Take A Closer Look!

I have had a couple of interesting experiences shopping in the past few days that I want to share with you. They involve being observant at the checkout and always having an eye open for a good deal.

• Yesterday I was at the mall with one of my kids who was getting a haircut at Mastercuts. I like Mastercuts because they have great monthly sales and a loyalty program that rewards me for my purchases. Plus, they treat me great there and I really appreciate it! I needed a couple of hair products, so I picked out what I needed and took them to the register. I noticed an offer at the checkout that said "Purchase a $2 Holiday Gift Bag and receive 20% off all of the products you can fit in it." I quickly did the math and realized that by spending $2 on the bag I could receive $5.09 off of my products. That put me ahead by $3.09 after subtracting the price of the bag. I expect that there will be A LOT of offers like this at many stores throughout the upcoming weeks. I plan to be on the lookout for opportunities to save even a few bucks. You do enough deals like this and it really ads up.
• Here's another similar situation. A few weeks ago I found a hangtag on some pop at Rainbow. It was a $3 coupon when you purchase 1 12pk Coke product and 1 box of Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn. I teach my Smart Shopper students to always be on the lookout for instore coupons when shopping. If you can't use them immediately, take a few and file them away for later. Here it really paid off for me. I had 3 of these coupons today when I went to Cub Foods to get some pop. The popcorn was $1.79. I didn't need the popcorn nor did I have it on my radar to purchase, but in this situation it was cheaper to buy the popcorn for $1.79 and get the $2.98 12pk. of Coke for $3 off. I got 3 12pks for $5.31. I know that Rainbow had a $2 coupon off 4 12pks. this week. I had one of those with me that I couldn't use, so I found someone at the checkout who could use it. I love to pay forward the blessing of saving. People are so appreciative!
• Last night Kohl's was having a "Madness" sale. I went to pick up a few things and came across 2 items that had MIR's next to them (Mail In Rebates). I got a 12 inch skillet/cover with an original price of $26.99 for $8 with a sale price, discount code and rebate. I got a $149 8-in. digital photo frame for $48 with sale price, discount code and rebate. Between these 2 deals I will be receiving $25 back in the mail. Both of these deals were unadvertised and noticed only because I was looking for deals.

Have you gotten any great deals lately because you stumbled upon them? If so, share what happened. I'd love to hear your story!