Samuel A Clarke.com

Hello couponers, I’m back after a small break from blogging. I am transitioning from stay at home Mom to working mom and so here I am trying to balance Mommying, working and couponing, no easy feat!

I have been thinking a lot about how couponers are perceived. Since TLC’s show Extreme Couponing aired, a tremendous amount of people have been turned on to the whole couponing scene. You would think that because couponing is the new ‘cool’ thing that it would be looked on favourably but that is not really the feeling I am getting.

There I’ll be, standing in line with my purchases and my handfuls of coupons and when I step up to the cashier and hand them over I definitely have gotten some mixed reactions. From what little I have seen TLC’s show mixed with what I have read on couponing forums, both the cashiers and management staff as well as the other customers in line seem to be reasonably encouraging and in some cases have even cheered the couponer on. I have not experienced anything like this.

During my most positive couponing experiences I am treated with mere indifference. Just another customer. This is just fine with me because anyone who knows me knows I don’t like to stand out or draw attention to myself. I am definitely the kind of person that likes to blend in which, incidentally, is pretty hard to do when you are wheeling a cart full of 50 free boxes of cereal out of the grocery store.

That was for sure my most memorable, and embarrassing, couponing experience. Embarrassing because, as per my previous statement, I hated everyone staring at me with shocked looks on their faces and memorable for the way people reacted. Ok, yes 50 boxes of cereal is a LOT of cereal. The cashier and the other people in line couldn’t understand why I would want so much free cereal. They seemed to think it was just going to go to waste. They didn’t seem to be able to fathom anyone eating it all. Overall the other customers and the cashier seemed perplexed.

This really surprised me. For one, it is a non perishable item so it can just sit there for however many months it takes for my kids to devour it all (which may be less time than you would think). For two, I have three kids, two of them boys and I have to tell you that my 8 year old would live exclusively on cereal and peanut butter sandwiches if I were to let him – so I can absolutely guarantee you, without any doubt whatsoever, that the cereal will NOT go to waste. For three, and this is where I get really stumped, who WOULDN’T want a several month supply of cereal or whatever else sitting in their pantry that they got for FREE????

I mean maybe if you are really well off financially then you would think stockpiling tons of products in your basement was a little wacky. I’ll give you that. But I am certainly not writing this blog from the perspective of someone who coupons just for the fun of it. I am writing from the perspective of a Mom in a (until recently) single income family trying to survive and provide for her family in one of the most expensive cities in Canada. And from my point of view, knowing I have a four year supply of laundry detergent downstairs is pretty darn reassuring. Its just one less thing have to worry about budgeting for and I’ll tell you something else, getting all the coupons that enabled me to get the laundry detergent and hunting down the various sales that allowed me to get it for free was a lot of work!

I have also experienced personnel on the sales floor badmouthing couponers. I had learned of a really good coupon for Dove products sometime ago that was supposed to be available in stores on tearpads. For those of you who don’t know, these are the pads of coupons you will see affixed to the shelf on which the applicable product is displayed. Not having any success in finding these tearpads I finally asked a nearby employee if they had them anywhere else. The man started in on how awful couponers were and complained that since the couponing craze had begun, they weren’t able to keep tearpad coupons ‘in stock’ for more than a couple days after getting them. At this point he was joined by a female coworker who started commenting how absurd it was that people out there were couponing to the extent that they had stockpiles of products. The way she spoke of couponers was almost as though she thought of us more as mentally unbalanced hoarders than hardworking people dedicated to providing for our families in any way we could.

Now I can’t help but wonder if there are lots of you out there having more positive couponing experiences than I have had or if you are having similar (or worse) experiences. It seems to me that couponers are being viewed pretty negatively. Personally I think we all have our talents and mine just happens to be couponing – I just love that rush I get when I score big. So I will persevere in the face of scrutiny and certainly won’t be deterred from getting that next big deal! I hope all of you will too

I am always looking for the next great extreme couponing deal, and there is always a great deal to be had out there. The best way to get them is to be prepared ahead of time. If you have read my blogs in the past then you’ll know where some of the best places are to load up on great coupons are, just see my post ‘Coupon Sites and a free sample’.

One of the biggest mistakes I made in the beginning was turning down, or not bothering with getting coupons I did not think I could use. I am now ordering coupons all the time! You never know when you will have the perfect opportunity to use them. When a really great sale on something I have a coupon for begins – I am ready!

You can always find links to all my great extreme couponing deals in the ‘Maegan’s Deals’ section right here at SamuelAClarke.com, including the ones mentioned here in this article. Here are a few of my favorite extreme couponing deals that are on right now.

