Ever notice that when you go to the grocery store, how much of your total bill is NOT groceries? I’m talking about paper towels, toilet paper, deodorant, shampoo, razors, soap, cleaners, etc. Surely mine & Linda’s mom isn’t the only one that said, “It’s on sale, so I’m buying extra at that price”. Being raised that way, I certainly do. And isn’t it nice when you run out of shampoo, just to grab that other one you got on sale rather than have to run to the store AND pay full price for it? So let’s take this to the next level…
Think of these deals we put on here as finding a great sale. Sometimes it takes a coupon to go with a sale to make it really great. We’ll look for these deals for you, and all you have to do is take advantage of them. (We surely do not mind anyone else finding a good deal and telling us about it though). Then, instead of only buying one and thinking you got a good deal, get 10 or 20 or however many it takes to last you 3 months.—Stockpiling. This is going to save you HUNDREDS of dollars, and many last minute trips to the store.
Stockpiling is stocking up on products you use that are free, nearly free, or at the very least, the cheapest it is ever going to be. STOCK UP with 3 months worth of nonperishable products and you won’t have to buy them when you go to the store to get your bread, milk and so forth. This is how you get the most savings – you don’t buy stuff when you run out and that is when you pay the most! You have enough on hand to get you through until it is on sale again and NEVER pay full price again. I have my 3 month supply of free/super cheap deodorant, razors, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, & some food items, so I don’t buy these unless I MAKE money. Yep, you heard me right.
Before we started this coupon website, I had no idea how much money I was throwing away, even while I watched for sales. And, I liked “MY” stuff. For example, I had a Venus razor handle for which I repeatedly bought cartridges when I ran out and really never noticed them on sale, although the price of the things irritated me each time I had to get some. A box of 4 cost almost $10! But I liked them because of the multiple blades and vitamin E strip.
Well, this economy thing came along, and bonuses at work went away, and money generally got tighter. And I just had gotten back from Walgreen’s with my box of Venus razor heads, and my sister Linda called about something. I mentioned my irritation of paying $10 for a box of 4 razor heads, and she said she just got some Soliel razors for free. I said, “What is a Soliel razor?”
(If it was free, I was pretty sure it was some cheap single-bladed throwaway type that would scrape away my skin along with the hair from my legs.)
She said it was a new Bic 4-bladed razor with a moisturizing strip. Free? Well, maybe I’d try them for free. And no, it wasn’t exactly free; they were on sale at Walgreen’s for $8 for a pack of 4 disposables. (Almost as much as my preferred Venus heads) But, Walgreen’s gave out a $5 Register Reward at check out, and there was a coupon right there in the Sunday’s paper for $3! (I had never noticed that the coupons in the paper were that much. I thought of a coupon as a 35 cent thing that you had to cut out and keep up with and when you got to the store, something just as good was 50 cents cheaper anyway.)
So I tried the Soliel razor the next morning in the shower. I liked it better than the Venus. Certainly I liked the price better, so I got another while they were free. Used my register reward from the last one and found coupons online and that really WAS free. Got a receipt for $0.00. Did you know the coupons even take off the tax? And then it began! It doesn’t just work with razors, there are hundreds of items out there that are free or close to it when the time is right. The world of computers and Internet has changed things so that anyone can find out what is on sale and where, not to mention the great coupons to print.
I have found that it is good to try new things because sometimes you like them! And it is really great to have stuff stocked up so I don’t have to run get it when I use one up. But, best of all is all the money that I save by never paying full price!
