Laura's Guide to Couponing: Getting Your Coupons

Image from Snag a Bargain

Next week will be the first week that I will be getting new coupon inserts since starting this blog (since there were no inserts on Easter). I'm super excited about this and I'm planning on posting my shopping list so you can see what I am doing and how much money I'm spending.

Tomorrow is Sunday, which means the Sunday paper is coming out. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS PAPER. It's going to have a LOT of coupons in it.

Long Time No Update...

Sorry y'all! I've been so busy with end-of-the-semester stuff and getting ready for finals. Anyway, yesterday was my birthday! I turned twenty and I went shopping and out to eat with my boyfriend (who got me the most beautiful necklace and made me a wonderful cake). I won't list everything I got for you because it would take forever, but I wanted to let you know about a couple of deals I found:

I got four salad plates (two of each of the above) at Target last night for 88 cents each on clearance. I already have about six ceramic ones but I thought plastic would be nice for summer, and I like to use salad plates as lunch plates to eat smaller portions. Plus you really can't beat 88 cents per plate! The dinner plates were 98 cents each. 

I got each of these for $1.99 each on sale. They're just plastic (4 small bowls and 4 tumblers), but after my roommate leaves in a couple of weeks I'm not going to have any cups other than mugs, so I needed to get some! 

Each of these panels was $6.00, and I'm going to hang them in my bathroom somewhere... as soon as Jake isn't busy working or studying (so probably about three weeks from now lol). 

Now to find out how I got all of that stuff for above for just one penny (not including sales tax), you're going to have to read after the jump...

Savings Tip: Get Free Samples

Obviously, I am a huge fan of getting free samples. While the size of the product may be small, once you've accumulated a couple of them, you'll find that it's pretty nice when you run out of shampoo and you have another one sitting there (even if it's tiny). Plus, you usually get a coupon when you sign up for a sample, and these can come in really handy--I'm getting Dove Men+Care for my boyfriend this week for free because of a coupon that came with a sample!

The best website I've found for free stuff is called Freeflys. You have to go through a kind of annoying signup process (just decline all the offers), but it's a good database of free samples. I check it a couple of times a week, and they're constantly updating it. If you've never been and you want to start sampling, Freeflys is probably the best place to start!

Deposit

I made my very first deposit into my "grad school fund" today... it was only $5.00 (my paycheck this week was pretty meager and about half of it went to a ticket to see Animal Collective in July) but that's still $5.00 more than was in there yesterday!

As of right now, my fund (all $5.00 of it) is sitting in an envelope marked "Grad School", but I think once I have around $50 I will consider talking to my bank about savings options. 

Total Grad School Fund: $5.00

What I Got in the Mail...

I got another free sample in the mail today... this time it was a sample of Playtex Sport tampons.

The sample came with three tampons (two regular and one super) and a coupon for $1.00 off any Playtex Sport 18 ct+. If you're interested in getting this sample, go to the Playtex website.

Deal Alert: Men's Deodorant for 24 cents!

Hey guys, make sure you go to CVS this week (4/24-4/30) to get Dove Men + Care deodorant. It's going to be on sale for 99 cents but with a 75 cent off coupon from the Dove website you will get it for 24 cents! (I'm getting mine--for my boyfriend--for free with a $1.00 off coupon that came with the free sample I requested!)

Stuff You Need Under $1... at Kroger

The Kroger weekly ad is almost over (it ends tomorrow; their sales run Sunday-Saturday) but I thought I would let you know about a few things you probably need that are under $1.00 right now at Kroger:

• Laundry detergent: Xtra detergent is on sale for $1.98 this week, and you can get a $1.00 off coupon from the Xtra website to make the final cost 98 cents! 
• Milk (Coconut Milk, that is): So Delicious Coconut Milk is on sale for $1.99 this week, and you can get it for 99 cents with a $1.00 off coupon from Coupons.com. 
• Condoms: if you need 'em, go get 'em; I saw one box of Trojan condoms on the clearance rack at the Alps Road Kroger for $2.34; with a coupon from the Trojan website you can get them for 34 cents.
• Shampoo: Suave shampoo is on sale this week for 88 cents, as is...
• Deodorant: Suave deodorant is also on sale this week for 88 cents.
• Frozen vegetables: Green Giant boxed vegetables are on sale for $1.00 this week, but you will get them FREE with a 50 cent coupon from the Green Giant website that doubles to $1.00. 

Free Coffee!

In honor of Earth Day, if you bring your own reusable mug to Starbucks today ONLY, you will get FREE COFFEE!

Free Yogurt!

Want a free cup of Yoplait original yogurt? I requested mine in the mail (it comes in the form of a free coupon) a few weeks ago and it got here pretty shortly afterward! Just go to the Yoplait website to request yours!

What I Got in the Mail...

I just got a package in the mail from P&G full of good girl stuff.

The package (which was really cute by the way!) included this sample-sized Secret deodorant (which will come in handy in packing light for our beach trip in a couple weeks) as well as a bunch of "feminine hygiene products" (3 tampons, 2 pads, and 2 pantiliners). It also came with some great coupons for Tampax and Always. 

If you're interested in requesting this sample yourself, sign up at BeingGirl.com. Keep in mind that this is marketed toward younger teenage girls, so it comes with a nice little "introduction" packet to all of these products. 

On Campus Deal Alert: (Almost) Free Six Flags Ticket

Earth Week (April 18-22) is an awesome time to get deals on eco-friendly products, and UGA's satellite food services are hosting their own "eco-friendly" promotion. This week only, if you buy four bottles of Dasani at Dawg Snacks (Tate Center) or 'Tween the Pages (Main Library) you will get a free ticket to Six Flags!

