no luck at the library

Today I used our first oppurtunity to sign out to go to the library. The people working there didn't seem too interested in helping me find any books. I did a search in the data base and only 2 books relating to couponing turned up. They were checked out. Not to mention they were written sometime in the 90's. I left empty handed. Nothing is easy.

timing is everything

A lot of blogs release previews of coupon circulars before they are released in the newspaper. Today while looking at one I noticed that some Sundays were missing. I was not sure if it was because the blog could not provide previews for that week or if it was because they did not exist. I did a google search and found an insert schedule that details which circulars come out and when. I didn't realize that some weeks there are no coupons at all (especially around the holidays) and some weeks there are more coupons than normal. The first week of the month generally has the most coupons. Knowing when the circulars are released will allow me to plan ahead and choose the best time to purchase the paper.

who has what ?

I spent alot of time in class today tryng to figure out what circulars were in each news paper in the area. I didnt have have like so I started writing down the contact information for a few papers so that I could call and hopefully find out. Luckly I stumbled upon a Blog that lead me to the wesited of the companys that rlease the circulars. I was able to search my zip code on the P&G and Red Plum websites to see which papers carry their circulars. I had to call News America Marketing to find out which ones carry the Smart Source circular. The lady who answered the phone did not seem to be very interested in what I was asking (she was carrying on another conversation with one of her coworkers while I was on the line) but she told me exactly what I needed to know

local paper in the area and their circulars:
Phildelphia Inquier - P&G, Smart Source
Burlington County Times - P&G, Red Plum, Smart Source
Trentonian -P&G, Red Plum, Smart Source
Trenton Times -Red Plum, Smart Source

Sunday Papers

Today I looked up what coupon circulars are in the Sunday paper (smart source, red plum, proctor and gamble, occasionally general mills). I was going to buy the paper until I realized that although I know what circulars exist not all papers have all of them.  So before I buy one I need to figure out which papers have the most coupon circulars. Of course this sounded easy but what I attempted to look it up of course it wasn’t.  Tomorrow I’ll spend time researching where I can find all of the circulars so next Sunday I can make the best choice on which paper to buy.

Surveys?

I was thinking it might be a good idea to survey people about their coupon use. It could help me to gain some information about people’s habits and lead me to find more effective ways to use coupons myself and to use them to benefit others. I could survey local families and even use it when interviewing store managers or other professionals to see what they have observed in peoples habits and find out what habits they have themselves.

Mentor Meeting 3

Today I had my 3^rd mentor meeting. I spent less time on my project this week than I would have liked to because I was so busy but hopefully next week I will be able to devote more time to it. We talked about my frustration with finding contact information for store managers. I thought it would be easy to find online but since it’s not I’m going to have to spend time calling the stores main lines and asking manager contact information or when the manager is available in store.  I have a list of all the phone numbers I just have to make time to make the phone calls (side note- I hate making phone calls). Since I printed out all of the coupon policies already I'm only going to contact the managers who I want to interview, at the stores I plan to shop at the most. Before I set up interviews I need to come up with the questions I want to ask.

talk it up!

I was casually talking with a friend about my project today and it turns out that their mom is an "extreme couponer"! She uses coupons to buy items that their family uses on a regular basis in order to save them money. Hopefully she will be willing to have an interview with me and maybe I could even get the chance to go on a shopping trip with her!

finding contact information

finding contact information for local store managers is proving to be alot harder than I originally thought. I looks like I am going to have to call each stores main phone number and ask for more information. I was hoping to ask the store managers directly for their stores coupon policies but instead I used the store websites to find them. It would be best to have to polices addressed to me from the manager incase any issues came up at check out but having a copy from the company website should be just fine. Below are links to the stores:
acme
Shop Rite
Rite Aid
Target
Wegmans
Walmart
CVS
Walgreens

people to interview

here are some people that I hope to get the chance to interview throughout this process..
store managers
local extreme couponers
couponers featured on "Extreme Couponing"
authors of blogs about couponing

location, location, location

I've decided that I'm going to focus on couponing at the following stores.They are the stores I generally like to shop at and they are not far from home:
Acme
Shop Rite
Rite Aid
Target
I will also contact the follow stores in case I find irresistible deals:
Walmart
Wegman's
CVS
Walgreens
 Over the next few days I will focus on contacting all of these stores to find out the details of their coupon policies.

