Frances | June 30, 2011

Friends know that we have always worn several hats. We won’t go into the long list of the other hats we wear, there are way too many to count. We will just say that Frugal Fairhope is just the tip of the iceberg.

Make sure you join us at the Fairhope Farmers Market starting TODAY!

Thursdays, May 19th through July 7th from 3pm to 6pm.

We will be selling our “Fairhope Famous” Oatmeal Bread, our first season honey from our bees, AND our “famous” blueberry jam, and lots of other goodies. A word of caution about the jam and bread, it is very addicting. This is fresh hand made bread made this morning of the market where sometimes it is still warm. The blueberry jam comes hand picked and made from our organic 30+ year old blueberry trees. We now have the blueberry jam. If you are interested in our fresh roasted coffee ask for details.

Our plans are to be at the market every Thursday until July 7th, when the market ends.

There will be lots of other vendors at the Fairhope Farmers Market that sell fresh fruits, vegetables, local honey, flowers, plants, baked goods plus live entertainments and story times for the kids.

The market starts at 3pm on the vacant lot behind the Fairhope Public Library, corner of Bancroft and Magnolia.

One of the most common questions we get is how to save money on produce.

Farmers Markets are the perfect place for getting a great deals on fresh home grown produce for your family. Participating in your local farmers market, not only will you get great deals on fresh produce but you will be helping your local farmers.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Category: Frugal Fairhope Thoughts | No Comments »
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Frances | June 29, 2011

Thanks Reader R… for sending the photo!

Category: CVS, Drug Store Deals | No Comments »
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Frances | June 27, 2011

If you have been reading Frugal Fairhope for a while you know that we are not brand snobs when it comes to tissue paper and it makes our head spin to track tissue paper prices. Tracking prices between tissue paper double roll, single roll, mega, ultra, regular, 1 ply, 2 ply, quilted….makes our head spin. It was time to stockpile tissue paper so we look for the best RRs/ECBs deal we could find at the time and go for it. It is just one of those things that makes it easier to get the best price you can at the time and know that all the savings you have been doing with everything else pays for it.

1st Transaction
3 Charmin Basic Bathroom Tissues 12pk double roll $5.49
-Used 3 $.25 coupon 6/5 P&G (Charmin)
Tide Stain Release $3.99
-$1 coupon 6/5 P&G (Tide Release)
3 Dove Men + Care Bar Soap 6pk $6 Get Get $6 RRs WYB 3
-Used 3 $4 coupon 6/26 RP
Out of Pocket: $24.71
-Received $6 RRs (Dove)
-Received $2.50 Scott Tissue Paper coupon
-Received Free Charmin Ultra Bathroom Tissue 6pk coupon

2nd Transaction
3 Charmin Basic Bathroom Tissues 12pk double roll $5.49
-Used 3 $.25 coupon 6/5 P&G (Charmin)
Tide Stain Release $3.99
-$1 coupon 6/5 P&G (Tide Release)
Candy $.69 (filler to use Register Reward)
-Used $6 RRs from 1st Transaction (Dove)
Out of Pocket: $13.40

-Received Free Charmin Ultra Bathroom Tissue 6pk coupon

3rd Transaction
Charmin Ultra Bathroom Tissue 6pk $4.79
- Free Charmin Ultra Bathroom Tissue 6pk coupon

FFF Tip: We were afraid to add this to the 2nd transaction, thinking that the 2nd free Charmin wouldn’t print.

$69.19 in Walgreen’s Groceries for $38.11  45% Savings

But, wait a minute, could you get the same thing at Walmart without the bother?

Here are the prices at the Fairhope Walmart store:

Tide Stain Release 20oz
$3.97 Walmart
$3.99 Walgreen’s

Charmin Basic Bathroom Tissues 12pk double roll
$5.97 Walmart (Walmart will price match)
$5.49 Walgreen’s

Our Walmart did not have the Charmin Ultra 6ct so the 4ct is $.99 a roll making the 6ct $5.97. What is scary is the 9ct is $1.31 per roll, buy the smaller.
$5.97 Walmart
$4.79 Walgreen’s

Transaction at Walmart (no coupons)
Charmin Basic Bathroom Tissues 12.pk double roll $5.97
Tide Stain Release $3.97
Charmin Ultra 6ct $5.97
Final Price: $15.97

