A lot of people have contacted me on Twitter and asked what’s going on? What will we do? What can we expect if we show up? Please put together an envelope of coupons you don’t want and then watch this brief video presentation.

Hope to see you there.

The best coupon blog local to Western New York is Coupons Deals & More. If you’re from around here then you need to be reading that blog. It’s my favorite without a doubt. Ann, the author of the blog, had a meet-up of readers recently in Buffalo. Now Rochester readers can get a chance to do the same. Ann and I have set up a time and a place for us coupon nerds to get together and talk about savings and whatnot here in the ROC.

• Date: Saturday, May 22nd
• Time: 11:30 am
• Place: Chili, NY

Email Ann at Coupons Deals & More your RSVP for all the pertinent information.

Once you learn these simple rules you’ll know the difference between a good clearance deal and a great one.

Target Markdown Rules:

• Target marks items down with percentages: 15%, 30%, 50%, 75% & 90%.
• The upper right hand corner of the price tag will tell you the percentage off.
• Item will remain at a percentage off for usually two weeks before progressing to the next level.
• Consumable items, furniture, and electronics are generally the only things that go 15%.
• Target’s full prices end in 9. Thereafter each price drop will reduce the final digit in the price to either an 8, 6, or 4. (eg. A $9.99 item at 30% off will be priced $6.98)
• The lowest the last digit will drop is to 4. If you see something you want and the price ends in 4, buy it. The price won’t go any lower.

Holiday Clearance Rules:

• 50% off day after holiday for three days
• 75% off fourth day after holiday for three days
• 90% off seventh day after holiday for 1-2 days

Here are some examples from today’s shopping trip. Good thing I had coupons for most of these items:

Food item 15% off. Blah deal:

Food item 30% off. Better deal. Ends in 8 so its the first price reduction:

Twice reduced. Now at 50% off & ending in a 4. The lowest price this product will go:

Also twice reduced (from 15% to 50%) & ending in a 4. Buy it now:

The Town of Chili Farmers Market (MAP) begins on May 8th. Details below:

Remember this? In the meantime you can still follow along on Twitter.

Get a FREE sample of Burt’s Bees toothpaste or a $1 off coupon HERE.

The key to good bargain grocery shopping is to stock up when things are on sale. Build your pantry, build your freezer, make your basement look like a 1960′s fallout shelter. Sometimes this stockpiling of food may lead you to have more than you may need or can use before expiration. A great way to do some spring cleaning in your pantry is with the USPS annual letter carrier’s food drive being held this year on Saturday May 8th. Simply put a bag of non-perishable food next to your mailbox that day to donate. I got the above reminder in the mail today and have started putting together a few bags of groceries to donate. I may laid-off and poor but I get a great deal on my food by shopping smart. I’m happy to make a donation that can hopefully help out another fella or family that may need a break.

Here’s some more information:

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) announced that the nation’s largest annual food drive to combat hunger will be conducted this year on Saturday, May 8.  On that day, letter carriers will collect non-perishable donations from homes as they deliver mail along their postal routes.

The 18th annual NALC National Food Drive to “Stamp Out Hunger” is the largest one-day food drive in the nation.  Carriers collected a record 73.4 million pounds of food in last year’s drive. The drive is held annually on the second Saturday in May in over 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.

Donations will be collected by more than 1,400 local branches of the 295,000-member postal union and delivered to food banks, pantries and shelters that serve the communities where they are collected.

In New York City, where transportation limitations preclude mailbox pickup, citizens are asked to take donations to their local post offices between May 3 and 8.

Other co-sponsors of the drive with the letter carriers’ union are the U.S. Postal Service’s Priority Mail; Campbell Soup Company; Valpak; National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association; Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network; United Way Worldwide and its local United Ways; and the AFL-CIO.

SOURCE

Big M Deals 4/18-4/24

To view the full ad click HERE. In addition to these sales they also have their on going 5 For $20 sale on meats.

This week’s sale highlights:

• Hormel bacon: BOGO
• Russet potatoes 5 lb bag: BOGO
• Arnold Country Classic Breads: BOGO
• whole pork tenderloin: $3.49/lb
• boneless rib eye steak: $6.99/lb