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Chips Anyone?
coupons for a free Home Cafe product. Imagine my surprise
when I found out it was not for a coffee
product but for a one-cup coffeemaker. I only
paid for the plastic glasses shown in the
picture. They were 10¢ each and I got 15.
“I later went back to Albertson’s
and they still had the Herdez salsa 10/$10. I
only got 15 jars as I only had 15 coupons, so
I ended up with 75 jars of Herdez salsa free,
30 free cereals, 2 free breads, 1 Starbucks
coffee, bottled water, free coffee maker, 5
boxes macaroni and cheese, 5 twelve-packs of
Pepsi products for $5 and 15 plastic
glasses–all for $7.60.”
Edith Hejna, Hawley, TX
Chit Chat Delivers
“Because of the posting of
information in Chit Chat about current
deals, I was recently able to get quite a few
good deals from my Fry's, Safeway and
Albertson's stores. My 8-year-old grandson,
Tyler, was very happy to help me get
Hopefully the Hejnas have lots of shelf space for this great stockpile, thanks to
everything ready for a picture to Refund
Albertson’s.
Cents.
“When I bought two Kikkoman
“Albertson’s dollar days, free cereal and free Home Cafe
teriyaki bottles, a Catalina for $1/2 teriyakis and a Catalina for
coffeemaker–all for $7.60! Albertson’s recently had Herdez salsa
$3 off anything came rolling out...and so started the chain! I
16 oz. on display as you came in the door 10 for $10. All my
ended up with over 60 bottles of Kikkoman. Since the teriyakis
family eats the Pace salsa like it’s going out of style, so I decided
were on sale, I had $1 of overage to use with each purchase, so
to try this one. I got 10 jars of the Herdez in mild, medium, and
I would combine anything that was 10/$10 or 20/$10 which was
hot. I went on with my shopping and went down the aisle where
either canned goods, paper towels, boxes of tea bags, pasta, etc.
they had the Pace sauce and lo and behold, what did I see? A
“At the same time while doing this, I noticed the Vlasic
blinky machine with lots of $1 coupons for the Herdez salsa. I
grabbed a lot of the coupons, leaving plenty for others. I got 30
jars with $1 coupons–free. I got 5 twelvepack boxes of Pepsi products advertised
‘buy four for $10, get the fifth free.’ The
machine spit out a $5 rebate on 4, so I’ll
be paying $1 for each twelve-pack of Pepsi
plus making $2.50 for the free one. The
Cinnamon Toast Crunch was 10/$10–with
$1 coupons–FREE! So far I have gotten 30
boxes free.
“Kmart had the Kraft deluxe
macaroni & cheese marked down to 50¢
with coupons. I ended up paying $1.25 for
5. No doubles or triples down here. All
that after coupons and rebates was $6.25.
“I had gone back to Albertson’s a
few days later and they still had the
Herdez salsa 10/$10 and I still had lots of
$1 coupons, so I got 30 more jars free. I
also got two loaves of Nature’s Own bread
with free coupons, a can of Starbucks, and
a bottle of Propel water free. The Home
Cafe coffeemaker was free–a value of
$59.99 before tax! A few days before I
Vickie Week’s grandson, Tyler, looks mighty proud of his thrifty grandma!
went back to Albertson’s, I received a
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relish was on sale 10/$10 and there were 75¢/1
coupons in blinkie machines right in front of them!
The Duncan Hines large-sized frostings were on sale
for $1.99 of which I applied my $1 overage from the
Kikkoman plus used 50¢ coupons which doubled.
“French's mustard has been on sale 10/$10.
With my 50¢ coupons doubled, they were free.
“I got several of the Soft ‘n Dri and Lady
Speedstick deodorants that were on sale. After
coupons they were 41¢ each and some had free
Venus razors attached, a double bonus!
“The tower of Huggies wipes were a great
buy at Safeway where they were on sale for $2.29.
