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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Frugal Friday: Know When to Hold 'Em Part 2


Last week, I posted HERE about holding onto your Buy 1 - Get 1 FREE coupons until you found a matching Buy 1 - Get 1 FREE sale. That scores you both items free.

This week, let's talk about free item coupons. I LOVE to get these! I get lots of free 20 oz. product coupons from My Coke Rewards. I also just got a free coupon for some Always Infinity. And CVS has a knack for printing freebies at the bottom of your receipt. I have one now for mouthwash and another for a candy bar.

The trick is to not rush out and use them right away.

You got to know when to hold 'em.

In this case, I hold 'em until I have a CVS coupon that's good for a certain amount off of a purchase. For example, I currently have a $5 off any $25 purchase coupon. Let's say I head in to CVS and gather $20 worth of things that are great deals this week. Hmm..... I can't use my coupon. It's only good for a purchase that's $25 or more.

That's where my free product coupons come into play. If I add the 20 oz. Coke, candy bar, and Always to my $20 purchase, my total is now over the $25 minimum. And I can use my coupon. This type of coupon from CVS gets handed over before any of your other coupons. It comes off of your PRE-coupon total. That means that I can "pad" my purchase with some "filler" freebies, and I can score an extra $5 off the other items I've gathered.

My only exception to this is if we need an item before I can use it as a filler. In that case, I'd rather get the item free than pay for it now and use my freebie coupon later.

For more great frugal living ideas, stop by Frugal Friday hosted by Life As Mom.

3 comments:

Jennifer said...

Very good point. I have done this exact thing at CVS using a free coke coupon and a free candy bar coupon to get my total above $25. I love it when it works out that well.

JLP said...

That is genuis! Thanks!

Jules said...

You can also stack your coke rewards coupons. there are currently buy a 20 oz. coke and get $1 off a king size candy bar coupons out there. I got mine off a display of candy bars (hershey/reeses) in Dillons.