I feel like I missed a lot over the past few weeks that Emily has been sick. So to make sure I cover everyone’s questions, I thought I would do a Q&A post. If you have any questions about couponing, rebates, Disney, etc etc feel free to ask them here and I will be sure to answer them.
This is an older post that I just moved up because I totally forgot to answer the questions. :-/ I’ll blame it on pregnancy brain and the lack of full night of sleep.
Feel free to add your questions!
Hello Princess Kristin, I’ve missed youfor about a month and a half my computer was being repaired. I’m sorry to hear about Emily and sincerely pray for everyone in your family.
Hey Brenda!! I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from you lately!
I know on sites it has been mentioned regarding TONS of Freebies for your kids Birthday’s ~
My question is this ~ Are there ANY good Freebies for Mom OR Dad that we should sign up ourselves for when our Birthdays come around? And if so, which ones would you recommend not to miss?
thanxs.
I keep a huge list here under the clubs section:
http://www.couponingtodisney.com/2010/01/03/dining-deals-master-list/
There are some really great ones!
Would love to know how you find all your coupons and rebates!! I live on Long Island in New York and everything here is soooo expensive. Trying to do anything for a family of four on one income is near impossible….any pointers, websites or info you could give me would be greatly apprecciated!!!!
I keep all my printable coupons here. You can also get coupons online at clipping sites like MyCouponClippers.com.
http://www.couponingtodisney.com/category/printable-coupons/
Or you can trade coupons.
I notice that you go to Chick-Fil-A a lot. It is absolutely one of my favorites, but so expensive. How do you get so many coupons?
We have a local book in Birmingham called Enjoy the City that has some in it. Also our restaurant was selling sheets of about 20 coupons for $15. I bought 2. I wish I had bought more because they were EXCELLENT!!
Hi Kristin,
Two questions.
1) For Walgreens RR coupon ratio – If you have a coupon for 2.00 off two items, do both items count toward your number of items or does it count as one?
2) Just wondering if you or your readers have compiled a list of “Best Buys”? i.e. Which brand of toilet paper is the best value based on price, number of sheets, etc. Or which pasta sauce is the better value based on number of ounces? I know some stores post this on the shelf but when taking into account sale price and coupons, it gets confusing :) Obviously, if it’s free there is no question!
Thanks for all you do!
1. If its /2 it will count as 2 items. If it’s a B1G1 coupon it will only attach to one item.
2. No but that is a great idea! I will add it to the list of posts I hope to write. :)
A little off topic, but have you ever been to Disneyland? I’ve never seen you mention it.
That isn’t really off topic. ;) But no I haven’t been. I want to go though!
Where is a good place to sell or trade coupons?
Thanks
LJ
I trade coupons here:
http://www.hotcouponworld.com
http://www.couponforum.com
http://www.afullcup.com
I saw on the Toys r us listing about coupons. Etc, B1G1 for Littlest pet shop. Where do I find these?
There was a PlaySaver insert in Sunday’s paper, but my understanding is it was only regional. (I’m in Houston and none of our papers got any :-P ) You can go to playsaver.com and print out a lot of Hasbro coupons, but I don’t believe the Littlest Pet Shop one is on there.
They were in this past Sunday’s paper in a special insert.
Regarding My Points, what category do you look under for CVS gc? How many points do you need for $10? Thanks.
I just look under redeem and select all to find it. I think it’s 1450 for a $10 gift card.
I just found your site about a month ago and love it as for the last 11 years ( we have 4 kids the 11 year old being the oldest) we have gone to Disney World. I have saved every year like you to afford to go, I am a sahm. People think we are a little crazy but we love it! This year we are taking a different trip to Europe and I still want to go to Disney. I am trying to save as much as I can to go there too. Anyway thanks for the great blog and for helping me out even more! You are so inspiring!!!
I would LOVE to go to Paris Disney at some point. :D
Thank you so much for the wonderful compliments!!
