You're a Chump if you Pay Full Price for That

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Couponing and bargain shopping are not for everyone. It takes some time to clip the coupons, organize them, and keep track of sales at all of your favorite stores. But since I've gotten into it, I realized I was missing out on some very simple deals. A number of retailers and manufacturers run perpetual sales or coupon deals on products such that you would be a chump to pay full price for them.

I know I was a chump for many years, paying full retail price when I could have gotten the same thing for as much as 50% off. Here's a short list of items I've come across in my rounds that I never need to pay full price for:

Couponing and bargain shopping are not for everyone. It takes some time to clip the coupons, organize them, and keep track of sales at all of your favorite stores. But since I've gotten into it, I realized I was missing out on some very simple deals. A number of retailers and manufacturers run perpetual sales or coupon deals on products such that you would be a chump to pay full price for them.

I know I was a chump for many years, paying full retail price when I could have gotten the same thing for as much as 50% off. Here's a short list of items I've come across in my rounds that I never need to pay full price for:

• Vitamins and supplements under brand names such as Nature Made, Nature's Bounty, Sundown, and store brands like Meijer regularly go on sale as "buy one, get one free" or BOGO. You can either stock up on your favorite brand when it's on sale, or simply buy whatever is the best deal when you need it. A big bottle of fish oil capsules typically runs $12-$15 at regular price, so without the BOGO deal, you are paying quite a lot for your supplement.
• There is almost always a sale, deal, or coupon promotion going on for name brand batteries such as Energizer, Duracell, and Rayovac. I never buy batteries unless I can get at least a dollar off with a coupon, preferably combined with a sale price, such as $5.29 for an 8-pack of AA's. I really was a chump all those times when I paid the full $9 price for the same product.
• Tide laundry detergent goes on sale on a regular cycle. You can't always find a coupon for it, but it's obvious that Procter and Gamble are not expecting you to pay $12 for a 40 load bottle. We like Tide, so I wait for it to go on sale for $5.99, and use a coupon if I have one.
• Brand name cold remedies and other over-the-counter medicines like Tylenol and Robitussin have coupon promotions running all the time. Sometimes the coupon is right on the outside of the package, but the cashier doesn't always peel it off and scan it, so make sure you get your credit for it. Generics are usually a better deal, even after coupons, but if you save some of those coupons that are floating around and use them with a sale, you can get the name-brand cheaper than the generic.
• Unless you have a sensitivity or other reason to be brand loyal, you can almost always get your contact lens solution on sale or free. Right, free. Since I've been looking, I've found a couple of free-after-rebate deals on contact lens solution. Even if you can't find an amazingly great deal like that, you can usually find a sale for $2 or $3 off. If you are brand loyal, wait for your favorite brand to go on sale, then buy a 3-4 month supply.

This is just a small selection of the numerous products that are overpriced so that they can become "bargains." Once you start looking for these deals, you'll have your own list. In addition to individual products that you can almost always buy for less than full retail price, there are a number of store promotions and other easy deals you should be aware of.

• Anything from JoAnn Fabrics is at least 40% off. Every single week, JoAnn's publishes a coupon for 40% off any regularly priced item. Additionally, they have weekly sales, rotating through most of their stock. JoAnn (whoever she is) doesn't expect you to pay those high retail prices. You can get 40% off any time, unless it's one of those weeks where they have 50% off. If you can get more than one copy of the circular, you can get more than one coupon, and those are good for separate items in the same transaction. Or, if the cashier balks, have him or her ring you up separately. We have two JoAnn's stores here, and one of them stocks the circular at the front of the store, so you can pull out as many coupons as you want (I take my scissors with me to the store). The other store does not, although they are bigger and stocked better. If i need to go to the big store, I stop and get extra coupons at the small store first. It kills me to think of all the times I paid full retail price for a fabric or other item from the store, not realizing that I could have used a 40% off coupon. I am even a former JoAnn's employee, and I didn't know that. (Although at the time, about fifteen years ago, I don't recall ever seeing coupons come through at the register.)
• I don't usually shop at Michael's, but I've noticed that they have the same ongoing 40% off coupon deal that JoAnn's does. So you should be able to get anything at Michael's for 40% off. I actually went shopping there recently without my coupon, and was kicking my own butt all the way home, because I could have saved at least $10 if I had brought it.
• Similarly, Linens and Things and Bed, Bath, and Beyond run perpetual 20% of coupon promotions. These coupons are usually good for sale and clearance priced merchandise, although there is a list of brand names at the bottom that it does not apply to. So almost anything you buy at these stores, you can get an additional 20% off.
• Lowe's and Home Depot don't run coupon promotions all the time, but a couple of times a year, they send out coupons such as $10 off $50 or 10% off. I have also heard (though I haven't tried this) that Lowe's honors competitor's coupons. So even though you can't always count on getting a deal at these stores, if you have a project you are planning, it may be worthwhile to wait for a coupon to turn up. If it comes in your Sunday paper, run out and buy several more papers. Then you can use the coupon for several items. For example, when we were buying paint for our house, we scraped together several coupons, and divided the purchase so we would be able to use them all. Those coupons can really add up to a lot when you are working on a big project.
• Likewise, Cabela's often has coupons for a dollar amount off of your purchase above a certain price. If you are planning a major purchase of outdoor recreation or hunting equipment, don't pay full price at Cabela's. (You'll notice that the prices are on the high side anyway.) We got new coupons in the mail from Cabela's nearly every day for a while leading up to Christmas.
• Free Money! Many stores print out special coupons with your receipt. It's shocking how many people throw these coupons away, or forget to take them. Every time I use the self-checkout lane at Kroger, I find a coupon someone forgot to take with their purchase. Last time, the coupon was "$3 off your next order." I used the coupon immediately for my own purchase. People, this is free money. I'm sorry to say this, but if you leave those coupons behind, or throw them out with your receipt, you really are a chump. Put it in your wallet next to your other money, and use it next time you shop at the same store. In my area, these special coupons (called catalinas by expert couponers) are available at Kroger and Meijer stores. So keep your catalinas, and be on the lookout for ones left behind by other shoppers.

These are just some of the easy deals that I've become aware of. It doesn't take a lot of effort to save money on these things. Once you start looking around, you'll make your own list. Many retailers and manufacturers are using these tactics to get people excited about buying a product for what they think is an amazing price. And some people will actually pay the inflated price, not knowing that they can get it for half the price next week. All of this maneuvering makes me a little bit tired, and I've come to really appreciate the "every day low price" policy of stores like Trader Joe's. However, Trader Joe's doesn't have everything, so it's a good idea to get familiar with the pricing strategies for products you buy frequently. Of course, once you get used to saving money on these "easy" deals, you may decide you don't want to pay full price for anything. Thus, a couponer is born.