Okay, so admittedly I don't usually shop at CVS unless I need a prescription or some sort of first aid item, but I keep reading MamaCheaps! and always see good deals at CVS, so I thought I'd check it out. This week's circular had a few items that caught my eye, so I made a trip there on Monday and Derek actually went back today for more.
On Monday, I spent $11.66. I bought 3 boxes of Kellogg's cereal, on sale for $1.66 each but I had no coupon, I didn't realize I was buying cereal until I was there. I also bought 2 boxes of Cheez-its, which were on sale for $1.99 each and I had a coupon for $1 off when you buy two boxes.The last thing I got was a Garnier Nutrisse hair dye... my dye of choice when I do my own hair to save some cash. The dye was on sale for $5.49 and I had a $2 off coupon. My receipt showed a total savings of $17.29!!!
Today, Derek went back to CVS to pick up some more Cheez-its since we had another coupon left and I also asked him to pick up some more cereal, since it was such a great price. He spent a total of $6.95 and got 3 boxes of cereal to use the $1/3 boxes of Kellogg's cereals coupon and he got 2 more boxes of Cheez-its with another $1/2 coupon. He also picked up a bottle of water for him (and Victoria) to drink on the walk home, since they walked to CVS to enjoy the beautiful weather. The receipt from today's trip listed a savings of $16.19!!
So, in the last week we have had THREE shopping trips where we saved more than we spent! And, now I'm also stocked up on cereal for a few weeks... and all ready to make some rice krispie treats too! I could get use to this... especially on things that we currently buy anyway, like cereal and snacks.
Lesson learned: check out CVS for awesome deals!
Total CVS savings this week = $33.48
Showing posts with label Couponing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Couponing. Show all posts
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
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!
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!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Finding Frugality
Finding frugality should probably be a top priority for me for 2011, I think if I really work the process, only good things would come from it.
I really want to become better at saving money, especially for the everyday things that we routinely need. I would love to get our grocery bill cut down and get our toiletries and household items at great prices too. I hear people talk about their deals and how much they saved all the time, and I get quite envious that I don't do it so well. In order to do this, I really need to focus on couponing and I need to take the time and do it properly. I've gone through phases where I really use coupons, look for sales, etc and then I just get lazy. I really need to bargain hunt and start to build up more of a savings and pay down all of our debt.
Finances really make me crazy!!! So I'm going to focus on working finances in my benefit. I want to find deals, save money and earn free products. I think I made a great effort at Christmas, and I don't think I paid full retail price for any of the kids' gifts, aside from stocking stuffers. Heck, I've even started to make sure I *always* have coupons for when I go to AC Moore and on my last trip I scored FREE yarn, 2 big skeins - remember that?
Deals like that make me so excited. I still remember a few months ago when I really made coupons work for me and got TWO packs of Ballpark all beef hot dogs for FREE. Awesome. Is it crazy that savings like that give me a rush? It's like some huge challenge and when you conquer it (ie free stuff) it feels great. Plus, that was $8 that I was able to use on something else!
So, who is with me? Want to share your frugal tips? Do you coupon, what works for you?
I really want to become better at saving money, especially for the everyday things that we routinely need. I would love to get our grocery bill cut down and get our toiletries and household items at great prices too. I hear people talk about their deals and how much they saved all the time, and I get quite envious that I don't do it so well. In order to do this, I really need to focus on couponing and I need to take the time and do it properly. I've gone through phases where I really use coupons, look for sales, etc and then I just get lazy. I really need to bargain hunt and start to build up more of a savings and pay down all of our debt.
Finances really make me crazy!!! So I'm going to focus on working finances in my benefit. I want to find deals, save money and earn free products. I think I made a great effort at Christmas, and I don't think I paid full retail price for any of the kids' gifts, aside from stocking stuffers. Heck, I've even started to make sure I *always* have coupons for when I go to AC Moore and on my last trip I scored FREE yarn, 2 big skeins - remember that?
Deals like that make me so excited. I still remember a few months ago when I really made coupons work for me and got TWO packs of Ballpark all beef hot dogs for FREE. Awesome. Is it crazy that savings like that give me a rush? It's like some huge challenge and when you conquer it (ie free stuff) it feels great. Plus, that was $8 that I was able to use on something else!
So, who is with me? Want to share your frugal tips? Do you coupon, what works for you?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
I love saving money!
I'm on a mission to really start getting a tighter grip on our household budget and start saving money. The savings are out there, I just need to take the time to find them!!
The other weekend, while browsing the Clipper magazine, my husband noticed an add for a website called MamaCheaps because of the drastic savings that were advertised. I was intrigued, so I checked it out. It's AWESOME! She breaks down the sales and savings and talks about couponing, etc. I became a fan on FB and now just browse her status updates which link to her posts.
The other day, she had info about becoming a fan of Ballpark franks on FB and getting a $2 coupon. The coupon site allowed you to print two coupons. I said I'd wait until the hot dogs were on sale BOGO and use the coupons... well, they were on sale already this week! So- I bought 2 packs of all beef, bun-length Ballpark franks for FREE! Yes, FREE... actually, I got a penny back! I used both coupons which were $2/1 pack and then the BOGO discount. Awesome. I was so excited- I think that my first big "free" deal.
That same day, I used two $4 off coupons for Tag Reader books to be put aside for the princess for Christmas. They were on sale at Target for $9.99 (reg. $13.99) and then I used my coupons. I paid $12.70 for TWO Tag Reader books and my receipt showed a savings of $16!
And, just now, I ordered a case of 160 Size 3 Pampers Cruisers from Amazon for $17.82 plus FREE 2-day shipping. That's so much cheaper than $41.99 for the same size package at Babies R Us... what the heck, it's even cheaper than buying a pack half that size at Giant!
It may not seem a lot, but that's a savings of $48.17 just on those sales alone... now if only I can keep this up, we'll be in great shape... though I have to admit, it takes some time to plan, clip coupons, etc but it's well worth it! Thanks MamaCheaps!
The other weekend, while browsing the Clipper magazine, my husband noticed an add for a website called MamaCheaps because of the drastic savings that were advertised. I was intrigued, so I checked it out. It's AWESOME! She breaks down the sales and savings and talks about couponing, etc. I became a fan on FB and now just browse her status updates which link to her posts.
The other day, she had info about becoming a fan of Ballpark franks on FB and getting a $2 coupon. The coupon site allowed you to print two coupons. I said I'd wait until the hot dogs were on sale BOGO and use the coupons... well, they were on sale already this week! So- I bought 2 packs of all beef, bun-length Ballpark franks for FREE! Yes, FREE... actually, I got a penny back! I used both coupons which were $2/1 pack and then the BOGO discount. Awesome. I was so excited- I think that my first big "free" deal.
That same day, I used two $4 off coupons for Tag Reader books to be put aside for the princess for Christmas. They were on sale at Target for $9.99 (reg. $13.99) and then I used my coupons. I paid $12.70 for TWO Tag Reader books and my receipt showed a savings of $16!
And, just now, I ordered a case of 160 Size 3 Pampers Cruisers from Amazon for $17.82 plus FREE 2-day shipping. That's so much cheaper than $41.99 for the same size package at Babies R Us... what the heck, it's even cheaper than buying a pack half that size at Giant!
It may not seem a lot, but that's a savings of $48.17 just on those sales alone... now if only I can keep this up, we'll be in great shape... though I have to admit, it takes some time to plan, clip coupons, etc but it's well worth it! Thanks MamaCheaps!
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