Monday, September 5, 2011

September: National Coupon Month!


Since it's Labor Day I thought I'd share a few little tidbits on how we all work hard at earning and Saving money with coupons!!!

Since the first handwritten Coca-Cola coupon in 1887, Americans have been using coupons to save on everything from groceries to clothing to entertainment and more. In 1998, the PMA designated September as National Coupon Month. With coupon distribution and redemption at historically high levels, more attention is being given to this savings tool in today’s economy.

Coupons and coupon codes are used in all 50 states and abroad.  By just spending 20 minutes a week clipping and clicking, you could save over $1,000 annually.

Coupon Facts
  1. In total, consumers saved $2 billion in the first six months of 2011.1
  2. First-half 2011 coupon redemption volume reached 1.75 billion, a moderate 2.9% increase compared to the first half of last year.1
  3. The average face value in the first half of 2011 is up 5.4% to $1.57 compared to $1.49 for the first half of 2010.1
  4. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers offered consumers $485 billion in savings in 2010, representing a 13.9% increase over the prior year and 47.4% growth compared to five years ago.2
  5. In 2010, marketers once again distributed more CPG coupons than the prior year, reaching 332 billion - the largest single-year distribution quantity ever recorded in the United States, exceeding the prior record set in 2009 by 6.8%.2
  6. CPG marketers continue to allocate the largest share of coupons distributed — 89.6% — to the free-standing insert (FSI) in the first half of 2011.1
  7. Sixty percent of consumers are becoming more focused on the price of groceries as gas prices climb.3
  8. Seventy-six percent of consumers say their grocery bills have increased up to $50 weekly; 41% have seen a weekly increase of $20 to $50.3
  9. Phil Lempert - the Supermarket Guru® - indicates 93% of consumers have seen prices rise on items they buy in the grocery store and are employing tactics to save money:
    • 84% are using coupons;
    • 84% are eating out less often to save in restaurants; when dining out, 52% redeem coupons to save money; and
    • 76% are looking in newspapers for sales.4
  10. Ninety-six percent of consumers said that they would still use coupons if they struck it big in the lottery. This reflects the value-oriented mindset that took root at the onset of the recession. This learned behavior was shared by shoppers whether their annual income was $20,000 or over $150,000.5
  11. 56% of 13- to 17-year-olds use coupons or coupon codes, according to the parents of these teens - savers themselves. The teens, however, are using coupons and coupon codes for items most important to them:
    • 25% clothing;
    • 19% entertainment; and
    • 18% beauty care/grooming5
  12. Seventy-seven percent of consumers say they use the money they save with coupons on basic necessities, a 20% increase from the prior year.5
  13. Seventy-eight percent of consumers report using coupons regularly, up 14.7 share points from pre-recession levels, and one-third said that they used more coupons in 2010 than the prior year.6
  14. Once consumers adopt frugal habits, they quickly discover that they like the feeling of saving money. Acceptance of these new habits can be seen in the largest share of response for increased coupon usage in the 2010 survey - 29.3% of consumers stated they are using more coupons for the enjoyment of saving, an increase of 11.7 share points over those stating that reason the prior year.6
  15. 58% of consumers use cents-off coupons received in the mail or newspapers/magazines.7
  16. Grocery shoppers have very deliberate and well thought out behaviors, with 56% of consumers reading fliers before or at the store, and 75% of consumers making shopping lists prior to shopping.8
  17. Seventy-five percent of consumers who consider the Internet to be their primary advertising source used newspaper inserts in the last 30 days.9
  18. More than one in three male shoppers is shopping multiple stores in order to find the lowest price on needed items.10
1NCH Marketing Services, Inc., Mid-year 2011 Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Coupon Facts Report
2NCH Marketing Services 2010 Coupon Facts Report
32011 RedPlum poll of nearly 500 of its community of savers on Facebook
42011 Phil Lempert Quick Poll
5Redplum.com Purse String Survey, July 2011
6NCH's 2010 Annual Consumer Survey
7National Grocers Association Consumer Survey Report, 2011
8IRI, Quarterly MarketPulse Survey, March 2011
9NAA, How America Shops and Spends, 2011
10Symphony IRI MarketPulse, January 2011

