Just an average couponing trip

I have only posted once on the topic of Couponing {click here to read it}, even though it is something that I keep up with every week. The other night as I sat clipping my weekly coupons, my husband said "Ya know, you haven't taken any pictures or posted on any of your great deals lately!"  So I decided I would share the details of a couponing trip I made this week.

So I am going to show you everything I bought at CVS, and what I paid for it.  Occasionally there are items that I have to buy that aren't on sale, but I still manage to get a good overall savings on my transaction.  My example this week: headache meds. I ran out and these are a necessity to me (and most moms). I have kids...LOUD kids...kids that don't always treat each other kindly...hence the need for headache relief. {ok, now I feel bad for blaming it on the kids, sorry kiddos, love you!}

To start with, I had $10 in Extracare Bucks (ECBs) from last week. This is store credit for anything in the store. $10 in ECBs is a lot for me; sometimes I don't have any leftover - it just depends on the week. Also, this time when I scanned my Extracare card at the magic coupon machine, I happened to get 2 coupons for things that were actually on my list! The only thing better than that is when it prints a 20% off your total coupon...love those! So when I walked into the store, I started off with a total of $12 in coupons that I didn't even have to clip from the Sunday paper!

[caption id="attachment_690" align="aligncenter" width="332"] CVS Receipt: Spent $4.79...Saved $22.02...Made $4.98 in ECBs for next week's trip.[/caption]

For the rest of the transaction, I will breakdown the details:

The deodorant was 2 for $5. I had a B1G1 free (buy 1 get 1 free) coupon PLUS a $1 coupon and a .75 cent coupon. Which totaled .75 cents for the pair!

The gum was .99 cents each. I used a $1 off 2 coupon. So I bought 2 packs for .98 cents total.

The toothpaste was $2.99 each. I used a .50 cent coupon and a $1 coupon. So I bought 2 for $4.50 PLUS there was an advertised Extracare reward on this item, which gave me $4.98 back in Extracare Bucks!

Then there was the CVS brand headache relief for $8.99. Thanks to my leftover ECB's, this was covered by those coupons.

[caption id="attachment_700" align="aligncenter" width="300"] CVS Goodies[/caption]

So I paid $4.79 for everything in the picture, saving $22, and receiving another $4.98 in ECB's for my next visit. So by using sales, coupons, and store rewards, I scored these necessities for free. And this is what I do every week to keep stocked up on the things we use everyday. If you start doing this on a regular basis (doesn't have to be every week), so that 1 trip you buy toothpaste and deodorant, next trip you buy hair products, next trip is body wash and lotion, etc...you get the idea...over the course of time you manage to almost always have necessities on hand. The idea is to buy things that you use when they are at their lowest price, instead of when you need them, which is inevitably at full price, which no one wants to pay. And yes, occasionally we run out, or need extra for trips/vacation, or just want to try something new, but I have a little system going and even a small stockpile.

Now if you're picturing spending hours clipping coupons from the Sunday paper, lugging a gigantic coupon binder into every store, or standing in the checkout lane forever with mounds of items and coupons, do not fear!  All you need is about 1 hour to scan through the weekly deals, clip the coupons you need, or print from online (coupons.com is a great source!). Also, when I go shopping, I only bring an envelope with the coupons that I plan to use for that trip. The rest stay home in my binder until they are clipped for next week's trip.

So if you're already an avid couponer, keep up the good work...and I sure hope I didn't bore you to tears!

If not, start small, every little bit helps, and best of luck to you! And feel free to send me a message if you have any questions! Good luck!