The ‘Kellogg’s Fibre Plus’ free sample and a $2 off coupon giveaway is back on for those of you who missed it the first time around (and second). You have to be quick if you want to get one of the free samples of either of their two flavours: Summer Berry or Harvest Brown Sugar. Both of them sound good to me! Don’t worry if you don’t manage to make it in on the free sample of cereal. Kellogg’s usually continues to give away the $2 off coupons for awhile after they have run out of the free samples. The lowest non-sale price for this cereal I have found is $4.97 for a 310 gram box at both Real Canadian Superstore and Walmart. Just recently, and unfortunately before I got my coupon in the mail, it went on sale at Walmart for $2.97. That would have meant with the $2 off coupon I would have paid $0.97 for a box! I’ll be hanging on to my coupon and watching for it to go on sale again! Which I am sure it will do.

Home Hardware has a great ‘door-buster’ deal on right now for Scott Shop towels at $1.67 with a regular price of $4.19. That’s an incredible price as it is, but if you use the printable coupon for $2 off that’s available right now – you get it for free! You have until Aug 27th to cash in on this extreme couponing deal.

The next big deal I like right now is on Dippity-Do Sport Gel. I have come across full size bottles at Walmart for $1.88. If you use the downloadable coupon available right now for $2 off, you get it for free! The coupon is good until Dec 31 of this year.

At Walmart right now, there is a special promotion on Purex 3in1 sheets. These are sheets that you put in the washing machine along with your dirty laundry and it doubles as detergent and stain remover. Then when you transfer your clothing to the dryer the special heat activated strip acts as a fabric softener. This is the coolest thing ever for someone like me who ALWAYS forgets to add my fabric softener. Normally Walmart sells a box of 24 for $5.97, but right now they have special smaller ’20 count boxes’ they are selling for $2.00. With the $3 off coupon that I hope all of you got with your mail-out Purex samples – the Purex 3in1 sheets are FREE! Are you beginning to see why I am a so obsessed with the whole extreme couponing scene?

Lastly, a drug store chain in Eastern Canada called Pharma Plus has Gillette Deodorant on for 2/$5. Using the coupon from P&G brandsaver, (save $5 when you buy 3 Gillette products) you can get them for only $0.83 each! If you are out west like I am, then you can hit up Pharmasave who has Gillette Satin Care or Shave Foam on sale for $2.49 each. You end up basically getting two for free when you buy three using the same coupon.

Go to ‘Maegan’s Deals’ for all the links and stock up on these extreme couponing deals while you can! 😉

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Just ‘a buck’ 😉

I remember the first time I saw TLC’s show Extreme Couponing and what my reaction was. It was hard not to be blown away by the sight of someone getting over $1200 worth of groceries for around $60! my first thought was, of course, “I am going to be the next big extreme couponer!” Well I am certainly not the only one who was blown away by the airing of the show. Within 48 hours of seeing my first episode, my chiropractor, dental hygienist and a neighbour had all asked me the same question, “Have you seen that new show Extreme Couponing?”

The buzz about the show was unbelievable! Within a very short time couponing seems to have become a mass phenomenon. I have heard stories from store clerks (who think that extreme couponers are going overboard) about people ripping the entire tear-pads off and leaving none left on the shelf for anyone else! There was even a news story the other day about a woman who was caught paying for one newspaper and then stealing the whole stack of papers from the machine just so she could get the coveted Red Plum and Smart Source coupon inserts.

As big as couponing has become it seems there is another way to make a fast buck on the rise. TLC’s next project is a new show, called ‘High Stakes Sweepers’, which focuses on another quick money subculture: People obsessed with entering sweepstakes. We will get the chance to follow passionate sweepstakes players as they spend their days and nights filling out contest entries in the hopes of striking it big. We will get the inside story on their strategies and surprising successes as these everyday people spend up to 60 hours per week searching for sweepstakes forms, buying products and testing their luck in thousands of sweepstakes in the hopes of winning anything from a tube of toothpaste to a trip to Italy.

So the big question is: are ‘extreme sweepstakes’ really worth the time and effort? Well if you ask one of the ‘stars’ of the new show, a woman who has won prizes worth more than $1.2 million, I’m sure she would shout a resounding, “YES!” but I will have to reserve my judgment for now. I guess I will have to shift some of my attention from ‘extreme couponing’ to ‘extreme sweepstakes’ and see what happens. Happy sweepstakes !

