The Benefits of Signing Up for Store Emails

Here is one (I hope the link works): http://mic.michaels.com/USAWeekly03-27A.aspx?id=34&referenceNo=01577918061

I have signed up for emails from such retailers as Michael's, BabiesRUs, Ann Taylor Loft, Ann Taylor, New York & Company, White House Black Market, Books-A-Million, Bath and Body Works, and more. Why? For every two or three ads for sales or new products they send out, I get at least one coupon like that 50% off one regular-priced item at Michael's. That's a nice benefit, especially if you shop often at a particular store.

"But, Jennifer, that's a lot of emails," I'm sure you're saying at this point. Yes, it is. On average, I probably about 10 emails a day from different retailers or other savings sites. It builds up fast and sometimes I forget to delete them. To alleviate the pile of emails in my personal email account, I started a second email account just for this stuff. I only check it once or twice a day and, since it is a separate email account from my personal one, I can keep up with my daily correspondence a lot more easily.

If you want to try this, sign up for one or two retailers' emails and see what happens. I guarantee you will be happy when you get that first coupon for the stores that you love.

Lots and lots of links for you!

My friend Ann has been asking me to send her a list of the links that I go to for my coupons. I've been promising that to her and a few others and now I have finally done it! This is my list of resources. There are a lot of websites here and the list might look overwhelming. Some of these I visit infrequently; others daily. Explore these and, if you find some new ones to add to this list, let me know! I'm always on the lookout for some great new sites for my couponing adventures!


Huntsville, AL area Consignment Sales:
http://www.klassykidsexchange.com/
http://www.mykidskloset.com/index.html
http://www.kidsmkt.net/


Freebies:
http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/


Order Coupons:
http://www.thecouponclippers.com/coupons/home.php?partner=elalpo


Links to Printable Coupons:
http://mommysnacks.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-03-07T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=10
http://www.wow-coupons.com/index.php
http://littlemissknowitall.net/current-printable-coupons/


Target Deals & Coupons:
http://www.afullcup.com/?vbseourl=cmps_index.php&page=coupon_generator
http://attentiontargetshoppers.blogspot.com/


Daily Deal Sites (store specific):
http://www.booksamillion.com/deal
http://www.oldnavyweekly.com/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=xs_gb_logo


Online & Retail Shopping Coupons:
http://www.mommysavesbig.com/
http://www.bradsdeals.com


Rebate Sites:
http://www.ebates.com/


Daily Deals (freebies, coupons, etc.) Blogs:
http://thrifteemomee.blogspot.com/
http://www.dealiciousmom.com/
http://www.mommieswithcents.com/
http://thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com/
http://ingoodcents.blogspot.com/
http://hip2save.blogspot.com/
http://www.stretchingabuckblog.com/
http://www.yourcouponbuddy.com/
http://wantnot.net/
http://www.chieffamilyofficer.com/
http://www.thriftyandchicmom.com/
http://www.coupondad.net/
http://www.couponcravings.com/


Baby & Kid Deals:
http://www.babycheapskate.com/
http://www.babygoodbuys.com/


Samples:
http://startsampling.com/index.iphtml


Weekly Coupon Previews:
http://www.taylortownpreview.com/


Print Coupons (usually better ones than you could get in the Sunday newspaper)
http://www.coupons.com
http://www.smartsource.com
http://www.redplum.com


Electronic Coupon Sites:
http://www.shortcuts.com (Kroger)
http://www.pgesaver.com
http://www.cellfire.com


Store-Specific Grocery Coupons
http://sites.target.com/site/en/supertarget/page.jsp?title=coupons_specials
http://www.kroger.com/in_store/Pages/coupon_landing.aspx

Coupon Trading Sites
http://www.hotcouponworld.com
http://groups.google.com; search for Baby Cheapskate and join.

One Example of How Coupons Rock!

If you are wondering how useful coupons really are, especially when you realize how much time it can take to clip and organize them, I hope this example will help convince you of their usefulness.

Publix is one of the best grocery stores in the area. Their everyday prices can be a little high, but their sales are excellent. They do Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) deals on many items every week. Combine a BOGO with coupons and, all of a sudden, you have saved yourself quite a bit of money. Here is my most recent BOGO deal that left me smiling from ear-to-ear.

I love Campbell's Select Harvest soups, but they are expensive -- $2.39 a can at Publix. This week, they have had the Select Harvest soups as a BOGO deal, meaning that each can is technically $1.19/$1.20 a can. A few Sundays ago, there were Buy 2, Get 50 cents off coupons in the Sunday inserts. I clipped a few plus traded for more. I went into Publix today with SIX 50 cents off 2 cans coupons plus a 75 cents off coupon from Target (Publix takes competitor coupons).

So...I bought 12 cans @ 1.20 a piece = $14.40 (before tax). Double the six 50 cents off 2 coupons, which Publix doubles everything up to 50 cents, and now I have 6 $1 off 2 coupons and that 75 cents off coupon from Target, making my coupon total $6.75.

$14.40 (12 cans of soup @ $1.20 a can)
- 6.75 (coupons)
= 7.65 (final cost for 12 cans)

That makes each can about 64 cents a piece. With the BOGO deal plus the coupons, I saved $1.75 a can or $21! Amazing!

Honestly, I still would have bought the soup even if I had not had the coupons, but saving myself almost $7 with the coupons means that I have $7 in my pocket to get toward other items and I have stocked up until the next sale on these soups.

I hope you can find a deal like this one that excites you as much as this one did me!

Welcome to Happy Couponing Mama!

For now, this blog is going to be just for me and my friends. I'm going to log my savings each week for those who are interested in getting into this couponing thing and are having a hard time getting started or are wondering if it is worth it.

Welcome to my blog! I hope that you all will share your couponing experiences with me as we all learn the best ways to save ourselves some moola!