Saturday 9 February 2019

A Penny Saved...

...is a Penny Earned
Or so the saying goes. Since my handbag was nicked last year, I have seriously reduced the number of 'loyalty cards' in my purse. Bob still thinks I have too many. Especially when I am struggling to find a card or coupon just to get a few pence off my purchase. But as my M&S Credit Card gets me loyalty points, I am glad of the coupons they send me.

I recently got a whole sheet of them - and as Bob is in dire need of a new pair of 'smart casual' shoes [his old ones were literally falling apart] I suggested we might look in M&S for a new pair, on our day off. We went to Salisbury, used the Park&Ride, and loaded the shopping trolley with well over 200 books for the Oxfam Bookshop there. The Manager told us they are able to sell 80% of all donations, and raise between £3K and £4K a week. Then on to M&S...
Oh, the great satisfaction of actually finding some he liked, at a price I was happy with! Bob took a picture of the shoes, and the label, so we could come home and order them on line. The price was £1 short of earning 1000pts/£10, and buying online got me an extra 200pts/£2. And there was a 5x points bonus before Feb 10th. 
I'm a little uncomfortable about the" buying online bonus"- surely that is contributing to the closure of more shops on the High Street?
Back at home I ordered them, adding some tights, to tip me over the £1 shortfall. Even allowing for the cost of the tights [my navy ones are beyond repair] I reduced my total bill by 20%. I shall add my next voucher to the £3 remaining on this sheet to buy food. [Assuming the lorries aren't held up at Dover/Calais...]

REMEMBER; A coupon only saves you money if you were intending to buy the product anyway!











5 comments:

  1. I'm glad Bob found a pair of shoes that he liked at a price you liked and you were able to get the points for using your card. The online purchasing discounts are nice to have, but, you are right, they do contribute to the decline of brick and mortar stores. Closing a store means the company doesn't have the costs of maintaining the stores (heating, cooling, lights, etc.) or paying people to work there. It's a bit like ATMs vs bank tellers, self-checkout at some stores and libraries vs. cashiers and library personnel.

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  2. .. Just don't get me started on the demise of the libraries in the UK!

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  3. You did well - but yes, a coupon only saves you money if it was actually something you needed!
    I too have reduced my loyalty cards as I simply no longer shop at certain stores - plus - the one loyalty card that I do use frequently can be used at a number of grocery stores (all under the one umbrella company) and they have also taken over the drugstore that I shop at most frequently so I use the same card - it does help. I also keep my cards in a separate little coin purse and if I know that I'm going to a particular store I move that card to the front of the line before I head out.

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  4. Same shoes as my husband’s Angela and he also has the boots too. I insist he replaces worn out clothes at the 20% off time as he has no interest in what he wears but I like him to have some decent clothes that fit well and are comfortable. Otherwise, he wears our SIL’s cast offs quite happily.

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  5. I, too, am uncomfortable, about online coupons and doing that over buying in store. It is very difficult to know what to do.

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