TARGET!!!!!
Okay, sorry, had to get that out of my system. Due to the holiday week and some travel, my first "series" is really only going to be three posts long, but I have definitely saved the best for last (in my opinion).
I LOVE TARGET!
I know, I'm a dork. That's okay. I love it, my kids love it, we go to Target two or three times a week sometimes.
I used to pay full price at Target. Hey, their prices are pretty reasonable. Sometimes I'd luck out and find something on sale and be really excited, but it wasn't a criteria for shopping there really. I got attached to Target in my endeavors to avoid other stores in my area that I don't like. I didn't care if I paid more for the items if it meant I didn't have to go to other stores.
Hubby isn't a believer in store credit cards, so even though I pointed out that Target's credit card gives 5% off of every purchase, he wasn't excited about me getting one. Then, Target came up with something wonderful - the Red Card Debit Card. It is a debit card that pulls directly from your bank account like your regular card, and you get 5% off right there at the register every time you use it. I signed up, and I have not paid full price at Target since that day! Today, I saved $3.52 on my groceries just by using my Red debit card. That may not seem like much, but this year I have saved $132.86. That would have more than covered our electric bill for the month of June!
The debit card is great, but it's not the only way to save at Target. Coupon stacking is my other big like about Target. If you can find a manufacturer coupon and a Target coupon for the same item, Target will take both. Currently I have a $2 manufacturer coupon for Pampers and a $2 Target coupon for Pampers. I will pay just $5.22 for a jumbo pack after coupons and Red card savings. I look every week at www.target.com/coupons to see what coupons they have available. They have coupons for every department, which can lead to some pretty great deals (you can read about my Target clothes shopping experience here). You can usually use coupons for clothes and such on clearance items as well. I also love that my Target is so coupon friendly. Other stores here will not take the time to look over your order and try to figure out your coupons - if it doesn't scan, you're out of luck. The people at Target always read over my coupons and accept them if they can.
Finally, Target has pharmacy rewards now. They used to extend to just Red Card holders, but now anyone can sign up. For every five prescriptions you fill, you will receive an extra 5% off coupon in the mail. I often use these to go grocery shopping, saving even more money. Most of the big name pharmacies in my area are a hassle to deal with, so I really love using the Target pharmacy.
My total at Target today before my coupons and my Red card was $84.33. After my coupons and 5% off, my total was $68.01. I saved $16.32. My best deal was saving $1.95 on Gerber baby food - I got 8 packs of 2nd Foods for the price of 6. Other great deals I have found:
$7.56 for two bags of Starbucks coffee (Reg $7.98/ea)
a shirt for $3.61 (Reg $10)
and a bottle of shampoo and conditioner for $2.74 (Regular $3.89/ea).
I'm not an extreme couponer. I won't even buy the Sunday paper to get the coupons. Target just makes it that easy to stretch your dollar. It's like giving your money super powers (Stretch Armstrong, anyone?). Okay, that might have been a little corny, but with 5% off every time you go (without having to sign up for a credit card), there is just no reason to pay even the reasonable full prices at Target!
