B1G1 Strategy

So I heard someone say that couponing is ok, but you really do not save a ton of money.  Well, that is not really true.  Sure, $.35 here and $.25 there doesn't add up too much, but there are a few ways to save BIG using smart couponing skills.  So let's focus on a simple one: Buy-One-Get-One, B1G1.

There are two different B1G1 sales: Coupon and Sales.  Below I will overview how to take advantage of both and save more than a few pennies.

Manufacturer B1G1 coupons are really nice to keep.  One thing to keep in mind, is that though the coupon requires one item be purchased, the discount actually only applies to the second item.  Because the manufacturer coupon applies to only one of the two items, another manufacturer coupon can be applied to the first item (another manufacturer B1G1 excluded).  For example, at CVS this week I found Oral-B 3D White toothbrushes on sale for $3.50.  Who doesn't need toothbrushes, but I cringe thinking I once paid that price for oral care.  So I could use one B1G1 coupon and get (2) for $3.50.  I effectively cut my price to $1.75 each.  So that is a good deal, right?  Nope, I want to get them cheaper.  So I combined this B1G1 coupon with a $2 manufacturer coupon from the P&G Brandsaver from the Sunday paper a few weeks ago.  So now I got (2) Oral-B toothbrushes that retail for $7.00 for $1.50 ($.75 each).  If you watch the ads, sometimes CVS runs a $1 back in Extra Care Bucks, ECB, if you buy a toothbrush.  So that means that if this sale was going on now I would have earned $1-2 in ECBs for this purchase.  Unfortunately, there was no sale on these toothbrushes this week or next, but I went ahead and bought the toothbrushes at 20% what they retail at.

Store coupons are great.  But I rarely see a B1G1 store coupon. Walgreens and CVS, however, often run B1G1 sales.  Since these are store sales, they can be stacked with manufacturer coupons.  So, even though it was not the case, let's pretend the toothbrush sale was a B1G1 CVS sale for B1 @ $3.50 G1 @$3.50 free.  So the effective price is already at $1.75 each.  Killer deal?  No.  Stack this coupon with the manufacturer B1G1 coupon and get $3.50 off the purchase.  Wait.  I was already going to pay $3.50 for (2) toothbrushes and now this manufacturer coupon is going to take another $3.50 off?  Yes!  That means both are free (well, you will pay taxes).  But what a deal!  Free toothbrushes!  When you have storage space and can get items you will use for free, stock up on as many as you can get.

Remember, stacking coupons is allowed in all major retailers.  That means you can use 1 store and 1 manufacturer coupon for each item.  I'll talk more about that later.  But hopefully this post helps explain how a B1G1 coupon/sale can really pay off.

Good luck shopping!