Internet Coupons & Fraudulent Coupons Tips

Shana, from My Memphis Mommy, is finding that more and more stores are really looking closely at the internet coupons that she uses. We are receiving lots of e-mails with complaints about Walgreens, Target, Kroger and Walmart mostly but I am sure other stores will start cracking down too. Here are some thoughts to consider when using coupons printed from the internet.

TOP TEN TIPS TO AVOID FRAUD
1. Use a reliable source to print coupons from. Yes, I recommend My Milwaukee Mommy ;0) but we can make mistakes too so please alert us if you have any problems. Coupons.com & Target.com are both very reliable!

2. Don't get mad at the store. They are getting lots of pressure from their corp. HQ and from the Man. themselves. So as consumers let's join forces with them, learn all we can about the printable coupon, and NEVER EVER COPY A COUPON, THAT IS FRAUD! THE STORE WILL NEVER GET REIMBURSED FOR A COPIED COUPON, & YOU WILL BE HURTING US ALL IN THE LONG RUN!!

3. Also realize that the clerk who makes an all encompassing statement such as "we don't take any internet coupons" probably is incorrect. Ask to speak to their manager.

4. Don't get mad when you have to wait to have a manger come look at your coupon. Shana had this happen just yesterday at Kroger on her Tropicana coupon that was mailed to her from Tropicana, but it was paper and the clerk was young and nervous and didn't want to get in trouble. That was fine by her.

5. Store managers want your (and my) internet coupons. Shana spoke with about 7 Walgreens managers this week. Each store manager has to make a decision that is best for their store. If they are really getting hit hard with FRAUDULENT coupons they are going to have no choice but to crack down. Most are not accepting them if it won't scan, which seems reasonable to me.

6. Just because a coupon scans (such as a coupon for 120z works on a 60z. product) the store will never get reimbursed for that, so do not try and "trick the system". It will just hurt all of us in the long run.

7. Coupons that say ANY PRODUCT, truly means it. You are not being fraudulent by using it on a trial size product. That Man. has decided that if you want to "try their product for free" then they are willing to let you.

8. Facebook pages of the actual company are legit. Most are now mailing you the coupon because of fraud.

9. If you find a coupon that "sounds too good to be true" it probably is. A printable coupon for a free item is very rare these days and most stores will not even accept them anymore. If there are no size specifications then it is more than likely FRAUDULENT. Click here for a list that is up-dated on occasion.

10.Don't give up on internet coupons. You can e-mail mymilwaukeemommy@gmail.com anytime with questions or concerns. We are here to support and advocate for you!

To put this into lay person terms:

1. The unique 2-D barcode on the upper left is a different number for every coupon you print, even for a second print of the same coupon.
2. The dotted line around the entire coupon is really text. It has your user id, the date and time and coupon offer information printed - repeating at least 35 times around the coupon. This is also printed at the bottom of the expiration date box.
3. The long barcode at the bottom also has a portion of the unique 2-D barcode number in it. These barcodes are much more specific and very soon will be the barcode that is scanned in all stores!

Thanks Jenny for the above break-down of the coupon and thanks Shana for putting this together!

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Best Place to Buy Must Have Items this Week

Sarah, My Military Mommy, put together this great list of the best place to buy some must have items for this week! Check back in case we find a better clearance deal during the week or leave me a comment if you find any better deals. Please keep in mind that some prices may vary by region.

