A Coupon Code Success Story

A good friend and Save 4 Fun reader emailed me yesterday all excited about a deal she got on a baby gift. I do love a bargain, so I thought I'd share it with all of you too. Here's what she wrote:

Just had to tell you about the good deal I got...I was ordering a gift for a neighbor who just had a baby. It's her 2nd son, born in the same season as the 1st, so I didn't want go to the clothes or toy route. So, I thought of a brothers picture frame. I found one that I could personalize with their names. It was on sale online, but shipping was $8.95. geez...so I Goggled for a coupon code for that company, and sure enough there one was for $5.00 off. I never do go hunting for coupon codes on the web, b/c I rarely purchase anything online. I was so excited to save $5! Just thought I'd share my good savings with ya!

Hurrah for searching out a deal on a great gift idea! And this goes to show that you really should hunt for coupon codes before shopping online.

Sphere: Related Content

I Remembered the Coupon I Got Last Year!

Last year when I went to the eye doctor, I read on my receipt about an opportunity to get $20 off of my next purchase if I completed a survey about my experience there. I took the survey and got the coupon. It said it didn't have an expiration date, so I saved it.

I only go to the eye doctor once a year. A year is a long time to keep a coupon. It can also be hard to remember to take it with you after 12 whole months! But I marked it on my calendar, and I remembered to use the coupon. So, I just saved $20. Yippee!

Sphere: Related Content

Free Tomatoes from Del Monte

If you are one of the first 50,000 people to respond to this offer on Del Monte's website (in the bottom right corner), you'll receive a coupon in the mail for a free can of Del Monte No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes! I just requested mine this evening, and it said they'll mail the coupon to me 4 to 6 weeks after the offer ends (April 30, 2009). As a consolation prize, they will give you a 50-cents-off coupon if they've given away all of the coupons for the free can.

Of course, there is a catch. You do have to sign up for Del Monte's monthly e-newsletter called The Dish. Actually, I found out about the offer through that newsletter because I was already receiving it.

I do try to at least scan all of those marketing newsletters that fill my inbox. They do often have news about special offers, coupons, freebies, etc. But I learned several years ago to have e-newsletters sent to an email account separate from my regular email. I actually check that email box as often as I do my regular email, but at least the messages are separated. It keeps my virtual mail more organized. And if I don't have the time or desire to read my "junk" mail, I can just quickly delete everything in that inbox.

If you haven't already set up a special email account to use whenever you register for something that requires an email address, do it now. Do it before you take advantage of this Del Monte offer. Get a free email account from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, etc. Then, you can take advantage of special offers from companies like Del Monte without filling your regular inbox with spam.

Sphere: Related Content

You've Gotta Love Free Underwear

Over the past couple of years Victoria's Secret has been sending Michael a coupon for a pair of their VS cotton panties. Thankfully (for many reasons!) he always passes them on to me. I've gotten 3 pairs of underwear so far, which is a retail value of $22.50. No purchase is necessary to get the free undies either. They are truly free.

Michael has no idea why he gets these coupons because he's never purchased anything from Victoria's Secret. They don't have him on their catalogue mailing list -- just for coupons. I think I've gotten one of those coupons over the past 6 or 7 years, and I've even purchased things from VS. It seems like they should send me more coupons. That's okay; I still benefit from the ones he gets.

Since we've gotten married, Michael has moved to where I had been living with my sister. He did a change of address with the post office, but I didn't think junk mail followed you. Well, a free underwear coupon really isn't junk, but I would think in the eyes of the USPS it might be. But good news Victoria's Secret found out his new address! Michael got another free panty coupon in the mail yesterday! I'll be heading to the store soon so they don't run out of my size before I get my pair.

Sphere: Related Content

Wedding Full of Deals

I'm back from the wedding and honeymoon. They were both fantastic! There is so much to do to set up our new house, but I'm going to try to find a little time for the blog.

Not to worry - I won't fill Save 4 Fun with all kinds of wedding things. However, the other day on the bus on the way home from work I jotted down all of the things for the wedding that I got on sale, on clearance, with a coupon, or for a low price. There actually may be more, but this amused me...so I thought I'd tell you about it.

11 candles on the altar in honor and memory of family & friends came from the Dollar Tree.

