Every once in a while my brain does a little wandering and I realize that even though most people know that coupons are an effective money savings tool, they don’t always think about them for making purchase other than groceries.
Before going to the store, do a Google search for the item you’re about to purchase. For example, in an earlier post, I mentioned my experience with 3M command strips picture hanging tabs. Who would have thought that such an inexpensive item would have coupons that pretty much covered half of the purchase price. I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t do a quick Google search first.
Online Purchases
This is especially true if you’re purchasing items online. Since you’re already online, go to Google, type in coupon plus whatever it is you’re looking for. For example, if I were looking to purchase diapers or baby clothes, I would type in “diaper coupons” or “coupons baby clothes.” Sometimes you have to sift through a few sites, but if you end up saving 5, 10, 20 % or more, its worth it.
Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll find companies that offer a month long or longer coupons. For example, the 3M coupons I found expired two months after I discovered it. So, I printed several of the coupons and every time I went into the store, I made sure to buy a few command strips (I was decorating two rooms and I needed a lot of command strips).
Every Little Bit Helps
Once you get the hang of it you’ll find that you’ll be hard pressed to go to the store without doing the proper coupon search first. Let’s face it; many of us have to tighten our belts. Every little bit helps. One of my favorite sayings is “the wealth is in the fragments.” Gather your fragments and make them work for you.
I recently finished painting my guest room and decided that after all of the pre-painting prep work of spackling and sanding and getting rid of nail 
holes, I didn’t want to re-create the same problem. Although I had quite a few pictures to hang on the wall, after a fresh coat of paint, I didn’t want to ruin it with nail holes and picture hooks.
After a little research, I came across the 3M Command Strips. The 3M Command Strips allow you to hang pictures without damaging the wall. Their adhesive strips can be removed as simply as pulling the tape strip straight down to release the adhesion.
Picture Hanging Heaven
Before running out to purchase the strips, I printed a manufacturer’s coupon. If you’re going to buy the product, make sure to download and print the coupon before going to the store.
Armed with my coupons, I went to Home Depot and bought the picture hanging strips and a package of Command Hooks. The directions were simple enough so I made sure to follow them to the letter. I cleaned the area with alcohol, applied the appropriate amount of pressure on the strips for 30 seconds and then waited an hour before I hung my pictures.
Will the Command Strips Work?
After hanging one picture and a wall decoration, I decided to wait to see if it worked prior to hanging the rest of the pictures. Imagine my surprise when I heard a bang and a crash. I went back to the room and my wall decoration fell, hit the baseboard heat (placed a nice little dent in my newly painted trim) and was lying on the floor.
Before I could turn around to remove the picture frame, it too cane crashing down, damaging the frame. GASP! What had I done wrong?
The unfortunate thing is that since I used two strips per picture, one of the Command Strips had fallen while another one was still stuck to the wall. I went to pull the adhesive tab straight down (as instructed – here’s a copy of the 3M Command Strip instructions), and the tab snapped in half. I had the tab in hand and the strip was still stuck to the wall.
I then tried to gently pull the tab from the wall and I noticed that my fresh paint also began to ‘bubble up.’ I stopped pulling and decided to take it real slow. Eventually I removed the strip, but there was a bubble and a small hole in my newly painted room. Nothing too major that a little paint patching wouldn’t cure, but the reason I bought the 3M Command Strips was because I didn’t want to do patch work.
More 3M Command Strips Internet Research
After searching the internet to see what I had done wrong, I eventually stumbled upon a few forum threads and then eventually the FAQ’s
on 3M’s site. Here’s the question and the answer that addresses my problem:
“Q: Can I use Command adhesive on fresh paint?
A: Alcohol may remove or dull the surface of fresh paint. Paint should be fully cured (check paint can for manufacturer’s cure time) before using Command adhesive products.”
Ya think they would put this little fact as a warning in their product’s instructions?
Now that I’ve got a dent in my baseboard heating, broken picture frame and a fix and repair on my wall, I’ve found that I have to allow the paint to fully cure (which takes about a month) before using their Command Strips.
Shame on you 3M for not including such a tip in your instructions.
I used the 3M Hook in a different room that was not freshly painted and its working just fine (although I haven’t tired to remove it, don’t know if the strip will snap in half). Just wish that I hadn’t wasted time, money and frustration trying to make something work that clearly wouldn’t under the given circumstances.
3M, I think your product works, but you should be more upfront about the cured paint. Let’s face it; a freshly painted room was the inspiration for using 3M Command Strips.
Tags: 3m command strip tab broke, 3M Command Strips and fresh paint, 3M Command Strips work, broken tab on 3m command strips, hang pictures without nails, warning about 3M Command Strips
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