Couponing In The Age Of Obama

No specific couponing tips in this edition. Just a philosophical look at the art of couponing and why it is now an absolute necessity in the Age Of Obama and Big Government attempts to further separate you from your money. As many of you who previously pooh-poohed couponing are now finding out due to paycheck sticker shock, The Bamster has now reduced your monthly take-home pay by anywhere to at least $50 to $100 per month and the socialists now want to take even MORE. So how to fight back?

My answer is to make even greater use of couponing. The best way is to stockpile items you need and think of it as a way to counteract the government grabbing your paycheck money. Let me give you an example. This past week Publix had a great deal where you could get Colgate 6.4 oz toothpaste for FREE. The tubes are normally $2.69 each so if you picked up 20 tubes using coupons which might be what your family uses for a year, you saved yourself over 50 bucks or what the government might now be additionally taking out of your monthly paycheck. Repeat this process for other items you use such as body wash, frozen breakfasts, cleaning materials, etc. and you can stay financially ahead of what Obama and his socialist allies are trying to steal from you.

In the weeks and months ahead, The Coupon Whisperer will attempt to keep you a step or two ahead of the government robbers. What they try to steal from you can be saved by using coupons. Okay, I said I wouldn't get into specifics in this edition on using coupons? I lied. Before I go, I leave you with this tip on how to get Jimmy Dean Delights Sandwiches and/or Chicken Biscuits for just 65 cents each starting this week at Publix:

Jimmy Dean Delights Sandwiches or Chicken Biscuits are $6.29 Buy One Get One FREE. Use the $2 coupon in the 1/6 Red Plum insert to get the total price down to $2.29 for two. Then buy 10 of these and use the $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupon (accepted by Publix if W/D in your area) and your total price will be $6.45 for all ten or about 65 cents each. If you like these Jimmy Dean breakfasts that means you will be getting about a 90% discount.

Remember, if you don't have the coupons listed, you can always buy them on eBay.

FREE Body Wash!!!

It's been getting harder and harder to find FREE body wash. A couple of years ago I was awash with body wash because it was so easy to get for free. However, lately it's been tough to score free body wash.

However, I have found a deal which allows you to get up to 10 bottles of 16 oz Axe Body Wash (or "Shower Gel" as they call it) for free. Since these deals don't come around too often, I recommend you take advantage of it.

Here is how it works for you folks living in an area served by Publix. Right now Axe is on sale at Publix until next Friday for just $3.49. The current Green Advantage Flyer available at all Publix outlets has a store coupon for $1. Now if you check today's newspaper in the SmartSource flyer, you should see an Axe coupon for $2.00. So when you combine the store and the manufacturer's coupons you get $3 off. Huh? But...but what about that extra 49 cents remaining. After all, 10 times 49 cents is $4.90 for all ten bottles. A good price but hardly free. Well, if you had been collecting Winn Dixie $5 off $30 coupons like I recommended you can apply it to this deal to absorb that extra $4.90. Oh, and don't worry about it being a Winn Dixie coupon. You can still use it at Publix if you have Winn Dixie stores in the area.

Perhaps you should do like me and stock up on Winn Dixie coupons. One option is to buy the City Entertainment books. Each book has 4 Winn Dixie coupons. Sometime soon I will get into detail on that deal but it is well worth it since you get each $5 Winn Dixie coupon for under a buck. Plus you get coupons you can use for fast food stores such as Burger King which are worth more that you are paying for the book.

One big advantage of body wash is they are great to have as part of your survivalist gear. Let's say the economy goes so far down the tubes that you find yourself without running water for extended periods of time. So how to shower? Simple. It's called rain. Simply walk outside with a washcloth and soap during rainstorms and shower away via Mother Nature. Body wash is preferable to simple bar soap since the latter will melt while you are showering outside. Plus where do you put the soap? With body wash you just squeeze the amount you want into a washcloth and then close the bottle and set it on the ground. No losing vital soap as you would do with a bar of soap.

Fortunately, here in South Florida, the hottest, most humid time of year when you really need to bathe is also the rainiest time of year. Almost every afternoon has thunderstorms so daily Mother Nature showering is easily available. And you can bet I have been stocking up on body wash should such showering be necessary.

Coupon Your Way to a FREE Thanksgiving Dinner

This is the third Thanksgiving in a row in which I "bought" my dinner components for FREE. Here is what I was able to get via coupons:

21 lb turkey
5 boxes stuffing
5 jars gravy
5 cans cranberry sauce
1 gallon egg nog

All that's really left is pumpkin pie and I will get that by using coupons to get cans of the pumpkins as well as the pie shells and bake them myself. 

