April coupon challenge part 6- results

I planned to keep better records on this coupon challenge but with the new grandbaby,  many of the small things just didn't get done.
I think there are pictures of all my April coupon purchases (did you spot my goof and which picture is doubled?)
Anyway, on coupon items,  I spent about $83 for goods that I estimate would of cost close to $200 if they were bought at regular price without coupons.
I am happy with the results.  Couponing does take work and organization,  and I left dollars on the table twice by not being organized.
We added lots of dish soap, 2 laundry products, 4 bars of soap,  high end and basic razors, hair care products, paper products and 16 cans of juice to our pantry along with several grocery items.  

So,  I will keep couponing.

Nothing extreme but even this small  amount does help stretch the grocery budget.  

And I earned a  $10 ECB to spend at CVS  in May.  

How do you feel about coupons?

do you like them?  can't stand them?  or just use them because it is how the game is played?

Linking up to 

Think Tank Thursday

at Joyful homemaking and Saving 4 Six

April coupon challenge part 5

Sorry that this current update is not the least bit impressive. With a 2 week old grandbaby, company, a cold that really slowed me down and local sales that just were not what we needed, I have not done much shopping at all.  My plan was to show a realistic month of coupon savings and I guess that is what it is turning out to be.

Saturday, I went to Dollar Tree. They had a bin full of these Olay bars of soap. I used $1 coupons on each one so they only cost the sales tax.

Then on Wednesday,  I tried CVS.    My husband really likes these higher end razors.  They were on sale with coupons from Sundays paper.  When you buy $25 of the Schick, you get back a $10 ECB.
At the scanner,  I got a $3 off any vitamin purchase and I have been wanting to try Biotin.  Lori says it is good for her hair and Betsy says it makes her nails strong and healthy.  I'll let you know how it works for me.

My total was about $31 and it would of been less if I could find the ECB I got on my last visit-


I also got a few things at Walmart.  I forgot to take the cereal coupons I wanted to use but did see that my store sells them and will get them next time.
I printed off 4  $1 coupons for any BeechNut Stage 4-5 toddlers foods.  They even had pictures of this product on them but only one would scan at the Walmart register.  The cashier is one that I have shopped with many times and is coupon friendly so she manually entered them.
I think each little pouch was 97 cents,  so I just had to a pay a few cents sales tax.

My new solution so I don't keep losing my ECBs from CVS.  I wrapped it around my CVS card and secured it with a paper clip.

My post last week on homemade rags was featured on Thinktank Thursday by Carrie at Saving 4 Six

Thank you Carrie!  

I'll am  linking up again with

ThinkTankThursday 

and these other fun parties

Wednesday:

Women Living Well

Thursday

The 36th Avenue

Think Tank Thursday

April Coupon challenge part 4

Staples- I had a $10 off $10 mailer coupon. These giant packs of paper towels and toilet paper were in sale for $9.99. So, the checkout was just $10.86

CVS
Used a in store coupon to get the detergent for $.99.
Infusium was 2/$10. I used 2 $2 coupons and a ECB from last week
Total was just under $5 and I got back a $5 ECB for my next shopping trip.

Hobby lobby has Simplicity patterns on sale this week for $.99 each. No coupon needed and quite a bargain. Some of these patterns have a regular price of $17.95 each!

April coupon challenge part 3

2 gallons Bordens milk. $3.70- used .50 coupon on each
4 pounds Jimmy Dean sausage-price matched at $1.99, used 2 $1.50/2 coupons
16 cans frozen juice- price matched at $1 each, used 4 $1/4 coupons.

The milk is not a stock up item, it will be gone in about a week.
We only use about 1can of juice a week, husband likes a glass of juice to wash down his morning pills, so those 16 cans of juice should last several months.

Before I did my coupon shopping, I shopped at a church rummage sale where most everything was sold for $1 a bag full.  Grand daughter Andie has had a big time playing with a retro typewriter and telephone from one of my bags full.  I spent $6 and left with 6 big brown paper grocery sacks just stuffed with some treasures and some junk.

April coupon challenge part 2

I had planned out this shopping trip and

 even though I've been using coupons for more than 30 years and was shopping alone with no distractions, 

 I still made 2 goofs.  

CVS

The CVS coupon scanner printed another Clear hair product so I got a 2nd one free.  The Suave deoderants were 10/$10 with a $3 ECB after purchase.  

I used a $4 ECB and a few Suave coupons but my first goof was not having a $2.50 ECB that I earned previously with my list.  I spent $6.82- but it would of been $2.50 less.......

Walmart 

Can you spot my 2nd couponing goof?  I had 5 Maruchan coupons but the 5th one was not accepted at the register as I had only picked up 4 Maruchan and 1 ChowMein noodle bowls.
Saved $12.50 with coupons.

so far,  I've spent $18.88,

got 28 products 

Sales tax so far is $3.80 - because nothing in Oklahoma is really free,  except maybe the wind 

April coupon challenge

Coupons have really been on my mind. I've belonged to a yahoo groups list focused on homemaking and thrift for years. Several of the members have mentioned that crazy coupon TV show on TLC where the shoppers do some amazing deals. We agree we would also like to do big coupon savings but think buying 100 bottles of hot sauce or 200 cake mixes is pointless.

I am going to do a realistic coupon monthly diary here for April.
No dumpster diving for extra coupons though- we get 2 newspapers on Sunday and my brother saves coupon supplements for me, so at the most, I may end up with 5 copies of the newspaper coupons.
I won't be buying things, just because I have a good coupon for them. I will only purchase things we need and things that we will use before they spoil or that have a long shelf life.

I will use Internet coupons but I only have access to one printer so I won't have multiples.

I will scan the good deals lists that other bloggers like Common Sense with Money, Coupon Closet and Money Saving Mom post. But I don't plan on spending too much time on them.

I won't make special trips just to coupon but will shop only when I am near the stores or other reasons, like before I pick up my granddaughter at preschool.

In my state, we pay sales tax, almost 9%, on the purchase price, so even free things aren't really free.
I live in a smaller city- stores in my town are CVS, Walgreens, Dollar Tree, Walmart, and a few family dollar-dollars general stores that I rarely shop. There are also 2 smaller grocers that double coupons up to 50 cents.

My goal is to increase my rainy day stockpiles, spend as little as possible and just see how much difference I can make with minimal coupons for 1 month.

Today, I spent about an hour clipping yesterday's coupons and about a months worth of coupons my brother brought me. As I clip them, I put them in stacks by the categories in my purse size coupon organize. That makes it fast to file them.

I had to go to the bank this afternoon so I stopped at CVS too.
I got a free bottle of conditioner just for scanning my CVS card as advertised on the front of this weeks sales paper and 4 bottles of Dawn. My total was $2.75 and my savings were $11.99.
I wanted to do their Suave deal too but they products I wanted were already sold out.

Later this week, I will go to Walmart and Dollar Tree. I made lists for each stores and paper clipped the coupons to it.

So, if you want to see realistic couponing, follow along!  Tell me in a comment if you think you want to join with me.
  But I don't expect TLC will be calling me......

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