The beautiful wedding cake was from Wal-Mart. (This was an amazing deal...I will probably have to post a picture of it when I get one because it was lovely.)

We got the wedding bands online from two different vendors (Blue Nile and eWeddingBands.com). Of course, we had coupon codes! And Blue Nile is a partner with Shop Discover, so I got an extra Cash Back Bonus there.

My wedding shoes were on clearance (for $13 -- regular $80) at the Naturalizer outlet.

I thought I was going to wear Mom's pearl necklace that I like, but it was too short for the neckline of my dress. Not wanting to spend much on a new necklace, we got one at Kohl's on sale and with a coupon for about $13.

The dress I wore for the ceremony was my grandmother's wedding dress. It did require some repair work; however, it was still less than a new wedding dress.

The frames I used to display pictures as centerpieces at the reception were from yard sales and Freecycle.

The baskets that I used to hold the favors and for the bubbles (that guest blew for our exit) were from yard sales, Freecycle, Goodwill, and the Salvation Army.

The silk flowers and ribbon used to decorate the bubble baskets and gift card holder were on sale.

The ribbon we used for the bows on the chapel pews, doors, and outside railings and lights were purchased with coupons.

My custom-made guest book (a Kodak Gallery photo book of pictures of Michael and me from birth through our engagement) was purchased with a coupon code, and I got Upromise credit.

The flower girl's basket and the ring bearer's pillow were on clearance. They were white, but everything else for the wedding was ivory. That wasn't working for me, so a very talented friend covered them in ivory lace. They were beautiful!

The chocolate lollipops that my sister made for favors were not only tasty and cute, but we got the supplies on sale and with a coupon.

The photographer gave us a 10% discount for paying in full up front.

The glass platter that the wedding cake sat on was a few buck from the DAV thrift store.

The knives and servers for the wedding and groom's cakes were purchased with coupons.

Our DIY invitations were on sale.

Our matching DIY programs were purchased with coupons.

I wanted the flower girl to use silk flower petals. I couldn't see paying $9.99 at the craft store for them. Even on sale or with a coupon, they were too much. The Dollar Tree had packages of the same quantity (300 count), obviously for just a dollar. However, all they offered were white. I needed ivory. So, I tea-stained them, and they looked great.

It was simply good luck, but I found the perfect necklaces for the bridesmaids at Talbot's -- and they were on sale!

I got the flower girl a monogrammed silver locket from Blue Nile with a coupon code. And again, I got an extra Cash Back Bonus from Shop Discover.

In the end, I was really pleased how everything turned out with the wedding. It was by no means inexpensive. We were blessed to have a generous budget from my parents and from my own savings. However, it was far less than the national average for the cost of a wedding. I really didn't have to sacrifice anything that I really wanted because of a tight budget. In fact I even got my top choices on several of the vendors...and ones I still really liked even if I didn't get the top choice on other things. And then things like the cake that I didn't actually care much about turned out far better that I could have imagined.

I will eventually be converting my blog for wedding guests into a blog about the tips and tricks I learned along the way...as well as my comments on the vendors we used. It will be a while to do that. However, once that's ready, I'll let you know in case you or someone you know is planning a wedding.

Sphere: Related Content

Coupons at Target

I love coupons -- and I love Coupon Mom for doing the work of figuring out the best way to use them.

As I've mentioned several times, I'm a bit short on time these days because of my upcoming wedding. (One month to go!) Yesterday, I realized that I was in desperate need of some breakfast and lunch foods. I haven't had the time or energy to really sit down and think about menus, sale ads, and coupons. However, I also can't just eat out for the next month either.

I knew Target had a couple of things on sale that I wanted and needed to get. So, on my lunch break yesterday, I took a look at Coupon Mom's website to see if there was anything else (particularly food) that I could get for a good deal while I was there. I wrote down what I wanted. I quickly grabbed the coupons between work and my final wedding dress fitting and spun by Target on the way home from the bridal shop. I got a few things to add to what I already have on hand, and I'm good for the rest of the week.

