Old Navy and their weekly coupons...

I don't know if you've heard or not, but Old Navy puts out major coupons almost weekly right now. Some of their coupons are very high value coupons like $45 off $100 purchase or even $65 off $100! They also have lots of smaller coupons with less out of pocket too. However, the way they give them out is through a search and find website (http://www.oldnavyweekly.com) that thousands of people flock to when the coupons reset. It's not impossible to get the coupons, but you do have to be on the computer at the right time and THAT can be very difficult. A lot of people (based on comments throughout the internet) get VERY upset when they don't get a coupon. So, The Thrifty Mama wrote an excellent post about this issue and explored the idea of whether these ON coupons are truly thrifty or not. I would encourage you to read her entry and even her entire site! (I've learned so much about the coupon world through her!)

Obviously, if you are able to get one of their coupons, then you have to decide for yourself whether the out of pocket you spend is worth it for you and your family even with a high valued coupon. There have been a couple of weeks that I've been able to get a coupon, but Old Navy is not a store that I frequent regularly. However, with these coupons burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to check it out. I am working on increasing my thrifty ways in all areas of my life and so I wanted to make the best choices in what to buy. I had to really consider what was the best way to use this opportunity to get the most bang for my buck (or coupon).

I thought to myself, "I can always find a pretty dress for my sweet baby girl, but does she really need more? Or I'm sure I can find some cool, trendy t-shirts for my handsome boy, but again, his closet is overflowing with thrifty bargains that I've already found. Or I could try to purchase summer clothes for the kiddos for next year, since we already have this year's summer clothes stocked." That last idea is definitely a wise use for this coupon, but I have a really hard time estimating my kids' sizes three months down the road, much less 12 months!

And, then, in a moment of wonderful inspiration, my sister-in-law, Beth announced that she was going to stock up on socks, undershirts, and underwear for her family in their next sizes. Kids always need those items of clothing and our kids are obviously always growing, so PERFECT idea! This was also during the time that Old Navy had all men's clothes for 50% off! So, my sweet husband also got all new socks, undershirts and underwear for super CHEAP. I paid about $1.27 for each package of socks and underwear. I honestly can't think of a cheaper way to purchase these items that I personally choose not to buy used no matter how gently worn. :)

Two other ideas to use quality coupons from Old Navy (or any clothing store for that matter) in a thrifty way, would be to purchase new beach towels for summer swimming [Beth's idea, again!] and to purchase Christmas presents with clothing items that can be used in layering during winter months. The Christmas idea is always a helpful one for me so that (A) my Christmas shopping gets done earlier than Christmas Eve and (B) the money that I'm spending on Christmas doesn't all have to come out of one month's budget or paycheck. Hooray!

I would love to hear from you on more ways you've been able to use Old Navy coupons (or another clothing store) in a frugal way. Please feel free to leave your ideas and suggestions in the comments section of this post.

Ciao,
J