My January Savings!

I have to admit, I am a numbers kind of a girl, they speak to me!  I've kept all of my receipts so far this year and thought it'd be interesting to see how much I'm saving each month.  The figures below are from the month of January.  I really want to see how much of an impact this couponing is having on my budget!

You may have heard me say that I am able to get more bang for my buck in drug stores versus grocery stores.  Well, here's the proof!



I purchased $128.17 worth of merchandise from Rite Aid.
The amount I saved from sales prices and coupons was $108.36, so I only paid $19.81!  That's an 85% savings!



I purchased $489.03 worth of merchandise from Publix.
The amount I saved from sales prices and coupons was $309.63, so I only paid $179.40!  That's a 63% savings!

If you are just beginning to coupon, you may want to begin with a drug store first.  Your savings will be greater than from a grocery store!  Remember, drug stores make the majority of their profits from the prescriptions, so they are willing to lure you into the store with great savings!

Coupon for a FREE Tub of Cottonelle Fresh Wipes

A coupon is being offered for a free tub of Cottonelle Fresh Wipes. 

Here's the link:  https://fresh.cottonelle.com/

Just answer 6 quick questions and then fill in your name, address, etc to receive your coupon for a free tub!  Coupon should arrive in 6 to 8 weeks.

Does it really work?

3 Months ago, February 1st, I decided to give couponing a try for 3 months.  I was extremely skeptical that it would be worth the time, but I dove in head first and literally gave it my all!  The plan was to remain on my cash weekly budget, see what deals I could get, and re-evaluate at the end of the 3 month trial period.

I'm quickly approaching the 3 month mark, so I thought it would be fun to pull out all the stuff that I've puchased with my budet in that quarter.  I decided it was TOO MUCH effort to gather all the groceries I've bought, so here is a glimpse of just my 'household' purchases.  I budget $40 per week for all things to run our house except clothing & food.  Normally, with this amount, I would be able to keep us stocked with the necessities, but with very little room for error or emergency (a sickness always put me over my budget).....or anything fun (or anything name brand!).  When I began couponing, I had maybe 1 or 2 of these things in the house....definately nothing I would call a stockpile. 

After 3 months, here is a picture of my 'stockpile' of household items today: (keep in mind that we've also been using things for 3 months, so imagine a 3 month supply of all of these things in addition to what is pictured)

How cool is that?  I ask you!  :-)  Pictured is: 23 rolls of toilette paper, 4 rolls of paper towels, 4 2000 flushes dop in's, 4 KY jelly (hey, they're a money maker!), 4 Dove deodorant, 2 Axe deodorant, 2 Veet, 3 Aveeno lotion, 3 boxes of Finish, 2 Palmolive dish soap, 5 Gain dish soap, 22 bottles of conditioner, 16 bottles of shampoo, 11 bottles Laundry Soap, 3 boxes Purex Laundry Soap, 1 package Tide Stain Lifter balls, 3 boxes Gain Fabric Softener, 7 bars Olay Body Soap, 24 tubes of Toothpaste, 6 tubes of Training toothpaste (Emma's), 2 Febreeze air freshener spray, 3 Renuzit Air Fresheners, 8 cans Shaving Cream, 9 Reach Floss, & 13 Tooth brushes! 

Oh, dang, I also bought a box of Crest White Strips ($30 retail), and 8 boxes of Cottonelle Flushable Wipes (at least $20 retail), all not pictured...forgot to put that in.

I would have spent my budget of $40 per week normally and come out with no stockpile.  With couponing I still spent the $40 per week and came out with an addition of all the above pictured items. 

I'M TOTALLY STOKED ABOUT THAT! 

The products pictured are roughly valued at $495.  If memory serves me correctly, I spent roughly $82.25....without actually spending anything more than I would have spent because I stuck to my cash budget. 

My verdict: COUPONING TOTALLY WORKS!  :-)  Now that I'm stocked up on most things, I can stop paying $1 or even $.50 for items...just wait until I can get them virtually free!  YIPPIE! 

Publix Run!

I also went to find the "deals" at Publix today!  Here's my haul:

2 Almond Breeze Almond Milk        $3.39  each       2 Manufacturer coupons    $.55 each
                                                                                 2 Store coupons           $.75 each

Chocolate Silk Soy Milk                   $3.39               Manufacturer coupon       $1

2 Purina One Cat Food, 3.5 lb.         $3.40 each       SS 4/17                           $2
                                                                                 Target store coupon         $2

Kozy Shack Pudding                        $1.50                No coupon, but it is a BOGO

2 Heluva Good Dips                         $2.09 each        2 Manufacturer coupons $.50
                                                                                 (doubles to $1)
                                                                                 Store coupon Yellow Flyer B1G1

3 Voskos Yogurt                              $1 each             3 Manufacturer coupons $.75 each

2 Ziploc Bags, Qt. Storage                $2.19 each       Manufacturer coupon $1.25 off 2

2 Phazyme                                        $3.49 each       Store coupon Green Flyer $5 off 2
                                                                                2 Manufacturer coupons $1 each

Bic Men's Disposable Razors            $2.75               SS 4/10                            $3

Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce         $1.18               No coupon, but it is a BOGO

Near East Couscous                         $1.10               No coupon, but it is a BOGO

2 Craisins (6 oz)                               $1.13 each       Raincheck price
                                                                                Manufacturer coupon $1

Total out of pocket (after coupons) $20.08!  My savings at Publix $42.46!!  Booyah!!

