario, although that’s not always the case.

The best way to find moneymaker scenarios is to be on the lookout for when the stars line up for a deal, and it’s not always easy to predict when that will happen. Here are the characteristics you are looking for: high value coupons, opportunities to stack coupons (a store coupon plus a manufacturer coupon), and a great sale. When two or more of these factors line up, you have a great chance to score cheap or free products, some of which will be moneymakers.

That said, I wouldn’t obsess about the moneymakers. Realistically, it is hard to repeat moneymaker deals enough to reliably make a lot of money. You can, however, repeat the occasional moneymaker deal enough times to defray your overall bill substantially.

Kathy also wrote:
“Do you recommend taking a couponing class?”

The Couponaholic says:
Every person is different. Some people are really good at researching and studying independently, while others learn more when interacting with people in a “class” type of atmosphere.

My couponing skills are entirely self-taught with the help of many of the great couponing sites that came long before mine. Lucky for me, I am gifted at mathematics and good with spreadsheet tools like Microsoft Excel; however, others might need some practice and explanation to understand things better. Others may benefit from having an experienced couponer available who can answer their questions as they attempt to tackle complex shopping scenarios. It really just depends on the person.

So if you’re catching on quickly, you will probably learn the ropes well on your own in due time. If not, perhaps taking a class will help you on your way sooner.

Stephanie wrote:
“I can never find the peelies for anything, except biscuits…but I see “peelie” referenced a lot…I would like to be able to know what products offer what coupons, whether it’s blinkie, peelie, newspaper only, etc.” She also asked, “Do you find the peelie on the products themselves or on another product?”

The Couponaholic says:
It is possible that the peelies you see listed on coupon matchups are very old. They may be listed as a reminder to people who bought those products some time ago and received the peelie but didn’t use it at that time.

For example, a few months ago there was a BOGO on Resolve at Publix and the products had $0.65/1 peelies on them at many stores. I used those peelies because they were more valuable than the $0.50/1 coupons I intended to use on the sale; however, people who shop at Publix stores that double coupons were better off using the $0.50/1 newspaper coupons that doubled to $1.00. As a result, they left the store with peelies they could use in the future. Another scenario is when a product has a peelie coupon that offers a discount on buying two or more of a product. If you bought two and the peelie was $0.50/2, you only had to take the peelie off of one product at the store. The other peelie coupon went home with you.

Over time you will find that most products have coupons, however you will find them in different forms at different times. Sometimes there will be peelies, while other times you will find newspaper coupons, printable coupons, coupons in magazines, store booklets, direct mail, etc. Just keep your eye out for coupons and if you can’t find them for the products you really like, write the manufacturer an email. The worst they can do is tell you they’re not giving you anything.

As for your final question…it varies. Usually you will find the peelie coupon on the product that has the discount, however you will occasionally find some cross-marketing where a manufacturer of multiple products (ex. Kraft) may offer an enticement on the packaging for one product to get you to buy another. In the Kraft example, there were reports of Velveeta Shells & Cheese peelies on Kraft Barbecue Sauce a few months ago. Yet the most common peelie scenario is when you find the peelie on the actual product they are enticing you to buy.

Do you have a question you’d like The Couponaholic to answer? If so, email me (Steve.) My contact info is on the contact page of this site.

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