It's all about the bottom line! What is your best price?

[teachme]

I printed out the information and I am taking notes! thank you so much for the email back. I will study it and try to apply it. :)
thanks again!
my bank account will thank you
hee hee

Originally Posted by FantasyIsland 1. No it isn't a good deal --- for me. I pay nothing or get overage. 2. If that brand has no coupons, don't buy that brand. Brand loyalty costs you. 3. Stockpile when it's cheap. It's actually a very simple concept, but one that most people have trouble understanding. Stockpile. If you go to the market every week and buy the same things, most of those weeks you are paying full price. Even if you use coupons, you are paying full price minus the coupon price. That's more than sale price many times. Consider this: Before I started using coupons, I was a stockpiler. If there was a good sale - and I knew my prices then better than I know them now - I bought enough to last until the next sale. If you can't keep track in your head, write down when your stores have huge sales on things. Write down the price. You'll see a pattern. If it's every 3 months, buy enough to last 3 months --- or a little more if you can. Don't buy something else you want/need in order to be able to buy enough. Tada!! Your first stockpile item. Do it over with other items. Pretty soon, you'll have enough stockpile that you never HAVE to go shopping except for basics: milk/dairy, meat (unless you have a freezer), produce. But that doesn't mean you stop shopping. It means you now only buy what has a short shelf-life and new stockpile items - or replacement stockpile items. I have enough tp to last a year and a half - and I paid either nothing or got overage. Combine sales, coupons, and hopefully a catalina deal and you've got it - FREE!! or darned close - pennies a roll. Now when I think of replacing stockpile item, I don't buy at a good sale price. I wait - I can wait for almost 18 months - and I keep my eye on the stockpile - and even if it's not down much, if it's overage, I get it. Free, I might pass it up. I can afford to be picky now. I haven't gotten shampoo (free) in almost 6 months - and I'll probably pass up the next sale too - unless it's "better than free" - then I'll donate what I have and keep the new. Read the newbie threads. Read them again - especially the stockpiling ones. Pay attention to your sales patterns; note your best prices. No room for stockpile? think again. Read the threads on where to put your stockpile. Then, go slow. It won't happen overnight. I was stockpiling for 30 years before I figured out how to get multiple coupons without buying a ton of newspapers. Good luck

[Lurkergirl]

Ok yesterday I got tp at Wags they had a coupon for 4.99 I had a man q for .50 so it was 4.49 minus tax so the tp was .37 a roll and there were 12 double rolls .
Not bad I think

[Susan in WA]

Whew got to the end of the thread. Great Info! Now that baking season sales are coming, I was wondering if you would all post your suggested buy prices, not necessarily the lowest, but you can post that too. I see someone posted flour and sugar prices as follows:

Sugar is about 2.69/ 5 lb at Walmart.

I have gotten REALLY cheap sugar at Food Lion (.19 for 2 lb bags), but that was only when they had the $1 off any FL brand sugar coupons out

How about Choc Chips, Cond. Milk, and other baking items. Walgreens has
Chocolate Chips and Sweetened Cond. Milk. 1.99 Limit 3 next week. There is an internet printable for Nestles 50/2. Is that a good price? Before joining this site, I just compared prices at the store and don't really remember what is a good price as is probably the case with other newbys. Marshm. cream, nuts, powdered sugar, brown sugar, etc

[Susan in WA]

Oops I should post where to get that Nestles Coupon. VeryBestBaking.com. Under promotions. Looks like they might have a coupon of the month.

[My3Girl5]

I live in the SF Bay Area and I feel your pain. I do all of the RR deals and I do a lot of Target shopping. I took a recent a trip to Texas and started my brother to using CVS and showing him how lucky he is that store in Texas double coupons. He gets most of his stuff free now.

I usually get free TP at the drug stores.

Originally Posted by plaingirljane Thanks for the tip! I've been using the $5/$20 to get overage (which I could use to buy dental floss!) but I guess I can play it to buy things that I actually need instead. Never looked at it that way! Also, my Walgreens has the shorter ad which is 8 pages instead of the 16 or 20 page one, which sucks. I just found out that the RR deals are still good even though they aren't advertised in our ad. I also find it very hard to find free/cheap food items. They do come by sometimes but they are rare! Anyone else in the Bay Area, CA feel my pain?

[floridamom1]

Originally Posted by couponfanatic Look for the Don't Pay For That! thread, it'll give you a good idea of what can be had free most of the time (via sales cycles).

Does anyone have a link to this thread? I did a search of the site but it came up empty. TIA

[plaingirljane]

Is it this one?
Items that are FREE on a regular basis!

Originally Posted by floridamom1 Does anyone have a link to this thread? I did a search of the site but it came up empty. TIA

[floridamom1]

Originally Posted by plaingirljane Is it this one? Items that are FREE on a regular basis!

Thanks. That one's good, but not the one I was looking for. I thought there was actually one named Don't Pay for That. I stumbled on it when I first joined several months ago, and was reminded of it when it was mentioned here. Now I can't find it, or anything like it.

[mom2schneckens]

Am new to couponing and am IN AWE of all of you !!! Peanut Butter for a quarter ?!? Cereal for fifty cents ??!! Even ground beef for under a buck? I can't get road kill for that! HOW do you people do it ??? Teach me, please!

[frugalfamilymom]

Hi, I'm Connie and I am new here. I have found a few bargains but it seems to me that you all have figured this whole thing out. Any pointers? I am just starting to get my coupons together.. this was my New Years resolution. But with prices going crazy, I want to learn anything that I can.