History of Coupons
1887: Coupons are born! John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, creates the recipe for the syrup used to make Coca-Cola and distributes free drink cards to people on the street encouraging them to try the new drink at a specific pharmacy.
1891: Asa Candler, the druggist who bought the formula for Coca-Cola for $2,300, arranges with pharmacies to direct mail account-specific coupons to customers for a free glass at the soda fountain.
1894: Coca-Cola converts their free coupon to the format most typical today — good anywhere the product is sold. Retailers send the redeemed coupons to Atlanta with proof-of-purchase of the syrup for reimbursement.
1895: Next stop, the local grocer! C.W. Post distributes the first cents-off coupon worth 1 penny toward his new health cereal, Grape Nuts.
1930s: Coupons are a staple in American households because of the Depression. Everyone needs to save money wherever possible and clipping coupons clips weekly grocery bills.
1940s: Supermarkets sprout across the country and continue the coupon tradition that had begun in neighborhood groceries.
1957: The Nielsen Coupon Clearing House becomes the first clearing house devoted to coupon redemption. Coupons have created a new industry.
1965: One-half of Americans are now coupon users.
1975: Coupon popularity continues to grow. Over 35 billion coupons are distributed and 65% of American households clip!
1998: America celebrates the first National Coupon Month. Children create art designs of their favorite coupons in the First Coupon Month Contest.
1999: Online coupons begin to gain momentum.
2000: Parents learn how to involve children in saving with coupons for National Coupon Month.
2008: 89% of consumers use coupons while shopping at supermarkets as a way to economize during a period of rising prices.
2009: A total of 311 billion coupons were distributed — the largest single-year distribution quantity ever recorded. Shoppers saved nearly $3.5 billion with coupons.
2010: Consumer packaged goods coupon distribution and redemption (as of first half) continue to build on record-breaking growth trends of 2009. Consumer purchase behavior points to a permanent shift toward value and saving as the United States recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression.  
2011: First-half 2011 coupon redemption volume reached 1.75 billion, a moderate 2.9% increase compared to the first half of last year. In total, consumers saved $2 billion in the first six months of 2011.  
National Coupon Month is a program of the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) Educational Foundation, Inc., which is an educational public foundation. The views of the National Coupon Month program support the benefits of coupons, and may not reflect the views of all members of the PMA. Visit www.pmalink.org to learn more about PMA.

Firehouse Subs: FREE Sub Today Labor Day 9/5 w/Purchase

Print a coupon good for a Free Medium Sub when you purchase a Sub, Drink and Chips!

P&G Brandsaver Canada Over $150 in Coupon Savings



P&G brandsaver has over $150 in coupons for their producst for Canadian Residents!

Target: Hi, Coupons! Book $31 in Coupons!



Just received my new Target "Hi, Coupons!" book in the mail yesterday and here is a list of what's inside!

$1 off Gold'n Plum All Natural Chicken Item
$1 off 2 Orbit gum 3pk
$1 off Dreft Laundry detergent (excludes trial size)
$.50 off Scrubbing Bubbles, Windex or Pledge Products (excludes trial size)
$1 off 3 Greeting Cards (excludes cards under $1)
$1.50 off 2 Herbal Essence, Pantene or Head & Shoulders Hair care items  (excludes trial size)
$.50 off 1lb or more of fresh fruit
$.75 off Downy or Bounce Fabric softener (excludes trial size)
$1.50 off 75 oz or larger Wisk Liqid laundry detergent
$1 off Glad ForceFlex or OdorShield trash bags
$2 off GE Light Bulb Packs
$1 off Colgate Toothbrush, toothpaste or 16ct Wisp
$1 off 5 2-Liter Coca-Cola Products
$1 off 2 Clorox bleach items
$1.50 off Surf powder or All liquid (excludes trial size) detergent
$.50 off Dawn dish soap or Cascade Dishwasher detergent (excludes trial size)
$1.50 off 2 Crest Pro-health oral care items
$1 off Mitchum or Lady Mitchum deodorant
FREE Market Pantry fruit cups with purchase of 2 Hormel Compleats meals
$.75 off Swiffer Starter kit or refills
$.75 off Tide laundry detergetn (excludes trial size)
$1.00 off Palmolive Dish Soap (excludes trial size)
$1.00 off Softsoap bodywash, premium pump or foamer, refill (excludes trial size)
$1.50 off 36 ct Playtex tampons
$.50 off Oreo cookies (excludes single serve size)
$1.00 off Clorox cleaning item: wipes, spray, bath or toilet
$.75 off 2 Ziploc food storage items (bags or containers)
$1.00 off 3pk Puffs facial tissues
$3.00 off Olay facial Products: Regenerist or Pro-X
$1 off 5pk ZonePerfect Nutrition bars

All of these are Target coupons and can be stacked with Manufacturers coupons!!!  Don't forget you can print their online coupons at this link!

Swiffer Dirt Fling: Win Swiffer Products!

Gamer?  You may be able to use that to your advantage with the Swiffer Dirt Fling game!!   Fan with the highest score each week can win a weekly prize or overall the grand Prize of a Year's worth of Swiffer start kits and Refills.  Click here to play!