Transaction at Walgreen’s (no coupons)
Charmin Basic Bathroom Tissues 12.pk double roll $5.49
Tide Stain Release $3.99
Charmin Ultra 6ct $4.79 FREE
Final Price: $9.48 ($14.27 before the Charmin Ultra)

Savings of $6.43 (free Charmin) or Savings of $1.64 (with Charmin)

Walgreen’s beats Walmart on this deal even if they sold the 6ct Charmin because a) they will not price match the free Charmin Ultra ad and b) the Charmin Ultra price is not advertised so they will not price match. We didn’t even mention the free Dove soap we received that Walmart will not price match because of the Register Rewards, which are just store credit. Maybe Walmart will start offering a gift card for the Register Reward or ECBs? Now that would be a price match? Or maybe we are just dreaming.

Category: Drug Store Deals, Walgreens | No Comments »
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Frances | June 22, 2011

We get emails on a daily basis how couponers are having difficulty with stores when using a coupon. Some local and some not so local.

Here is a recent news article we ran across from Fox 12 in Boise, Idaho that shocking to us, what really worried us was the manager of the Walmart who “slapped her hand away” and she had her 16 year old daughter with her. Keep in mind there are always two sides to a story and the news doesn’t report both sides and they are trying to sell you the news.

Boise, Idaho -- She was banned from every Walmart in the United States for life, and it was all because of an argument over coupons.

April Cuevas says Walmart has started “cracking down” on extreme couponers like herself who want to use coupons from other stores to save money.

Cuevas says she was told that Walmart’s “Ad Match” policy had changed late last week, and asked to speak with a store manager so she could better understand why. She decided to record the interchange — which quickly became an argument — with her iPhone.

She says the action wasn’t welcomed by the Walmart manager, who slapped her hand away and told her to pay the full price of her groceries or leave.

Which she did.

That’s when things got weird.

“I didn’t notice them following me at first until my 16 year-old daughter said, ‘Well, mom they’re following us,’” Cuevas said.

Cuevas claims that a plain-clothes Walmart employee chased her through the parking lot demanding that she return to the store because she had committed a crime.

She drove to a nearby gas station and called police.

“She said, ‘You’re leaving the scene of a crime,’” Cuevas reported.

“And I didn’t know I was banned from Walmart for life within the United States until the cop told me that,” Cuevas continued, explaining that somehow the Walmart staff had called Nampa police before she did.

April says she wonders if it was the argument, the use of coupons, or the iPhone video that got her banned from the store.

She suspects it was the video.

Her husband, Rennie Cuevas, suspects it was the recording as well.

“She wasn’t doing anything wrong. She paid for her food like she was supposed to and she left,” Rennie said.

April’s husband says he’s worried that Walmart might try to ban him, too, just for speaking out and questioning the store’s policies. He says that consequence would cost their family hundreds of dollars because the couple shops at Walmart almost every day.

They even have a special coupon book they use, divided into separate sections and filled with hundreds of coupons.

“With this economy, we have to save every dime to be able to do anything,” Cuevas said.

Channel 12 asked Nampa’s Walmart management staff why April was banned for life and if it was because of coupons or video recording or otherwise.

They supplied us with a 1-800 number for corporate media relations. The number hasn’t answered April’s questions.

“Well, I want to know why they kicked me out of the store nationwide, for one thing,” she said. “I didn’t do anything wrong and I also would like to go back to Walmart.”

Here is an email we received from a reader who was going to be “charged for using coupons”.

I had an experience at the Saraland wal greens that I wanted to warn my fellow couponers about. I read your post about walgreens and I just thought it might be helpful.

