Score!

I just felt I should share:

Lord & Taylor is having a shoe sale.  Besides generous markdowns on their sandals, their clearance shoes are 50% off, and then there is a coupon for 20% off (You can print the coupon here: http://lt.lordandtaylor.us/ltdocs/coupons/SP13_JULYCLEARANCECOUPON.pdf, good through 8/6).

I needed some back to school shoes, and I scored 2 pairs of shoes for $68.  And one of the pairs of shoes is Coach.  That's right.  I got Coach pumps for $47.99 (regular price $158!).

I really love Lord and Taylor's sales.  I always do very well at the end of the summer and on Black Friday.  My suggestion is to sign up for their text messaging- they send the coupons right to your phone so that you  never leave them at home.

Groupon- Consumer Activism at its Finest

Image Credit: http://www.acc-tv.com/images/globalnews/groupon_logo11209.jpg

I was introduced to Groupon (www.groupon.com) by my friend Dan just this week. I had heard about it on the news and had seen a couple of ads for it online, but I didn't fully understand the wonders of Groupon until I actually went to the site, signed up, and saw it for myself. Their website boasts that as of today, the total dollars saved by Groupon users is $268,574,232 and the total number of Groupons bought is 6,457,820. That's impressive to a frugal girl like myself.

Groupon is exactly what its made-up name implies: a group coupon. Groupon works with local businesses to set up fantastic deals that are valid as long as a certain number of people take advantage of them. Additionally, the people at Groupon find businesses in individual cities and regions in the United States, so you can be from practically anywhere to take advantage of their deals. For example, today's deal in North Jersey is "$5 for $10 Worth of Café Fare" Basically, I would pay $5 through Groupon and then use the voucher I print as a $10 gift certificate at The Little Grocery café in Hoboken. That's 50% off! The only catch is that 19 other people need to take advantage of the deal before I can actually get it. If the deal doesn't reach it's target number of buyers, then the deal is canceled and you are not charged.

Additionally, there's a totally different group deal for New York City. Today the deal is 83% off a Gymboree membership for your child! $39 bucks for unlimited use of Gymboree for a month. Wow.

You can use Groupon on your computer as a regular website. It also will link to your Facebook & Twitter as well as send you the Groupon Deal of the Day e-mail for your area. If that isn't enough for you, you can add the Groupon app to your iPhone, as well.

You can join Groupon by clicking here. It is absolutely, 100% free to join. The link on this blog includes my referral number. Each time you refer a friend and they make a Groupon purchase, you get $10 put into your Groupon account to use on a future deal. Just another great feature of this service!

Friends & Family Sales at Aeropostale and Express Stores

Gee, Friends & Family seems to be the trend, doesn't it?  Below are 2 friends and family coupons that may be worth your trouble.  20% off at Express doesn't seem to be that generous, but you can use this coupon on redlines.  Combine 20% off with a generally good Express clearance rack and you have yourself a bargain.  You can use this coupon online or in-store either today (August 7) or tomorrow (August 8).

The 30% off merchandise at Aeropostale (except clearance) in addition to their already low prices and great deals is a coupon worth having.  Aeropostale also has a kids line now, called P.S.  I'm not sure if this coupon can be used there, but it's worth a try.  I'm going to try it today!  This coupon is good until Sunday, August 9.

Gap Give & Get

 

In my e-mail inbox today I received from GAP an invitation to take part in their friends and family program.  Besides getting 30% off for myself, I was given 25 coupon codes to give to, well, friends and family.  When you use my coupon code at gap from July 30-August 2, not only will you get 30% off, but 5% of your purchase amount will be donated to the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society.  So, shop for the kids! :)

Please comment with your e-mail address, or send your e-mail address to femmefrugale@gmail.com to receive this coupon from me*.  The first 25 responses will get coupon codes that can be used for ALL Gap brands (Old Navy, GAP, Banana Republic, & Athleta... not sure about Piper Lime).

*The coupon will come directly from GAP, but with my e-mail address on it, so you may have to check your spam folder for the coupon.

JCrew- Extra 20% off Sale, online only!

JCrew double sale! 20% off all online sale merchandise. This sale only lasts until Wednesday, June 10, so jump on it quickly if you can. :)

http://www.jcrew.com

Deals for Dad

Father's Day is coming up very quickly: June 21 to be exact. Why not score some awesome deals for your dad, or any fatherly figure in your life.

Two sales that I've found so far are from Express and Golfsmith. The Golfsmith coupon is okay. The best benefit is that it can be used online, on the phone, or in-store. The Express sale on dress shirts is much more impressive. I'll continue to update you as more sales for Father's Day come my way!

Sale at www.express.com

www.golfsmith.com

Click this image to make it larger if you'd like to print it.

Friday's Coupon: Buy one Jack Daniels meal, get one free!

