Coupons & New Products

[KatieSoCal]

Manufacturer's are circulating lots and lots of savings on their products - many I skip over in the inserts without a thought to even look twice. Lately, I have been exploring outside my product loyalty lines..now I'm curious to how many people have used a coupon to purchase a new product, a new brand, (because it was cheap, or almost free) to try a product to discover something that you've been missing out on, or fabulous, or something that changed your brand loyalty...or find something you could have lived without and will never buy again.

If you could share...I'd like to explore your new finds and failures.. Maybe others here would enjoy your finds/failures as well.

I'll go first..

I'm a brand loyalist, however, I switched from Cascade (20 yrs) to Finish without looking back..first for price...now for how great it works.

I recently found at my local Albertson's on sale ($1.59) - and since I had .75 off coupons (gave me 49% savings) McCormick spices - I tried and found out that they're really quite nice - the Tikka Masala was really good. They are perfect for my 25 yr old son that just bought a home and is on his own wondering how to cook. So easy and practical for him. Recipe Inspirations | Herbs and Spices | McCormick® Live deliciously™ -

One splurge I fell in love with. Downy Unstopables. Tried them when they offered a high value coupon...I think $3.00..loved them but hated the price. A few months ago when there was a sale at Target, I used P&G coupons, a Target Q and the sale price landed a 65% savings..I bought 20 of them. I'd never pay full price on these...the product is really nice - I love doing laundry (did I say that really?).

What's your great find??

BTW..Happy Easter

[arosemassey]

Anything olay or health and beauty especially if i have a q and its on sale is my splurge. that's why u can't be brand loyal my family including animals eat or use what I get

[Desert Debbi]

Like you I was a brand snob for years. It had to be Tide, Cascade, Crest, and Caress, and that was that. Period. Enter couponing and what am I told? Brand loyalty go bye bye.. price point is king! So.. I stopped looking at the lable and tried some new products.

So tide got traded in for wisk, gain, all, and purex. Of those I truely liked all BUT the wisk. I just didn't like how it made my clothes look old and faded. Surprisingly using a different detergent after using wisk helped.. but they still are not back to normal. Right now I am in Purex heaven with the new singles, and I also have a healthy stock of bottles.. easily a year to year and a half =P I suffered through 4 bottles of wish though when it was on sale for $1.99 LOL.

My bodywash story is somewhat humerous. As a new couponer I didnt know a price point from a pen point. So... I made a typical noobie mistake and bought 10 bottles of Ivory bodywash when it was on sale for 10/$10. I had no coupons but $1 each was a GREAT price.. right? I did the sniff test at the store.. smelled good (clean aloe scent). Tried it at home and I swear to you it made me STINKY.. the scent interacted with my skin in a funny way. ALL of the rest went to charity. However, I did not give up! I tried Olay, and Nivea, Suave and others until I finally decided my bodywash of choice was Nivea (vanilla scented). I love how its smells and how it leaves my skin feeling so soft! I also like the Dove product alot. The olay product was a huge disapointment for me. I actually think I am allergic to their stuff, because every product of them I try causes a reaction, from their original oil of olay to the bodywash to the face scrub!

I grew up with cascade, and have always loved it. Lately though not so much. My 2 year new dishwasher seems to have a residue from it, so I am trying out the finish gel pacs and am definately loving them. I only have 4 more cascades to suffer through and I will then switch over to finish and never look back (unless they are free or nearly free =p).

Toothpaste and toothbrushes have been similarly overhauled. Unless its free it doesnt come in the house. Same with deodorant. We now use speedstick in preference to other products because free is better =p

My husband is also getting a product makeover. He is using Axe and we are trying various scents out on him. Its so cute.. he always asks me to SNIFF him after a shower when he opens a new bottle, so I can see if I like the scent!

So bottom line my advice is as follows... do not be afraid to try new product.. but dont buy more than one until you KNOW you will use it and that you like it! Buy one the first day of the sale and immediately try it out, then go back and get more if you liked the results!

[Carol324]

Whenever I see a coupon for a new product, I clip it. I know within the next few weeks the item will be on the market (if not already) and there will be a promotional sale on it. One for instance was the Kraft First Taste breading product. Most people got this FREE or in my case, for .50. I think it is OK for my .50 but would definitely not pay $2.00 for it and that was the promotional price in my area.