After using those great $2/1 Huggies products
coupons, they were only 29¢!!! I would go in the
morning before work and then after work to keep
this deal going. (Not all of them are pictured here, I
had given away quite a few already.)
“Most of this goes to my church pantry or
anyone in need. As always, a continued ‘thank you’
to all who share such great information on Chit Chat!”
Vickie Weeks, Tempe, AZ
Premiums Galore
“I love those Marlboro premiums! Our kids, family, and
friends all wait patiently for me to tell them the mail has come.
The premiums always come very quickly and all items are
shipped separately but within a few days of each other. Marlboro
also had a sweepstakes to win some very nice prizes. It would be
nice to win one.
“I gave our two sons each a dart board and my sister
the two saddle bags. They were really nice and leather. I gave a
pool cue to a girl I work with. I only work one day a week, but
she does a lot for me and is really nice. Our youngest son got the
two sleeping bags, a pool cue, and the two lanterns. He camps a
lot. I always try to get all ten premiums. Our new kitten, Kit,
is very curious. He wanted to check out what I was doing
when I took the picture.
“I do the Rite Aid rebates and have been having
trouble. One month they got my request a month
late. That same month I sent in information from
six receipts and all they entered were two. The
next month they lost the whole order. They did say
I could take it to Rite Aid, and they would fax the
information for free for me. I don’t have and don’t
know how to use a computer so mine is by snail mail.
I guess I shouldn’t complain. Rite Aid has pretty good offers in
the rebate program.
“Rite Aid had a coupon for a $20 gift
card if you transferred a prescription. The pharmacy I was using
closed so I took the prescription, paid a $5 co-pay, and they still
gave me the $20 gift card. Nice deal.
“I have been sending in for rebates on things I usually
don’t use if it’s free. I read an article in Refund Cents about
selling the extras at garage sales. What an idea! Share the
savings. All our kids should have the cleanest and whitest smiles
with all the free toothbrushes and toothpaste I sent them.
“I get several Sunday papers. We live close to the
California border, so I get two California papers and the Reno
paper plus our two local papers. The California papers have
much better coupons fliers than the local papers. They more
than pay for themselves. They have higher value coupons and
Beverly Wright loves using Marlboro premiums for gifts.
more coupons.
“I got our granddaughter the stereo from Basic. She
really liked it. I have a friend who saves the Basic packs for me.
I give her baked goodies and coupons when I get them for Basic.
Have a good refunding year.”
Beverly Wright, Gardnerville, NV
My Quest for FREE Toilet Paper
“Several years ago I traded for many Cottonelle 75¢/1
toilet paper coupons. Someone had posted about how they had
ran into Save-a-Lot and found that they had Cottonelle fourpacks of toilet paper for only 79¢. Wow, what an amazing deal.
I immediately called our Save-a-Lot store and asked if they had
any Cottonelle toilet paper; and if so, what was the
price. She confirmed the price and said that this was a
‘while supplies last.’ I went crazy that night trading for
as many coupons as I could get. I ended up buying over
150 four-packs of toilet tissue. I only paid 4¢ a pack plus
tax. The cashiers were just amazed and helped me load up my
cart.
“When our stockpile started diminishing I began to
scour the stores and Chit Chat for the next toilet paper deal.
Finally, after months of looking, Kmart came through for us.
I don’t remember the entire deal, but it was something about
buying 5 Proctor and Gamble items and getting free toilet
paper. I do remember getting about 20 huge packs of Charmin
toilet paper free or close to free.
“We received a flier in the mail from Ace Hardware. I
looked at it and put it aside and never gave it any more thought,
shame on me, until someone posted about Ace having Charmin
on sale and that there were $1/1 coupons on there. FREE toilet
paper! Unfortunately I did not have any coupons, so back to the
trading boards I went. I must have had some great luck because
I was able to trade for 63 of these coupons. The next day I went
on the trading boards and noticed that the asking price for these
Charmin $1/1 coupons was a lot higher than what I had paid the
day before, so I decided not to get any more. It wouldn’t have
been such a great deal at the price that they wanted.
