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I posted this a few years ago (yup, with a selfie of me using my very first Swiffer Duster), but it's such a good reminder of why coupons work not only for us but also for companies! This morning I used some of the Tide Oxi Clean I'd gotten last week at Target and it worked so well on a comforter that needed a little TLC – that coupon deal got me hooked. 😉 I'd love to hear what you think!
Every once in a while, a well-meaning friend or cashier questions my ethics when I get an item for free using coupons. While I completely understand what they’re asking, I also think they may misunderstand exactly why manufacturers put those coupons & freebies out there.
You see, companies like Colgate, Proctor & Gamble, and General Mills are nice, but they don’t just want to give away their products for free (and my guess is they know exactly how many “free” things they’re giving away with those coupons!) Instead, they’re using a brilliant marketing scheme that works pretty effectively. They’re trusting that if they create a fantastic product, market it to us *penny-pinched* mommas, and we love it, we might actually come back for more.
Guess what? It works! A few weeks ago I received a free sample of Swiffer Dusters that I requested during one of their Facebook giveaways. My four-year-old was so excited when she saw the box in the mail that she opened it within three minutes of the freebie making it through the door, and of course we (immediately!) had to try it out. Do you know what? That product is amazing! I love it!!! In fact, the very next week I went out and bought replacement Swiffer Dusters without a coupon (I accidentally left it the coupon in the car and it was raining outside. . . ), and I will probably use Swiffer dusters in my home forever. So, that little Facebook freebie made a believer out of me.
Now, my goal obviously is to buy those items in the future when they’re on sale and I also have a coupon. But, if they hadn’t sent me that freebie, there’s absolutely no way in the world that I would have tried them out. (Trust me, I’ve been a fan of my free rags for years.) However, since Proctor & Gamble was willing to let me try them out for free, they’ve pretty much guaranteed that I will always purchase them. They created a fantastic product, marketed it to a mom who daily fights dust bunnies, and sure enough,. . . I'll be going back for more.
Seriously – you should try them when dusting your window blinds . . . simply amazing!
Here are a few other items that I really would rather not live without after trying them out for free (or at least really inexpensively . . .)
- Theraflu Daytime or Multi-Symptom (These were free at CVS on Black Friday – my husband will never go without this stuff again because it's been a miracle drug when he's had a cold!)
- Kraft Homestyle Mac & Cheese (I have a crazy-fast-growing-11-year-old boy. Enough said.)
- Clorox Cleaning Wipes (They make my Motivated Moms bathroom & kitchen sink cleaning a breeze each morning!)
- Schick Intuition Razors (I shared this summer what happened when I purchased cheap razors at Wal-mart after getting used to the good stuff . . . goodness I love nice razors these days!)
- and, of course . . . any Swiffer products!
Are there any items that you've tried out using coupons that you probably wouldn't have tried had you not gotten a deal on them? Please leave a comment to share . . . because I'd love to try them out too! 🙂
And by the way, I caught my hubby cleaning the ceiling molding in our kitchen with that Swiffer duster the other day after watching me show him how well they work. Any product that gets him up & cleaning is my kind of product!
I used to use Vo5, Tresemme, or Suave, and then I grabbed so super cheap Pantene & I love it. I never buy vo5 or suave for myself now. My husband still loves Tresemme though.
I love Pantene too Rachel! 🙂
I love the Downy Unstoppable s..I mean really, let’s be honest, they are not a NEED but a definite WANT!
Downy Unstoppables are such a nice little splurge – sometimes it’s just nice to have those things!
Pledge wipes…they are great for cleaning my bike and do dual duty on my furniture 🙂
i honestly cannot think of anything that i’m brand loyal to. My husband LOVES special K. Just about the only cereal he will eat. I only buy yobaby for my daughter but that’s because i don’t know of any other baby yogurt.
Lysol Dual Action wipes. . . I got them when they were B1G1 at publix plus I had coupons, plus there was a rebate and now I am hooked. They are awesome!