"Where shopping really is a pleasure!"

Wal-Mart Deals!

Since it is the end of April and many of my coupons will expire, I wanted to see what I could pick up at Walmart for free or almost free!

Here's what I got:

Kotex U pantiliners, 18 pack            $1.24       SS 4/17 $1 off
Reach Floss                                       $.88       SS 4/17 $1 off                   $.12 profit
Similac Sensative                              $3.84       SS 4/03 $5 off                 $1.16 profit
Olay Bar, 2 count                             $2.48       PG 4/03 $2 off
Equate Mouthwash                           $2.67       No coupon for this
Poligrip Free, small tube                    $1.78       Free coupon, can't remember which insert

I needed to buy something because my subtotal (after coupons) was - $.56 and Walmart will not give me 56 cents, however they will allow me to apply that overage to another item...and thus the mouthwash!

The total before coupons was $12.89, total out of pocket was $2.86!

Did you print the $1.75/1 Finish FB coupon?

If you did.....add this to your Walmart list:

Finish Quantum Dishwasher Tabs $2.77 {NEW!}
$1.75 Any Finish Quantum Facebook Coupon
Final Price: $1.02

I printed 8 of these coupons, using my kids FB accounts.  Shameless, I know.  Walmart nationwide is in the process of adding thousands of products back onto their shelves, and a smaller/cheaper size of Finish Quantum Dishwasher Tabs is one of them.  YEAH!  My local Walmart is out of them right now, but I'll keep this on my list of things to check when I'm there next time.

Ok, that's it.  I'm going to bed!  :-)

Free RevitaLens at Walmart

Katy, if you're interested (or anyone else you wears contacts), pick this up next time you're at Walmart and use for your weekend travel kit.
Free RevitaLens sample at Walmart
Here is a great FREE offer for all of you contact wearers! Right now Walmart is offering a Free 2 oz RevitaLens OcuTec Starter Kit (with lens case). All you need to do is print this form and take it into your Walmart Vision Center.

Print form HERE

$30 Birthday Certificate to Benihana

Do you guys have a Benihana?  Dude...I'm so envious if you do!  This is an awesome birthday deal. Katy, yours is coming up next!  May 11th, May11th!

 

Benihana: $30 gift certificate on your birthday

Benihana is offering a $30 gift certificate on your birthday if you register via their website. This is my husband’s favorite place to eat and it can be pricey so we were both excited when on April 15th he got the emailed gift certificate worth $30.
If you are interested then register early to make sure you get your certificate during your birthday month.

CHEAP Cottonelle at Walgreens

Janet doesn't love Walgreens because they are super picky about their coupons.  BUT, I've learned that some deals are worth it for me....this is one of them. 

Register Rewards are a coupon that prints out AFTER you pay for your first transaction.  The register rewards are like money to use at Walgreens on your next purchase.  The only tricky thing to watch out for is when you go to use the Register Rewards (RR) to pay for your next purchase, you can't have more RR's than items.  So, if you make purchases and wind up with 4 RR's worth $12 each, for example, you can't use all 4 of them on one large item.....like White strips.  You'd have to have as many items in your transaction as coupons, and RR's count as a coupon. 

For me, this Cottonelle deal is worth the hassle.  AND, I have a Walgreens close to me, on the corner.  I'll be there bright and early Sunday morning.  :-)

Cheap Cottonelle Next Week 5/1 at Walgreens!

Next week at Walgreens you will be able to get 12 roll Cottonelle Toilet Paper for $5 each.  If you buy two packs you will receive a $3 Register Reward. Combine that with coupons and you’ll walk out with 2 packs of toilet paper for $2 each!

Cottonelle Toilet Paper, 12 ct. $5.00
Buy 2, Receive $3.00 Register Reward
Use 2 $0.50/1 – Cottonelle Toilet Paper, 4 pack – (cottonelle.com)
Or use 2 $0.50/1 – Cottonelle Toilet Paper – (bricks.coupons.com)And use $1.00/1 – Cottonelle Toilet Paper from May Walgreens Coupon Book (will take off $1.00 for each package)
Pay $7.00, Receive $3.00 Register Reward
Final Price: $2.00 each when you buy 2

Free chips at CVS....no coupons required.

If you're going to be there anyway.....add this to your list of items to get free next time you're at CVS. 

CVS: 15 Free bags of Frito Lay Chips! (Small bags)

Check your CVS store for the small bags of Frito lays Chips, Cheetos, or Doritos. If you can find them, check out this deal (no coupons needed!):
Buy 3 Small Bags of Chips – $3/1
-Get back $1 ECB
FInal Price = Free after ECB!
* The limit of ECB’s is 5, so you can get up to 15 free bags!!

Here we go!

Okay, now we have one place to update each other on the deals we see! Be sure to become a follower, so that you can get email updates when someone posts something new on our blog. :)