How much do you think I spent on everything in that picture? If you said $88.93 you (would be) right. Ok, I have been known to say that this economy really hasn't affected our family, but after saying that the retail price for that stuff up there is $88.93, I'm officially retracting that statement. I could not imagine spending that much. Which is why...I clip coupons and scour ads for the best price possible! And yes, I will stock up on things that I may not need right away (hence the four different razors!) because I will eventually use them.
With that said, I will tell you that I spent $36.82. That is a 41% savings! Yes, I know there are women out there that can get a hundred dollars worth of groceries for $1.29, but come on, this is the real world. And if I absolutely need something, I will buy it even if I don't have coupons (see the Father's Day cards?). I have read up on how those women do it, and they shop only for things that they have coupons for and many times the stores they visit will allow them to double coupons. Unfortunately there are no stores like that in the great state of California.
So...how do I do it, you ask? I love sales. Seriously. Love them. I am one of the crazy people out at midnight on Black Friday pushing through the crowds to get exactly what my kiddos want for half the price. Let me start by saying you have to be patient. And you have to put some time aside to look through ads and clip coupons. To start with, I get the Sunday paper whenever there are coupons, which is most weeks. I clip any coupons that there is even the slightest chance I might use. I know some people save the entire ad, but who has the space for all of that paper? Then, I look through the store ads to find out what's on sale. And a little secret that most people don't know: You can combine a store coupon with a manufacturer's coupon and use them on only one item. For example, I had a $3 off manufacturer coupon for the Huggies diapers, and there was a $3 off Target coupon on their website. So, I got an $8.99 package of diapers for $2.99. I also print coupons from here, here, here, and here (scroll down to the bottom and click on "coupons" under the "Target Stores" heading. Oh, and when your husband complains about the toner and paper, just remind him that you'll eventually find coupons for those too. :)
I love Target because they have store coupons, and they will now match any advertised price for identical products. So, you're sure to get the best deal. I also love CVS. If you join their Extra Care program, you earn 2% back quarterly to use at their store and there are items you can buy that earn you immediate Extra Care Bucks (ECBs.) These are printed at the end of your receipt and can be used on another purchase. But look at the expiration date, they usually expire within a few weeks. Walgreens also has a similar program called Register Rewards that work the same.
The Extra Care and Register Rewards programs are where I save lots of money because I will separate my order so that I can purchase things right away with the money that I earn back. For example: I purchased the Venus razor for $8.99 and used a $2 off coupon. I earned $4 ECBs, then used those to purchase the Pantene Pro-V shampoo and conditioner with a coupon I had. Voila - free stuff!
So, that's that in a nutshell. Well, not really a nutshell because this is kind of a long post, but people have been asking so I thought I'd share. If you would like to watch me in action, I'd be more than happy to have a shopping buddy. :)
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