So my husband (who stays home with the kids) had to run to Wal-Mart today. I am so proud of him. He not only browsed through the coupon organizer, but he also took the Target ad with him to get price matching. Here are the savings he got for us:
Band-Aids 2.50 used a coupon for .50
Neosporin on the Go 3.87 used a coupon for $1.00
Off Clip-On (he knows that mosquitoes feast on me) 6.88 used a $2.00 coupon
Huggies wipes 2.49 price match Target ad 1.99 used a .75 coupon!
He saved us $4.74 off of a $15 purchase.
Just think, we didn't even use coupons a little over a month ago!
Every coupon counts. Pennies make dollars!
How much can you save in one month? I challenge you to set aside a place for all of your receipts and log in your savings for a whole month. I haven't logged all of my receipts but I know that in the last 3 weeks, we have saved well over $30. How much do you think you can save in a year?
Showing posts with label coupons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coupons. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
I did it!
I have officially become a coupon junkie! I used to only buy my groceries from one store (the cheapest in town) and I never used coupons. I made the same excuses as most people, "They don't have coupons for what I buy," or "I don't have time to clip coupons."
What a mistake. Now, I still consider myself a beginner but last week I printed Target coupons and I printed coupons from coupons.com and I matched them up with the sales. That's the way you get the most out of your money.
At Target, I used my $1 off Ritz TARGET coupon and my $1.00 off Ritz manufacturer coupon and got $2.00 off. Most other bloggers posted that their Ritz were $2.50 but our Target charges $2.75. I got a box of Ritz for .75!
We had a Target coupon for $1.00 off of 2 Kool-Aid containers plus 2 $1.00 manufacturer's coupons AND it was on clearance for $2.25 so we got 2 tubs ($4.50) -$3.00 in coupons so we payed $1.50!
At Kroger, we used a $1.00 off barbecue sauce which only cost .99.
Oscar Mayer hot dogs were 2/$3 and we used 2 $1 coupons (because we were buying 2) so we got 2 packages for $1.
I have been a faithful used of Cheer laundry detergent for alomst 20 years but Tide was on sale at Kroger and we had a .35 coupons (which they tripled) so we got a bottle of Tide liquid for $5.99.
That's only the beginning. I can't wait to find out how much money I can save this week!
I'll post my Deals of the Day a little later today....I have a super long to-do list.
What a mistake. Now, I still consider myself a beginner but last week I printed Target coupons and I printed coupons from coupons.com and I matched them up with the sales. That's the way you get the most out of your money.
At Target, I used my $1 off Ritz TARGET coupon and my $1.00 off Ritz manufacturer coupon and got $2.00 off. Most other bloggers posted that their Ritz were $2.50 but our Target charges $2.75. I got a box of Ritz for .75!
We had a Target coupon for $1.00 off of 2 Kool-Aid containers plus 2 $1.00 manufacturer's coupons AND it was on clearance for $2.25 so we got 2 tubs ($4.50) -$3.00 in coupons so we payed $1.50!
At Kroger, we used a $1.00 off barbecue sauce which only cost .99.
Oscar Mayer hot dogs were 2/$3 and we used 2 $1 coupons (because we were buying 2) so we got 2 packages for $1.
I have been a faithful used of Cheer laundry detergent for alomst 20 years but Tide was on sale at Kroger and we had a .35 coupons (which they tripled) so we got a bottle of Tide liquid for $5.99.
That's only the beginning. I can't wait to find out how much money I can save this week!
I'll post my Deals of the Day a little later today....I have a super long to-do list.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Couponing 101
Why would you pay full price when you don't have to?
I have found video clips from when "Be Cents Able" was on Good Morning America and they show you how easy it is to coupon (is that a verb?).
The video box looks small while it is loading (and it takes a long time to load) but you will be amazed and I guarantee you will learn something. You should also watch the other little clips that are below the main story.
If you like this story, you MUST go to 918 Coupon Queen to see how one reader's total at Target came to $87.00. Amy saved $79.87 with coupons. Her out of pocket cost was only $7.13!
Happy Saving!
I have found video clips from when "Be Cents Able" was on Good Morning America and they show you how easy it is to coupon (is that a verb?).
The video box looks small while it is loading (and it takes a long time to load) but you will be amazed and I guarantee you will learn something. You should also watch the other little clips that are below the main story.
If you like this story, you MUST go to 918 Coupon Queen to see how one reader's total at Target came to $87.00. Amy saved $79.87 with coupons. Her out of pocket cost was only $7.13!
Happy Saving!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
My Trip to the Grocery Store
Well, I'm no pro, YET! But I plan on getting there soon.
This was the first time I planned my menu based on the store's sales and my coupons. I shopped at H-E-B because for the most part, they have the best prices in town. Occasionally Kroger will have something on sale that beats H-E-B's price but I am not going to make a special trip across town for one item, PLUS, most stores price match so I could always take Kroger's ad with me and get the same price at H-E-B.
For those of you who don't know, I just started clipping coupons about 3 weeks ago. We only grocery shop about every 3 weeks so today was the first time I got to use my new knowledge. I am quite proud of myself. My total before coupons was $170.47. My coupon value was $13.40 and my grand total was $157.07 for almost a month's worth of meals. We will have to refill on items such as milk, lunch meat, bread, and apple juice. If I save $13.40 every month, that's $160.80 saved a year!
That $157.07 includes T-bone steaks on sale for $3.97/lb and Pork Baby Back Ribs for $1.97/lb. It also includes an 18-pack of beer and some popsicles for the kids, all of which we normally don't buy but it's summertime! If you subtract those items, the total would have been $124.20 for a month's worth of food!