-_-

Long days at work like today remind me of why I am doing this project. I work hard for my money and I want to get the most out of it! Couponing can help me make the most of what little money I make each week!

prom dress shopping:)

Today I went prom dress shopping with my mom and in an effort to keep the promise I made last week (http://justcrazyenoughtowork.blogspot.com/2012/02/this-is-promise.html ) I tried to find the best deal possible. The dress I fell in love with was beautiful but came at a cost of $380! (that's after a discount and before alterations! yikes!) So I continued shopping and was able to find a dress I liked at another store on sale for only $100 (originally $400!) ! Saving that money allows me to spend it on other things that are more useful or important. Plus, getting a good deal feels great:)

Mentor Meeting 2

Yesterday I had my second mentor meeting with Mr. Reising. We went over the letter that I posted yesterday intended for contacting store managers about coupon policies. I wanted to make sure that it expressed my project clearly and that it was professional. We also discussed a little about how I would gather all of the coupons (I need to think about that a little further).
Then Mr. Reising came up with a great idea: basically simulate an extreme couponing trip!
I would plan the trip, like those featured on the show "Extreme Couponing", set a goal ( ex. buy $1000 worth of goods for only $100), make a list, gather the coupons, go to the store and gather the items, have them rung up and see how close I come to my goal, but with out actually purchasing the items! I could use this as a practice run before having to be responsible for paying for the items. Practicing would also give me more experience to plan an even bigger and better actual shopping trip! Of course this type of thing would only work with the support and permission of the store manager!

asking for store policys

Today I developed a letter that I plan to send out requesting coupon policies from different stores in the areas. Tomorrow I will make a list of exactly which stores I plan to contact and their contact information. The questions within my letter came from thekrazycouponlady blog (http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2010/10/08/coupon-policies/)

To whom it may concern at ______________________,

My name is Clarissa Kelsey. I am currently a senior at Northern Burlington High School participating in a class called Senior Research Seminar. Senior Research Seminar is an individualized research project that extends beyond the classroom. In conducting research, students are required to secure a Northern Burlington staff member to serve as mentor, maintain a weekly journal, and develop their research. As a culminating experience, students present their findings to an evaluative panel of staff, students and community members. I have chosen the topic of “Extreme Couponing”. My goal is to learn how to effectively use coupons to benefit myself and my community. As part of my initial research I am trying to understand how coupons work and how to use them to their maximum potential in order to earn the best deals possible. Eventually I hope to plan shopping trips to purchase items for little to no cost. I’m looking forward to shopping in your store with coupons.  I am asking for your support in my project and would like to request a copy of your store’s coupon policy. Any additional information that you think would be useful in my research would also be greatly appreciated. Can you please clarify your policy and answer these questions?

·         What kinds of coupons do you accept? (manufacturer coupons, printable coupons, e-coupons on my loyalty card)

·         Do you offer store coupons?  Where may I find them?

·         May I use a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon on one item?

·         Do you exclude any coupons?  Ex: above $5 off, BOGO offers, coupons for free product?

·         Do you accept Internet Printable Coupons?  May I print them in black and white?

·         Do you match competitor prices or take competitor coupons?

·         What is your policy on overage: when the value of the coupon exceeds the value of the product?

·         If the coupon exceeds the item’s value, do you adjust the price of the coupon down? Ex: $1.00 off coupon on $0.97 cent product.

·         Do you limit the number of coupons I may use per transaction?

·         Do your employees understand “one coupon per purchase=one coupon per item”, not “one coupon per transaction”?

·         Does your store ever double or triple coupons?

·         Concerning Buy One Get One offers:  If your store runs a BOGO FREE promo, may I use 2 manufacturer coupons for the 2 products?  Or may I only use one?

·         Are individual stores allowed to impose their own rules or vary from this policy?

Please email your response at your earliest convenience. Thank you for taking the time to educate me on your store policies and for your support.  You can check out my research and progress on my blog: justcrazyenoughtowork.blogspot.com.

sale cycles

So sales go in a cycle? A few of the articles I have read mentioned that sales go in cycles of between 2 and 12 weeks. This means the same item will be the same price every few weeks. The amount of time between sales varies from store to store and item to item. When I tried to look up when sales occur online but was unsuccessful. Hopefully I'll be able to learn more by talking to store managers and looking at circulars. Being able to predict store sales would help me to use my coupons at a time when I can get the best deal possible.

catalinas??

Yesterday when I was researching I came across  the term catalina in one of the articles and had no idea what it was refering to so I decided to look it up today. Turns out it's the term for the little machine and the coupons it prints out on the end of your reciept at most grocery stores.  Surprizingly there is a method to their madness. Untill now I thought they were just junk and most of the time I would discard them but the truth is they can help you score some great deals.
 Catalina coupons are earned when you purchase select participating items. There is no comprehensive list of catalina deals but you can find some on http://www.couponnetwork.com/ and look for others in notices that print from the catalina machine. Catalina coupons can be earned a few different ways including, spending a certain amount of money on certain products, purchasing a certain number of a product, direct marketing from a company trying to get you to buy their product (triggered by your purchases). They can come in the form of a dollar amount offer your next order, a dollar amount off a specific product, or a special offer.  Most catalina coupons can only be used at the store where you earned them but some times manufacturers coupons will be printed which can be used anywhere.
I think catalinas will become very helpful for getting discounts on items that I can't find coupons for and for cutting down on my total cost because I will be able to earn dollar amounts off of my total purchase.
.......who knew that those coupons at the end of the reciept have a name and could actually be useful

manufacture vs. store

 there are two types of coupons..
manufacturer's coupons

•  are provided by the manufacture of the product
• the manufacturer reimburses the store for the value of the coupon
•  state "manufacturer coupon" some where on them
• have a remit address for the store to redeem them for reimbursement

store coupons

• are provided by specific stores
• the store pays for the value of the coupon
• state the name of the store on them and can only be used there

one of each type of coupon can be used together when buying an item but you may not use two manufacturer coupons or two store coupons on one item. You can also combine coupons with store sales to get the best deals

you should always go by the wording and fine print on the coupon not the picture. some coupons have exclusions or inclusions detailed in the writing.