Prizes: ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: A prize package including Starter Kits and a year's worth
of refills: a Sweeper Base STKT + Dry 32CT Refills, Duster 360 STKT + 6CT Refills, WetJet
STKT + 1.25L Solutions + 24CT Pads, and SweeperVac STKT. Approximate Retail Value ("ARV"): $188.84 USD. A one year supply of refills is based on average annual household consumption. EIGHT (8) WEEKLY TOP LEADER PRIZES: Duster 360 3Ct STKT + 6Ct Refill, WetJet STKT + 1.25L Solution and Sweeper Base STKT + Dry 16Ct Refill. ARV: Between $13.98 and $30.98 USD.

FREE HGTV HOME Tote Bag at HGTV Home Stores




FREE HGTV HOME Tote Bag at HGTV Home Stores “Like” HGTV on Facebook, then fill out your email address, once you do that click where it says “Print FREE Offer”. Then present voucher at an HGTV Home Store.

Toys R Us Game Deals!!!




Toys R Us has BOGO 50% on all Hasbro games this week.  Here is a deal you can snag with this sale and the new coupons:
Buy 2 Operation Games ($9.97) $14.95 for both with sale
-(2)$4/1 $4.00 off the purchase of one OPERATION game
$3.47 each after coupons & BOGO 50% off sale
Buy 2 Candy Land, Memory or Chutes & Ladders ($9.99) $14.98 for both with sale
-(2)$3/1 $3.00 off one CHUTES AND LADDERS game
$4.49 each after coupons & BOGO 50% off sale

$5 off $25 purchase at Save-A-Lot stores Printable Coupon

$1.00 off any Riceworks Product Printable Coupons

$1 off 2 Hot Pockets Printable Coupons

$1.50 in Softsoap Product Printable Coupons

$3 Free Credit from Snapily

Snapily



In a time of so much choice with personalized printed gifts, Snapily's products are a refreshing option. Introducing the Animated Photo card! Move your hand to reveal as one image blends into the next. Get an instead Free $3 credit when you create an account. Click Here



Shadow Shopper Now Hiring Mystery Shoppers!



Sign up with Shadow Shopper and start making $150 a week or more.

What is mystery shopping? How much can I earn? What are the requirements? How much do assignments pay?
All of these questions and more are answered in their Mystery Shopping 101 article. Click here to find out more about mystery shopping in general.

Free Shout Product Samples

FREE sample of Caralox Phyto Heartburn Relief

Free Pre-Launch Christie Brinkley Skincare Samples

Target: Tons of New Printable Coupons!!!!