Sooooo... How did I do it? Each year required a different couponing strategy but fortunately the couponing stars went into an almost perfect alignment for me this year. Basically I used the overage provided by Sundown vitamin coupons. Here is how it worked:

Sundown vitamin A and D3 were priced at $3.29. Publix had an ad that ran to last Friday in their Green Sheet in which you got $5 off any 2 Sundown coupons PLUS a recent Red Plum newspaper insert had coupons for $2 off any Sundown. Combine the two together (you are allowed to combine store and manufacturer's coupons) and that gave an overage of $1.21 per Sundown or $2.42 for every pair you purchased. Therefore if you bought 8 of the vitamin A or D3 you had an overage of $9.68. 

But wait, there's MORE!!!

On top of that I also used a $5 off $30 Winn Dixie coupon giving me a total of $14.68 overage. Huh? How can I use a Winn Dixie coupon in a Publix? Because Winn Dixie is considered a competitor in my area and Publix accepts W/D coupons. So now you know how I got my FREE turkey. 

Not every store had 8 of those types of Sundown coupons but they usually had at least a couple and using the overages provided I picked up the less expensive stuff. Each year a different couponing strategy was used to get a FREE Thanksgiving dinner so I recommend you "grok" the solution for yourself, or better yet, consult the many couponing sites that provide such tips. 

BTW, The Coupon Whisperer is going Survivalist so keep checking this blog on using couponing to get free or cheap survivalist stuff. One tip I give you right now is you should make sure you have an ample supply of propane. You could easily end up in a situation of power outages and you need a way to cook your food. My propane I have been getting FREE via GroupOn. They only offer it once in a while but you want to be already signed up (FREE to signup) and ready to grab that deal the next time it is offered. There are also other survivalist related stuff you can obtain via GroupOn. 

To sign up for GroupOn, just Click HERE.

FREE Obama Coffee This Saturday!!!

Actually it is really just FREE coffee for National Coffee Day this Saturday but, hey, in the spirit of the Obama Phone Lady why not pitch it as Obama Coffee? Here is a list of places to get your FREE (unObama) Coffee this Saturday. Oh, and it starts early at 7-Eleven where you can get a jump on your FREE coffee as soon as Friday:

7-Eleven: You can free coffee on 9/28! This is going on at participating locations and while supplies last!

Krispy Cream: You can also head over to Krispy Cream to get a free 12oz cup of House Blend Coffee! No purchase necessary. This offer is going on on 9/29 only, while supplies last!

McDonalds: Free Coffee for the week of 9/22 – 9/29! Reports say that you get free coffee in Philly only, but I would check your local McDonalds!

Kangaroo Express: $0.01 12oz Bean Streen Coffee on 9/29!

Manhattan Bagel: 9/27- Free Coffee wyb Breakfast Sandwich. 9/28 – Free Coffee wyb Bagel with Cream Cheese. 9/29 – Free Coffee! No Coupons needed!

Caribou Coffee: Free Cup of Amy’s Blend Coffee on 9/29!

Tim Hortons: BOGO Free Coffee on 9/29 – with coupon!

I don't like to feel like a complete mooch so I will buy a breakfast sandwich or a donut to go with my FREE coffee. Or perhaps the Obama Phone Lady can give us some inside info on Obama Donuts?

Finally, if you haven't yet joined GroupOn, it is getting better and better. Just recently I picked up a 4 hour drift boat fishing trip for two. However, I begged my wife NOT to embarrass me by screaming hysterically if she catches a fish. You can sign up for GroupOn for FREE by clicking HERE and they will send you details via email of any good deals in your area. Be sure to check out when they offer good lodging deals near Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando.

More FREE Propane!!!

One of the biggest misconceptions about GroupOn is that it is strictly for restaurants, entertainment, and travel. Well, your humble correspondent has taken advantage of those discount offers but for the most part, I have used GroupOn for "meat and potatoes" necessities. And one of my favorite necessities is propane. You might remember I had a post in this blog last year about getting FREE propane and guess what? I did it again!

I bought the propane last year in August but used my GroupOn coupon in January to score my FREE propane. Well, since I use the barbeque a couple of times per week, my tank will soon run out of propane. A few days ago I drove by the propane place where I got my tank in January and made the wish that the propane deal would become available again. It was almost like the Coupon god was reading my mind because on Monday, I saw the same propane deal on GroupOn again. Of course I immediately "bought" it since this is something I definitely need.

I put "bought" in quotes since I actually paid NO money for the propane. The reason is that I referred so many people that I earned plenty of GroupOn bucks with which I "paid" for the propane. In fact, the grand total of money out of my pocket that I have spent ever since joining GroupOn has been $7 and that was for a $15 eBay gift card which I used immediately. Everything else was purchased with the GroupOn bucks I earned from referrals.

My most exotic purchase so far has been for a four hour kayaking trip which I will take in a couple of weeks. Everything else has been the meat and potatoes stuff.

Since my propane wish has been granted perhaps I can be granted my other GroupOn wish: Discount tickets for Rapids Water Park in West Palm Beach. I've seen the Water Park from the outside and it is HUGE. If GroupOn makes such a discount deal available, I would snap it up for myself and relatives including 3 kids who I know would love the place.