“I dropped my daughter off at her friend’s skating party
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and I went shopping.
First stop was
Ace Hardware. I
did have to drive
about 20 minutes
away to another
town because we
don’t have an Ace
in town. I walked
in and found the
Charmin toilet
p a p e r . W hat?
They only had 8
packages. Are you
kidding me? Still
I was happy with
the 8 that I
bought. I also
bought the freeafter-rebate
Suavital fabric
softener. I got up
to the cash
register and
asked to join the
Ace Hardware
Club. I told her
that this was my
All these items were accumulated in just one week, mostly at Target.
first
time
shopping here
saw that the Glade Scented Oil Candles were on sale. I bought
and that I’d like to join the club. She had the nerve to ask me if
one holder at $6.79 and 15 refill packs at $2.79 and used 16 $3
I was ever going to shop here again because she didn’t want to
coupons on the order.
waste a card on me. I laughed. I said that if I could join the club
“I got stuck with a new cashier who questioned
and have the card I was more than sure I’d be back. Finally, she
everything. She didn’t know if they were allowed to price-match.
broke down and gave me the card. You should have seen her
I said yes; she called her CSM and of course she said yes. Then
eyes light up when she saw that all 8 packages of Charmin toilet
I handed her my coupons and this is where I put up the fight of
paper were free and that I’d be getting my refund back on the
my life. The CSM had a
fabric softener. By this
fit that I price-matched
point she had to know
and then wanted to use
how I did it. I showed
coupons. She said no. I
her my binder and gave
asked to talk to the
her a referral and then
manager who was
she gave me that song
above her. That just set
and dance about how
her off. While she went
she doesn’t have time to
to find a manager, the
coupon and rebate and
cashier took off my
that it’s probably just a
coupons for the Glade
waste of time.
Scented Oil Candles
“Second stop
and refills. (FYI I
was
Wal-Mart
would never pay full
Supercenter. This was a
price for these candles.
new store that had just
They don’t last very
opened up, so I was
long.)
curious to see the
“About
10
finished product and to
minutes later the
price-match
the
assistan t m anager
Charmin toilet paper. I
shows up and said I
proceeded to the toilet
could use coupons
paper aisle and picked
when I price-match.
up 23 four-packs of toilet
Then he starts looking
paper. I then strolled
Shawna Crum’s family doesn’t worry about a toilet paper shortage. They know
at the C harm in
down the next aisle and
their mom is always on the lookout for a free T.P. deal.
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“The items in the pictures are items obtained in the
coupons and reading the fine print. Well the fine print said one
first week after renewing my subscription. Most of the items
per item. You all know what happened next. He starts arguing
were purchased at Target with Target coupons and some with
with me that this means one per transaction, one per visit, etc.
Target and manufacturer coupons. There was so much
I calmly explained that one per item meant that if I purchased
merchandise that I couldn’t get it all in the pictures and lots has
23 packs of toilet paper that I had to have 23 coupons to match
even been given away. Here is a list of many of the items I got:
them. Then the co-manager comes over and tells me that he
22+ 12-pks. of Coke products, 12+ Gatorades, 21 boxes
could limit me and why on earth would I need 23 packages of
Kellogg’s cereal, 6 jugs of Sunny D, 20+ bags of Goldfish, several
toilet paper. I explained to him that I wanted to stock up when
bags of Archer snacks, and at least 10 12-ct. pkgs. of
I could get it for free and I explained that I did this all the time
Twix/Snickers and lots of Neutrogena body wash that was free.
with all sorts of items. He said he would have to come home and
“I also accumulated Cottonelle wipes in the tubs and
look at coupons another way. Yes, you can save money using
refill packs during my come-back time. The Venus razors in the
them. Well, they did finally let me use my coupons ‘just this one
blue backs are the ones with the cartridges also; they were
time,’ so I was pleased and only paid about $4 for 23 four-packs
marked down at CVS for $4.69! The single Venus razors were
of Charmin and 1 Glade holder and 15 Glade refills.
