Coupon Revelation

I have always tried to save money by using coupons. This was especially true when I was at college, living off campus and not on a dining plan. Since moving back home, I have tried to use them more frequently as a way to help out my parents with the cost of grocery & household products. I got caught up in the couponing frenzy about a year and half ago. I bought a trapper keeper, plastic sleeves and even joined coupon forums. I was spending a good 5-7 hours a week clipping, organizing and planning shopping trips.

I realized I wasted a lot of time trying to clip and organize coupons when many of them would expire before I got to use them. I also spent way too much time going to different stores and going up and down every aisle to see if there was that oh so treasured unadvertised deal. I accumulated a lot of health and beauty items that eventually I will use them but the overflow of closets and shelves of products is a nightmare. I will say it is nice to not have to run out and buy deodorant ot toothpaste every time I need it. Or worse- running out to get a toothbrush when yours falls in the toilet or cat litter box.

I will say this- I never did get wrapped up into buying items just because they were a good deal. We try to eat healthy and try not to eat frozen dinners or over processed foods. I have been known to try certain products because I had a coupon. Sometimes I liked it- others not so much.

All in all, a year and a half later I no longer plan out weekly shopping trips and scour the ads for coupons. I cut out what I know I will use and file them away in my binder. I do enjoy having a binder- it makes trying to find coupons on the fly easy. I still try to buy everything with a coupon if I can, but there are certain brands of products that I use and consume and will do so with or without a coupon.

One thing I have discovered is tha CVS is great for finding good deals especially when you are a subscriber to their Extracare Club. They seem to have good prices if not the lowest every so often on the brands of paper goods my house uses. I try to keep the house stocked up on pasta, toilet paper, paper towel, laundry soap and cereal. I usually have to rebuy these items once a month. It saves so much time not having to run out on random trips to buy these items.

Do you coupon?
What have you discovered about couponing?

My New Favorite Toy

I finally bought a larger paper cutter today. I have been using a small 6" paper cutter for months. I caved in and purchased this Westcott one for $16.99 at Target. I am in love with it (and not because it is pink.) It made clipping coupons this evening a breeze. What usually takes 2-3 hours only took 1. Hooray for time savers.

The Weekly CVS Coupon Trip

If you have not already guessed, I love to coupon at CVS. I did my weekly trip this morning and even surprised myself. Last minute changes and additional items helped make this one a goody. My key to a good coupon trip is to write down everything you plan on getting, plus the quantity and size, and what coupons you plan to use with each item. I also bring my coupon binders with me in case I see a special clearance deal. I did my couponing in 2 transactions (reason being was I got half way through my first transaction and noticed I missed getting 2 items and on my way to get them I spotted a clearance deal of 50% off unscented Secret Deodorant.

Transaction #1
1- Nabisco Wheat Thin 10 oz
1- Nabisco Triscut 9.5oz
2- Sensodyne Pronamel Toothpaste 4oz
1- Sensodyne Pronamel Toothpaste .8oz
1- CVS Brand Red Fish (I have gummy vodka and like to soak gummies in it for an "adult" treat
1- Olay Wet Cloths
1- Blistex Mint
1- Blistex Medex
1- Listerine Cool mint 1 ltr
1- Centrum Pronutrient Fruit & Veggie 50 ct
1- Centrum Pronutrient Omega 50 ct
2- Rimmel Moisture Cream Lip Gloss
1- Lumene cleansing cloths 10 ct

Total after coupons, previously earned Extra Care Bucks and tax : $4.52

(I also qualified for a free $10 gift card when you spend $30 on certain items, I always get a CVS gift card that I use on my next couponing trip)

Transaction #2

2- Secret Flawless Unscented Deodorants
1- Nature made Vitamin E 200IU
1-Nature Made Chewable Vitamin C 60 ct

Total after tax, coupons, and ECB: $5.21

Shopping Trip total out of pocket expense (oop): $9.73 (my goal was to spend less than $20)

Total Savings: 105.82

Savings Percentage: 91.6%

I shocked myself because I was able to get vitamins and supplements while staying under my coupon budget.

Do you coupon?
Where do you like to shop?
What are your most prized unexpected finds?

Coupon Trip 8/17/2011

About 2 months ago I started to coupon. Not extreme couponing but relatively close. I do not but 77 mustard's because they are only $0.39 each. Rather I would get just 2 in this instance. I buy what my family needs or will potentially need ( health and beauty items, pasta, cereal etc.)

Each Sunday I buy 2 newspapers. I spend about 4-5 hours clipping, filing, and researching. I have a few databases and forums that I check daily. I print out shopping lists from the Coupon Mom site. I go to each store that I shop at and scour through the deals. I do not print out everything, just the items I have coupons for or will potentially buy. Next, I match up weekly ads to the list because of regional sale and price differences. I take a sharpie and cross out items I do not plan on buying. Then I pull the coupon from 1 of my 3 binders and put it in the store envelope. I keep one envelope for each store I shop at. I mark on my sheet the quantity of each items I plan to buy and the potential cost. I am trying to predict costs now that I am in my second month.

Today's shopping trip includes Target, Walgreens, and CVS

#1 Target

I split up my purchases into 3 transactions in total I bought:

• 2- Olay Single Bath Bars
• 2- Satin Care Shave Gels (bonus 20% size)
• 2- Schick Hydro 5 Single Razors
• 2- Dove Men Deod0rant
• 2- Dove Ultimate Deodorant for Women
• 1- box Pampers Prints Cruser's Diapers 72 ct (My friend is pregnant and I plan on giving a gift basket for her baby shower)
• 1- Sesame Street Onesie
• 1- Bic Flex Comfort 3 Razor 3 ct
  
• 1- Vaseline for Men body and face lotion
• 1- Dropps Laundry Detergent 26 ct
  

My total out of pocket expense was $40.99. I save $48.12 for a percentage of 54%. Not fantastic but not bad considering I bought diapers.

#2 Walgreens

I split up my purchases here into 4 transactions. I go into the store with a specific I plan. I not only write down each item for each transaction but I also separate my coupons into paper clipped bundles with a sticky note denoting which transaction it corresponds too. My total days' purchase is as follows:

• 1- Dial Men's travel lotion
  
• 4- Reach Total Care soft tooth brushes
• 1- Neutrogena Acne Wash 1oz travel
• 3- Kleenex 184 ct
• 2- Mead 9.5" envelope 50 ct
• 1- Mead 6.7" security envelope 80 ct
• 1- Scunci No slip hair ties (I was in desperate need)
• 1- Scunci Hair clips
• 1- Walgreens Daytime Cold gel tablets 20 ct
• 1- Walgreens Nighttime Cold and Flu gel tablets 20 ct
• 1- Nyquill plus Vicks Cold tablets 10 ct
• 2- Skintimate Shave Cream

Total out of pocket was $20.30. I save $40.86 for a percentage of 66.8%. I was not planning on purchasing the cold tablets but they were clearance with an expiration date of 2013, I figured I would stock up early with they were $1.39 a box.


#3 CVS

I have had my best luck at CVS but not this week. I only purchased one item. A Revlon Nail Enamel on sale for $4.99. The savingstar coupon machine gave me $3 off any Revlon Cosmetic item. The out of pocket was $1.99 plus tax and I received $3.00 in Extra bucks for purchasing the nail polish. Woohoo I technical made money. Usually I would use the Extra Bucks on another transaction but since there was not anymore, I will save it for next time.

In the 2 months I have been couponing I have gotten many products free or close to free. I have to constantly remind myself that I cannot get everything for free. I have plenty of deodorant, tooth brushes and toothpaste. When my friends run out, they com shopping at my house!