I went in Saturday and purchase 39.00 worth of Gillette products.( the ad stated that if you buy 30.00 you get 10.oo in RR, but because I used a coupon the manager told me that I would not get my RR. So I told him okay I wanted to get my money back and I would do something else. He informed me that I would not get all of my money back because I had used my coupon. I explained to him that the coupon took off a certain amount and I only wanted the exact amount that I gave him. He never said another word did the refund ( And I was really nice about the whole thing) and as he started counting my money back his refund amount was less than the amount I gave him. I told him no that is not right, I gave you 35.00 and I dont think that 28 is close to the same amount, he informed me that was the charge for using coupons! I developed an attitude really quick at this point and explained to him that I did not have anything that belonged to walgreens and I was not going to just give him money for coming there to shop. He turned around and gave me the amount tendered in the first transaction, he kept the merchandise and I left. I might add this is not the first time I have had trouble with the saraland store. I went to mobile and had not problem using my coupons on the exact same transaction. The manager was nice and polite and I just wonder if it might be the individual store managers that enter the information that causes these problems. He had a problem with coupons and I just want you to know that Saraland does not have coupon friendly stores that I have found expect the Rite Aid. They are nice but are always out of stuff. Thanks for all you do to help us. You are a household name and we do REALLY APPRECIATE you and your hard work to help us all. May God continually to bless and give you wisdom in all you do

Our advice? “Be nice no matter what” (Thanks Mamo) but that doesn’t mean be a doormat. Stand up for your rights as their customer, just be nice about it. Bring out your store coupon policy, ask to speak to a manager, if the issue is not resolved leave the groceries and call the store manager when you get home, if the issue is still not resolved, go to another store maybe even another chain depending on where you live. No coupon or deal is worth a hassle and we would rather drive 20 minutes out of our way to do our shopping then put up with the “abuse” that some of us couponers get.

Category: Frugal Fairhope Thoughts | 5 Comments »
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Frances | June 21, 2011

Thanks Reader D… for the reminder of this oldie but goodie.

If you have just started this “couponing thing” for a while you maybe asking yourself,

How Do I Know What Is a Good Deal?

One way we can answer this for you is to give you a list of items you should be getting for free (tax not included), well we should be fair and say around $.50. We have also included how and the stores you can look too for getting the best deals. In case you have forgotten some of the coupon jargon, we have included it below.

Dish Soap
Always free, never pay for dish soap! You should have so much of this you could “choke a goat” (got to love Mamo).

Cleaning Products
Watching for Publix B1G1 sales, using Publix & manufacture coupons have been the trend.

Razors
You can also find free razor deals at all drug stores (CVS, Walgreen’s & Rite Aid) after ECBs, RRs, & SCRs offers and stacking with manufacture coupons. You will pay around $2 or less for Gillette razors using the Target gift cards deals.

Toothpaste
Always free at drug stores just about every week with ECBs, RRs, & SCRs stacked with manufacture coupons. Toothpaste is probably the most common item that goes on sale every week. The days of paying $3+ for a tube of toothpaste at Walmart or more at Sam’s Club are over.

Canned Tuna
Look to CVS for the $.59 tuna sale and pay for it with ECBs. This is the best price we have seen for canned tuna. Pouch tuna deals can be found at grocery stores like Winn-Dixie or Publix but lately we have not seen any that “lift our skirts” (Mamo).

Deodorant
Always free at drug stores just about every week with ECBs, RRs, & SCRs stacked with manufacture coupons.

Body Wash
“Choking Goats” again. We heard one reader state that she could fill her swimming pool with the amount of free body wash that she has purchased to use, donate, and given away. “Master Couponers” are now nodding their heads in agreement.

Hygiene Products
Very close to free at drug stores just about every week with ECBs, RRs, & SCRs stacked with manufacture coupons.

Shampoo, Conditioner, and Gel
Very close to free at drug stores just about every week with ECBs, RRs, & SCRs stacked with manufacture coupons.

Toothbrush and Mouthwash
Very close to free at drug stores just about every week with ECBs, RRs, & SCRs stacked with manufacture coupons. Mouthwash deals have been few and far between and can be found at Publix as well when a Publix coupon and manufacture coupon is used with a sale.

Pet Food
Very close to free but deals are few and far between, so stockpile and purchase your white envelopes call your friends and family to print Target coupons when you see a deal coming.

Cereal
Very close to free at Publix when you stack with manufacture and competitor coupons. Currently there is a Kellogg’s $10 gas card rebate.

Yogurt
Pay around $.25 or less for a 4 pack of yogurt from Publix B1G1 sales with manufacture coupons.

Dressings and Condiments (BBQ Sauce, Salad Dressing, Marinades…)
“Choking a Goat Free” from Publix and Winn-Dixie. We might have coined a new phrase thanks again to Mamo.