each coupon has a unique serial number. manufactures and store may have a limited number of coupons available. you should never copy a coupon or print multiples of the same online coupon because it could prevent the store from getting reimbursed.

I am having a hard time finding information about the processing of coupons and how stores get reimbursed. I have gathered that the coupons are saved at the store then sent out to be sorted and counted at either a third party "clearing house" or the manufacturer. the store is then reimbursed for the value of the coupon, sometimes earning a few extra cents for processing fees.

truth is that how coupons are processed and handled beyond the store is not really relevant to my project... since I now have a basic understanding of the different types of coupons and how they work I can move on to researching store coupon policies. I think as I do more research about store policies I will come across more information about how coupons work...

just a thought...

no matter how good of a deal you get, if you spend money on some thing you dont need  or won't use, you aren't saving any money at all..

i heart platos closet

I went to the grab bag sale today. Everything you can fit in the bag for $10. All the clothes are the latest styles, name brand and gently used.
I got 3 pairs of jeans, a shirt, a jacket, a sweater, and a wallet! All for a total of $10.
Yay for a good deal!:)

http://www.platoscloset.com/

this is a promise...

I have decided that I will not buy anything that I do not have a coupon for or that is not on sale (unless absolutely necessary) for the rest of my project. It might become difficult and involve some extra research but I want to save as much money as possible.

mentor meeting 1

I had my first mentor meeting with Mr. Reising today.

Bottom line: I have a ton of research to do.

We discussed all of the things I need to look in to in order to get started. Over the next week or two I have a few goals that I want to accomplish:

• research coupons
• how do they work
•  different types
• coupon sources
•  create a letter and contact people who have experience
• store managers
• thekrazycouponlady
• coupon Suzy
• news channels consumer reports
• sign up for store rewards programs
• research store coupon policies

A long term question that needs to be answered is: Who can benefit from couponing?
A long term goal I have is to purchase as many items for as i can for as little money as I can.

I guess I better get to work…

thekrazycouponlady

Guide to all things couponing. Tips, Store policies, Formulas for deals- weekly deals, Coupon resources etc. Founded by Heather Wheeler and Joanie Demer who wrote the book “Pick another check out line, honey” and were featured on “extreme couponing” on tlc. I plan on exploring their website, reading their book and trying to get in contact with them to learn more.

thekrazycouponlady.com

"extreme couponing"

I found an article that gives a good overview of “extreme couponing”. It offers a few tips on how to get started and points to some resources for more tips and coupons.

Coffey, Laura T. “Extreme Couponing! How to Get $1,100 of Loot for $40.” TODAY.com. MSNBC, 4 June 2011. Web. 08 Feb. 2012. .http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42419291/ns/today-money/t/extreme-couponing-how-get-merchandise/

where to start...

Trying to find a starting point….
There are a few things that I need to research and understand before I decide what direction to take my project in:
· What is extreme couponing?
· Coupon sources/resources for finding deals
· Store coupon policies
· How do coupons work?/ different types
· Who can benefit from couponing (families, charities, organizations)
· What types of items can you get the best deals on

cross journaling..

During cross journaling I interviewed with Danielle and Kim. Both of them were very passionate about their ideas.

Kim is extremely excited about her project. Although she doesn’t her one specific idea that she wants to pursue, she has a lot of different things she is considering doing and she really wants to make a difference in our community. I admire her enthusiasm and passion for making a difference. I hope she doesn’t begin to doubt herself or become disappointed as she anticipates she will. But I can definitely relate to the idea of becoming frustrated during the process if everything doesn’t turn out exactly as planned.

Danielle was looking forward to the end of the process and the finished product. I definitely can relate to that. I cant wait to see what everyone in the class, as well as myself, can accomplish. I think her approach to her idea is very interesting and different. Not many people would think about studying the “social phenomenon” of their idea. Her concerns about not being able to find enough people or people helping for the “wrong reasons” then causing issues, are valid. That’s the nature of working with groups of people, and I think it will be one of the major things she will have to deal with throughout the process. I’m really excited to see what Danielle comes up with and hopefully I’ll be able to get involved!

It was easy to ask questions and get a good sense of their thoughts because they were eager to discuss them. Talking with them about their ideas made me even more excited about my own ideas. I can’t wait to get started.