Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Thief...

At least...that's what I feel like when I walk into these stores and swipe my little green debit card for a few dollars and a handful of change and walk out with bags and bags (and sometimes small shopping carts) of stuff.

Seriously.

But I've yet to be arrested so I guess I'm alright.

Today I went to Walmart (a VERY rare occasion) to buy Scattergories and a magazine (a post coming soon about *that* magazine). I went armed with NO coupons of any kind. I roamed a little while and then grabbed my game, and my magazine, and maybe a princess hooded towel that was on clearance. I got home and started looking...I saved $12.80 which was 29% of my purchase. Apparently my game was on sale, and that towel was WAY on sale. Oh and by the way, I got over $18 worth of coupons out of that magazine.

Tonight I made my last minute trip to Publix before the new sales come out and I've missed the old ones. Since I was going--CHILD FREE--and Walgreens is across the street, I decided to go there too.

At Walgreens I got a CRAP-LOAD of stuff for a grand total spending of $21.79. What kind of stuff?
  • 4 12 packs of Coke products (canned drinks)
  • Crest Pro-Health toothpaste
  • Right Guard deodorant
  • Axe bodywash, deodorant, and body spray
  • Garnier Fructis Shampoo
  • Garnier Fructis Conditioner
  • 2 Russell Stover's chocolate covered marshmellow eggs (for Buggy's basket)
  • Kraft Mac & Cheese
  • 32 ounces of Alcohol (not the kind you drink, mind you)
The total I should have spent was $62.60. Yep...I had a savings of 63%.

Oh...I should add that with their sale, I got the 12 pack drinks for $2.50 each (factoring in their sales and Register Rewards). Oh and the shampoo and conditioner...it is marked down to $2.99 with a $2 instant coupon. I already had $1 off coupon...FOR BOTH. When you do the math...there was an overage of two cents. That's right. I got those hair care products for nare one penny. I also made money on the Right Guard deodorant. When you factor in the sales price (cheaper than the ad says!!!!) and the coupon I had for it, I ended up paying $.64 for it and got $2 Register Rewards--in store money.

Before you jump on me for buying the cokes...they are for our upcoming camping trip. I don't buy cokes for myself except on the RARE occasion.

After I left Walgreens with the sales lady smiling at me, I headed across the street to Publix where I ended up saving $16.30 and only had a bill of $45.88. While my percentage saved from last week went down, my need for staples is going down. I am not needing to stock up on things, which means I don't need to buy as much.

My total spent for the night = $67.67
My total saved for the night = $54.11

If you factor in the Walmart trip, I spent $98.67 and saved $66.91.

I'm still spending a good bit of money, which I am not a fan of, but my savings are really getting up there and I can tell a difference just in our house. Things are filling up (fridge, pantry, freezer, bathroom cabinets) and for A LOT less money.

Couponing can seem a bit...psycotic, but it makes a huge difference. Plus, it is so addicting. Seriously.

4 comments:

Mary Beth said...

excellent! you're a pro. i need to add drug stores to my shopping. you've inspired me!

Anonymous said...

Hmm. I think you should come up here and teach me your shopping ninja ways.

You should start a consulting business. Seriously.

melnewby said...

Ok, now you're just starting to make the rest of us that don't coupon look bad. :) When can I come over for my crash course in couponing? Your starting to get me interested in trying this out for myself.

slivengo said...

Ok...yesterday, I went to Walgreens and got 7 Jumbo packs of Huggies diapers and 2 boxes of feminine products for a grand total of $38. Not bad - especially considering the jumbo packs are normally $10.50 at Walmart. If you go to www.babycheapskate.blogspot.com , check out the link for weekly diaper deals. There are links to $5 and $3 Huggies coupons. I know a lot of people are partial to Pampers, but when you can get Jumbo packs for less than $5, might be worth a try. The deal is spend $25 - get $10 back. The diapers are $10 a pack. I bought 2 packs of diapers + two packs of feminine products... used my $8 in diapers coupons and $1.25 in Kotex coupons - paid roughly $18. Got $10 back. Then did a 2nd transaction. 3 packs of diapers - for $30. Used $8 in coupons again, plus another $2 diaper coupon - paid about $20 - got $10 back.
Last transaction - bought 2 more packs of diapers with the $20 in register rewards I had earned previously. Hope this helps someone. :)