I went on a coupon excursion today. About two weeks ago I was saying that I would stick to just one, maybe two stores, at least until I get the hang of things. Well, with reading all the blogs I read and seeing all the deals I see, that mentality didn't last too long. I decided to just go for it. I feel like I am pretty organized now, so it really shouldn't be that hard, right? =o) My first stop today was Family Dollar. My plan going in was great. Had it worked out to my advantage the picture above would have more items in it, and my story would sound better. But alas, for these two items I spent $1.75. My cashier wouldn't let me use my four coupons for Clairol hair color, even though the coupon didn't exclude any Clairol products and in fact had written on it, "can be used for ANY Clairol product". Oh well. I took some satisfaction in leaving all eight boxes at her register for her to put away.
Next stop was Rite Aid. This was also a not so great trip with just okay savings. My biggest problem here was that I didn't have a full understanding of their wellness card and in ad coupons and all of that. I still came out okay, I think. I had a few SCR's (Single Check Rebates) on this one, so after all of that I will have spent $7.98 plus tax and saved $12.98.
Kmart. I almost don't want to post this one. The candy was a pretty good deal, and the nail art was really good (a great, inexpensive gift!). The dryer sheets and detergent weren't all that great, but it was something I needed and something I didn't have too great of coupons for...and it was the end of my night...yadda yadda yadda...so I went ahead and bought them anyway. Total spent: $19.07. Total saved: $5.26.
If you're observant you noticed I said in my Kmart paragraph that it was the end of my night...but I still have two more stores to post about. They were my favorite so even though they are not in chronological order, I saved them for last. Considering how my jaunt started out I am very happy to report that, with the exception of Kmart, the end of the trip was worth it!
WalMart! The soap was $.37! The husband and I like to do a Taco Night every couple weeks, sometimes once a week, so when I scored these FREE Taco Seasoning packets I was psyched! Total spent: $1.87 Total saved: $9.75!
Saved the best for last. Oh Target, how I love thee. Arm & Hammer toothpaste, FREE. Satin Care Shave Gel, FREE. J & J Soap Buddies, FREE. Connect Four game, FREE. Yogurt, $.16 each. Dove shampoo, $.44. Contact solution, $.64. Huggies diapers, $2.49 per Jumbo pack! Total spent: $15.61. Total saved: $101.01. Wooo hoooo!! Worth the hard work? Me thinks, yes.
I am so proud of you! That really helps alot I know! See you soon! Love you!
ReplyDeletelove it, love you, love coupons...I really wish we had a Target around here...the closest one is about an hour away, if I did my research and was totally organized, it might be worth it to make a trip once a month or something, who knows, depending on how good the sales are. I really need to get more organized with my coupons! I was doing so good at the beginning of the year, with over 50% savings on my groceries every trip...I don't know why more people don't use them!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!!
ReplyDeleteI hardly ever do Rite Aid - somehow things just never work out there like I think that they should. Also, I've had a couple problems with the SCR's (and maybe lost some receipts before I entered them...)
When I first started, I thought that I had to hit every store too. I felt bad knowing about a deal and letting it pass me by, BUT it is a lot of work to keep up with so many stores. I think that you'll probably get to the point where you have a few favorites that you focus on. It helped me feel better when I realized that a lot of the times the same type deal will show up at another store within a couple weeks.
Do you have a CVS around you? They are one of my favorite "get stuff for free" stores! :)