Adventures in Couponing

I just recently started to embrace the idea of "couponing".  I am not sure why it took me so long to get interested but now that I have started the process I am hooked.  It is hard not to be hooked after you realize how much money you waste when you buys things without coupons or when they are not on sale. 

It does take time, require you to subscribe to the Sunday paper, and willingness to slow down the check out line but the amount of money you can save it really quite amazing. 

Here are some photos of what I bought/saved this weekend...

CVS

Total spent: $34

Total Retail Value: $75

What I bought...

6 large boxes of name brand cereal:

-the normal price for these were between 4.50 - 4.75 a piece

-they were on sale for bogo plus I had $3 in coupons

Instead of 25-26 dollars I spent around $14

3 12 packs of soda:

-without a sale these cost almost $6 a piece

-they were marked down to $3 a piece plus they gave me a free bag of Doritos (usually 3.99)

Instead of $21 I spent $10

Toothpaste:

-was on sale plus I had a coupon

4 suave deodorants plus 3 large bottles of body wash:

I got all of this for $6 with a combination of coupons and a good CVS sale

Shampoo:

On sale plus I earned an ECB (extra care buck) I think

Very exciting stuff!!

Plus, aside from the Doritos this is all stuff we use on a regular basis.

I needed to bring something to our small group meeting so I took my free bag of Doritos.

 I also got a new $5 coupon on my CVS receipt that can be put towards a future purchase; I am watching for wipes to go on sale for I can buy a stash using coupons plus the sale plus my $5 off.

 SHOPPERS

(Groceries)

Spent: $90

Retail Value: $140

I won't bore you with all the details but I saved $50 by bringing 14 coupons with me that I applied to a lot of things that were already on sale.

Biggest deals: 

$23 dollars worth of pork for free

Diet pepsi for $1.50 a 12 pack

(we go through about a 12 pack a week)

I still bought healthy food too -- broccoli, carrots, onions, potatoes, blackberries, peaches, pineapple, bananas, and blueberries all made their way into my cart.  I had coupons for most of the fruit too.

Giant

 Spent $4.50

Retail Value: $16

I was hoping that Giant would owe me money but they didn't.

75% off of retail price is still pretty good though!

I did this by using 5  seventy-five cent coupons plus 5 triple-coupons.

I also managed to get out of the store without buying anything else!

I have big stashes of cereal, meat, soda, and crackers/chips.

It will be fun when I am able to cut my grocery bill down to $50 a week or so since all I will need to buy is fresh fruit/veggies and dairy. 

Anyone else have fun couponing?