Paid: $74.95 Saved: $151.62 that is a 67% savings. I am most proud of my Walgreens purchases. $46 worth of stuff needed for $4.50. My receipt is on the left. The cashier was quite surprised and began to wonder if he would get in trouble for my savings. I promise it was all on the up and up!
Since reporting my savings over on Facebook I've had a lot of questions. How'd you do that?!?!? I covered some of the basics in a blog post down below. Click HERE to see it.
I just have a couple more tips to add.
The #1 tip I can give is this: This takes patience and commitment! The payoff is BIG though. Slowly learn all you can about savings. I research different blogs all the time. There are SO many blogs out there who have taken most of the work out of this. I listed some of my favorites on the earlier post. You don't have to scan the papers for the best sales. I guarantee there is a blogger out there who has already done it for you. A new one that I just discovered is www.totallytarget.com If there is a great deal or freebie from Target, this blogger will know about it. I have found that friending or liking these blogs on facebook keeps me in the up to the minute loop.
Coupons: The Sunday paper is NOT the only source for great coupons. Target.com and Publix.com has their own section on their websites and they are HUGE. Don't forget that if you get a Target (or any store) coupon you can stack it with a manufacturers coupon for the same item. Today I bought Lysol at Target and used a Target Q along with a Manufacturer's Q which allowed me to buy it for 25 cents. Happy me!
You can also find printable coupons at coupons.com, redplum.com, smartsource.com. Most stores like Publix have coupon booklets that they publish each month. Usually these booklets are at the front door. Walgreens has a monthly book at the front door crammed with savings. CVS has a little machine just inside the front door where you scan your CVS Care Card and it prints out coupons on the spot. Keep your eyes open for tear off pads/Qs and peelies on products throughout the store. Proctor and Gamble is constantly offering savings booklets that you can usually find in the store but you have to look for them. I rely on my blogging friends to clue me in when they see one in a particular store.
If you've never really considered shopping for daily needs at the pharmacy stores, think again. Both Walgreens and CVS have rewards programs and run great sales. Here's how they work: For CVS you have to join their Extra Care Club and get a member card which you can do for free right inside the store. Weekly they publish sales that allow you to buy certain items that will get you money back to use on your next purchase. Your first trip or two will cost you a little but after that your trips can easily resemble my receipt on the left. The money back is called Extra Care Bucks or ECBs at CVS and Register Rewards or RRs at Walgreens.
An Example: This Week at Walgreens you can earn $5 RRs when you buy $20 worth of the following products (before coupons):
Oreos 2/$6
Pringles 2/$3
Dixie paper products 2/$5
Fridge Pack Coca Cola Products 3/$10
Solo Cups $5
So I could go in and buy:
2 Pkgs of Oreos- Use 2 $1 off Qs
3 Fridge Packs of Coke - Use a $1 off Q
2 Pkgs Dixie Plates - Use 2 $1 off Qs
Before Coupons= $21
After Coupons= $16
When I check out, the machine will print out 5 Register Rewards for my next purchase. Now I have 5 Bucks to use on next weeks sales.You can easily see how this would add up to savings quickly. If I had had 5 RRs to apply to the above purchase my total would have been $11 instead of $16 and I would still get my 5 for next week.
It works the same way at CVS but you must have your card with you there. Like I said, it takes a little time to build up to having RRs and ECBs. I've been at it for about 2 months and I generally walk in every week now with an average of $12 worth of free money.
One more thing to think about couponing. What is on sale at any given moment may not be the items that you need right then. BUT if they are items that you use often, buy them while you can get them at 50% or more savings. Over time your stockpile will add up. For me it's an awesome feeling when one of my girls says "Mom, we're out of toothpaste or shampoo" and I can reply "no we're not, look under your sink!"
If you have any more specific questions for me, I'd be happy to TRY to answer them. Send them this way!
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