My coupon savings included:
Skintimate Shave Gel: $2.25. In-store coupon .75 AND a coupon from the paper for .75.
Final cost: $ .75
Voila Three Cheese Chicken Dinner meals: $3.49 each - $1.00 in store coupons
Final cost: $ 2.49 for a whole meal plus you can add some fruit. I stocked up on these. They come in handy on dance night.
Bird's Eye Bagged Veggies: $1.68 - coupon .40
Final cost: $1.28
Pillsbury Toaster Strudels: $1.89 each - $1.00 off 2 -in store coupon
Final cost: $ 1.39 each I bought 6 and I wonder if I should have gotten more.
I also used a few Pillsbury coupons that I planned my meals on such as .40 off pizza crust; .50 off any two- cinnamon rolls and crescent rolls; and .50 off any two- bread loaf and bread sticks.
If you are just getting started yourself, I want to mention that now I will sit down with my receipt and add the prices of the items I bought to my price comparison spreadsheet. It is very important to know your prices. I will be happy to email the spreadsheet to you so that you can see for yourself the price differences at HEB, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, Target, and Wal-Mart. I sit down with the Sunday paper ads each week and add the prices that they have advertised.
This was the first time I planned my menu based on the store's sales and my coupons. I shopped at H-E-B because for the most part, they have the best prices in town. Occasionally Kroger will have something on sale that beats H-E-B's price but I am not going to make a special trip across town for one item, PLUS, most stores price match so I could always take Kroger's ad with me and get the same price at H-E-B.
For those of you who don't know, I just started clipping coupons about 3 weeks ago. We only grocery shop about every 3 weeks so today was the first time I got to use my new knowledge. I am quite proud of myself. My total before coupons was $170.47. My coupon value was $13.40 and my grand total was $157.07 for almost a month's worth of meals. We will have to refill on items such as milk, lunch meat, bread, and apple juice. If I save $13.40 every month, that's $160.80 saved a year!
That $157.07 includes T-bone steaks on sale for $3.97/lb and Pork Baby Back Ribs for $1.97/lb. It also includes an 18-pack of beer and some popsicles for the kids, all of which we normally don't buy but it's summertime! If you subtract those items, the total would have been $124.20 for a month's worth of food!
My coupon savings included:
Skintimate Shave Gel: $2.25. In-store coupon .75 AND a coupon from the paper for .75.
Final cost: $ .75
Voila Three Cheese Chicken Dinner meals: $3.49 each - $1.00 in store coupons
Final cost: $ 2.49 for a whole meal plus you can add some fruit. I stocked up on these. They come in handy on dance night.
Bird's Eye Bagged Veggies: $1.68 - coupon .40
Final cost: $1.28
Pillsbury Toaster Strudels: $1.89 each - $1.00 off 2 -in store coupon
Final cost: $ 1.39 each I bought 6 and I wonder if I should have gotten more.
I also used a few Pillsbury coupons that I planned my meals on such as .40 off pizza crust; .50 off any two- cinnamon rolls and crescent rolls; and .50 off any two- bread loaf and bread sticks.
If you are just getting started yourself, I want to mention that now I will sit down with my receipt and add the prices of the items I bought to my price comparison spreadsheet. It is very important to know your prices. I will be happy to email the spreadsheet to you so that you can see for yourself the price differences at HEB, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, Target, and Wal-Mart. I sit down with the Sunday paper ads each week and add the prices that they have advertised.
Don't Throw Away Your Coupons
I have learned a valuable lesson. On Sundays when I clip coupons, I usually don't save them ALL. I am trying to stay clutter-free. So last Sunday I DID NOT save the $4 coupon for this Febreeze kit. BIG MISTAKE! Southwest Coupon Clipper posted about her fabulous find:
Febreze Noticeables - regularly $10.37 on rollback at Wal-Mart - $4.84 (in Houston)
-$4/1 PG 5/3
Final Cost = .84
-$4/1 PG 5/3
Final Cost = .84
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Coupon Books
Everyone should find coupon books in their community. I am talking about those books that different organizations are selling as a fundraiser. We bought one last year with over $6,000 in coupons for $39.95 and I tracked most of our discounts in the back. We saved more than $150. Just last week we had a tire blow-out and we used a 50% off for a computer alignment. That saved us $40. If you live in Texas, go to this site and click on your area to see what coupons are being offered. The site will also tell you which organizations will benefit from your purchase.
Also, in the fall, we bought a small discount card from one of the soccer clubs in town. It cost $5 and has coupons for 3 B1G1 ice cream at Maggie Moo's, 3 B1G1 Freebird's, 3 free kid's meals at Texas Roadhouse, 3 B1G1 at Chicken Express, 3 buy up to 12 peproni rolls at Double Daves and get the same free, and many more.
If you live in a college town, check the local university bookstores at the beginning of each semester. When I was a student, we went into the bookstores just to stock up on these free coupon books. I am not sure if they are still distributed here or not.
Here is the link for the Entertainment Book.
Also, in the fall, we bought a small discount card from one of the soccer clubs in town. It cost $5 and has coupons for 3 B1G1 ice cream at Maggie Moo's, 3 B1G1 Freebird's, 3 free kid's meals at Texas Roadhouse, 3 B1G1 at Chicken Express, 3 buy up to 12 peproni rolls at Double Daves and get the same free, and many more.
If you live in a college town, check the local university bookstores at the beginning of each semester. When I was a student, we went into the bookstores just to stock up on these free coupon books. I am not sure if they are still distributed here or not.
Here is the link for the Entertainment Book.
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