Tide Total Care
Love! Love! Love the way it smells! Plus it’s easy on your clothes too!?! Lol. I received this as a sample in the mail and now this is one of my splurges. Along with Swiffer Products, of coarse.
Crest Pro-Health
Product speaks for its self
Nivea Body Wash
Great sale, great coupon, great deal, great product=that’s what’s in my shower…..
Not sure where to post this, but this was in my newspaper over the weekend and I tracked it down online to share.
http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and-games/fun/Curtis/2012-01-29/
Love that Bree! 🙂
Magic Erasers. I never would have bought them on my own, but after trying them with a coupon, I swear by these things now!
I forgot about those Jennifer … LOVE them!
I haven’t tried out the Zarbee’s Rachelle, but love knowing that it’s worked for your kiddos!
Thanks so much for sharing what products you all love – I’m going to have to pick up the ones I haven’t used yet!
A few months ago Walgreen’s had Zarbee’s All Natural Nighttime Cough and Sleep Drink free with register rewards. So, of course, I picked it up. My 12 year old daughter always gets a horrible cough at night and can’t sleep whenever she gets a cold. We normally have to get prescription meds from the doctor so she can sleep at night. She tried this and it worked wonderfully. Then, this past weekend my husband was really sick with a head cold and I told him how well it worked on her, so he decided to try it and it worked on him too, even though it’s a children’s medicine. This will be a product that will always be in my medicine cabinet from now on.
I’m with you Erica about the Always product. But for me it was the Always feminine wipes. They come in their own little packaging and I can divide the box among my purses.
Other good things:
Up & up napkins they last forever and I’d rather pay 2.49 for 600ct than .99 for 160ct and go through them every week.
Now that I think about it a lot of my favorite items have been Up & up merchandise that I would have never tried had it not been for those Target coupons.
I also love the Swiffer duster, would have never bought it without getting the free one first. I love it!! Makes such a big difference in my dusting. I have gone on to purchase many items that I would not have normally purchased without getting a “try me” one first.
Yes! Always Infinity feminine products. Maybe that’s TMI, but I have since paid over $6 for them (on vacation when I unexpectedly needed them) because they are in fact, that good! 🙂 The first one I got was either free in a Wags deal or a sample. I can’t remember actually! 🙂 Thanks PPP!
I probably would have never even started purchasing formula for my baby because she was breastfed until 12 months. She’s 16 months and would be fine with cow’s milk now. But Enfagrow’s toddler formula sample and abundance of “checks” have pursuaded me to continue. Plus, it’s way more convenient to use while traveling.
I never thought about it being great to travel with Danielle!
Swiffer must be the popular thing. 🙂 The one thing that I am hooked on is the swiffer wet-jet solution. I got a good deal on the wet jet awhile back and really love it. I started making my own reusable pads for the bottom to save money, but I just can’t give up the lavender solution with Febreeze.
Probably the biggest one for me, though is Multigrain Cheerios. I NEVER would have bought a box of a “healthy” cereal at full price (or even on sale) just to try it, but I was able to get really good deals on it when it first came out and now it’s one of my favorite cereals. I still won’t pay full price for it, but it has a higher “buy” price than most cereals just because I love it so much. 🙂
Others: Perdue Whole Grain Baked Chicken Nuggets, Tribe Hummus (I didn’t even know I liked hummus), Aquafresh Extreme Clean (orange and mint? would have thought it was a terrible idea without trying it!), and I’m sure a bunch more that I’m not thinking about.
We had Perdue Chicken Nuggets tonight Katie! 🙂 I haven’t tried out the Multigrain Cheerios yet but we are slightly addicted to Honey Nut Cheerios at our house. And Swiffer products just make me happy!
I am in love with yoplai light with granola! I never would have purchased it before because a 2 pack is over $2.50…but now I am absolutely addicted to it and have purchased several more without a sale. This will now be a weekly staple to pick up while shopping!
My hubby loves that stuff too… I don’t even like yogurt but it looks so good! 🙂