EXPIRE 10/8
$1/2 Market Pantry® refrigerated juices 64- or 96-oz.
$5/1 Merona women’s bottom (excludes swim wear)
$5/1 Mossimo apparel item
.75/2 Tic Tac mints 1-oz. Freshmint or Orange Flavor
$1/2 Archer Farms® Cereals (Excludes SIngle Serve
$2.50/5 Glade Décor Scents air freshening items
$1/2 Market Pantry® pasta sauce AND dry pasta
$1/3 Kashi TLC granola bars multipacks
$1/3 Kashi cold cereals Excl Single Serve
$1/2 Kashi Snack Items (Cookies or Crackers)
.50/1 up & up™ cough or cold relief item ETS
.50/1 up & up™ air freshening gel beads 12-oz.
.50/1 up & up™ cleaning item
$1/1 up & up™ baby formula 8-oz. or larger
$1/1 Gerber Graduates Learning System cup
.75/2 Campbell’s 18.5 Oz + Soup AND Uncle Ben’s Boxed Rice 8.5 oz +
B1G1 Trident Layers gum pack 14-ct.
$2.50/5 Glade Fall Collection air care items
$2/1 First Response Pregnancy or Ovulation Tests
.75/1 Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse, Goldfish Sandwich Bread, Deli Flats
$2/20 digital prints 4×6 inch
$1/1 Seventh Generation Feminine Care, Laundry, Cleaning or Diapers
$1/2 Solo Disposable Plates Cups or Bowls
$1/2 Market Pantry® cream cheeses 8-oz.
.50/10 Archer Farms® yogurt cups 6-oz.
$1.75/1 Skinny Cow Dreamy Clusters or Heavenly Crisp Candy Exl Singles
$1/1 Wonka Exceptionals candy bar 3.5-oz.
20% off women’s or kid’s Slippers (Valid only in Shoe Department)
$3/1 Liz Lange Apparel Item
$1/1 Opti-Free Replenish or Express contact lens solutions ETS
$2/1 Renu Contact Lens Solution ETS
$1/1 Dulcolax constipation relief item 25-ct. or larger
$1/2 Archer Farms® Chips 8 oz + AND Salsa 16-24 oz
.50/1 Archer Farms® crackers Excl Single Serve
$1.50/2 Archer Farms® frozen pizzas
$1/1 Archer Farms® Simply Balanced English Muffins, Flats, Bread or Buns
.75/1 up & up™ facial skin care ETS
$1/2 Market Pantry® Shredded or Block cheese
$1.50/2 Market Pantry® frozen chicken items
.50/1 up & up™ skin care lotion ETS
$1.50/2 Market Pantry® ice cream 48-oz. or larger
$1.50/2 Archer Farms® salad dressings 12-oz.
B3G1 FREE Market Pantry® soup 10.5-oz. or larger
$1/2 Market Pantry® fruit snacks 4.8 oz + and juice 64 oz +
$1/2 Archer Farms® instant oatmeal 12.6-oz.
20% Off Fieldcrest Luxury Pillowcase Set or Sheet Set
20% Off Fieldcrest Luxury or TH Down or down alternative comforter
20% off Room Essentials® comforter
$1/1 Angel Soft bath tissue 12- or 36-pk. double-roll
B1G1 FREE Trident Gum Pack 18-ct.
.50/1 Velveeta Cheesy Skillets boxed dinner
$1/3 Mars fun-size candy bags 4.5-oz. or larger
$1/3 Dove bagged chocolates 4.5-oz. or larger
.75/1 up & up™ vitamins ETS
.50/1 up & up™ pain relief item
.75/1 up & up™ Feminine care ETS
$2.50/2 up & up™ Laundry Care Items
*(Laundry Detergent 100 oz + AND Dryer Sheets/Fabric SOftener)
.50/1 up & up™ bleach 96- or 182-oz.
.50/1 up & up™ hand sanitizer item ETS
$1/1 up & up™ item $3 or higher
$2/3 Fresh Step Cat Litter 4.1-lb. or larger (Excludes Crystal)
$1/3 Green Giant Fresh Vegetable Items
$3/1 Pedia-Lax 30 ct Chewables or 60 ct Gummies
B2G1: FREE 14-ct. Shaun White Stride gum wyb Top AND bottom
.50/1 Target Café item
.50/1 Pizza Hut® Express Tuscani Pasta item
$1/1 Magnum ice cream bars 3-pk.
EXPIRES 10/11
$1/1 Colgate Optic White Tootbrush or Toothpaste ETS
$1/1 Purina Whisker Lickin’s Cat Treats
$1/1 Nature Made vitamins 30-ct. or larger
$1/1 Beggin’ Strips dog treats 6- to 25-oz.
B1G1 FREE Friskies Party Mix Cat Treats 2.1-oz.
$1/1 Purina T-Bonz dog treats 10-oz. or larger


Allure Giveaway back again Tomorrow 9/6/11



Starting 9/6/2011 allure will be giving away free beauty products to the first 500 readers who will sign up at 12-NOON EDT (11am CDT, 10am MDT, 9am PDT). Mark your calendar with the following dates:
  • September 6: Free Redken All Soft Argan-6 Argan Oil (first 500)
  • September 7: Free Color Club Professional Nail Lacquer in Platinum Record (first 500)
  • September 8: Free Maybelline New York Baby Lips in Quenched (first 500)
  • September 9: Free SoftSheen Carson Let’s Jam! Custard Cream Gel (first 500)
  • September 12: Free Score Lancôme Trésor Midnight Rose (first 100)

$0.50/1 16oz Container of Smith’s Dip Printable Coupon

$0.35/1 Gallon of Smith’s Milk Printable Coupon

$1/1 package of Creta Farms Hot Dogs, Sausage or Bologna Coupon

$1/1 Galbani Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Printable Coupon

$1/1 Hllshire Farm Lunchmeat Printable coupons

Free Sample of Electric Body New Zealand Colostrum Skin Cream

FREE Samples of Finish!

Finish will be giving away a total of 20,000 samples – 4,000 each week for the next 4 weeks. Enter every Monday at 12:01 am ET until September 30, 2011. 

Free Suave Professionals Full Size Products



Suave Professionals is back & offering a chance at FREE Suave Professionals products!  You have to watch the videos and answer the questions (See all answers below). You will be able to  check your progress at the top. The first 2,703 each week get 2 FREE products, first 4,730 get 1 free product coupon. Also the first 122 each week get a FREE Magazine subscription, and the first 68 each week get a FREE Styling tool.


Hint: the answers are B, B , A, A, A, A, B, A.

*HOT* $1/2 Coca-Cola Products Printable Coupon

HOT new $1/2 20 oz Coca-Cola Products

$5 off in Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Products coupons

Save $1.00 when you buy Scrubbing Bubbles® Active Scrub

$2.00 off Veet Hair Removal products Printable Coupons

$2.00 off TWO Nescafé Taster's Choice Printable Coupons