Monday, January 19, 2015

Free Coffee & Donut from Dunkin Donuts!

7:27 PM Posted by Unknown 2 comments
The best things in life are free! While I'm sure this saying teaches one to be less materialistic and appreciate "free" things such as love and compassion, who can deny the happiness and personal satisfaction when treating yourself without handing over bills?

In NYC, you might come across white plastic bags filled with filled with circulars from various stores and coupons. They get dropped off in front of houses, on porches, or in apartment lobbies. You never know what you may find as each bag varies in content and are given out about twice a month! The first one this month in January featured a postcard for FREE MEDIUM ICED COFFEE from Dunkin Donuts every Monday from 1/5/15 to 2/16/15. Believe it or not, this is the second time that I have seen this promotion! The first time I've seen it was around the same time last year. I'm guessing iced beverages are not as popular during the cold winter season, it being why this is offered!



This card is good at participating Dunkin Donuts locations in Metro NY including North and Central NJ (including Ocean and Monmouth Counties), Hudson Valley and Fairfield, CT. By scanning the barcode in the back, you get a free $2.79 value beverage. No purchase necessary!

On the bottom of every receipt, there is a survey code that you can enter on www.telldunkin.com on your computer or mobile device you can use within 3 days of the purchase date. The survey is very simple and is an evaluation of your visit. In return for completing the survey, you are given a validation code. This code gets you a free donut when you purchase a medium or larger beverage! You must bring the receipt with code to redeem the offer. Until 2/16 I can get a free donut and iced coffee :)

If you don't have this promo card, fret not! You can sign up for DD Perks and get a free medium sized beverage of your choice. Purchase something small like a donut, get the receipt and on your next visit, redeem your free beverage and donut.

Thanks for reading!

- Chris

How I got FREE K-Cups and Money Back!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I believe it is important for a beginner to shop at one specific store to test out the store's coupon policy and get used to the hang of things. Another reason is that many of the retailers in NYC offer rewards for making qualifying purchases. For example, CVS offers "Extra Bucks" that are essentially coupons for cash off your next purchase. These extrabucks are linked to your Extracare card and expire within a month. With your Extracard, you are able to receive additional store coupons by scanning your card at the red Coupon Center. You can also access these coupons by logging into your CVS account online. Sometimes you receive special discount coupons by email.

From my first CVS trip, I acquired $8.99 in Extrabucks. I also received a $4 off a $20 purchase coupon by email and sent it to my card so that I could print it in store. I ended up getting free k-cups and toothpaste when I used those extrabucks and the discount coupon to pay for some of my total. I actually made $2.63 back!



Here's how I did it:

Starbucks K-Cups 10 ct
Starbucks, Spend 20 Get 5 EB through 1/18
On Sale for $6.99
- $2 off manufacturer's coupon
Bought 3 boxes activating the EB promotion

Colgate Total Whitening 4pk Travel Size, 4ct
Colgate, Buy 1 Get 3 EB (Multipack Only)
$3.39

Total: $18.39 after manufacturer's coupons only
Used $5 EB, $3EB, $0.99 EB, and $4 off $20 purchase, making new total $5.37
Received $5 EB and $3 EB
Final Price: -$2.63

WooHoo! Now I have $8 EB to spend on my next CVS purchase.
The key to couponing is to use manufacturer's coupon on items on sale in addition to a store coupon, or in conjunction with a store promotion. That way, you are able to pay as little out of pocket as possible with each shopping trip.

Thanks for reading.
- Chris

First Time Couponing 98% Savings | How It Started

5:24 PM Posted by Unknown , , No comments
My first coupon experience was at CVS and I purchased 3 items worth $25.27 for only $0.28! That is a 98.89% savings. I realize that my transaction involved only 3 items but I felt ecstatic that I saved that much at a drugstore... in NYC. I never thought it would be possible in NYC where I spend most of my time working for rent in a tiny space where I only use to sleep!

Here's how I did it:

Naturemade Multivitamin Gummies 90ct
Nature Made, Buy 1 Get 5 EB through 1/10
On Sale: $8.29
- $3 off manufacturer's coupon
- $2 off $10 Vitamin purchase CVS store coupon applied

Sundown Adult Multivitamin Gummies 50ct
Sundown, Buy 1 Get 3 EB through 1/10
On Sale: $7.00
- $2 off manufacturer's coupon
- $2 off $10 Vitamin purchase CVS store coupon applied

Zarbee's Natural Mighty Bee 2ct
Zarbee's, Buy 1 Get .99 EB through 1/10
On Sale: $0.99

Total: $9.28
Receive $5.00 extrabucks, $3.00 extrabucks, and $0.99 extrabucks = $8.99 extrabucks.

Thank you for reading!

-Chris