I’m so glad your daughter is doing better! That had to be very scary for you.
My question is, my daughter and I are flying down to FL this November and I’d like to take her to Animal Kingdom and a character breakfast. Can you recommend any good character breakfasts and is there anywhere to get cheaper Disney Theme Park tickets when you are only going for 1 day? I know they have deals on 3 days but can’t find anything on 1 day.
I love the Donald’s Safari breakfast at the Animal Kingdom. You can meet a lot of the popular characters and they have a parade in the restaurant that is really fun.
Unfortunately there really aren’t any one day ticket deals. :(
I was so excited to see the Praise the Lord we are home message! So glad you are back with Emily. My question is do you know of a way to save on filters for the furnace? We only buy Filtrete because it seems the best,but willing to try something else if it is just as good. Once their was a rebate and I got it on sale at Target,but that has only happened once in the whole year I’ve been couponing. Money is extremely tight and my son is very sensitive to the dust in the house. Every time he gets the sniffles I know it’s time to change the filter which is about once a month or so which at $14 or $15 a pop really adds up. Yes we do get it on sale occassionally at Target,but we can’t stock up because it’s just too much out of our budget. Any help at all on this would be very much appreciated.
Have you checked the prices on Amazon? Sometimes they are a lot cheaper than the big box stores.
I don’t see many Filttrete deals either. Have you tried writing them to tell them how much you love their products? They might send coupons. :D
I am in New Orleans and we get Filtrete coupons in the Sunday paper from Lowes. No every week but I have seen it more often lately here.
Glad that you are back home and that your daughter is feeling better!
We are leaving for Disney in about 10 days and taking my 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter. I noticed in your posts about your trip that you seemed to always know where to find the characters. How did you do that? I know that they are listed in some guide or something when you get to the park, but I’d like to have my day for the most part planned out before I get to the park – so any advice would be appreciated! Also, with such young kids, what attractions do you think are must sees and which should we just skip this time around?
Thanks so much! You are a Disney goddess :)
I went through the Times Guide on this website and found all the character meet and greet locations and planned around that:
http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/
Hi! So glad to hear your daughter is better ~ its tough on us moms when our kiddos are sick…I know she is glad to be home.
My question is this…its a family tradition that my mom would always take my siblings and I to Disney when we turned 5 (as we got older we slipped a few trips in just because)…she thought that was a great age…well she has decided to do the same thing with the grandchildren…so we are looking at going to Disney next year ~ we will be traveling with the following army..haha ~ 10 adults (ages 23 to 55) 12 year old / 5 year old / 1 year old…we will be flying (as of right now) and all staying at the same place…we would like to stay 5 to 6 days…
Can you tell me the best way to plan this trip? My mom isn’t very frugal and she just wanted to call a travel agency and let them do everything but I think she will be spending way to much if she goes that route..
any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
my family just got back from a 7 day trip to disney with 13 people! We found that AAA had the best deals. It was also much easier on us! I am a florida resident and an annual passholder, and I couldn’t find anything better than AAA.
Is it important to you to stay on property? My friend went with a large group of people and found a great rental house near Disney and it even had a private pool.
We went last Christmas and stayed off site for much cheaper than we would have ever stayed at the resort. We also had 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, huge kitchen and a fantastic heated pool…it was soooo worth it. The entire time we had 4 adults & 2 kids but we also had 2 additional adult guests who stayed for a few days because there was plenty of room.
We stayed about 20 minutes away, but the drive wasn’t too bad either. And our travel agent found us that deal by the way ;)
i’m so glad you are all feeling better…we’ve been thinking of you and wishing you well over the miles…anyways…leaving for disney in less than 2 weeks and wondering…where is the best place to eat at the magic kingdom???
