Coupon shopping trip update...

Well, I'm assuming none of you heard me scream, since I didn't have to! If you did hear someone, please know that it wasn't me,and perhaps you should have checked into it. :o)

Okay, so I went to CVS tonight. I spent about $70, and got close to $20.00 back in Extra Care Bucks. So, I'll be able to spend them later on anything else I want from CVS. If I use them to purchase more items that earn ECB's, then I just basically get the items free, and more ECB's to spend on my next trip. Do you see how this works?? It is a bit of an "investment" if you will, on the front end or the first trip, but by using coupons, and only purchasing items you normally buy, or would like to purchase anyway, not too bad.

The only thing that threw me off today was that I ran out of milk and Pull-ups for Sarah, needed them both, and refused to go to another store. Without that purchase I would have spent $12-$15 or so less. Their Pull-Ups are ridonkulous (as Anna would say, and I'm sure she will correct my spelling)!!!

So, without those items, I would have spent more like $55-$60. I used approximately $8.00 in coupons towards the items I purchased, so that means the actual cost of the items, had I not had the coupons would have been around $60-$62.00. Are you still with me?

My actual amount spent (on the sale items I went to buy) was let's say $60, less the $8 in coupons. I then got the ECB's which were about $18.00. So, that brings me to an approximate out of pocket of around $34.00 (when you count that I earned the $18.00 in ECB's to spend again later. They can be spent on any future purchases within the next 4 weeks.) I'm afraid that must really sound confusing. I'm not sure I'm explaining all this very well.

So, here's what I got for that amount (and I'm not including my gallon of milk and the Pull-ups).

• 4 packs of paper towels (to stockpile for later use) there are 6 rolls per pack so 24 rolls total!!!
• 2 things of a higher priced lady's deodorant (again stocking up at the low cost)
• 1 bag of Lay's potato chips
• 1 bag of Tostito's restaurant style chips (I keep things like this on hand for drop in guests or for when we are going to someone's house and I need to take a snack.)
• 1 bag of Tostito's dip style chips (Guess who's having Mexican this week. We actually love these with Taco Soup!! I'll post the recipe for those of you who have no idea what that is.)
• (3) 12 packs of Mountain Dew (Todd's drink of choice when he isn't drinking his home ground and perked Starbuck's coffee). They were on special 3/$10.
• 2-pack small boxes of Cheez-It's (a family favorite snack - except for me, I don't like them).
• 2-pack boxes of Ritz crackers (which Sarah loves and I will use as topping on the occasional casserole).

I also looked for a 2-pack special they had of Honey Nut Cherrios (which we all like), but that was sold out. It was the only thing on my list that was sold out! Everything else they had a fairly good stock of. I was pleasantly surprised!

So, not bad considering they are all things we use regularly and use lots of. I think I did okay.

Now, as for most everything else, here's what I'm going to do:

1. I plan to take advantage of meat specials at Publix, and to ask their butcher when they mark down their meats. If I purchase organic meat, which is what we prefer, it is rather expensive. So, if I can get it on the days they mark it down, then bring it home and freeze or cook and freeze, I should be able to save a good bit on my meat again. I just got lazy about doing this. If the markdown time is some crazy time that I can't possibly take advantage of, then just the really good sales will have to do and I'll stock up and freeze then.
2. Every other sale item from Winn Dixie, Piggly Wiggly, and other sources like that, I will take the sale paper to Wal-Mart and have them price match. I'll also use my coupons there. If CVS doesn't have any ECB deals that I'm interested in for the week, but carries some items on sale, I'll have them price matched as well. Remember if you do this that you must take the actual sale paper with you. You can't just go in and say, "Hey Lady, I saw these things in a sale paper for Joe's One Stop Shopping for 25 cents a pound." That won't get it! (I hope that made some of you laugh...)

For those of you who live in our area, I understand they've broken ground on the site for the new Publix!!! I can't wait to have one on this side of the mountain! I've got my Wal-mart, my bank, now a Publix! I may never go over that mountain again!

Logging off now and going to catch some sleep before my wild one gets up. She jumped from the coffee table in the front living room today, landed face first on the tile of the fireplace, and bloodied her nose. It's always something! I'd told her 4 times already just this morning that, "We do not jump from furniture", and I'd made her put the cushions back on the couch - she was jumping onto them. I suppose perhaps I should have let her leave them on the floor???? Good grief, and goodnight!

Abiding always in His grace, Lori

Couponing, is it really worth it???

Okay, so I decided that I would give couponing another try. Years ago I used coupons all the time, but got really lazy with them because I couldn't find a reasonable system for organizing them and keeping up with what I actually had, and by the time I had a grocery list with the item on it, that I had a coupon for, I either couldn't find the coupon or worse yet it was expired!! AAHH! What is the point! Are coupons out there just to drive us crazy? HHMM, I'm beginning to wonder. What if it is a ploy by the liberals to try to make all of us fiscal conservatives go mad? It just might work!

Anyway, I digress. I had heard of the "coupon mom"'s website, and ran across a book she's written in the bookstore the other day. The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bill in Half. In HALF??!!?? Without going insane?? I wasn't so sure, but being a sucker for a book, and having a perpetually teachable spirit, I couldn't help but wonder if this woman could make a believer out of me, teach me something useful, and help me to save a good deal of money every week.

Here's what I've found since almost finishing her book, and perusing alot of what the internet has to offer on the subject (mind blowing in and of itself!).

1. A better way to organize my coupons so that I can find them when I need them. I'm using the "binder" method laid out on TheKrazyCouponLady.com website. (Did I mention that I might know why she's K*R*A*Z*Y???) Anyway, the system seems to be more organized than the little coupon holder accordion type thingys I've tried in the past.
2. You can spend entirely TOO much time trying to find online coupons for sale items on your grocery list!!! See, that seems to be the catch, you need to stack coupons with items that are on sale. If you can stack a "manufacturer's coupon" with a "store coupon" with an item that's on sale, then you have hit the couponer's jackpot.

Tonight, I spent several hours working on the organization of my new "little" system. I printed and cut out dozens of coupons from the internet for items we use every week or regularly, and especially for items that are on sale this week. After strewing them out all over the bed, at about the time he was ready to turn in for the evening, I heard my dear husband mutter under his breath (rather loudly) JUST SPEND THE MONEY!!!

But, being the diligent, keeper at home that I am, I am determined to give this the best effort I can. I've got my binder all ready to go. My first stop will be CVS tomorrow. Assuming they actually have everything in stock that is on sale, and for which I have coupons, I have figured up that my grocery/household items will come up to an approximate sale price worth of $64.00, for which - after using my coupons and receiving my Extra Bucks back (which is like Monopoly money that can then be respent at CVS), I will spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 33.00. Hey!!! That actually IS a savings of almost half!!!

Maybe this will work after all! The biggest part of it all, I hope, is behind me. Setting up the notebook, finding some coupons to get started with (I'll continue on with just my Sunday coupons now), I think really was the hardest part. So, now that that is done, hopefully things will move along more smoothly on this try. I plan to keep it up for at least a month, weigh the time that it takes to do it against what I feel my time is worth, and see how it pans out. I'm trying to keep an open mind, and I'll try to keep you updated as I go along.

Seriously though, ya'll pray for me, because if I get to that CVS tomorrow and all this stuff I spent time cutting coupons out for is sold out, you will likely hear my screams from wherever it is you may be. :o)

Abiding in His abundant provision, and hoping for a good shopping trip tomorrow.
Lori