Medication (watch expiration dates)
Drug stores are typically your place to buy medications of any kind really cheap.

Soup
Watch for the soup sales that are coming in the winter. Paying around $.70 or less for Progresso is what we look for. Last year we picked up Progresso soup for less than $.25 a can, not sure if that sale will come back around this winter but we can hope.

Pasta
Poor goat, if you are paying more than $.20 for a box of pasta you are paying too much.

Coupon Jargon
Blinkies: Those little black boxes that spit out coupons. They have a red blinking light on the side. These are manufactured coupons that typically cannot be doubled but can be used at any store that accepts coupons.
Stacking Coupons: Most stores will let you “stack” coupons. This means combining a manufactured coupon and a store coupon. Target and Publix are good examples of stores that frequently offer store coupons and allow stacking.
Catalina: This is the name of the machine that prints out RRs or coupons after a qualifying transaction. You will typically find these at grocery stores and Walgreens. If you have a problem with the machine not giving you an RR, call this number 1-888-8COUPON. This is the direct number to the manufacturer of the Catalina machines.
ECBs: CVS ExtraCare Bucks. These are attached to the bottom of the receipt. This has an expiration date.
SCR: Rite Aid Single Check Rebate
RRs: Walgreen’s Register Rewards. Slips of paper that print out of a Catalina machine after the transaction. This has an expiration date.
Rolling ECBs or Rolling Register Rewards: This is a common term used when shopping at CVS or Walgreen’s. Rolling means to pay for something with ECBs or Register Rewards and get ECBs or Register Rewards back. It is rare for Walgreen’s Register Rewards to roll.

No goats were harmed or intended to be harmed from the creation of this post.

Category: Frugal Fairhope Thoughts | 5 Comments »
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Frances | June 21, 2011

Click here to get this offer (Daily Deal)

Great for your gift closet stockpile at $2 each.

Product Description

Get 7 at one great low price! (no individual order will contain duplicates)

They are adorable, huggable, and tossable, ball shaped pals!

Lubies (pronounced LUH-BEES) are Irresistible to Squeeze and Fun to Toss!

These uniquely shaped balls’o’fun were introduced in early 2009 with 8 styles and have since grown to include over 60 styles. A creative brainstorm of Joy Michel (former VP of Creative for Ty who was responsible for designing 1000’s of Beanie Babies™ up until 2007) and Michael Perry (founder and CEO of Rocket USA), the Lubies are safety tested and boast a 0+ age rating.

• insanely cute
• adorable softball size Approx.
• super soft material
• Iressistible to squeez & Fun to toss
• for ages 0+
• no beans, no codes
• pure simple fun
• 7 random LUBIES from assortment above
• Fun & games at www.lubieland.com

Category: Department Store Deals, Graveyard Mall | 2 Comments »
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Frances | June 12, 2011

Have you run across a Walgreen’s store that told you the Register Reward didn’t print because a manufacture or store coupon was used? Don’t laugh we have gotten emails from 4 readers of this in Mobile last week. This falls up there with “you can’t use this coupon because the photo” is for chocolate and you are buying strawberry. Crazy we know but we actually get this one more often than you think.

This was found on page 12 of the current Walgreen’s circular (6/12-6/18).

As you can see Walgreen’s actually advertises that there is a $4 coupon in Sunday’s paper and at the same time advertises that you can get a $3 Register Reward and you will only pay $.99 with the coupon and the Register Reward when you buy the Air Wick Air Freshener Kit.

There is also no mention of the Register Reward not printing if a coupon is used for that same product in the Walgreen’s coupon policy. We attach this page to our Walgreen’s coupon policy that we keep in Bessie (coupon binder) just in case we run into this issue.

What are some of your favorite “crazy coupon words” you have heard from cashiers?

If you are looking for coupon policies to place in your coupon binders (which you should already) here are all the policies links that are published.

• Walmart Coupon Policy
• Walmart Price Match Policy
• Rite Aid Coupon Policy updated 5/2011
• Dollar General Coupon Policy
• Food Giant/Piggly Wiggly Coupon Policy
  
• Walgreen’s Coupon Policy
• Target’s Coupon Policy
• Target.com Price Match Policy
  
• Target Low Price Promise
• Publix Coupon Policy

Category: Drug Store Deals, Walgreens | 7 Comments »
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