Of course, this would end up as a FREE deal for me if I earn just a few more GroupOn bucks. So just click HERE to give me those referral bucks that I could apply to the Water Park. BTW, it is FREE to join GroupOn and the advantage is that you will be informed of all the deals in your area so you will be ready to snap them up when they become available.

Oh, and just so you know, I did see a Bahamas cruise for two for two nights including meals for just $199. So if you are planning to visit South Florida sometime in the next year, you might want to take advantage of that at GroupOn.

The Coupon Whisperer Becomes South Florida Barter King

Using the amazing powers that I developed as The Coupon Whisperer, I am now combining those skills to become the South Florida Barter King. I am sort of inspired to do so by the new "Barter Kings" show even though that series is obviously highly scripted. However, since I had some good barter experiences in the past, I plan to hone my bartering skills hopefully up to the level of my couponing skulls.

Yesterday, I performed my first coupon/barter deal. I picked up two dozen FREE bottles of body wash using coupons and traded them to my friend the Liquor Man for a 1 liter bottle of Grey Goose. The value of the Grey Goose is between $40 and $50 while the value of the body wash was about a hundred bucks. However, keep in mind the cost of that body wash to me was ZERO plus I already have a year's supply of the stuff and don't need any more.

So what to do with the Grey Goose? Well, I can drink it...or trade it for something else. And what would that "something else" be? Well, for me it would ultimately be a 1080 HD video camera so I can record episodes of "The South Florida Barter King" and upload them to YouTube so other folks can learn how to combine couponing with bartering.

But WAIT!!! The South Florida Barter King now has a SWEETENER! I am willing to throw in a 100% leather licensed Miami Heat jacket into the deal! Size large. I rarely wear it since I wear it only in very cold weather which doesn't happen too often down here. Therefore the jacket is in EXCELLENT condition.

So if you have a 1080 HD video camera that you want to exchange for a bottle of Grey Goose AND a Miami Heat leather jacket, pleased contact the Coupon Whisperer. As a fringe benefit, I would use that camera to record the sealing of the barter deal so you would appear in the FIRST episode of The South Florida Barter King show.

Fantastic Easily Available Meat Coupons

I don't often post new editions of The Coupon Whisperer but when I do, you know they are good. And in this edition I will show how you can drastically CUT your food expenditures.

If you are even a casual couponer you know it is not difficult to score stuff like toothpaste and body wash for FREE or close to it. Plus you should have no trouble finding coupons for many food items. However, the major part of any food budget is meat and where do you find coupons for those packages of steak and other such goodies. Well, GOOD NEWS!!! I accidentally discovered a way to drastically cut down on meat costs. Here is what happened:

Several weeks ago I was at my local Super Target to buy Scrubbing Bubbles toilet kit refills. They had a deal where you got a $5 gift card when you buy 3 of them and combined with coupons the cost was almost nothing. Well, I spotted a half dozen of the refills on a shelf but I discovered that I had FORGOTTEN to bring my coupons so I went home. Since I was too tired to return to the Super Target, I decided to return the next day first thing in the morning to make sure I could get the remaining Scrubbing Bubbles toilet kit refills.

The next morning I was there at a little after 8 AM just after the store opened. I got on line with my refills and I noticed two women ahead of me who both had a bunch of skirt steaks so I asked them if they were on sale. They showed me the steaks and they all had $3 coupons on them. Since I love skirt steaks I immediately left the checkout line and made a beeline to the meat department where I pulled out several skirt steaks with the $3 coupons on them. Since the original price on all was a little over six bucks, that meant I got them all for a little over $3 each! The meat manager also told me they put out the meats with the coupons first thing in the morning.

Therefore I have made many morning trips to the nearby Super Target for the meat coupon deals. I don't always find the coupons on steaks but I almost always find them on other items like premium hamburger meat and boneless chicken breasts. The best time to get these deals is between 8 and 9 A.M.. I used to find these meat deals in the afternoon but not often. The best stuff get scooped up in the morning. Look for those $3 coupons on the smallest cuts available to get the most meat bang for your buck.


************************************** A couple of days ago I scored a FREE Jiffy Lube Oil Change coupon via Groupon. Many of you probably think Groupon is strictly for restaurants and recreation. Not true. There are a lot of very practical offerings from Groupon such as the oil change deal. In this case they were selling the coupon for $19 but I got it for FREE via my Groupon bucks that I earned for referrals. In fact the whole time I have been on Groupon I have payed a grand total of only $7 out of my own pocket and that was for a $15 eBay gift card so that was like giving me 8 bucks. It's FREE to join Groupon and you can start earning Groupon referral bucks after your first purchase.

Since I know you will be so incredibly grateful to me for offering such great coupon information such as this meat deal, you will want to show your gratitude by clicking HERE so I can earn more Groupon bucks after you make your first purchase should you decide to do so. Of course if you click on any of the Groupon links here I still qualify for the Groupon bucks. Hee! Hee!