Here's what I got:

Pringles (25% extra in the can for no additional charge)
Sale Price: $1.00
Target coupon from their website: $0.50
Final Price: $0.50

Skippy peanut butter
Regular Price: $2.34
Target coupon from their website: $1.00
Final Price: $1.34

Classico pasta sauce
Regular Price: $2.39
Target coupon from their website: $1.00
Final Price: $1.39

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (with 2 extra bars for no additional charge)
Regular Price: $2.19
Target coupon from their website: $0.50
Manufacturer coupon: $0.50
Final Price: $1.19

What's great about Target is that they will let you use store and manufacturer coupons on the same item. They will also let you print and use multiple store coupons (for the corresponding number of items) from their website.

I always forget to look at their coupons online -- so thank goodness Coupon Mom lets me know about the deals. Granted the prices in my area aren't quite as low as she has listed on her website. However, I realize that my area is probably more expensive than hers. These are all good deals for the DC area.

What I want to figure out is how to get on Target's mailing list. My sister gets great coupon books from Target every few months. She's not sure how she got on that list. She doesn't have their credit card, which is how I thought it might happen. Does anyone know about those coupons and how I can get them in the U.S. mail?

It's time to get back to my chores...

Sphere: Related Content

Valuable Junk Mail

It might be an oxymoron, but valuable junk mail is how I would describe the Valpak. You know - that blue envelope that comes in the mail, full of coupons and advertisements, mostly to local establishments. To me, most of it is junk. However, I always open it because there are usually one or two good coupons in there too. It's worth looking.

This weekend I used two coupons from the Valpak. I needed to get my car's annual safety inspection done this month. The state regulated fee for this required inspection is a maximum of $16. However, a local service station offers a $5 off coupon for a safety inspection through their ad in Valpak. I took advantage of it and got the service done for $11. The guy at the register said he didn't need to collect my coupon. So, I passed it on to my sister who got hers done at the same place for the same deal too.

It's been moving weekend (roommate/sister headed out, fiance on the way in), so we decided to buy fast food for lunch today. When I got our food, I used the buy one burrito, get one free coupon for Moe's Southwest Grill that I also found in the Valpak.

So, the Valpak saved us a total of $15.99 this weekend on things we would have gotten anyway. It really is valuable junk mail!

Sphere: Related Content

Vacationing with Coupons

I really enjoy traveling and going on vacation. A big reason why I work so hard at saving money is so that I can ensure I have some earmarked for fun stuff (i.e. vacation)! I've written about some of my saving tips for the road and a lot of them stem back to using coupons either while planning the trip or during the trip. I never take a vacation from coupons -- I vacation with coupons! (After all, it's never too soon to start saving up for the next trip.)

So, I was excited yesterday when I got my weekly email on travel tips from the Washington Post Post Points program. Christina Talcott from the Post's Travel section offered up some websites for nearby places to which DC area readers may be vacationing or taking day trips. Here are the links:

Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association's Deals & Discounts

My Richmond Region Rewards

Sunny Day Guide - Virginia Beach Coupons

Ocean City, MD Coupon Book
This book costs $15, so look at the list of coupons and businesses to make sure that it will be useful to you.

That last one sounds similar to the Entertainment Book. They have deal going right now where if you order your 2009 Entertainment Book, they'll give you this year's edition for free. Or you can just buy the 2008 book for any city (assuming they haven't sold out) for $9.99. They offer coupon books for a lot of popular vacation destinations. I just noticed that our honeymoon destination city has an Entertainment Book! Hmmm...let me go look into that...

Sphere: Related Content

Welcome Coupon Mom Readers!

If you are visiting Save 4 Fun from Coupon Mom's blog, a special welcome to you! I'm a huge fan of Stephanie Nelson's and have so appreciated her great website and blog. I hope you will find my blog to be useful, interesting, and inspiring too. If you do, while you are here, subscribe to get my blog posts via email or in a reader through Feed Burner.

If you are visiting Save 4 Fun from another source and aren't already familiar with Coupon Mom, go check out her site. You don't have to be a mother to find savings through her website. She has great, free resources and tips available including Grocery Deals by State which does the work of looking through grocery and drug store sales ads for you each week. She'll even tell you where to find coupons that are available for this week's sale items.