I know this might go against maaaaaany people on this site, since couponingtodisney is all about saving money but HANDS DOWN, the best restaurant in my book is the Crystal Palace. I know, I know, it’ll cost you an arm and a leg to eat there, but the experience is well worth it! (In my book!) it’s an all you can eat buffet and all the characters come to your table to say hello and snap pictures. AWESOME! When I went they had tiger, pooh, eeyore, and piglet. We got awesome picture, enjoyed great food and were able to stay as long as we wanted. I think we ended up staying for over an hour. There are no cheap ways to eat there, but I think it’s worth it for the memories, pictures, and experience!
We loved the Crystal Palace too!
We also love Cosmic Rays, Pinocchio Village Haus and Pacos Bills. Yum!
I agree that the Crystal Palace is a wonderful place to meet the characters and the all you can eat buffet is a good place to fill up enough that you can skip the next meal (definitely a money saver) but if it’s truly good tasting/quality food you are looking for I would recommend Tony’s Town Square Restaurant on Main Street. The Crystal Palace is good for characters, and we do eat there on every trip to WDW, but we always find the food to be only acceptable. I think it depends on what you are looking for. But I’m kind of biased, I pretty much like everything in the Magic Kindgom!!! :)
Also, if you are looking for a good quick service meal, I also recommend the Pecos Bill cafe. Whenever we eat there my husband and I always share one meal. The sandwiches are large enough and we use the topping bar to make a small pile of veggies on each sandwich. Another way to eat cheaper in the parks!
Hi :) Do you (or anyone else) know if I can use both a 20% off and a $4/$20 in one transaction at CVS?
Thanks!
Kate,
I have two CVS stores near me. One store runs the % off w/ a $4/$20 (or whatever) the other store wouldn’t even try it. I kindly requested the cashier (who was the manager) just scan the % off after she had already scanned the dollars off, If it takes it , than it’s OK right? if not then we’ll both know.
Absolutely no go. I just shop exclusively at the other CVS.
My CVS only lets you use one which I think is fair since they’re both CVS coupons. That’s just my 2 cents.
If you look at the fine print on the CVS % off, it says, “Cannot be combined with any $/$$ coupons.”
Great point Lyndsey.
It looks like you can’t. :(
DO you know of any good photo printing deals available at the moment?
I always keep the best photo printing deals that I find out here:
http://www.couponingtodisney.com/category/picture-promos/
I’m wondering if you or anyone else here has successfully used the new BRU price match policy? I remember the announcement a couple of weeks ago, but since then, I’ve heard nothing on any of the blogs I’ve checked.
The reason I am wondering is because I wanted to price match with Target on their Munchkin Snack Catchers last week and then combine it with the 20% off coupon, but when I called my local BRU to ask about whether I could combine a price match with a coupon, they said I could only price match baby gear. I didn’t have a lot of extra time on my hands to go to the store if it might not work, so I just bought them at Target. I got a 2pk for $3.50, which is really good, but it could’ve been cheaper at BRU if I’d been able to do the coupon thing.
So, two questions:
(1) Can you combine a price match with a coupon? (If not, what’s the point of doing the price match?)
(2) Is it restricted to baby gear, or was that person I spoke to wrong?
I wish I knew but I don’t. I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet myself. :(
I want to plan a Disney World trip for 2011 for 5 adults and 3 children. Where is the best place to look for deals and steals for Disney World Trips?
I use Disboards and Mouse Savers. Deals are posted as they come in on those sites. Mouse Savers will send you urgent updates, if you sign up for the newsletter. It is not bad. It only comes a bout 1-3 times a month.
So many things depend on where you are staying, but those boards explain your options in GREAT detail with lots of expert Disney followers chiming in…
passporter.com is a good one. they have a lot of fan forums that answer some good questions, or u can post ur own… chipandco.com is another one that has some good posts… or everythingwdw.blogspot.com i’ve learned a lot over the last year from these sites, i’m planning a trip for next year also :)
I follow Disboards, Allears.net and mousesavers.net. You should start seeing 2011 discounts in November.
