First Week of Couponing

Couponing has been a lot of fun so far! I can't imagine being an extreme couponer, because I'm already spending at least an hour per day researching prices and trying to match coupons. It really could be a full-time job!

So my goal was to get the bill down to at least 50% of the original total. It hasn't gone quite that well so far, I'm at around 33%. But as I amass more coupons and create my mini-stockpile (no more than 2 months worth of anything), I think it'll be really easy to reach my goal. But I also don't think I'll do much better than my goal, since we buy a LOT of fresh produce very very often, and fresh produce is crazy expensive!

The main grocery stores around me are Giant Eagle, Heinen's, Acme, Marc's, and Walmart.
The main drugstores are CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Drugmart, Target, and Walmart.

Normally I'd only shop at Giant Eagle and CVS, but this past week I've made an effort to jump around, depending on who's got the best prices on certain items. I used to avoid that because I felt like the savings wouldn't be worth the cost in gas. But I wanted to change my attitude (sorry store loyalty!) to see if buying everything on sale would really save me money in the long run. All the stores are within a mile radius of each other anyway. It's waaaaaaaaaay too early to tell if I'm in fact saving any money, especially since I'm still having to impulse shop for immediate necessities a lot, but it definitely boosts your self-esteem when you look down at your receipt and see a "You've saved $29.83 today!" staring back at you. :D

For anyone in NE Ohio: Marc's has the lowest everyday prices, but Acme has the best deals each week. Similarly, Target and Walmart have the lowest prices, but Rite Aid and Walgreens have some amazing deals. Eventually I plan to shop at only 3-4 stores regularly... going to 6 each week would definitely suck.

And I've decided that using a coupon clipping service works best for my lifestyle. I may buy the first Sunday newspaper of each month, for those wonderful P&G coupons, but I should be able to get those from the coupon clipping services as well. I've used Coupon Carry-Out so far, and the great communication and quick shipping made for an excellent experience! But I think I'm going to try out Coupon Clippers next time, since they have lower minimums and a seemingly larger selection.

Here are some of the best deals I've personally scored this week. It's not "FREE!" or a "money maker", but I'm pretty happy with my results... for now. :)

Grocery
-Campbell's Cream of Mushroom/Cream of Chicken Soups  $0.75/can
-Coca-Cola Can Soda 12pk  $2.00/pack
-French's Dijon Mustard 12oz  $0.98/bottle
-French's Spicy Brown Mustard 12oz  $0.89/bottle
-Dole Canned Pineapple 20oz  $0.73/can
-Birdseye Steamfresh Frozen Vegetables 12oz  $0.65/bag

Household
-Seventh Generation Diapers  $6.99/pack (originally $10.99!)
-Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Twin Pack  $0.99/pack
-Olay Regenerist Facial Cleanser  $2.99/bottle
-Aquafresh Extreme Clean Toothpaste 7oz  $2.00/box
-Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush  $1.59/brush
-Johnson & Johnson Head-to-Toe Baby Wash 15oz  $1.99/bottle

Saving money is actually exhilarating whoo hoo! Who woulda ever thought shopaholic like me would ever utter such blasphemy lol?? xD