Sphere: Related Content

Last Day for Triple Coupons at Harris Teeter

Today is the last day of Harris Teeter's triple coupon promotion for this week, so I had to swing by there for some deals. I'm glad to see that they are doing this more often. They used to do it only once or twice a year, but now triple coupons come around every month or two. I do wish more of their sale items corresponded with coupons eligible for tripling (99 cents or less). However, even without sale prices, coupons that are tripled make some items good deals anyway.

I didn't do as well today as when I wrote about triple coupons back in November. But I did save 58% today, which is pretty good. That includes a package of McCormick's Grill Mates marinade that I got for free (because it was actually on sale for 75 cents and I had a 25-cent coupon that they tripled).

Sphere: Related Content

Coming Soon: Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day!

Last Friday evening, Michael and I walked down to the Ben & Jerry's in Old Town Alexandria. It was a warm spring evening, perfect for walking to get ice cream! I took the buy one regular cone/dish, get one free Ben & Jerry's coupon out of the Entertainment Book, so we got a deal too!

While we were there, I noticed that Ben & Jerry's 30th birthday is coming up on April 29 (one week from today). As usual, they are celebrating by giving away free ice cream! We've been to this event in the past. The line is long, but so worth the wait! Find a shop near you that participates in Free Cone Day and mark your calendar.

Sphere: Related Content

If It Doesn't Fit, No Deal

At the end of this month, Michael and I will take our engagement pictures. It's an hour-long session that we'll probably do in a park. For me, getting good pictures for our wedding is important. I also really wanted to find a reasonable package that included an engagement session. Not only do I think it will be great to have these casual pictures of us, it's also a good way of getting to know our photographer, the photographer getting to know us, and getting used to the idea of being photographed for a long period of time. Hopefully, it will help us look a little more relaxed and natural in our pictures.

Anyway, I was looking for just the right thing to wear for this photo session. I knew I wanted a causal, but not too casual dress. I toured around the mall last night. I found some nice dresses on the clearance rack at Ann Taylor, but they either didn't fit just right or they weren't exactly what I was hoping to find. At 60% off, that was very disappointing. I thought long and hard about one of them. But the reality is that if it doesn't fit well or doesn't look right, I won't like it when I get it home, regardless of the price. So, that makes it a bad deal because I won't wear it or at least not many times and won't be happy with it.

I searched more stores -- the regularly priced clothes and the sale racks. Finding just the right fit for me can be difficult. And regardless of your size or shape, clothes that fit well look soooo much better!

I finally found a very cute dress at The Limited that fit like it was made for me. Why it couldn't be on sale, I don't know. I decided not to buy it right away. I thought I should think a little about it and try it on again. So, I went back tonight after work and decided I indeed really liked and it really fit. I bought it...but of course, I got a deal after all!

I looked on The Limited's website today and found a coupon! It's good until May 4, 2008, and you can save $30 on a $100 purchase or more (regularly priced items). Well, the dress I wanted was $98. So, I found nice necklace that I can wear for the engagement pictures too. It was reasonably priced and pushed me just over the $100 limit. Total savings was 24%. Not bad -- especially since this purchase was for a very specific purpose and I would have gotten it anyway. It is worth searching around for coupons!

Sphere: Related Content

Coupon Organizer

I have a coupon organizer -- you know, one of those little file folders to carry to the grocery store. It used to be my companion on every trip to the grocery or drug store. However, in the past few years I've used it less and less, even though I'm using coupons more and more. The main reason for this is that I now only clip and carry the coupons I need. I figure out which ones those are in advance with the help of Coupon Mom's website.

I use an old/used envelope (that is blank or nearly blank on one side) for my shopping list. (If I'm going to multiple stores, using one for each store works well.) Then, I tuck the coupons that correspond with items on that list inside the envelope. I'm all set when I get to the store. I know what I want to buy. I have the coupons ready. Shopping and saving are easy!

By the way, this system is great way to give new life to an old envelope that is otherwise trash!

Sphere: Related Content

Saving on Wedding Gifts at Macy's

Continuing with the series on finding ways to save when buying from wedding gift registries, let's look at Macy's. They offer a number of ways to save in the store and online.

Macy's is a partner with WeddingChannel.com, and it is how they manage their online wedding registries. If the bridal couple has linked a charity to their WeddingChannel.com registries, your online Macy's registry purchase will generate a donation to that cause! I've already gone into detail on this topic in my post entitled Buy from a Wedding Gift Registry & Save for Charity.