only $2.69 at CVS. I’ve come to realize that at a lot of the stores
“Third stop was a different Wal-Mart Supercenter. This
when items are marked down, they are marked down lower than
time--no problem. I price-matched 20 more of them as that’s all
the ticketed price; also, sometimes when items don’t have a price
that was left on the shelf. I had to pay the tax. Yeah!
on them, they are much lower than you think. I believe they
“I went to pick up my daughter and she saw all the
don’t price things on purpose when the price is unbelievable.
toilet paper in the back of the truck. She said, ‘I know mom, you
got it all FREE with coupons.’
“I just laughed and thought, ‘You’re a
coupon queen in training.’ She’s only 6.
“I stopped several days later at WalMart and used the last 12 Charmin $1/1 coupons.
I price-matched and didn’t have much trouble
this time. Again I only paid the tax 77¢.
“I did receive a call from the first WalMart Supercenter that I had visited and ran into
trouble. She was extremely nice and apologized
for the cashier and the CSM for not being trained
properly. She also said that I was right on the
one per purchase and that they were going to
have a meeting about it. I felt much better after
I got off the phone with her and she assured me
that I shouldn’t have problems like that again.
She did happen to tell me that she was also a comanager and that the store manager would be
back from vacation and that she wanted this
resolved before he came back to work. I rate WalMart an A+ for resolving this issue.
“So I have 63 four-packs of Charmin Cassandra was thrilled with the quality of the Faith Hill and Tim McGraw cap and
toilet paper and I’m already scouting for the next t-shirt premiums that she got from Hershey’s.
deal.”
“I also got the Faith Hill and Tim McGraw t-shirt
Shawna Crum, Sandusky, OH
offered by Hershey’s when you sent in 15 wrappers (I think this
was the amount) along with a few dollars. I not only got the tBack With a Vengeance
shirt but also a very nice tan cap. I wish I had gotten a couple of
sets of these for gifts. As you can see from the picture, the colors
“What was I thinking when I let my Refund Cents
are so vibrant and the picture so clear.
subscription expire! I don’t know, but you can believe I will not
“Until next time, happy shopping. Keep the deals
let it happen again! During the time my subscription was
coming and we love ya, Michele!”
expired, I would do a deal here and there and even buy items
Cassandra Thomas,
without coupons. A lot of the cashiers who are familiar with the
Tallahassee, FL
way I shop were really shocked that I was shopping without
coupons (not even one coupon at times). They would ask me if
I was okay.
Aloha–A Vacation to Remember
“What got me started again (full force) was when my
“Thanks to refunding, couponing, and my parents, my
friend, Teresa from GA, called to ask how I was doing and if I
husband and I were able to go to Hawaii. I have been planning
was doing the Sunsilk deal at CVS. I told her ‘no’ and she
proceeded to tell me all about it. I really started to feel sick. As
this trip for over six months and saving for five years. Five years
soon as I got off the phone with her, I immediately renewed my
ago my husband and I each opened up a miles one program by
Capital One. It takes 40,000 miles a person for a free airline
subscription to Refund Cents!
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Fanning Island which is 1,200
miles below the big island. The
water was so turquoise and clear-lots of coral--beautiful!! The
natives had tables set up like a flea
market. They made everything-jewelry, baskets, hats, etc. We were
greeted by school children singing
to us looking for donations. The
men wore their native clothes,
wanted donations when taking
pictures with them. They get so
little money they look to the cruise
ships for donations! It was
something really different. We took
lots of pictures. The weather was
90 degrees and such a delight to
get away from my home
temperatures of 20-30 degrees.
