“Targeted” Savings

There are many ways to get a bargain in Omaha stores.  Many folks I know swear by the rebates at Walgreen’, the manufacturers’ mail-in rebates, and refunds and premiums.  I received a great popcorn bowl from Orville Reddenbacher (himself, I’m sure) this summer.  But how to stretch the everyday dollar on everyday items?  In a word, Target.

Target’s one of those big box stores.  A discount department store, really, where you can get designer socks and clearance furniture in the same trip.  There are lots of great ways to save at Target, but one of the best ways is to make it your regular store for cleaning supplies and paper goods.  They don’t have the rock-bottom prices, but you can make it so by combining coupon savings.

We all know what the average manufacturer’s coupon looks like: “Save .50 on your next purchase of any 12-count or larger package of OurBrand toilet tissue.” Not much, but we clip them, anyway.  If you hold onto the coupon until the store puts the item on sale, the coupon seems more valuable, this we know.  But if you have a Target store coupon for the item (and it says “Target Coupon”), you can use it with the manufacturer’s coupon, for combined savings:

Item regular cost = $6.24

Item on sale = $4.99

Manuf coupon = -.50

Target coupon = -.75

Final item cost = $3.74

Your actual savings = $2.50

Now Target uses those “clipless coupons” that come in the mail.  They are bar-coded to make it easier on the cashiers, with multiple offers on each card, and you can only receive the savings on each item once.  It’s a creative way to eliminate coupon fraud, and Target is right on the money (pardon the pun) with this approach.  But I’ve often forgotten which offers I’ve already used, and Target’s cashiers don’t offer pens at the checkout, so I’m still trying to find the best solution for me on that issue

The same concept of combining coupon savings applies to Walgreen’s, and also carries over to their rebate program.  I will admit I have not participated in that for several years, after encountering multiple problems for consecutive months with them.  But I know folks who swear by them, and provide well for their families because of the rebates and monthly-reloaded discount cards.  In one family, it’s a tag-team event, as well.

When you get store coupons, don’t forget that you can combine offers (where permitted, of course), for bigger, better savings.  And we’re all about the savings!