Diapers: Rite Aid
Huggies Diapers
Sale $8.99
Stack with Printable Save $3.00/1 or Printable $2.50/1 (Pure & Natural Diapers)
SCR $2
+UP Reward $1
Video Values May $1
Final Price as Low as $1.99

Body Wash (for Men) : Walgreens
Nivea for Men Active 3 Body Wash $5.99
Receive $5.99 Register Reward
-$3 from 5/2 RP
Final Price: FREE with $3 profit
(rumor has it some are finding these B1G1 and are making a $5.99 profit! after using 2 coupons)

Razors: Walgreens
Schick Hydro Razor $7.99
Receive $4.00 Register Reward
-$5 from 6/13 SS
Final Price: FREE with $1.01 profit

Shampoo: Walgreens
John Frieda 3/$15 receive $5 in Register Rewards
Use 3 $2.50/1 coupons found here (will need access to 2 accounts/computers)
Final Cost: $0.83 each

Soda: Walmart
24pk - Coca Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper - $5
(No coupon needed)

Cereal: CVS
General Mills cereal, granola bars or cereal bars 3/$10
Get $4 ECB wyb 3
(06/06 SS) save $1.00/2 variety of coupons
Printable Coupon save $1.00/2
Printable Coupon save $0.55/1 Honey Nut Cheerios & Lucky Charms
Final Price: $1.45-$1.50

Thanks My Military Mommy!

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Moving - Tips to Make it Easier on Your Kids

With summer right around the corner and moving season in full swing, many families are preparing for life in a new home. However, whether it's moving to a different home around the block or relocating to a new city, families face additional challenges when moving with children.

A recent Rent.com survey found that 69% of families have moved to a new home at least once during their children's lifetime and 18% of families have moved three or more times!

Here are a few tips from Rent.com to make the move easier on your kids and have some fun in the process:

• Be Up Front: Communicate with your kids about the move as soon as possible so they have time to adjust to the idea of change. While 10% of our respondents said that they have or would tell their kids about the move over email or text message, we recommend a more personal approach such as over a meal or during a family meeting. Give your kids as much information as you can about the upcoming move and answer their questions truthfully. Involve them in the moving preparations by talking to them about the places you’re seeing and share photos or videos of potential new homes. This will help them feel valued in the process and will help you uncover what’s most important to them in a new home.

• Take Care of Mr. Bear: Whether it’s their favorite stuffed animal, doll, toy or blanket, if you have small children, set aside special time to sit with them and make a small box of their favorite things. Make sure you keep these in a special place during the move so they don’t get lost or end up on a moving truck that might result in a long separation from your child. These little creature comforts can go a long way towards making kids feel safe and secure among new surroundings.

• Making Space Personal: To help your kids feel truly at home in their new place, give them the freedom to decorate their own rooms and make a space where they feel really comfortable. Allowing them to choose their paint color, curtains, bedding and décor will get them more excited about the move, help them feel more in control and ultimately give them a safe haven from the stress of a new city. Before you move, visit the new home with your kids and show them where their new rooms will be. If visiting is not an option, share pictures or floor plans of the room so they can get excited about the possibilities for their new room and home.

• New Best Friends: If your kids are nervous about making new friends, make it a point to research activities of interest to them in your new community. It’s easy to get information online about sports leagues, art classes, book clubs, parks, public pools, etc. Getting them involved with the things they already love to do will put them at ease and help them make friends that much quicker. If you live in a building or on a street with other kids their age, make an effort to introduce yourselves to those families and arrange a get together so your kids can meet.

• Around Town: To combat the anxiety your kids might have about getting acclimated to their new neighborhood, make a point to take your time showing them around town. Whether you’re walking around the block, biking around your neighborhood or in the car about town, make it more fun with a scavenger hunt approach. Give your kids “clues” each step of the way and see if they can figure out what the next destination is. Even running errands can be fun if your kids are trying to guess what store you’re headed to next!

• New School: If your move involves your children changing schools, see if you can find a time for them to visit their new school prior to their first day to walk the grounds. Getting around school will be one less thing they have to worry about when the halls are crowded with strangers and they are trying to fit in and make friends.
  
  Thanks, My Memphis Mommy!

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Stacking Coupons

.This is my favorite coupon savings strategy because it's simple and allows me to buy lots of super cheap and even FREE goodies!

What is stacking coupons?

Most stores allow you to use their own store coupons AND a manufacturer's coupon on the same product. For instance, if you have a $1.00/1 Target Herbal Essences coupon and a $2.00/1 manufacturer's coupon (from the newspaper or other source), you will be able to save a total of $3.00 on a bottle of Herbal Essences and probably get it FREE or very close.