Like Target.com and Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Macys.com is a Upromise partner. So, if you are saving for someone to go to college through Upromise, link to Macys.com through Upromise's website to make your purchase. Currently, they are offering 4% of your total price paid to go towards your Upromise account. The unfortunate part about this idea is that you can't buy directly from the online wedding registry and get Upromise credit. However, you can look at their registry to find out what they want. Then, purchase an item from their wish list without going through the registry (because it's actually linked through WeddingChannel.com). If you are buying the gift and giving (or shipping) the gift to the couple right away, they can go into the registry and mark it off as purchased themselves.

Discover Card is offering a 5% additional cashback bonus April 1 - June 30, 2008, for purchases at department stores when you sign up for the quarterly 5% Cashback Bonus promotion. Of course, Macy's falls into this category. That will be a good time to buy for your spring weddings if you haven't already done so. It will also be a good time to get a head start on buying for summer and fall weddings if the couples have already registered. Like Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Macy's is also a Discover Cashback Bonus partner. You could get your Cashback Bonus to stretch even further by trading in $40 of bonus for a $45 Macy's gift card. Gift cards may be used in Macy's stores or online at Macys.com and macysweddingchannel.com.

Finally, if you are shopping in a Macy's store, you really should never go without first looking in your newspaper for current promotions and coupons. They offer some kind of deal nearly every week.

Sphere: Related Content

More Ways to Save on Wedding Gifts at Bed, Bath, & Beyond

I've started a series on looking at ways to save when buying gifts from a wedding registry. First stop: Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Yesterday, I wrote about their 20% off coupons. Now, let's see what else they have to offer.

Upromise: If you are saving for someone to go to college with a Upromise account, Bed, Bath, & Beyond is a great place to consider buying a wedding gift because it is a Upromise partner. If you buy something from them in the store or on their website and use a credit card that you've registered with Upromise, you'll get 1% of your total purchase (including tax and shipping) in your Upromise account.

Discover Card Cashback Bonus: Bed, Bath, & Beyond is a partner in Discover Card's Cashback Bonus program. So, if you have $20 in Cashback Bonus with your Discover Card, you can redeem it for a $25 Bed, Bath, & Beyond gift certificate. That's a 25% savings! You can order as many of these gift certificates as you want, as long as you have enough Cashback Bonus in $20 increments to cover the number you want. For wedding gifts, you could either get the gift certificate(s) and go shopping yourself. Or you could give the gift certificate as the gift. (It's an actual gift card from the store, so they won't know you got it with your Cashback Bonus.) Gift cards from Bed, Bath, & Beyond do not expire and have no service fees. What's great about this idea is that whoever (the gift giver or the recipient) can also use one of those 20% off coupons and also use a Upromise registered credit card to get college savings. Here's an example: You want to get an item from the wedding registry that is regularly priced at $49.99. You go to the store with one of the Bed, Bath, & Beyond 20% off coupons, and the price is reduced to $39.99. You use a $25 gift certificate that you got with your Cashback Bonus, which brings the price to $14.99. You pay for the balance with a credit card you have registered with Upromise, and you save 1% (or approximately 15 cents, depending on the sales tax) for college. That means you get a $49.99 gift for $14.84 (plus tax)!

Gift Wrapping: If you order something from Bed, Bath, & Beyond's website, you can request to have it gift wrapped for free. They have nice silver gift wrap or gift bags, depending on the item.

Competitor's Coupons: Bed, Bath, & Beyond does accept unexpired competitor's coupons.

Price Match: Bed, Bath, & Beyond "will gladly match our direct competitors' price on identical items."

Gift Message: If you order something online from Bed, Bath & Beyond, you can request to have a complimentary gift message printed and put into a little envelope that they will attach to the gift.

Sphere: Related Content

Saving on Wedding Gifts at Bed, Bath, & Beyond

If I'm not careful, I can run up a big total for gifts. I've already written about some tips for Saving on Baby Shower Gifts. As wedding season is fast approaching, let's take a look at saving for bridal shower and wedding gifts.