This is in honor of Dasani introducing their "plant bottle", a 100% recyclable bottle made from up to 30% plant material. While I am generally all in favor of reusable water bottles rather than plastic bottles, I think this is a step in the right direction, and you can't beat a Six Flags ticket that amounts to around $7.00, especially considering that one Six Flags general admission ticket usually costs $49.99! 

Dorm/Apartment Deal Alert: Brita System Under $25

Having lived in both a dorm and an apartment, I can honestly say that a staple of both is a water filtration pitcher.  In the dorms, the water quality wasn't an issue, but it was nice to have some really cold filtered water stored in the refrigerator as opposed to having the lukewarm tap water every time. In my current apartment, however, the water quality is a whole other issue; the tap water from our kitchen sink is murky way too often for my liking.

Unfortunately, when it comes time for new dorm/apartment shopping, purchasing these systems can be a pain in the butt when it comes to cost. (I was lucky enough to get mine for next year for only $10, on clearance at Kroger.) Luckily, Target has a great deal this week in its weekly ad!

When you buy a Brita Grand Pitcher ($31.49) or a 6-pack of Brita filters (also $31.49), you'll receive a $5 Target gift card. That's like getting it for $26.49. But it gets even better, because AllYou.com has a coupon for $4 off any Brita pitcher system! That makes this purchase $22.49. And if you use a reusable bag, Target will knock off 5 cents (I know, I know), making the total cost before tax $22.45.

ETA: Walgreen's also has a sale this week for Brita pitchers, albeit a smaller size pitcher. Theirs are on sale for $14.00; combined with the AllYou.com coupon listed above, the price gets knocked down to $10.00! 

What I Got in the Mail...

Yesterday I got two new samples in the mail, plus a coupon book from P&G.

This is a sample deodorant and body wash from Dove Men + Care. Obviously this is for my boyfriend and not for me, but I'm excited about it because it will help when it comes to packing light for our beach trip in a couple weeks. The sample box also came with a couple of coupons for Dove Men + Care. 

A couple sample packets of Miracle Whip. I actually hate mayonnaise, so this, again, was for my boyfriend, not for me. 

P&G coupon book! It has pretty much all the same coupons as last time (lots of spring cleaning type stuff) but I think the ones from the old book are about to expire so I'm glad this one came when it did. 

If you're interested in getting either of the samples or the coupon book yourself:

• Dove Men + Care: this was a sample on the Walmart website that has since expired, but you can now get a free sample of Gold Bond body wash on the free samples page instead.
• Miracle Whip
• P&G Coupon Book: sign up here to get the quarterly coupon book, PLUS receive a quarterly box of samples (I got Pantene shampoo + conditioner, Head & Shoulders shampoo + conditioner, and Tampax last quarter) 

Savings Tip: Keep Your Receipts

Aside from having a great physical record of what you're spending (which comes in handy for everything from keep track of expenses to getting a full refund on a return), saving your receipts can help you score discounts and free stuff!

Take a look at the bottom of your receipt next time you check out anywhere. Often there are invitations to complete surveys which can result in anything from a discount on your next purchase (Old Navy does this) to a free item (like the receipt below) or an entry into a sweepstakes (TJ Maxx does this).

Filling out these surveys takes about 5 minutes but the rewards can add up pretty quickly! So make sure you don't throw away your receipts; take a look first before you toss them out (if you're not saving them).

Also, make sure you take a look around in the store when you're shopping or checking out; you can find some great promotions listed on signs or stacked in the form of tear-off pads at the register. The promotion featured below is from Subway (on Alps Road for those in Athens); when you buy a meal this week they will give you an Easter egg with a coupon inside! Mine is for a free English muffin.

On the left is the coupon I received at Subway for purchasing a meal, and on the right is a receipt completed after taking a survey for Subway; next time I eat there I can get a free cookie with my purchase. (Don't try to copy the coupon code; it only works at the location I made that purchase at.)

What I Got in the Mail...

My motto, generally speaking, is "free stuff is the best stuff." I got two free things in the mail today that I thought I'd share.

1) A weight loss kit from the Atkins Diet. I don't think I will be following the Atkins Diet anytime soon, but this kit came with some recipes which look pretty good, plus three free Atkins protein bars.

2) This set of gift cards/coupons from Victoria's Secret. I'm most excited about the one at the top, for a free set of underwear! My birthday is in two weeks, so I can guarantee you I'll be stopping by VS during my birthday shopping trip. 

3) This isn't something I got in the mail, but I got it the other day completely free (not even having to pay tax!). It's a bottle of antibacterial hand soap from CVS, available for free through a coupon on their website. 

Sorry for the quality of these pictures; I took them all on my phone. Maybe one of the other things I should be saving up for is a decent camera...

If you're interested in receiving any of these free items yourself, here are the links: 

• Atkins Weight Loss Kit
• Victoria's Secret Free Panties/Coupon Cards 
• The CVS coupon has expired :( 

Welcome!

Welcome to Coupons at College! My name is Laura and I am a 20  year old undergrad student at the University of Georgia. I'm looking to start grad school in the next two years (hopefully at Georgia), so I need to start saving--now. This blog will be a place for me to share my deal-finding, free-stuff-getting, couponing, and saving tips. You can follow all of them or none of them (and just read along for the ride). I hope you enjoy this blog and please comment if you have any questions!