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Archive for the ‘Crazy Couponing’ Category

I haven’t couponed since April. The shakes went away after a few weeks. 😉 After not feeling well and spending three days in pajamas, I needed to get out of the house today. The kids and I went shopping to grab some loss leaders and begin to replenish our school supply stock. Loss leaders are the special deals usually listed on the front page of a store’s weekly sale ad, and they have quantity limits. They get you in the store so you’ll spend more money than you planned. I didn’t. Ha!

For all of you non-couponing types, these deals are good until this Saturday, and I didn’t use a single coupon. Here’s what we picked up:

Office Depot (2 different stores – both close to my house):

(6) Vinyl zipper pouches – Retail 1.99/ Paid .01 each

(6) Acrylic Rulers – Retail .99/ Paid .01 each

(6) 1 subject notebooks – Retail .99/ Paid .01 each

(3) 2 ct. Dry Erase Markers  – Retail 2.99/ Paid .50 each

(20) Foray Rollerball Pens (My favorite pens!) – Retail 1.99/ Paid .50 each

Total Retail $72.59/Paid: $11.68   84% Savings

Walgreens:

(6) Crayola Markers – .99 each

(11) 5 ct. mechanical pencils – .29 each

(4) 10 ct. pens – .29 each

(4) 6 ct. highlighter – .49 each

Total Retail $66.65/Paid $12.25   82% Savings

Office Max:

(5) 4 pocket folders – Retail 1.00/ Paid .25 each

(3) 12 ct. pencils –Retail 1.00/ Paid .25 each

(2) 12 ct. Colored Pencils Retail 2.00/ Paid .25 each

(3) Sharpie Singles Pens – Retail 1.79/ Paid.25 each

(5) 100 sheet filler paper –Retail 1.00/ Paid 0 (free)

Total Retail $22.37/Paid $3.25   85% Savings

Total Retail $161.61     Total Paid $27.18      84% Savings

These totals were before sales tax. I could have done even better if I were couponing, but summer was way too busy! Because I was a smart shopper and couponer for the 6 months leading up to summer, we were able to live off our stockpile with a few runs to the store here and there. Sadly, my coupon binder is fairly empty, so Zoe and I are working on filling it again this week. My pile of inserts is about a foot tall.

If you have these stores near you and a little extra change this week, there are A LOT of families that are struggling to buy the supplies their kids need for school this year. Buy some stuff and GIVE IT AWAY! Be a good neighbor. I know you want to. 🙂

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  1. I am the mom. In our house it is my job to select the food my family eats, buy it, cook it, and make them eat it. Yes, I said make them; two of our family members are not veggie fans. Couponing helps me feed my family for significantly less money, and I’m not talking junk food either. BUT it’s not just for moms, it’s for everyone!
  2. Couponing allows me to maintain a small stockpile of food and supplies. I know what it’s like to be food insecure, so I’ve learned the lesson of planning ahead and storing up for the lean times that may come around again for my family or our friends. It happens.
  3. When I save more, I have more to give, and I LOVE to give. I find great deals and might buy 10 of an item instead of 1. Even if I keep 5 for my family to use and stockpile, I have 5 to give away to others who are in need. The same is true for the stuff I get for FREE. I never find myself with too much stuff and no one to share it with. That is just not my life.
  4. I love FREE STUFF! Who doesn’t? I get $50-$100 worth of stuff completely free each month by combining coupons with sales. What I don’t or won’t use gets gifted to friends or our church food bank which is always in need of supplies. I am not wasteful.
  5. Couponing is fun. It’s like a game I play with my friends. We should call it “How low can you go?” Like most games, it’s more fun with a group. It’s FUN to find great deals and watch my total drop as the checker scans my coupons. It’s FUN to share those deals or coupons with friends so they can take advantage of them too. It’s FUN being part of a couponing group that celebrates each other’s money-saving victories, and helps each other laugh off the flubs we all make from time to time. I’m not a crafty person of any sort, so getting together with these ladies is my modern version of a quilting bee. Did I mention that it’s fun?

Let’s recap, shall we? Couponing saves money on my grocery bill, helps me maintain a stockpile, give more to others, get free stuff, and it is fun. So what are you waiting for? An invitation?

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I never posted the 4th shopping trip deals that I got during my November Coupon Challenge, so here they are:

Tom’s Toothpaste (Albertson’s)

Retail for 4.99 (x 6 tubes= 29.94) , on sale for 3.00, MQ -2.00/1 making them 1.00 each, Final Price=$6.00 Total Savings=80%

 

Tom’s Deodorant (Albertson’s)

Retail for 3.99 (x 6 sticks= 23.94), on sale for 3.00, MQ-2.00/1 making them 1.00 each,Final Price=$6.00 Total Savings=75%

 

Eveready Batteries (Target $1 section, Eveready is an Energizer brand)

Retail for 1.00 (x 20 packs= 20.00), MQ -.75/1 making them .25 each, Final Price=$5.00 Total Savings=75%

 

Oral B Dental Floss (Target)

Retail .97 (x 10), MQ -1.00/1 making them FREE (no overage at Target)

Total Savings=100%

 

Nivea Lip Care (Albertson’s)

Retail (can’t remember), on sale 10/$10, MQ -1.00/1 making them FREE

Total Savings= 100%

 

This was definitely a successful trip! I have learned A LOT about couponing since I began the challenge, and I continue to haul in free and deeply discounted stuff each week. I’ve co-taught 3 couponing classes at a local library and at our homeschooling group, and my latest project is writing step by step tutorials for my friends who want to learn how to do this too. I’ll be posting them here first, but I’m also turning them into a free e-book download for those who want it all in one place.

If couponing isn’t your thing, hang in there. I’ll still be blogging about other topics too. For example, my new 2012 challenge. Sadly, I didn’t complete my 2011 de-cluttering challenge. I was off to a strong start, but some personal things happened in November and I didn’t blog for a couple of months. (Which is why I’m posting the conclusion to the November challenge in February.) I did enjoy de-cluttering, and I was able to purge several thousand pounds of stuff from our house. It was awesome. And so what if I didn’t finish? I’m learning to start again where I left off, and you can too. I’m offering myself (and you) grace.

To receive the couponing tutorials (and all my other stuff) by email, click on the Feedblitz button up there underneath my picture. Updates will also be posted to Twitter and Facebook. How easy is that? 🙂

 

 

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