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Back-To-School: J. C. Penney 2-Day Sale – ENDS TODAY

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Photograph Credit: Ebates

In preparing for a new school year, I took an inventory of my son’s closet. Since my child has grown at least another inch since school dismissed in May, I am in need of more school uniform items for his wardrobe. Knowing what items he still needs, I have been keeping my eye on the sales. When I received J. C. Penney’s promotional code for $10 off any $25 purchase, I snagged a great deal.  If you are in the market for clothing, you can snag this deal, too. Here’s how:

1. Go to www.ebates.com. This business pays you a percentage of your on-line purchases at one of their affiliate companies. Do you mean someone’s going to pay me for items I will purchase on-line? If Ebates has a link to that store, then, yes! The process works like this: the stores give a commission to Ebates, and Ebates passes along their savings to you. Registration is free, and Ebates will pay you up to 4 times a year via check or Paypal (your preference.).

Ebates is currently offering new subscribers a $10 gift card to select stores for registering and making a $25 purchase. To register, get more information, or log in to your account, go to www.ebates.com.

Disclosure: The Ebates link in this post is Using Time Wisely’s referral link. If you register (for free) through my Ebates’ link and make a purchase (using promotional codes, of course) of $25 or more, then Ebates compensates me.

Though you can access your free registration through the Ebates web site, your support of Using Time Wisely is greatly appreciated. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

2. Access the J.C. Penney web site. Once logged in to your Ebates account, search for “J.C. Penney.”  In the list, you will see that you will earn 3% back on your purchase. Click the “Shop Now” button, and you will be directed to the J.C. Penney web site.

3. Add items to your shopping cart. To maximize your savings and stretch your dollars, get your total to $25 or a little over. Since I purchase the IZOD brand for my son’s school uniforms, I chose KIDS from the menu, then SCHOOL UNIFORMS. I selected a pair of pants ($29.99, on sale for $14.99) and a pair of shorts ($16.99, on sale for $11.99) for a total of $26.98.

4. Checkout. Choose CHECKOUT + PROMO CODE from your shopping bag. In the promotional code box, type MEGASALE. (Note: You can only use one promotional code per order with J. C. Penney. There are free or inexpensive shipping codes as well as 10-15% codes. However, the $10 off is the best offer to stretch your dollars.) This promotional code ends today, July 30, 2011.

5. Review your order. After creating an account, logging in or just checking out, check to see that $10 was removed from your total. When choosing a shipping option, I opt for store pickup ($4.99) verse at home delivery ($6.95).  With the $10 off, my subtotal came to $16.98. After adding shipping and tax, my total was $23.29 (or $11.65 each – a total savings of 50% off the original retail total price + $.70 earned through Ebates). 🙂

6. Select payment. Chose your payment and complete your order. You can then print your receipt and close out of the J.C. Penney site and the Ebates site.

Anytime you will be making an on-line purchase, start with Ebates. Log in and search for the company you plan to shop. When you find the store, click “Shop Now,” and continue to earn money back on the items you purchase online.

Question: What is your favorite cash back reward site? Add your answer by choosing the Leave your Comment button below.

Back to School: Sale Supply Lists

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Rebeca Falco)

As summer is winding down, the back-to-school sales are gearing up. Viewing the Sunday fliers, I am bombarded with sales from large retail suppliers competing for my attention and business. Sorting through the advertisements, I could spend 1-2 hours creating the perfect list of needed items at the best prices to stretch my hard earned dollars.

The Search

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a master list of all the school supply sales from all the major retail stores? Well, I have some great news for you  . . .

THERE IS.

The Find

Jenny Martin at southernsavers.com creates a master list of all the school supplies from all the stores. You can see this week’s deals (ending today) by clicking on this link. Armed with this master list, you can find the best prices on all your school needs.

Next week, Jenny will post another list. When I see her list, I will post the link on my Facebook page. (Are you following me on Facebook? If not, click on the Facebook icon in the right sidebar, like our page, and “talk” with me. I would love to hear how you are using your time wisely.)

The Timesaver

Having your created list, you are ready to hit the stores. What if you could get most or all of your items at the same store? A one-stop shopping trip would be a huge timesaver.

Hmm . . . have you heard that some stores, like Wal-mart, offer price matching? (You see where I’m going. Isn’t this exciting?)

If your store price matches, then take your list and all your sales ads with you while shopping. Here is how my shopping trip looks:

1.  Choose to shop at Wal-mart since I have price matched successfully with them in the past.

2.  Take my list and gather the items. The items need to be the same brand, size, and count as the price matched item.

3.  Sort the items by the price matched advertisement. To make the checkout process as organized as possible, keep all the items to be price matched from the Walgreens ad together, then all the Kmart ads, then the Target sales, etc.