Wow- this is a great deal!  If you haven't had a night out in awhile, take the opportunity to use this coupon at your local Fridays. :)  Click on the graphic below to enlarge it and print out your coupon.

Pink Nation by Victoria's Secret: Free stuff!

I'm crazy about Victoria's Secret (VS) Pink underwear.  Just ask anyone.  I go to the mall, and I blow a hard earned $25 on 5 pairs of Pink undies practically every time.  When VS had a sale for 5/$20 undies, I was on it.  Now I've discovered Pink Nation, a promotional site by VS that you can join to receive coupons and free offers.  Right now, they're offering a printable coupon for a free Bling panty and a printable coupon for $10 off your $35 purchase.  The only catch with the panty is that you have to make a Pink purchase that is less than $7.50 for the "free" panty to be worth getting!

 (screen shot of the Pink Nation member screen)

Go to www.vspink.com to join and get your coupon!

Free KFC Grilled Chicken

Thanks, Oprah!  KFC, with spokeswoman Oprah (?), is offering 2 pieces of free grilled chicken, 2 individual sides, and a biscuit free of charge if you print this coupon before 9:59pm central time.  Coupons are good until 5/16/09.  Enjoy your free meal by clicking here.

Couponcabin.com

Another cool feature of Coupon Cabin is their weekly newsletter and dashboard widget.  The weekly newsletter is delivered by e-mail every Monday.  Coupon Cabin shares with their followers some of their newest/best coupon deals.  The best part of this is the predictability and reliability of the e-mail.  You're guaranteed to get the e-mail every Monday and ONLY on Monday, thus Coupon Cabin doesn't fill your inbox all week long.




The printable coupons are useful at local retailers such as Home Depot and Target.  If you plan on using grocery coupons, make sure you call ahead to your grocery store and ask if they take internet coupons.  One disadvantage of my local Shoprite is that they do not take printed coupons for fear of counterfeiting.  Personally, I think they should get with the program; but that's my issue, not yours!


The dashboard widget is equally useful.  If you're a Mac user like myself, those dashboard widgets come in very handy for weather, calculations, and just for some added entertainment.  By downloading the Coupon Cabin widget, coupons are right at your fingertips on your dashboard.  It allows you to select stores, find out what is going to expire soon, and makes suggestions for you.

Before you make your next online purchase (perhaps for Mother's Day- which you should do soon!), visit Coupon Cabin for some extra savings!

Gap and Land's End: Super Sales with Super Savings

Two more great sales, folks, courtesy of Laura & Deb. Land's End and Gap are offering some seriously wonderful deals in order to boost sales. Perhaps with the sudden burst of warm weather (in the North East, at least) you're noticing that you are in dire need for some new spring and summer clothes. Maybe you just want to give yourself a treat. These two stores are great for basics that last for years because of the quality of the merchandise. Enjoy these coupons and your new clothes & accessories.

Also, watch out for a new article on Femme-Frugal: Getting great deals in Outlet Stores.

Papyrus and Barnes & Noble for all your paper needs!

Thanks to the fabulousness of my colleague and friend Deb I am able to come up for air in my entirely too hectic academic schedule and share these amazing offers with you. The first two are from Barnes and Noble, and the third is from Papyrus.

Again, what's great about these offers is that you don't have to spend a minimum amount of money in order to cash in. The only downside to these is that you have to order online, and therefore in most cases must pay shipping fees. At bn.com, though, if you spend $25 shipping is FREE.

www.bn.com

Speaking of Mother's Day, have you started shopping yet?

www.bn.com

I'm not sure I've ever really told anyone, but I absolutely adore Papyrus. From the writing paper, to the wrapping paper, to the ribbons and bows I have always wanted to receive a gift from this store (or give one, even). Perhaps with this 30% coupon I'll be feeling generous.

www.papyrusonline.com

Great Ann Taylor Coupon- No Minimum Purchase

This is the coupon I've been waiting for from Ann Taylor. Typically when they send a coupon, I have to spend a particular amount of money (usually $100) to take advantage of the "savings". With this Friends and Family coupon, there is NO minimum purchase. That's right: Save 30% off your entire order in store or online without having to meet any requirements except for having the coupon if you're shopping in-store or the coupon code if you're shopping online. Additionally, you can save 15% off at the Ann Taylor Factory and LOFT outlet. Talk about savings on top of savings.

Be sure to print this coupon before you leave for the store!

Macy's Earth Day Coupon Sale- Today Only

When I got this e-mail this morning I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to post this sale, because honestly it is going to be a difficult one to actually save with. However, if you buy the coupon, 100% of the coupon profit goes to the National Park Service. Being someone who tries to be green, why not use my shopping habit to also save the earth? Its like killing 2 birds with one stone.

