By ERIN TURNER
Did you hear about the peanut crop in the south and what it means for peanut butter prices this year? I caught wind of it last week and quickly started looking for local sales in order to stock up. I didn’t find any ‘stock-up worthy’ sales so I got the notion of heading online to see what kinds of deals I could find there. In searching, I not only found peanut butter, but I discovered a little hidden treasure in Amazon.com.
I’ve ordered books, toys and music from them over the years, but I never really gave them the time of day when groceries were concerned. I’m a convert! Amazon.com offers a full array of groceries including gourmet, organic, gluten-free, and standard staples. I found peanut butter for $1.96 a jar and since I was ordering using their “Subscribe and Save” feature I was also entitled to free shipping! This price was a little less than the current prices locally so I quickly stocked up on 6 jars of Skippy Natural Peanut Butter and perused the site further. I found large jars of dry-roasted peanuts for 3/$7.99. This was $1.00 less than Wal-Mart’s price.
If you sign-up for the “Subscribe and Save” feature, you end up saving a little bit more AND you get free shipping. This feature re-orders the item at chosen intervals (e.g. 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, etc) and notifies you if the price changes so you can determine whether you want to continue. You can cancel the order anytime. In my case, I immediately canceled any subsequent orders since I didn’t need anymore peanut butter or peanuts. It’s so cool there is no obligation yet you still get a great price! I will be definitely going back to this website and doing some more shopping.
Just a heads up: It is helpful to have a good idea of current prices before jumping online. Like anything, there are some good deals and there are some not so good deals so being wise about prices is well, um…wise.
A few days after my Amazon discovery, I was doing a little winter planning. I decided I needed a new pair of winter dress boots. Knowing this was definitely an item which would be hard to find at a thrift store this time of year, I decided to have a little retail therapy and buy new. But I didn’t have time to run out and shop around for a pair so I jumped online and began searching for a pair.
I started with Ebay, tried a few other sites, and ended up at Kohls.com. Finding the exact pair I had in mind, I was pleased to then see they were marked down 33%! But they don’t call me the coupon queen for nothing — before checking out I searched the web for an online coupon for Kohls. I found a coupon code at retailmenot.com for 30% off my total order PLUS I found another code for free shipping! So, I ended up paying just over half the original price for an awesome pair of boots by just moving my mouse around. My grandmother who shared her “shopping gene” with me would have been thoroughly impressed with this technology — and the great deal I got.
There are various websites out there which offer these coupon codes for various retailers online. I have had luck with retailmenot.com so I continue to go back to it but I’m sure other sites are just as successful. If you know of any please share either in the comments or in our forum!
Also, if you are signed up with Shop@Home.com, Swagbucks.com or any other site which offers you rewards for searching the web and shopping, you will benefit even more!
Next time you are having a little retail craving but don’t want to change out of your pajamas to go shopping, get online and shop to your hearts content. Use either Amazon.com for some of their groceries or retailmenot.com for their countless coupon codes for various online stores! Cyber couponing is lots of fun, convenient and can really pay off, in a real and tangible way for your budget!
Are you a cyber couponer? Any ideas thoughts you’d like to share on the topic? DISCUSS IT on the Make it Missoula Forum. Erin will be glad to address your posts!
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Enjoy this blog? You might also like Erin’s previous posts on Reasons for Couponing, Save by Stockpiling Food and Household Items, Coupon Clipping Tips and Techniques, Back to School Budget Meal Planning, or Decorating for Fall on a Frugal Budget. AND, be sure to check out the “Missoula Save it Club” on the MakeItMissoula homepage (see the Daily Missoula Fix buttons in the left navigation bar) for savings updates throughout the week!
Back to the Save It blog homepage.
Click here to see the Coupon Queen’s “Save It” archive.
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Erin Eisenman-Turner is proud to be a native Missoulian. Along with her husband and three sons, they raise chickens, pigs, rabbits, and vegetables at Turner Family Farms in the Orchard Homes area. When the farm chores are done, the coupons clipped and the blog written, you can find Erin exploring Montana, collecting antiques, and trying to maintain a well-run, happy, and organized home for her family.