4.  Go to checkout placing the sales ad with the group of items to be price matched. Let the cashier know you have price matched items. Then help him or her by locating the new price from your ads. Be calm, courteous, and don’t be afraid to ask for a manager if the cashier does not honor a sale price.

5.  Share your savings with your frugal friends, including Using Time Wisely’s Facebook page or leave a comment on this post. 🙂

Keeping your shopping trips to a minimum and maximizing your savings can both be accomplished by using your time wisely when creating your shopping list and choosing a store that price matches. I wish you a great shopping experience as you preparing for your family’s up-coming school year.

Question: What stores price match in your area?

Upcoming Tax-Free Days

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Photograph Credit: MorgueFile (Jane M. Sawyer)

Are you in the market for new clothes, school supplies, computer software, or a computer (iPad, Tablet, laptop, etc.)? Are you searching the sales each week looking for that “incredible deal?” If so, then check to see when your state will offer tax-free days.

If you already live in a state without sales tax, then checking these dates will not help you in stretching your dollars. Sorry. (Think of all the money you save, from not paying sales tax, each time you shop. :-))

With back-to-school season beginning, the sales on clothing, school supplies, and electronics are gearing up. As you get your lists ready, be sure to check out Chrissy’s list of tax-free days. A fantastic way of stretching your dollars is by combining your state’s tax-free days with a great sale.

If you cannot find what you need on those tax-free days, never fear, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be here before you know it. Just be patient and wait for that awesome deal that will meet your needs. Happy savings!

Gas: Walmart Promotion

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Photograph Credit: Walmart

Are you looking for ways to save at the pump? I am! With the fuelperks! program through our local Bi-Lo, I was able to save $.70 per gallon on my last refill. Of course, I pumped all 20 gallons, 16 gallons into my vehicle’s gas tank and the remaining 4 gallons into our gas container. Even with the promotion, I still paid over $50 for a tank of gas. Yikes! I’m probably dating myself, but I still remember when gas was $.87 a gallon. (I guess those days are l-o-n-g gone.)

With gas prices remaining above $3 a gallon (here in South Carolina, USA), every little bit of savings helps keep the out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum. In an effort to stretch hard earned dollars, Walmart is offering customers, at participating Murphy USA and Walmart gas stations, a savings of 10 cents a gallon. To take advantage of this deal:

  1. Visit Walmart’s announcement to find a participating location,
  2. Use a Walmart card: reloadable gift card, MoneyCard, or credit card, and
  3. Purchase gas between now and September 30, 2011.

This promotion requires a little advanced planning (purchasing or obtaining a qualifying Walmart card and finding a location), but using your time wisely to prepare for your visit can stretch your dollars at the pump.

Do you have a great tip for stretching your dollars? If so, please share in the comments.

Staples: Combining Rewards with a Sale

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Summer has turned out to be busier than I ever intended it to be. With this being my first summer with a child home from school, it has been different. I am used to having my girls at home in the morning, but adding that third older child in the mix has thrown me for a loop. It is all good, just different than what I had envisioned.

I have changed our routine slightly in order to get errands run without shopping all morning every morning. I try to work errands around stores where we will be for an activity.

One such errand was a stop at Staples after the kids participated in a Home Depot Kids’ Workshop. I had accumulated $18.40 in Staples Rewards, and there was a great sale on SanDisk 4GB SDHC. In stretching my dollars with the Staples Rewards, I was able to purchase the following:

2 packages tamper-proof envelopes – 20 count for $1 each (on sale from $4.29 each)

2 SanDisk 4GB SDHC memory cards – $9.99 each (on sale from $19.99 each)

Subtotal: $21.98

Used $5 Staples Reward

Used $13.40 Staples Reward

New subtotal: $3.79

Tax: $0.21

Total: $3.79

By waiting to use my Staples Rewards until a product I need or want goes on sale, I can stretch my dollars and my rewards. By waiting for this sale, I was able to purchase $48.56 of product for $3.79 which is a savings of $44.77 or 92%. What a great shopping trip! I was thrilled to have a great Father’s Day present for my husband and a Christmas gift for another family member.

Again, these deep savings are due to prior purchases I made where I spent $20 on product and then received the Staples Rewards. This post is the result of those prior purchases, earned rewards, and waiting for a great sale.

How are you stretching your dollars? If you match sales with coupons, rewards, or both, then keep up the great work!