Adventures in Couponing

I am determined to start saving money and start paying down debt with all the money I’ve saved. I’m determined to get the best deals possible and not be lazy about clipping coupons and taking the time to plan out my shopping trips. I am just determined to stop throwing away money that could be going back to my bank account! I’ve been using coupons here and there… I seem to go through phases. Before the holidays, I know I posted a few times about awesome deals and great coupons, but now I want to make it a full-time thing!



We watched Extreme Couponing the other night… it was crazy, but also so unrealistic. I couldn’t imagine filling up 4 shopping carts and maxing out the transaction total allowed by the store…or checking out in 18 transactions (one after another) to get the deals. Most stores don’t allow that. I know that once my mother-in-law and I went to AC Moore together and I was holding onto both our coupons and they wouldn’t let me do the checking out both times, so I had to do one and she had to hand her own coupon to the cashier – so there’s no way that regular stores would allow someone to do 18 consecutive transactions… maybe I’m wrong. I know I’ve done 2 in a row, only because I was shopping for someone else… I also know that I can’t go shopping on Sunday afternoon if I want to get these deals and take my time!


Last night was my first (of many) adventures with coupons since I’ve decided to become dedicated (again) to savings!! Derek is in need of allergy medicine, and so is the little princess, plus Ben is in need of a pain reliever with all his teeth coming in. Well, while clipping coupons I saw a $7 Claritin and $4 off Children’s Claritin – so I saved them… and then we decided to check out the coupons at Target.com since you can stack one Target coupon plus one manufacturer’s coupon – and jackpot!! They had some Claritin coupons online too, one for $5 off and one for $2 off, which would match perfectly with those that we already had. We also had a $2 off infant’s Advil and I had a Buy One Herbal Essences shampoo and get One Herbal Essences styler free…and I needed shampoo! We also printed out a BOGO Dasani 1L water coupon for Target while we were looking.


So, we ventured to Target for the dreaded “necessities” that always add up to a small fortune. Not this time, no way! For the first time in a looooong time, I only bought what I went there for! Can you imagine? Leaving Target with only the items on my list? Completely unheard of... but hoping this will be a new trend!

Want to know the breakdown of my deals?  Here they are:

Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Shampoo - Sale Price $2.84
Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Mousse - Sale Price $2.84 + BOGO Coupon = FREE!
Infants' Advil - Regular Price $4.79 - $2 Manufacturer's Coupon = $2.79
(2) Dasani 1 L Waters - Sale Price $0.79 each + BOGO Coupon = $0.79 for both!
Children's Claritin 20ct - Regular Price $15.99 + $4 Manufacturer's Coupon + $5 Target Coupon = $6.99
Claritin 40 Ct (30ct package + 33% More Free deal) - Regular Price for 30 $17.89 + $7 Manufacturer's Coupon + $2 Target Coupon = $8.89

Total Out of Pocket = $22.30
Total Savings = $24.64

I hope to repeat this kind of success again!