Thursday, February 17, 2011

I'm not cheap, I promise....

My NEW favorite thing to do is coupon...I LOVE getting the sunday paper, and LOVE sitting down on Tuesday afternoons to plan out my Wed morning shopping trip.
This past week, I did the best I have done yet for what I got! Since I've been doing this a few weeks now, my stockpile has gotten pretty big! This week, I didn't buy any meat or produce because we still have a good amount of meat in the freezer and we had some carrots and kiwi left over from last week. 

A little about my planning....
I have a binder where I keep all of my coupons..I have a clear insert for each week. When I get Red Plum, Smart Source, and P & G inserts out of the Sunday paper, I immediately put them in the week they belong. 
On Tuesdays, I go to a couple places including coupons.com and Target to look at all the printable coupons. Once I print those out, I place them in the envelopes they would go in.
I follow Southern Savers...On Tuesday afternoons Jenny list the deals for Publix. I go through, look at what I need or will use, see what coupons I have, and write those items down on a piece of paper with the price. Once I finish going through her list, I create a printable grocery list from her site so that I know when I go into Publix, I can see exactly the products I need to get instead of looking through all of my coupons. By writing down the prices, I'm able to see how much I will end up spending with the coupons.



SO this week, was a GREAT week! Kaz usually takes soup, sandwiches, sometimes left overs[BUT he likes to eat those for breakfast so he doesn't have any left for lunch], etc for lunch. This week was great as far as soups!
Here's what I got:

Stuff Bought
[2] 84 pack BOXES of Pampers Diapers[FOR 2 BOXES OF THESE AT WAL-MART It's $50. I got 2 boxes + 2 pampers wipes(for free) for $28.98]
[5] packs of Huggies & Pampers Wipes
[20] Cans of Progessive Soup
[4] Containers of Progressive Chicken Broth
[4] boxes of Betty Crocker Brownie Mix
[4] containers of Bertolli Alfredo Sauce
[1] Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup
[2] Reese Cups
[1] Dawn Dish Liquid
[4] Ball Park Franks
[4] Packs of Sargento Cheese[I got these for .50 each!]

Total Bill at Publix: $167.29
Total Spent  at Publix: $68.63
Total Savings Today at Publix: $$98.66

I went to Wal-Mart and checked all the prices AND IF I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN ALL OF THIS AT WAL-MART THE TOTAL WOULD HAVE BEEN: $147.32



If Kaz took 1 soup a day to work, that would be enough for a whole month ALTHOUGH that won't happen, so I expect those soups will last about 2 months. I shouldn't have to buy chicken brothe and brownie mix for a good couple of months! I understand the stockpile now:)

So, I also tried out CVS this week...I've been skeptical and overwhelmed but I tried it! Worked out great!
Here's what I got:
[2] Colgate sensitive toothpaste[the only kind I can use] for $2.79 each and got back $7.58 in Extra Care Bucks.
[1] Lady Speed Stick Deo for $2 and I got $2 in Extra Care Bucks

Total Spent $7.40, ECB $9.78
I've already planned out next weeks trip to CVS...Here's what it looks like.

[2] Cologate Total toothpaste[Kaz's uses this kind]. $2 each with coupon, and I get $4 ECB. So my ECB will go down to $5.78 + the $4 I get from this trip so I will walk away spending $ZERO and still have $9.78 in ECB!
I NOW LOVE CVS!

AND LASTLY....Kaz and I had dinner with our good friends The Schuermann's last night over in Mount Pleasant, so before we left I decided to check out Harris Teeter's deals[since we don't have one close to us].

Here's what I got:
[2] Chi Chi's salsa[$.49 for both]
[1] Kraft single cheese[FREE]
[2] Green Giant frozen veggies[FREE]
[2] Heft Storage bags[$2.99]

Total Bill $20
Spent $4
SAVED $16

Can't beat that...ALTHOUGH, I personally like Publix better than Harris Teeter. The one that I went to was very tricky on what was on sale and what wasn't. For instance, they advertised Nestle Tollhouse Ultimate Cookie Dough for $1.99[No specification on what kind]. BUT in the store it was only the white macadamia nut. All the others were $3.98! Tricky...

SO I do love couponing now, and wish I would have started a long time ago. My goal now is to stay under $50 a week for groceries and CVS. I think I can do it:)

If you have any favorite couponing sites, tips, etc. I would love to see them!

6 comments:

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Jemsmom said...

That is awesome! I tried it a little, but not like I should have! I always feel like I buy things I normally wouldn't or brands that I wouldn't normally buy. I don't know, but I see all the posts out there of people saving big bucks and I need to get on that band wagon!

Ashley said...

That's awesome!

Jennifer said...

Here's a lesson learned... I just had a carpet cleaning company come and AFTER they left I went on their website and found that they had a printable coupon for 15% off. Darn!

Tiffany said...

I love it too! I don't have the time to dit as well now but I can not wait to get backt o it! It is not cheap it is FRUGAL! :)

{andthisiswhatshesaid} said...

Im only 21 (almost 22) and I coupon like crazy. My favorite site is havecouponswilltravel.com.... I am a mod there and its a great site with tons of tips!!