“My parents gave us
money to help our expenses; and if
it weren't for them, I probably
wouldn't have bought as much
jewelry or gone on the rafting trip
Thanks to long-term planning, Marie Kunz and hubby enjoyed a fabulous trip to Hawaii–a dream
we took while in Kauai--the
come true.
breathtaking Napali Coastline! It
was a snorkeling, whale-watching,
boat riding, dolphin watching, site-seeing trip. The only way to
ticket to Hawaii. My goal when I opened my account was to save
see the coastline is by boat or helicopter. We would strongly
for a free ticket to Hawaii. My husband has his own business so
suggest anyone visiting Hawaii to do this breathtaking
it didn't take him long to accumulate that 40,000. It took almost
experience. It was an all day excursion and one I will remember
the whole five years but last October I finally hit my goal, so we
for the rest of my life. Thank you Mother & Dad--you helped to
both had accumulated enough free miles for us both to fly to
make our trip a vacation of a lifetime.
Hawaii for a small processing fee the program
“We bought something for family
charges. We heard from Newark, New Jersey airport
members while in Lahina, Maui. They had so
they had a direct flight to Honolulu, Hawaii. It would
many stores. I was able to get a homemade
take eleven hours but we wanted to get there without
flower hairpiece made out of a special leaf.
any stops so I booked two tickets which would have
Also we went to a Hawaiian outside jewelry
cost $700 per person--a savings of $1,400 at that
stand--had an oyster opening ceremony to get
time. A month prior to our February vacation the
a surprise free pearl. You needed to buy the
tickets were priced $1,400 a person--WOW! It pays to
settings. The ceremony was hitting sticks
plan ahead. Okay, now to plan the rest of the trip at
together three times, saying ALOHA and
a savings!
ringing bell after seeing a pearl, then doing a
“I have been saving my yard sale/flea
dance. It was sooooo much fun. I got a ring
market money for three years. My brother, Paul, and
and necklace and my husband got a tie pin.
his wife, Carol, wanted to vacation with us. We
“The very last day we got off the cruise ship and had 10
wanted to visit most of the islands while we were there. We
hours before our flight departed. We decided to hop the bus and
wanted this to be a trip of a lifetime since it is so far away and
go into Honolulu. It is was very interesting to be among the
don't plan to go there again. I checked out prices of airfares to
Hawaiians. We were told to get off at the International
each island. I checked out prices of car rentals, food, and
Marketplace. What an experience. Too bad I already bought my
excursions while on islands. I did most of the homework on the
gifts. Wish I had more room in my suitcase because I could have
Internet. Paul suggested a cruise ship to all the islands. Since
bought all my Christmas gifts. Oh well. Anyway, I wanted a
food is included that was a good thought. The cruise ship was
hairpiece at one stand (there were about 100 stands). The
running a good special on the eleven-day cruise. My husband
vendor said ‘$20.’ I said ‘no thanks’; it was too much money. She
and I had never been on a cruise. We've been talking about it so
asked me what I wanted to pay. Hmm, bargainers! I think they
this was the time to do it! Everyone said there is a lot of food on
start really high for the vacationers! I really had fun seeing how
a ship. Now that I have the experience, it is non-stop eating!!
low I could get the vendor--this is our kind of shopping! All I said
My suggestion is to lose weight first so you don't feel bad
was too bad I already had my gifts, but I did get a beautiful
gaining--that is what we did!
“The cruise ship had their
Aloha 8 x 10 picture frame--homemade with leaves for our
own excursions with each island but were more expensive than
picture taken on the cruise ship. We also got a few other items
if you did them on your own, but they guaranteed you would get
I couldn't resist.
back to the ship on time so they didn’t leave without you!!
“With my sharp couponing, refunding mind I saved us
“We stopped at most of the islands and even went to
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money any way I could and had this vacation of a lifetime.
Thanks to all my trading friends from Refund Cents and Michele
and her gang for producing a wonderful magazine and website.
Thank you.”
Marie Kunz, Schwenksville PA