No, I do not mean do you take a vacation from couponing; we all do that from time to time.
My question is: Do you take your coupons with you when you go on vacation?
I do!
Well let me clarify: On any and every driving vacation I take all my coupons. The whole hot-mess. If I know we are going on a long driving vacation, I will *gasp* update my binder. It is a chore, but it is better than slogging around two boxes of uncut inserts.
If we are flying, I consider the destination and then cherry-pick coupons to bring with me in an envelope.
For instance if we are going on a cruise, I’ll bring along coupons for drinks that we can pick up prior to boarding (we always fly in the day before) if the cruise line does not offer a drink card (YAY Princess and RCCL! – which includes Celebrity). H&BA coupons have come in handy when we’ve discovered we forgot something and had to run to a drugstore to make a purchase (and not pay $10 for toothpaste onboard – assuming they even have it).
It would be especially important to have an up-to-date binder on a cross country drive. You could save a lot of money using coupons and sales versus a constant diet of fast food (not to mention calories). And if you are camping along the way it will certainly save on food costs.
Get the store shopper card prior to shopping at the front desk. You may never use it again, but to save $20 that trip it is worth the 10 minutes filling out the form. I have a fair amount of store shopper’s card on my keyring, over 25 at last count. Everywhere I go I collect them because, hey, you never know. Well, except Piggly Wiggly. No way, no how. A driver’s license to get a store sale price!? Please tell me they stopped that insane requirement and now it is only if you want check cashing attached (which I can totally understand). While I cannot shop the sales on vacation, I can check the ad, see what is on sale, and make my purchase decision based upon the sale and coupons I have.
I love to visit various grocery stores picking up tear pad coupons, checking out the store, looking at the ads. That may not be your idea of a “vacation activity”, but take at least some of your best/more useful coupons along in an envelope – it may just save you a few dollars!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I have only been couponing for a little under 2 years and haven’t been on vacation since before that but I would for sure bring all of my coupons. My coupons binders are like my 3rd child!
My cousin in law invited us to michigan in april and even though i know nothing about the coupon policies of Kroger and Meijer i am VERY excited to visit them since i ALWAYS see write ups and deals for those stores
Kroger can be a goodie. Michigan doesn’t have doubles (that I know of), but ask your cousin in law if s/he knows for sure.
Ann
Yes, I take my coupons when I go to Jax to visit my daughter. We go shopping and restock her dorm room. I always find lots of great coupons while I am there too. Oh, and their Sunday paper is a must too, it will have different coupons than here in the south.
If we are doing a driving trip I do. Usually I am trying to use the extra time to organize it. On most trips right now I am in the hotel/condo for naptime for my little one–hubby usually takes older kids out. That time I ususally use for organizing.
Last time we went to Orlando I stopped at a CVS cause mine never had one of the ECB deals. Well, the one I went to had it and I bought it. The manager told me that they did not do ECBs at their store–thought that it was very weird. I ended up getting my paper and showed him and he gave me the $10.
And I do always like getting more coupons-traveling to Orlando I always go to Publix and get their coupons.
At the very least I check out the restaurants in the area to see if I can get coupons by signing up for email lists ahead of time. Last time we went to Orlando, I had coupons for about 20 different restaurants so the hubs had lots of choices!
i haven’t been couponing seriously for a year yet, but after we moved here i decided to get a binder and get organized because i was missing on coupons that i really wanted to use but they expired before i got around to using them.
we are going to a family reunion this summer and i will definitely be bringing my coupon book and entertainment book too (although i might not be able to use it as much). and i’m gonna get the newspaper there too because they get the red plum–>if i’m there on sunday! i still have my shopper’s card too, how nice that its on a keychain.
Well Ann and others, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one!
I took a driving trip to FL with my mom and kids for 4-weeks in Dec/Jan. I took most of my coupons with me, my laptop and my printer!! I had only started couponing about a month before the trip and was really in the ‘accumulating coupons’ phase. Publix, CVS, WAGS (actually 2 of them), and Target all within a mile of where we were staying. With all those stores so close, I was able to test out deals and figure out how all the stores worked. I went out and did some deals after the kids were asleep (made for easy babysitting for my mom). What a treat to go out couponing when it’s not below zero and childfree! Needless to say I left the family condo with a year supply of Finish Powerballs (we all remember that Wags deal from Jan) and All Laundry Soap
I am a short time couponer but I do take my Q’s with me when I travel.
When I was in Jacksonville, FL for 3 months on a work project, I got me a Food Lions card…and I still have it since I have relatives in FL.
When I first got to San Diego, they didn’t have Albertsons here but they had Safeways…and Vons. Then the Safeways were converted to Albertsons and the Vons stayed. It was all very strange to me b/c it all happened within a year of my arrival in San Diego.
I do take my cpns with me but I find that I really have only saved a little bit with actually using cpns. We went to FL last Oct (first trip with the baby) and I packed a lot of her stuff (diapers, swim diapers, food etc) so I wouldn’t have to buy them. We did have to buy wipes, formula & some other items. I went to Walgreens, CVS and Publix while there and also Target. Target was pretty disappointing, most of the items we got were just on sale or regular price. DH was adamant about not going shopping while on vacation. I didn’t find any good tearpads etc at Publix. Bummer. So I did some casual couponing which saved some money but nothing really great.
We are going to Boston & Maine this summer. I will try again.
We go to Ft Myers every March for about 3 weeks. This is the first time I will shop as a couponer- so excited! I was thinking how much I spent in the past, thinking I was saving money because we ate in the condo for breakfast and lunch. Now, I plan to get the Publix ad online for a major trip right away (with my binder), and I am saving a 10% Target Q for what Publix doesn’t have at great prices. This is how weird I am… do I bring my own TP and paper towels since I got them at very rock bottom prices, or take a chance at buying that stuff down there and save the space in the car? I laughed at the Finish Powerball comment. That stuff I am bringing forsure- paper plates, soap, shampoo… I’d never pay a dime for any of that! I wish I knew more of the scoop on great local deals, though.
I do not take coupons when I am flying, do not have room to bring groceries home. If I take some, it is for drinks etc. When we went to Orlando in Jan. I bought a few restaurant.com certificates. That worked out great, typing in the zipcode and I planned on the nights we could go. I wasn’t daring, not knowing the restaurants. I bought one for BB Kings Blues House, was great!!!