If you decide to purchase this 20% off one single entire shopping order coupon for $5, you can be sure that your $5 will go to the National Park Service and that 20% of your shopping order at Macy's or macys.com will go in your pocket; however, if you're interested in both saving the earth and saving some cash, make sure that you will be spending more than $35.00 on your shopping order today so that your savings break even with what you spend on your coupon. This coupon is one time use so all $35 needs to be spent in a single order. If you don't care and simply want to donate $5 to the NPS, that's also great, but the point of my blog is to give you tips and tricks to actually save money.

Click the pictures below to get your online ticket or to find your nearest Macy's store. This sale is good today only, Saturday April 25!

Lord & Taylor Coupon: No Credit Card Required

If you have some extra cash this weekend, feel free to take yourself down to Lord & Taylor for 25% off practically everything in the store if you use this coupon. Combine this coupon with their clearance merchandise (which is typically some really well priced designer clothing or bags) and you've got yourself a deal.

Combine this with clearance merchandise and you can get yourself a good deal. Print more than one and bring a friend!

Enjoy!

Website Recommendation: Coupon Mom

Have you ever heard of Coupon Mom? I am a part of their mailing list and I often score great coupons and freebees by reading their site. It is completely free to join and they e-mail you a useful list of deals each week.

http://www.couponmom.com/

The front page of the Coupon Mom website

Couponmom.com isn't the friendliest looking website; however some of the deals are worth searching. I received a free sample of L'Oreal color safe shampoo and of Dunkin' Donuts coffee because I clicked through one of couponmom's e-mails. What's also great are the several sources of free printable grocery coupons as well as coupons to stores such as Target and Walmart.

My last praise of couponmom.com is to say that in their weekly e-mails they find deals for you. The e-mail lists stores and tells you how to get free or close to free items. For example, you can get Bayer Aspirin for free at CVS.

Happy online deal digging!

A Coupon Gift from Laura: Bloomingdales

This Bloomingdales coupon is courtesy of my friend Laura at work who thought it would be perfect for my blog. The coupon certainly goes with the coupon theme of today.

Suggestions:

• Use this coupon in-store if you can to avoid shipping fees, as Bloomies charges shipping on any purchase under $150.
• Deals are often better in-store. The clearance rack tends to have more "unique" items. If there's only one of something left, generally its not online; however it is deeply discounted in the store. I bought a Juicy Couture wristlet just last month from Bloomingdales for under $30. Too bad I didn't have this coupon.
• Since Bloomingdales tends to be pricey, avoid regularly priced items. Just because its 20% off DOESN'T mean its a good deal.
• Happy bargain hunting!

Bloomingdales Friends & Family, 20% off

Be Cautious with Coupons

Oh, coupons, how I love them. If used correctly, they can be your best friend; however, if you're not careful they can cause you to spend more than if you bought a generic alternative. I break my coupons down into two categories: grocery coupons and department store coupons. Let's start with department store coupons.

Department Store Coupons:

These are the coupons that I love to hate. Here are some tips for using department store coupons:

1. Use credit card "special rewards" coupons with extreme caution. Try not to use the ones that only give you a discount if you use your store credit card. For example, say you get a Macy's coupon for 10% off when you use your Red Card. This is great if you pay the bill off diligently at the end of the month; however, if you decide to let this purchase linger for even one month your discount has dissipated because of finance charges on your card. If your coupon is for 10% off your purchase, but then you pay 25% interest on it, you've lost your discount and have even paid more than the item would have originally cost in many cases.
2. Combine coupons with clearance sales. Scope the clearance racks. They're located in the back corners of store departments and often, if you have time to look, have some great merchandise. Use your in-store coupon that doesn't require a credit card purchase to combine discounts. If a purse was originally $100 and is 60% off on clearance, you wil pay $40 for the purse. Combine this with a 15% coupon and you'll pay a mere $34 for the purse.

Grocery Coupons

1. Use your grocery coupons at stores that double or triple them. I have a 40 cent coupon for Palm Olive soap that costs $1.99 a bottle. I pay only $1.19 if the store doubles my coupon, and only 79 cents if the store triples my coupon.
2. Combine grocery coupons with sale prices. The Palm Olive in the prior example is on sale for 99 cents. Subtract my 40 cent coupon and I pay only 59 cents for it. If my coupon is doubled I pay a whopping 19 cents. If my coupon is tripled I just got my soap for free!
3. Before using your coupon, figure out if a generic brand of equal quality is less expensive. If I'm buying tin foil and Reynolds brand is $2.49 with my coupon, but ShopRite brand is still $1.99 for the same size and quality, I'm going to go with the brand that saves me 50 cents! The same is true when you are buying fashions and accessories. When I go to Macy's and I have the choice between a plain black Guess t-shirt for $39.99 + 10% off or a Everyday Value t-shirt of comprable style and quality for 19.99 without a coupon, I'm going to opt for the less expensive option and then buy myself a bracelet at Forever 21 as a reward for my thriftiness.

The lesson here, fellow shoppers? Be cautious with your coupons. Comparison shop and look at the fine print in order to avoid spending more than you should.