14 February 2012

Still keepin' on.


Okay, so I am still here. 

Barely.

And I've become a crazy coupon lady.

Barely.

With a little help from a friend {Crystal}, I am starting to see the light.

She is the kind of coupon girl I can respect and admire.  No shelf clearing, no binders of coupons {as in more than 1}, no hours upon hours spent researching until your eyeballs bleed, no driving to 29 different stores. 


My first coupon excursion yielded 3 jumbo packs of GoodNights, 2 Right Gaurd deodorants, 2 Axe body washes, 1 Glade scented oil candle with 3 candles, and 1 bottle of Zarbee's children's cough syrup for $38. 

Anyone who buys those darned GoodNights knows what a score that is.  It's almost like paying for the diapers and getting the rest free.  All at one store.  All products we use.  Nothing we didn't need. 

I mean you could argue I didn't need a candle, but my boys and dogs stink sometimes. 

Here's the breakdown:
  • joined CVS rewards program which is super easy and free
  • printed 2/$2 coupons, and 1/$1.50 coupon for the GoodNights
  • printed 1/$1 coupon for the Glade
  • printed 1/$2 coupon when you buy 2 Right Gaurd deodorants
  • GoodNights were marked down at CVS to $9
  • Right Gaurd yielded $2 CVS rewards when you bought 2
  • Zarbee's was $6 with $6 in CVS rewards {basically, free}
  • Axe body was was marked down to $2 or something fantastic {wish I still had my receipt}
  • bought everything but 1 pack of GoodNight
  • after the first transaction I had $8 in CVS rewards so I went back in and bought another pack of GoodNights for FREE after my rewards and a coupon
That's it. 

It took about 10 minutes.

Now, I'm mad at myself that I HAD to go the store yesterday, and forgot my coupons.  I felt like I wasn't using free money.  Who doesn't like free money?

I will be documenting my journey more, and hopefully my savings increase. 

So, if you want to play along, and become a non-threatening, not crazy, not shelf clearing, AWESOME coupon lady...I think this may be the place for you. 

I will also sharing any helpful hints that Crystal passes on to me. 

So, this could be fun...or not.  If you get all tingly when you see your final bill, then it will be fun.  If you have tons of money, and don't need to save any, then this could be the pits.  Either way, it could be entertaining.

I also will be having a really cool giveaway coming up from Novica.  If you aren't familiar, you should check them out.  They have some really beautiful stuff!  So, stay tuned!

**POST EDIT**
One binder is okay.  I am too familiar with the need to stay organized, but I have seen woman with THREE!  Is that really necessary?  Are there even that many coupons in the world to fill 3 2+ inch thick binders.  I think not.

I am going out on a limb here and saying that with 3 binders, you are probably buying things you don't really use/need.  Is that fair?

4 comments:

  1. I'm a crazy coupon lady too! I changed the way I shop last May, and although I do use a binder (it's the only way I can easily see what coupons I have), I am totally on the same page as you! I don't want to sacrifice my valuable family time clipping and shopping, but I am NOT going to pay full price for anything I don't HAVE too also. Nice haul, thanks for sharing!

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  2. Glad to see you! I think you are on target. I have seen pictures of people's stash and it can be downright scary. One woman took over her child's closet -- chucked out the toys and stuffed it with rolls and rolls of toilet paper. I am too disorganized these days to remember my coupons. I am always kicking myself. Have a great Valentine's Day!

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  3. i use one of those small accordion organizers because i can carry it in my purse all the time. i found myself at the store a couple of times when i didn't have my coupons, buying something i knew i had a coupon for. that was when i decided that the coupons need to be in my purse all the time. i also like to use savingstar.com. have you looked into that? no coupons to carry. the coupon is electronic. you sign up your store cards and when you buy the item that had a coupon, you bank the money. you can choose a payout after $5 in savings.

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  4. I saved $75 at walmart the other day (I know you hate walmart, forgive me) off of an original $200 bill on a few groceries and household items and of course diapers. I was pretty proud of myself.
    Andria

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