Check out the section ‘Maegan’s Deals’ for your links to deals, freebies, samples, and more…

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Just ‘a buck’ 😉

The topographical landscape of extreme couponing seems to be ever changing. I have been watching my wife Maegan venture out into this wild world of extreme couponing for the last several months – and though I haven’t been all that surprised by the sheer amount of work involved in tracking down and keeping track of all the opportunities to extreme coupon, I am surprised by the extent to which things have shifted out of paper and into digital over the last number of years.

I remember my mother sitting at the kitchen table clipping coupon after coupon. I half expected that to still be a large part of extreme couponing today. It isn’t.

Yes, coupons still come with the newspaper, but I’d say Maegan does 90% of her extreme couponing with a keyboard and mouse.

Extreme couponing digitally is a rapidly growing force that will likely take over as the primary method of distribution of coupons in the next few years if it hasn’t already! Companies like General Mills say they are moving more and more of their coupon budget towards digital coupons and away from news papers. Digital coupons boast higher redemption rates and often cost less to distribute.

Today the stigma surrounding extreme couponing and couponing in general is lifting, it is even becoming chic to clip coupons!

In todays age of economic turmoil more and more people from all walks of life are realizing that not only is extreme couponing fun, (There is no other feeling like getting 50%, 75%, 90% or even 100% off an item) but it is rapidly becoming absolutely necessary for survival.

Maegan will continue to post her finds in new articles and posts and list links to these treasures right here at www.SamuelAClarke.com.

Check out the section ‘Maegan’s Deals’ for your links to deals, freebies, samples, and more…

Follow @Samuel_A_Clarke

Just ‘a buck’ 😉

For those of you who are huge free sample lovers, you are about to hit the jackpot! There is a new set of samples available from P&G Brand-Sampler. Every 4 months, P&G Brand-Sampler offers a variety of Proctor and Gamble free product samples for Canadians to try out! It just began a few days ago on August 8th but it won’t last long! There are usually about 6-10 different free samples in total to choose from.

Once you login or create an account at the P&G Brand-Sampler site, you’ll have to answer a short questionnaire about your product usage. It seems like the less products you say you’ve used or tried, the more free samples you will get! Also if you choose ‘Male’ in your profile you get a generic message saying your free samples will arrive in a few weeks, but if you choose ‘Female’ you get to hand pick which free samples you would like to receive.

In my free sample package, which should arrive in 4 to 6 weeks, I will be receiving: free Customized Pantene shampoo and free conditioner, 2 free Cascade All-in-1 ActionPacs, a free product coupon for a Febreeze Noticeables Single Warmer, an Oral-B and Crest Pro-Health free Sample Bundle that includes free toothpaste, free mouthwash and free dental floss. Also a free Olay 2-in-1 daily facial cloth, 2 free Pampers Cruisers and 1 free Always Infinity sanitary pad. There are also Oral-B, Crest and Scope free Sample Bundles in addition to an Iams pet food free sample. How incredible is that!!

You must be at least 18 years old to request a package of free samples, and there is also a limit of one free sample package request per mailing address per offer period. There are limited quantities of free samples, so hurry and go to Maegan’s Deals Page for the link to get your P&G Brand-Sampler pack now!

Check out Maegan’s Deals for more great Free Samples!

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Just ‘a buck’ 😉

If you are a Canadian Coca Cola ™ drinker then there is a good chance you already know about iCoke ‘s™ online rewards program. I myself have just discovered it recently, and wanted to share with you just what I have learned. When you register on Coca Cola’s ™ website, iCoke.ca ™, you can enter ‘PIN’ codes found on specially marked Coca Cola ™ and Sprite ™ products. These codes are converted into virtual ‘points’ which can be redeemed for rewards and contest entries. Sometimes the Coca Cola ™ site will even tip you off as to where you can get special ‘PIN’s found on fountain cups and scratch cards!

The rewards and contests offered at iCoke ™ change frequently, but some of the current ones are: a coupon for a free Coca Cola ™ product, $5 or $10 Wagjag bucks, $5 Pizza Pizza gift card, a day pass to Canada’s Wonderland, music and ringtone downloads and much much more! You can also enter contests to win a trip to Costa Rica or concert tickets to great shows for you and three friends (including airfare and accommodations for three nights).

My favorite iCoke ™ ‘reward’ is the buy one get one free coupon for a case of Coke ™ that is available to members for 0 points! You can request the coupon once a week per member which, in the end, can add up to a lot of free Coke ™!

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Just ‘a buck’ 😉