Target Toy Clearance 70% off 2013

The Big January Toy Clearance happened today (Jan. 17th). I've been lucky enough to shop at this sale for the past 4 years and have scored some great deals but today's trip just might be my favorite. I set my budget at $100 and made a list of must-haves which included:
1. Cars 2 set 2. Squinkies 3. Train set 4. Cars Space Mission set
And I crossed my fingers for a tool bench - which I was stoked to find for $11.98!



I was able to get all of the large items on the list and found an extra bonus - A Baby Butterscotch Pony! Noelle asked for it for Christmas but this mama wasn't going to spend $100 on one toy. It is regularly $119.99, I snagged it for $35.98!



WOOHOO!


Noelle loves strumming on Aaron's guitar. This Princess one should be a fun gift for her 5th birthday and something they can enjoy doing together. It was $11.98, regularly $39.99.



These Squinkies Crowns ($2.96) will be a huge hit for Noelle and my niece, Emma. There weren't any other Princess Squinkies but I did find Minnie Mouse Squinkies. These make great stocking stuffers!
I chose this Thomas & Friends track because it is smaller than the others, it's motorized, and it had good reviews online. I'm not sure why but Sears is selling it for $112! It was $13.48.



It is always smart to buy extra tracks when you find them on sale (make sure they match the track that you have). These were $5.66, regularly $18.89.



Another item on my list for Noah's 2nd birthday next month - $8.38. He absolutely loves cars, planes, and trains.



Noah will be having a Cars Themed party. These are also for his birthday. The extra Lightning McQueen was an accidental purchase. I let him hold it while I was browsing and I forgot to get it from him before we reached the register. At the rate he loses cars, it might be best to have a spare.
Lightning McQueen $2.08, regularly $6.99



Cars 2 Set $14.98, regularly $49.99



I picked up this Squinkies Scepter for my sister (for her daughter) $2.96. I've never heard of Zonks but I know my nephew who likes Super Heros will love them (for an hour at least) $1.48.



There was one full aisle of toys and two half aisles, plus 3 end caps.

I noticed many Cars 2 toys including single cars, several large Barbie items, a few Princesses (Cinderella, Rapunzel and Tiana), Cookie Monster and Elmo, Train sets, Hot Wheels tracks, and Leapfrog systems.

Total spent - $99.65 (I split the toys up into 2 transactions and used (2) $10 off $50 coupons. I also save 5% with every purchase using my Target Red Card.

I use this sale to stock up for birthdays and Christmas. There is also a 70% off Toy Clearance in July. You can read about previous Toy Clearance trips HERE. Good luck! I hope you find some great deals.


-Amanda

Organizing Email/Online Coupons into a Photo Album

Online coupons are becoming widely accepted at large retailers. Stores like Target and Michael's will scan coupons on smart phones, eliminating the need for paper coupons.  I usually have both kids with me while running errands and I've found myself panicking during check out, flipping through my inbox for coupons too many times. To resolve this problem, I started organizing my emailed coupons in a photo album on my iPhone and it has been a complete time saver.

When I get an emailed coupon from a store that I frequent (Michael's, JoAnn, Hobby Lobby, Fresh & Easy), I take a quick screenshot of the coupon on my phone by holding down the power button and the Home button at the same time. The screen will flash and the image is immediately saved in the photo album.
It looks like this:

TO ADD AN ALBUM click on the photo album app > Edit (top right) > Add (top left) > Name Your Album (Coupons)

To get the coupon images into your Coupon album go to your Camera Roll > Move Photo (top right) > touch each image you want to move > Add To (bottom) > Add to Existing Album > Coupons

And all the coupons for the week (or month) will be in one place for easy access (and stress-free checkouts).

Simply delete them when they expire and start over. I've found that my inbox is much more organized as well because I delete the emails after I take the screen shot. Having the coupons in a photo album also saves on battery power!

- Amanda

Target Trip (free and cheap items)

It was an eventful day at my Target shopping center. A man being treated for psychiatric care escaped from the nearby hospital and made his way to the rooftop of the Target, Michael's, Marshall's and Pet Smart shopping center and threatened to jump. The stores were closed for the majority of the morning while police officer's negotiated with the mentally ill man. Over eight hours later in 90 degree heat, the man finally climbed down a latter to safety.

I waited until all was clear to make my regular Monday shopping trip. It turned out to be much more successful than I planned. I came home with several free or really cheap items and saved over $30 with coupons.

I used a total of 19 coupons! I'm certain this is the most I've ever used in a trip. Here's a list of a few of the deals.

Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner $3.34 each

Coupons Used:

$3/2 Pantene Product Target Mobile Coupon

$3/2 Pantene Product MQ P&G 7/29

=.68 for both

Tampex Pearl $4.19 each

Coupons Used:

$2.50/2 Tampex Pearl Target Catalina Coupon

$2/1 MQ Tampex Pearl P&G 7/29

$2/1 MQ Tampex Pearl P&G 7/29

=$1.88 for both

Cover Girl Eye Shadow

$2.42 clearance

$3.14 regular price

Coupons Used:

$3/2 MQ Cover Girl Product P&G 7/29

$2/2 TQ from Beauty Bag

=.56 for both

BIC Pens .99 each

$1/2 MQ SmartSource insert 7/29

$1/2 TQ from Back to School Mailer

=Free

PaperMate Pens - .94

$1/1 PaperMate Product Target web coupon

=Free

Total Cost - $3.12 (less than the cost of one full price Pantene bottle)

-Amanda

Couponing - Getting Started

If your resolution is to save money, today is the perfect day to start couponing! There are 4 inserts in today's paper and new coupons have been released on several coupon websites so there is no better day to start your stockpile!

I began using coupons early last year and it has been a huge blessing for my family. The only negative comment about couponing that I get is the lack of healthy food coupons available and I would totally agree, but most of my couponing is used on non food items. Probably 30% food, 70% other goods.

When the opportunity to get free or very cheap items comes along, I stock up. Items such as shampoo & conditioner, body wash, razors, shave gel, make up, lotion, deodorant, contact solution, diapers, laundry detergent, toilet paper, dish washing soup, paper towels, etc. I haven't paid full price for these items since I started using coupons. And many of these things I've picked up for completely free.

Each week I purchase 2 or 3 newspapers with change that Mr. G and I have been collecting for several years. We have a change jar in our bedroom that we joke never gets low. On Sundays (or Mondays) and the first of the month I also print out the new coupons from:

Coupons.com
Redplum.com
Smartsource.com
and Target.com

I also get coupons from:
Catalina - the machine that prints out coupons when you check out.
Packaging - certain items have coupons in the packaging. I look for the packages that say "Savings Inside." These coupons are great because they usually have a long life, meaning they don't expire for a year or longer.
Mailers - I sign up to get mail from my favorite brands. I love the Target mailers but unfortunately there is no sure way of getting them. I think I'm on the mailing list because I registered at Target for my wedding and when I was pregnant. So if you're not getting Target mailers, maybe create a registry and see if you start getting them.
Also, many companies put out coupons on their facebook pages each month and on their websites.

When I clean out and donate my expired coupons I also check my new coupons for match ups or "stacks." At Target you are allowed to stack a manufacturer coupon (MQ) with a Target coupon (TQ) on one item. This allows you the opportunity to get free or very cheap items. Read more about stacking here.

Then I add the coupons to my folder. I organize my coupons with these categories:
Food, TQ Food, House, TQ House, Toiletries, TQ Toiletries, Hair & Makeup, Aaron, Toys & Medicine, Restaurant, Clothes & Other.
I put the coupons that I'm going to use for my next shopping trip in the front pocket so I don't have to search for coupons during the trip. I separate the TQ and MQ to make on the fly coupon searching easier.
This is what works best for me. I've tried using a binder with baseball card inserts but that was a disaster so I went back to my trusty $1 accordion folder.



If you're feeling overwhelmed, relax. The best part about couponing is you don't have to do much work at all. There are fantastic people who do it all for you! They find the coupons, tell you about any stacks, tell you what coupons will be in the paper, list next week's sales two days in advance, and more! These are my favorite sites:

Totally Target
Target Savers
Thrifty and Thriving
Money Saving Mom

That's a quick run down of how I got started and continue to coupon. I found my own method and do what works for me and my schedule. Best wishes to you on your money saving journey!

-Amanda
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Manufacturer Coupons

Manufacturer coupons are free money and I've learned to love them. While searching online for coupons this month I glanced over at my grocery list and saw Colgate toothpaste and Lysol disinfecting wipes. Instead of looking at page after page of coupons on sites like redplum.com or coupons.com, I went straight to the website of the brands I am loyal to and looked for coupons there and was quite successful.

On colgate.com I found a coupon for $1.00 off the sensitive whitening toothpaste that we use.

FIND IT HERE

On lysol.com I printed out a coupon for $1.00 off 2 Lysol disinfecting wipes - which were on sale at Target for only $1.89 each!

FIND IT HERE

Campbell's has a coupon page where I found $1.00 off any 2 soups and I needed 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup.

FIND IT HERE

During my coupon research I also stubbled upon an article on Grocery Coupon Guide which has an extensive list of company and brand name links that take you straight to the coupon page. I bookmarked it right away and have been back several times.

Happy Savings!