Couponing Revisited

Today I received the JoAnn Fabric ad in the mail, and I realized I neglected an important part of couponing. In my earlier couponing post I talked about food and household goods, but I didn't mention fabric and craft items. This is one area of my life where I do actively search out coupons. You can get awesome deals by watching sales and using coupons.

I receive email notifications from Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and JoAnn Fabric. They usually are ads, but often include coupons (40% off one regular priced item!). I also get JoAnn Fabric ads in the mail. Today I noticed an awesome deal:

Fiskars Sewing & Quilting Cutting Tools (scissors, rotary cutters, mats, and more) will be 50% off Feb 12- 15. That's an awesome deal by itself (have you priced cutting mats?), but then I noticed a coupon for 10% off your total purchase, including regular and sale priced items. That makes the Fiskars items 60% off!

I've been wanting to get a cutting mat for awhile now- I really need to be more accurate with my cutting- but the price has always put me off. Come Valentine's/President's Day weekend, I'm taking a trip to JoAnns and buying a cutting mat- a big one!

If I recall correctly, past ads have included 15% off total purchase coupon, which would make for an awesome deal as well. The ad that came today also inluded a coupon for 40% off one regular priced item and a coupon for 50% off one regular priced item. These can't be combined with any other discount or offer, but that just means you can get an item you want for up to half off.

We don't get the Sunday paper, but my in-laws do, and their paper frequently has ads for Hobby Lobby and Michaels, which in addition to displaying sale items, will also usually have a coupon for 40% off a regular priced item.

When you buy stuff at Michaels, the register receipt usually includes another 40% off regular priced item good for the following week. I figure this is their way of getting you back in the store quickly. When you go back next week to use your coupon, they give you another one and you return again in a week to use that coupon. I've done it, and been able to buy some things that I otherwise would not have been able to afford.

And you can usually find good deals after holidays and in the clearance aisles. You don't need to spend a fortune to do your crafting/decorating/scrapbooking/whatever it is you like to do.