With the rare exception, I almost always choose a wedding gift from a registry. It's easy, and I know they will like it because they asked for it via the registry. First, I figure out how much I want to spend. Then, I either look online or stop by the store and review the list of the couple's desired gifts. I find something that is within my budget, buy it, and I'm done. Like with the baby shower gifts, I love when I can find something on sale because I can either give a nicer gift and still stay within budget or I can give a gift that has a regular price that is within my budget but get it for less. There are other ways to save when buy wedding gifts too.

Let's start with Bed, Bath, & Beyond, which is a popular national store for wedding registries.

When I think Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I think 20% off coupon!

Coupon is good for: 20% off any single item*

Where to find them: in your mailbox, in the Sunday newspaper, Entertainment Book.

Where to use them: in-store only (not valid for online purchases).

How to get them in the mail if you don't already: sign up for their mailing list.

Do they expire? Fine print and the FAQ section of their website say they do.

How many items can you use them for? Fine print and the FAQ section of their website say one coupon per customer per visit.

Any exceptions to these policies? I have read and have talked to people who have found Bed, Bath, & Beyond stores to be generous around these policies. In fact, just yesterday a friend was telling me that she needed to buy a new set of towels. There were 20 towels that she wanted from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. She and her mom had collected 20 coupons, some of which had already expired. The store accepted them in one transaction because she had one for each item being purchased. So, she got 20% off her entire purchase.

Other ways to get around these policies: For wedding gifts, if you are buying multiple items, it might be worth asking your store if they will take multiple coupons for one transaction and/or accept expired coupons. If not, try to find one item from the registry that will fit into your budget and use your one coupon. Or if the store is convenient, make multiple trips over a few days or a few weeks to get several items from the registry.

Is the coupon good on a sale item? The fine print says, "Not valid with any other offer." However, some stores may make exceptions, so I'd say it is worth asking if you can use the coupon on a sale item.

*Other restrictions: Not valid on purchase of gift cards, All-Clad, Nautica, Tempur-Pedic, Wusthof, AeroGrow, Margaritaville, The Sharper Image, Wedgwood, Lenox, Waterford, Vera Wang, Nambe, Riedel, Orrefors Kosta Boda, Oreck, Capresso, Miele, kate spade, Swarovski, Versace, Alessi, Richard Ginori, iJoy, or Frette Home.

We'll look at more ways to save on wedding gifts from Bed, Bath, & Beyond tomorrow.

Sphere: Related Content

Saving on Rental Cars

In the last couple of years, Michael and I have had reason to get a rental car twice while on vacation. Like I've mentioned recently in Saving on Airfare and Saving More on Airfare - Priceline, we like to shop for the best travel deals. Both times that we've rented a car, we've found the best deal by far was through the Entertainment Book.

Here's an example from when we went to Milwaukee in May 2006:
Company: National
Type of car: compact (the smallest size eligible for this coupon)
Coupon from Entertainment Book: 1 free weekend day, in addition to the Entertainment Book discount
Price per day with all taxes & discount/coupon: $9.59/day

At the time I was looking to book this car, Priceline said said that no company would probably accept a $10/day bid (and that's before taxes & fees)!

Here's an example from when we went to Oklahoma City in April 2007:
Company: Alamo
Type of car: compact (the smallest size eligible for this coupon)
Coupon from Entertainment Book: $20 off a 4 day rental, in addition to the Entertainment Book discount
Savings over booking directly through Alamo.com: $43 (or 36%)

It's definitely worth taking a look at the Entertainment Book discounts and coupons before you book your next rental car reservation!

Sphere: Related Content

Craft Store Savings

In preparation for the wedding, I've been frequenting craft stores far more than I usually do. I'm going to be make my own wedding invitations, programs, and pew bows. I could have just gone in and bought everything I needed at once. However, the two big craft stores in my area (Michael's and AC Moore) have 40% off coupons in their weekly sales flyers that come in the newspaper. At both stores, the coupon is only good for one regularly priced item. Doing a little comparison shopping, I've discovered that AC Moore has lower prices for the same products that Michael's has. So, of course, AC Moore is my new favorite store!

Here are some tips on how to make the most out of saving at the craft store, especially when you have more than one item to buy:

1. Plan in advance. Since these coupons don't let you take 40% off of your entire purchase, I've been only buying one item at a time. It's taking some time to get everything I need, but it's worth the wait.