Stores that allow coupon stacking and where to find their coupon:

Target - you can find most Target coupons on their website. You might also receive Target coupons in the mail or get them in your Sunday newspaper inserts. These will always have the Target logo and say Target Store Coupon.

Walgreen's - you will find these in their weekly flyer, on their website, or in their monthly coupon booklet (found in the front of the store by the weekly flyer).

CVS - you will find these on their website (these will say CVS Pharmacy coupon - be aware that there are also manufacturer's coupon on their website), clip-free coupons (these are usually good for a whole month and will automatically be deducted with your purchase) and at the price scanners in-store (just scan your CVS card before you shop to print out CVS coupons).

Other local grocery stores - you will usually find these in their weekly sales flyer.

Thanks My Baton Rouge Mommy!

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How to Take Advantage of Cash Back Sites

You've seen the ads and you've read about them on my site, but what exactly ARE Cash back Sites? Cash Back Sites (according to wikipedia) are a type of reward website that pays its members a percentage of money earned when they purchase goods and services via their affiliate links. In English?
When you shop through a cash back site - you get CASH BACK! Literally!

For instance:
You just found out that Target has a great Daily Deal...$5 Towels! Great! Instead of just going right to the Target website, you go to the Shop at Home Website. From there, you click on Online Shopping, and then find Target. You can use any of the coupons listed (we will get into the coupons in a moment) - click on the deal you want and then you will be redirected to the Target website. Yes, it may take an extra minute or so, but NOW when you get that $5 deal - you get 5% cash back! So, if you decide to get 5 of those $5 towels - that $25 will now only cost you $23.75! It may not seem like much, but if you like to shop online, and you shop a few times a month..the savings can really add up!

Most of the sites have a payment threshold - meaning you need to get to a certain amount before they will send you a check. Usually it is around $20.
A couple of other things to note about cashback sites:

• Besides percentages back, some retailers offer $ amounts back (like Entertainment Books- $7 back from Shop at Home)
• All of the cash back sites offer you $5 just for joining - so you reach your first $20 really quickly!
• All of the sites have a referral program - if you get your friend to sign up you benefit too!

And last - coupons! You can still use many of the coupons you find online or that come into your inbox when you go through a cash back site. Just scroll through the list of coupons they have available (usually they are the same you already have). Note - sometimes a coupon you use that is not listed may void the cash back potential. I would always use a coupon anyway - if you have a 15% coupon and are going to get 8% cash back, it still makes more sense to use the coupon even if you don't get the cash back.

I will note that Shop at Home usually has the highest percentages and $ amounts of cash back, PLUS if you LIKE them on FaceBook - they give away really good things weekly. (This week it was a FREE $25 Gift Card to a Restaurant of Your choice!)
So, that is Cash Back Sites! You can get to all of the sites by clicking the links below! Happy Earnings!!

• Shop at Home
• Ebates
• Mr. Rebates

Thanks My CNY Mommy!

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Garage Sales Resources

A few readers have asked the My City Mommy group where they could find lists for garage sales aside from Craigslist. Here is a list Sheryl, My Atlanta Mommy put together for you with garage sales and other ways to buy and sell items, including yard sales which have become huge annual events.

Garage Sale Listings on Twitter
(and on the web and facebook too!)

@AtlantaYardSale

Atlanta Yard Sale
(links to Craigslist)

@STLGarageSale
STL Garage Sale

@garagesalemobile
Garage Sale Mobile
Check out their blog here too!
(California)

@hwy60yardsale
Highway 60 Yard Sale
October 1 - 3

@US12GarageSale
US 12 Garage Sale
US 12 Heritage Trail August 13 - 15

@127Sale

The Corridor Sale*
on Facebook
West Unity, OH to Gadsden, AL. August 5-8

*This event was named as one of the
Top Ten Free Attractions in the Southeast 2010!
Click here for a Sassy Sign coupon good for a
free Apron and $1.00 off wyb and Value Kit.
Enter code "127sale".

