The coupons I purchased from TheCouponMaster.com arrived yesterday in the mail, sorted neatly with a receipt for $3.95 ($3.01 worth of coupons plus a $.94 shipping fee). But now that I’m on a spending moratorium I’m not sure if I can use them. In fact, I’m pretty sure I cannot use them.
The problem is 22 of 31 coupons I purchased expire in July. $*%&#!
My spending moratorium puts the kabash on spending money on anything but groceries, basics like rent and utilities, and business expenses.
Three of the coupons are for a legitimate grocery item (ice cream), but the others are all for toiletries, which I often buy at the grocery store on sale but they are not truly grocery items.
My plan – before the moratorium – was to use the coupons at Target, which has really good prices on toiletries. Now I’m stuck between a rock and this friggin’ moratorium, which, until now, I have had no trouble observing!
[poll id=”30″]
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
Give them to friend(s) to use so they won’t go to complete waste.
Depending on what you were planning to buy, you may be able to find the toiletries items free at drugstores playing what I call The Drugstore Game. For instance, a couple of weeks ago, there was free Aquafresh ($2.99 and you got a $3 register coupon for your next purchase; the coupon more than covered tax so it was totally free). If any of your gift cards are for drugstores, you’re set! (If not, can you transfer a prescription to CVS or RiteAid? They offer $25 gift cards w/ transfers, as most CVS will take the RA coupon that comes in the weekly circular.)
Great tips Cathy! I will look for rebates and store sales. Plus, I think I have a few dollars left on my CVS gift card from transferring a prescription.
If you’d be willing to sell some/ give some away, I’d happily take the ice cream ones (and possibly others) off your hands! I’d be willing to send a dollar and a SASE toward them, if this offer interests you. Feel free to email me if you want to try this.
Thanks, Stefanie
Pay it forward. Give the coupons away to friends and your subscribers.
Use them, because any ways you need those toiletries to buy in next month. If you buy them this month, it will save from next month spending.
Also you can give it to friends, bargain babe followers and also to the ones who shows up for frugal festival.
I should add – the drugstores sometimes have great deals on food too! There’s a Breyer’s sale at Walgreens this week, although I don’t know if it’s enough to get the price to free with coupon 🙂
Great – I’ll check out the Walgreens sale flyer.
Make the purchases, but keep the stuff in a bag in the closet till next month, and count the purchases as made in August 🙂 That way you’ve kept to the spirit of the moratorium where you’ve not “bought” anything for yourself in July.
Tammy, great idea! I think I may well use this as my solution. My backup plan is to convince Hubby to use them for me.
Moratorium schmoratorium. Though toiletries are technically not groceries because you cannot ingest them, basic sanitation products are a necessity since they take care of basic bodily biological processes which occur on a daily basis. I say use the coupons. Don’t let the good deal slip away. What you get now may last into the month of August and reduce the amount you spend in August. If you pass up on this deal, then you’ll end up spending more when you run out. If you do not wish to test your reader’s opinions regarding the spending moratorium on toiletries, I suggest that you have a garage sale or post things for sale on sites like eBay. The extra money coming in will make up for anything you spend for toiletries this month.
Suffer, it proves spending moratoriums don’t work in real life.
I don’t get why necessities like some toiletry items aren’t allowed in the moratorium? I say that if you NEED the item the coupon is for it would be okay to use them during it.
AND if it’s cheaper at Target, then I would go get it there (and PS some grocery items are cheaper there, too).
For any that you don’t need I like the previous idea of giving them to your friends.
Cathy is right, as usual. If you can get them free, and pay taxes on your gift card, that’ll get you hooked on something you just can’t stop! It did for me.
However, if that’s not the case and they are super cheap, I Twittered you my advice: Give the list and coupons to hubby and pray it gets done right. Mine is okay with the coupons, I haven’t been giving him enough credit. Besides, the best thing about the coupons is waiting till a really awesome sale. If you’re getting Starbucks Ice Cream…well, you’ll never get it cheaper.
It is regular Breyer’s ice cream. Not my favorite but it’ll do. 🙂
I guess the real question is, however you buy those items will you feel like you’re cheating. If so, don’t do it. Your honor and sense of integrity should not be for sale — at any price.
Loop holes and gray areas:
1) Have hubby buy you a gift card to cover cost of items then go get them yourself.
2) Buy with a credit card that technically won’t be paid until next month (if you wait until after the statement date for this month passes).
3) I liked Cathy’s ideas best if you go ahead with buying the items.
4) Give, trade or barter them.
You should totally use them! If it’s at the Market, it’s totally fair game (unless you are shamelessly spending on movies and gift items). Toiletries count as groceries… I’m voting use ’em!
All of the suggestions that you have your husband get the items is a bad loophole because whether you go out and use the coupons or he does the money ultimately comes out of the same household. What’s yours is his, what’s his is yours. You’re not fooling anyone by doing that. When you went on your spending moratorium, you also enlisted your husband too. We’re not talking about a diet where you eat nothing but leafy green vegetables and he can eat all the junk food he wants. Your money and budget belong to the both of you.
Check with your local grocery store before you discard them. Just found out my local store honors expired coupons (as long as they are the ones clipped from the newspaper coupon inserts) for up to 6 months!