2. Take other people with you to the store. Since you can only use one coupon per person per day, on some trips to AC Moore, I've gotten help from friends and family members who have been with me at the time. Everyone gets a coupon and an item to buy.

3. Gather coupons from others. Neither AC Moore nor Michael's offers the sales ad with the coupons in their stores. So, ask friends or family if they will give you their unwanted coupons from their paper.

4. Look online for additional coupons. AC Moore lets you print as many of their coupons that they have online as you want. They usually have the same 40% off coupon that you can find in the paper. So, if you need to stock up on items quickly, print as many as you need for one week of shopping. Of course, keep in mind that you'll still need to get other shoppers to help you or go over the course of several days because like the newspaper coupons, you are limited to using one per day per person. Here's the link to find the AC Moore nearest you and to their online coupons. Hobby Lobby also offers coupons online that you can print to use at the store.

5. Watch for additional coupons you may receive at check out. On several occasions, I've gone to AC Moore to make a purchase with a 40% coupon, and they give me a 50% coupon to use on a future purchase! These 50% off coupons have only been good for one specific day, usually a Saturday. A few weeks ago I was going to be out of town on the Saturday for which I had a 50% off coupon at AC Moore. I looked online and found the nearest store in the town where I was going to be. I printed off directions to get there, and I was still able to use that valuable coupon! This week, my mom had two of those Saturday-only 50% off coupons for AC Moore. However, she's going to be out of town and in a place where there is no AC Moore. So, she mailed me her coupons to use.

6. Watch for when the items you want are not on sale. Since AC Moore and Michael's only let you use these coupons for regularly priced items, having what you want go on sale actually isn't always a good thing. Sometimes they might run a sale for 50% or more, which would definitely be a better deal than using a 40% off coupon. However, sometimes the sale isn't the best bet. For example, the other week I wanted to buy the invitation kit I had been eyeing. However, AC Moore had it on sale for 30% off. I had a 40% off coupon. I could wait until it went off sale!

7. If you aren't looking for a very specific item at a craft store, check out their clearance sections. They often will deeply discount discontinued items. For the wedding invitations, programs, and bows, I have had very specific things in mind that I wanted. However, my future mother-in-law (who is also a bargain shopper) called the other night to tell me that she was at Hobby Lobby, checking out their clearance section. She found invitations that she will use for the rehearsal dinner for 80% off, and they even go with our color scheme. She also picked up a flower girl basket and a ring bearer pillow for 80% off. She said that even if I didn't want to use them for the ceremony, she would find a way to incorporate them into the decorations for a bridal shower or other pre-wedding event because they were only a couple of dollars each.

Happy saving and happy crafting!

Sphere: Related Content

Dominion Powerwash

Power washing? Yes, I know this seems to be an unusual post for Save 4 Fun. However, I just got an email from a friend today that he has started a power washing business in Northern Virginia. I always try to help promote friends' small businesses in one way or another, but I have to admit that I don't know much about power washing. However, I know Jamie to be a great guy, so I can only imagine that his business will do an awesome job with outdoor cleaning if you need the service.

How does Dominion Powerwash tie into my blog? They have coupons on their website! So, if you or someone you know need power washing services, check them out and spread the word.

Sphere: Related Content

Morning Movie

Michael has been wanting to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I wasn't lucky enough to win screening passes through Ytic, so we were going to have to pay to see this one. I suggested that we use one of my coupons in the Entertainment Book because even for an evening show at Regal Cinemas, the price is only $6.00 (or $7.50 within the first 12 days of the movie's release). That's a good deal considering the regular price is $10.25 ($8.00 for a matinee) in the DC area.

However, Michael found an even better deal! AMC Theatres offer big discounts (no coupons needed) for their shows before noon on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. So, we went to the 10:30 AM showing of National Treasure this morning (MLK Day) for only $5.00/ticket. Half price! We also had no problems finding near-by parking, which was great because it's so cold out. The meter parking was free since it's a holiday. There weren't a lot of people there, so we got good seats without having to get there really early.

We grabbed lunch after the movie -- and it was a nice (and very affordable) date!

Sphere: Related Content