No twitter account, but worth checking out:

Yard Sale Search
BooKoo

Other great ways to buy and sell:

@ebayClassifieds
eBayClassifieds
on Facebook
Click here for more details on eBay Classifieds

@Zwaggle
Zwaggle
on Facebook

@Freecycle
FreeCycle.org

SwapTree
on Facebook

If you know of any other sources to buy and sell please share it with me and I will pass it on. And if you've attended any of the big yard sale events mentioned, please share your experience with us.

Happy Recycling!

Thanks Sheryl!

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How to Check Status of a Rebate

Have you been waiting on a rebate?

If you are and you mailed it to El Paso, TX, which seems to be where most are sent to these days you can visit Web-Rebates and check on the status.

It is simple and all you have to do is give your name and address, once you click on search you have your answer.

It is a nice way to keep track of them and know when to expect your money or if you need to resubmit the rebate offer.

Thanks Margie!

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Coupons 101

Couponing is somewhat of a game. You start slow, but as you move on, you become knowledgeable of all the ins and outs, and before you know it, you're saving a ton of money! Follow these tips, and you will save at least $100 a month on your grocery bills!

The first key is getting your local Sunday paper, checking out the coupon printable web sites, and knowing what magazines are best for coupons.

If you are a sassy couponer, then you will be purchasing more than one of your paper. You can actually preview what coupons will be in the paper by clicking here. Also check out the 2010 Coupon Insert Schedule so you know when there will be multiple inserts. These 2 resources will help you decide whether you want to buy more Sunday papers, depending on what coupons are available and which coupons you plan on using.

If you are ready for printable coupons my favorite sites are Coupons.com, RedPlum.com, and UPromise.

All You is the best magazine for coupons. You can get a one year subscription for just $16.50 here.

Be on the watch for peelies on products, hangtags under the product, and blinkies machines that blink throughout the store for more coupons.

Be organized with your coupons, keep a list of what you want to purchase, and be sure to keep to the list.

My method for organizing coupons is keeping a file folder for the weekly inserts by date, also known as the Coupon Mom system. . When the advertisements are posted, I then pull out the date of the specific insert and clip the matching coupons (the date can be found along the binding of the 1st page of the insert). I use the Couponizer to keep my coupons separated and organized.

Now that you have a stockpile of coupons it's time to match them up to the sales ads. This way, you can make the most out of your coupons since the items will be on sale. Each week, I will post the weekly ad coupon match-ups to make it easier for you.

The Coupon Abbreviations on the left side bar will help you read the weekly ad match-ups:

General Couponing

• BOGOF or B1G1 - buy one get one free
• Peelie - coupon that peels off package
• WYB - when you buy
• OOP - Out of Pocket
• MIR - Mail-in Rebate
• $1/2 - $1 off of 2 items
• 2/$1 - 2 items for $1
• SC - Store coupon
• MFC - Manufacter's coupon
• GC - Gift Card
• MM - Money Maker

Specific Store Coupons

• ECB - CVS Extra Care Bucks
• Wags - Walgreens
• RR - Walgreens Register Rewards
• PNS - Pick 'n Save
  

Newspaper Inserts

• PG - Proctor & Gamble
• SS - Smartsource
• RP - Red Plum
• GM - General Mills
• K - Kelloggs
• UN - Unilever

How to read coupon postings:
6/17 SS $0.75 off
(June 17th Smart Source Insert coupon is $.75 off)

Last but not least is creating a stockpile of items so you don't have to purchase out of necessity. You can do this with non-perishables, toiletries, etc. Pick them up when they are on sale and purchase as many as you have coupons for. If you get more than one Sunday paper each week, then you can get more than one item, since you'll have more than one coupon.

If you are really into this you can trade coupons at Hot Coupon World or purchase on Ebay and The Coupon Clippers.

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