I’m so happy your daughter is home! I have been praying for you. Anyway, my question is this. Can I use coupons that are manufacturer coupons but have a specific store logo on them at other stores? Example, I have man coupons but have the target logo on them, and the same with Kroger? Also, can I use a 2 coupons for b1G1 items. It seems I have been reading you can, but dh says how can you use those when you only are buying 1 item?
Thanks
Yes, you can use a manufactures coupon anywhere! As long as it says manufacturer coupon at the top and the bar code starts with a 5 or 9. The stores logo prints to encourage you to use it at that particular store. I’ve had a cashier tell me no, but when the manager came over they over road it. Just remember, a cashier who doesn’t have much coupon experience will probably say no because they don’t want to get in trouble.
The 2 coupons on a B1G1 are up to your store, look up the coupon policy for your store.
Here’s Kristin’s post of store’s online coupon policies: http://www.couponingtodisney.com/2010/08/30/round-up-of-online-store-coupon-policies/
You SHOULD be able to use them, but periodically you will run into the cashier that freaks out and says you can’t. But you SHOULD be able to use them.
We are leaving in 5 days for Disney! We are traveling with our 14 month old DD. Any last minute tips?
Make sure you take a break in the middle of the day. You might lose park time, but your bodies and stress level will thank you for it.
Hey Kristin! So glad y’all are finally back home!! I was wondering about how annual passes at WDW work-are they good for 365 days from the day you purchase them or from the first time you start using them in the parks?? I couldn’t really find a lot of info on the website about them. Also, have you ever used the undercover tourist website and if so, is it reputable?? Thanks for all the info!! LOVE your site!
Annual passes are good from the first day that you use them in the parks. You can purchase them at any time but are not activated until you get there.
I have used undercover tourist. I purchased 2 tickets back in June. The tickets came quickly and we had no problem using them at the park. One tip, is write down or take a photo of the number on the back. We lost 1 ticket but Disney was able to reissue it to us using the picture I had taken.
I love Undercover Tourist. I would use them and I know a lot of people that have and love them.
Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter at MouseSavers.net to save even more!
What is the best way to earn points at Sunshine Rewards? I am a little confused with their site.
Unfortunately I don’t really do Sunshine Rewards because I am confused too. :-O I do know they have a message board that might help you.
I am glad to know it wasn’t just me.
I realize the last few weeks have been very trying on you and your family! But I’m happy to know that you are back in the comfort of your home, and that everything is better now!!
My comment/question: I tried using the $1.50 Welch’s coupon w/Safeway’s own coupon, but it didn’t work. It seems like a lot of times, the printables don’t work for me at Safeway though we are able to stack. The cashier says if it doesn’t scan, we can’t take it. Do you know why this is happening? Are they allowed to manually input the coupon? Why do the coupons seem to have 2 bar codes now (1 looks like it’s broken)? Thanks!
Another question I had, where’s the CVS coupon policy? I called CVS, and they said they didn’t have one. I had sooo much trouble w/the BOGO Sobe coupons after going to a couple of CVS’s for the BOGO promo they were having! They either wouldn’t let me use it, or said I had to pay for at least 1. I didn’t know how to explain it to them. What do you suggest for future reference? Thanks again!
Unfortunately using a B1G1 coupon on a B1G1 sale is ultimately up to each individual store. :( There isn’t much you can do to get them to accept it.
I actually e-mailed CVS directly, and although they don’t have a set coupon policy, they did give me some of their guidelines, which did include their BOGO policy! I just use that email if I run into problems and that resolves it pretty fast.
The 2 barcodes – 1 is the one they scan (it starts with a 5 or a 9) and the second one is for the coupon redemption centers. It definitely will not scan at a register.
You also might want to check your printing settings. You might have the printer set to quick or fast print and that can make your coupons not scan. You need to change it to regular or best print.