I rather recently tried Colgate for Sensitive Teeth that I bought with a high value coupon and getting RRs at Wags and also being a promotional item. It was free with the RRs. I like it much better than Sensodyne which I used for years. So now I am using the Colgate once a day and the Sensodyne once a day to use up the Sensodyne.

I got a sample of the Downy unstoppables in the mail and decided the fragrance was too heavy for me so did not buy the product. I love the Nivea vanilla body wash also. As Desert Debbi mentioned, I also try the product and see if I like it and then go back and buy additional bottles before the sale is over.

Once you have a good stockpile of H&B products, I would just try new items if they are free with ECBs or RRs. That way you won't be out any money if you aren't crazy about the product. A good example is the Speed Stick sale coming up at CVS this Sunday. With the $1.00 coupon, it will only be .50 I believe after ECBs.

[KatieSoCal]

I agree with you on the Kraft First Takes - I tried it once and was super disappointed. I used it on pork - good thing they were free - I have 4 in my fridge just waiting to expire - it's not something I could donate to charity because it needs to be kept refrigerated. I don't know my neighbors so offering a give away is not an option for me.

[jenne64]

I really liked the Kraft first tastes and so did the rest of the family, if I lived closer I would take them off your hands for sure -))

As for products I discovered from coupons: Purex crystal softeners especially the blue bottle I adore. Always been a Purex girl thanks to some really sensitive skin and these just added to the list of why I love their stuff. Also a big fan of McCormicks salt and pepper grinders which I discovered through couponing. Pantene is my preferred hair stuff and thanks to coupons I never go without. Hubby just discovered he love MIO so I've just been stockpiling that and encouraging him to drink water.

One of my biggest surprises was I loved the VIVA paper towels and I mean I love those things. If I can get them I will even if I have to pay a little than for the others they are worth it to me because I need less of them and they are so strong. I also discovered that the Shick Hydro power is now one of my favorite razors. I can't stand the ones that come with the lotion as they always manage to break me out in some kind of nasty rash.

All that said I don't suffer from brand blindness and will always try the free/new stuff when it hits the market because you just never know...

[SleeplessBaker]

I got a coupon to try SIlk fruit and Protein free. We loved it. My kids really liked and ask for their smoothie when they want it. We would have never know we liked it if I hadn't gotten that coupon.

[fsuchick]

I was able to get the Kraft Fresh Takes free and nearly free, so I tried several varieties. Most of them were okay, but not worth full price. HOWEVER, I made a meatloaf with the four cheese blend. My family LOVED it. I have tried so many different meatloaf recipes and this was the first time that my 2 1/2 year old actually ate some. I will definitely be buying the four cheese again. When you take into account how much it would cost to buy those individual cheeses to make a meatloaf, the packet is worth the price. I tried the rosemary bread crumb mixture on pork chops and my family didn't care for them. It's cheaper for me to buy shake n bake and use rosemary from my garden than to buy that packet. We tried the Italian Parmesan to make chicken nuggets. That's another case where I think it would be cheaper to buy my own breadcrumbs and cheese.

[arosemassey]

Ohh I love silk too I hardly buy any reg milk anymore As I get almond and soy milk and the fruit and protein yum. Luckily Kroger had it on sale this week paid. 99 cents and just found a 2.50 onyo at moms that expires today and more silk coupons gonna go stock up on more

[dp38587]

Like you I was a brand snob for years. It had to be Tide, Cascade, Crest, and Caress, and that was that. Period. Enter couponing and what am I told? Brand loyalty go bye bye.. price point is king! So.. I stopped looking at the lable and tried some new products.

So tide got traded in for wisk, gain, all, and purex. Of those I truely liked all BUT the wisk. I just didn't like how it made my clothes look old and faded. Surprisingly using a different detergent after using wisk helped.. but they still are not back to normal. !

Wisk is the best for DH's greasy mechanic clothes......I don;t love it for the rest of the clothes.
I bought a lot of generics/store brands before I started Q shopping so I really ain't proud......I will try anything within reason if it's cheap/free. The one thing I always still buy is Crest......meaning I stock up when it's free. DH has used Crest his whole life and has never had a cavity, yep Never. He thinks it's the toothpaste and not a genetic Blessing , but free Crest it is. DD24 was Blessed with his dentition which he also attributes to toothpaste.
I love Pantene shampoo, Nivea body wash......citrus, Purex Crystals.......things many of us seem to like, but might not have tried without Qs.

Deb