Saving with Coupons, TLC (part 2 )

There is a pleasure feeling when you walk out of a store and find that you paid hardly anything for your all the purchases !!

This past Thursday night, I sat and figured out what my next purchase was going to be using coupons and reward bucks from Walgreen's. Took me awhile to figure out that if I paid for my first item, I would get so many reward bucks back and be able to apply this to my next transaction. Yes, there is a master plan to being able to do this... I had to buy my most expensive item first, giving me back the most reward bucks, that was the first transaction. Next transaction was a much smaller transaction, using part of my reward bucks and again, receiving more reward bucks back to apply to my third transaction.

5 transactions later, and many reward bucks spent along with huge amount of coupons and I walked out of Walgreen's doing a hop skip and jump all the way to my car... In total, my retail cost with no reward bucks and or coupons would of cost me over $49.00, but because of reward bucks and coupons, I only paid $15.00. plus I was able to purchase more then 15 items that cost more then a dollar at a normal grocery store for only a buck each. One product I purchased a very expensive shampoo, that purchase alone with no coupons or reward bucks would of cost me way over $9.99.

Is there a certain way one must turn in the coupons, reward bucks and anything else upon check out.? YES.. believe it or not, you have to use this method when checking out at Walgreen's or CVS. Here it is:

Walgreen's:
First, hand in the Walgreen's dollar off transaction coupons, then the manufacture coupons, then Walgreen's store coupons and finally your register rewards.

CVS:
First, hand in the dollar off transaction coupons, then manufacture coupons, then CVS store coupons and finally your Extra Care Bucks. You can use as many Extra Care Bucks as you have on hand, as long as your total at the register does not fall below $0.00

If you don't use the method above, it could end up costing you more money.. Doing different transactions will allow you to buy more products, use the reward bucks on your register receipt towards that next purchase and come out spending less money.

To date the retail value of the products I have purchased from CVS, Walgreen's, Marsh Grocery Store and Kroger grocery store totaled over $653.79, but with proper planning, in store coupons, manufacture coupons and as well reward bucks from Walgreen's and CVS, I was able to buy all the items I did receive for only $65.00 bucks. Now, to me that is a HUGE SAVINGS.

When something comes along that almost seem's too good to be true, usually it is.. but so far on the TLC program; "Extreme Couponing " I am finding that there are tricks to saving more money. For instance, lets just say you find a product and it's on sale, 2 for $3.50 at Kroger. You have 2 products for $3.50, but there is money to be made here. Kroger will allow you to go online and place any in- store savings right to your Kroger card, so you just saved .80 cents from your Kroger card, bringing down the total from $3.50 now down to $2.70.  What you would want to do, is check your local coupons in your Thursday or Sunday paper to see if that item has a coupon. If not, jump online and find a coupon for the item. YES, there is another trick here.. no coupons in your local area, try using a different zip code. I found a coupon for the same item above for .50 cents, so I printed off 2 coupons. This is legal by the way and since I am buying 2 items, I can use both coupons. Kroger will double any coupon as long at it's not over .50 cents, so I took my coupons and applied these coupons to the $2.70, that is $1.00 off one .50 cent coupon, and $1.00 off for the second coupon, bringing my total down to only .70 cents for the 2 for $3.50 items. bringing down my cost to only .35 cents for each item. SUPER SAVINGS !!

Just think if you did this with everything you purchased.. This is what I did to buy so many things retail. Yes, you do get the looks in the line.. so to help this, I went shopping after 11pm. Shorter lines and not so crowded. No dirty looks from those waiting behind you at the check out counter..

You do have to pre-plan your grocery store shopping, this does take some time. To save the amount of money I did last week, it took me close to 12 hours, but the savings back in my pocket were HUGE..

Some stores do not allow you to use coupons: Such as; the Dollar Tree (where everything is a buck) and Aldie's) they do not accept coupons, but for the most part, even Family Dollar will accept coupons. So watch those coupons and if all else fails, look around the grocery store for coupons.. I do this all the time and find the coupon fairy leaves coupons everywhere.. ever noticed this.. I do believe there is a coupon fairy out there somewhere inside every grocery store, just leaving coupons on the shelves, floor, front of store..

Enjoy your Saturday :)

Coupon Diva .. Am I ?

TLC has brought to us many shows we can enjoy with our family. The newest show "Extreme Couponing",  sparked a huge interest in me, because I love to SAVE MONEY..!!

Was I up for the super big challenge to see if I could pull off some major savings this weekend... Sure, why not.

I grabbed an empty binder I had, went on a little hunt around my studio and grabbed up some empty clear ball card sleeves, jumped online and started to print off coupons. Grabbed the Sunday paper and cleared off a huge area in my studio and started to clip, clip and clip away... And when I thought I was done clipping, I found I was not even through clipping. This is the hardest part, clipping all the coupons. From there I found in my studio, a package of 1-13 index stock size 8.5x 11" with a front cover blank page, listing 1-13. I used these to divide up my ball card sleeves, so I could then flip through my binder (after I named each 1-13 section in my index)

So, number 1 became, frozen, can goods, meats. I went through and named each 1-13 pages, then started to fill the coupons inside the binder in their proper place in each ball card sleeve. (hope that makes sense)..

Next, I started with the CVS flyer in the paper.. I saw that several things were FREE, with CVS reward bucks given upon check out.. So with proper planing on how to use CVS reward bucks could work in my favor, I sat down and made a list, using the flyer, matching coupons, and pre-planned prior to getting in my car and driving to my local CVS.. wondering during the 1.7 miles if I could become my own "Coupon Diva"..

Here is the trick I learned. First, you have to pick out the most expensive item from the list, match up your coupons with that item... my first item upon check out was the Crest Mouth Wash, $6.00, minus $3.00 paper coupon, plus I received $3.00 reward coupons back..( So I am out the $6.00 cash up front)  this was one transaction. Next up was the second item on the list, giving me back $3.00 in reward coupons.. I kept doing this, using the reward coupons, to get more reward coupons, doing this one transaction at a time.. ( you must make sure no one else is behind you tapping a foot and rolling the eyes) because if there is someone behind you. CVS has a policy, you must return to the back of the line.. for your next transaction, I was lucky, no one was behind me.. I did 6 different transactions, each time, applying the CVS reward bucks back to the second item, the third item and so forth.. At the end of my total transactions, I had spent the $6.00 up front plus tax and had over $43. 20 worth of products for free.. using CVS coupons, and manufacture coupons. Hey, they call this; "Double Stacking" (it's where you buy an item, using an "in store" coupon and then add a manufacture coupon along with the in-store coupon. So if you buy 2 of the same items, you can use 2 in store coupons, plus 2 manufactures coupons. The savings is HUGE..!!

After I had my bags in hand.. I jumped out the door. skipping and smiling all the way to my SUV.. I felt like I had just robbed the bank around the corner.. How could I have just master minded a coupon thrill.. I know nothing about couponing.. trust me, there is a madness to the way you MUST plan out your every move.. this took me over 3 hours to plan out this coupon thrill shopping experience !

I got to wondering on the 1.7 miles back if I could do the same with the grocery store.. Once again back home, hubby happy, I sat down and looked at the Kroger flyer.. lots of 10 items for $10.00 bucks.. plus, I could match each item up with a coupon..I pre loaded my Kroger card online to match the sales in the flyer. Yes, you can jump online and go to Kroger.com and insert your Kroger reward card. I then scouted online and found that I could grab the coupons for the Horizon Organic Milk, listed $3.99, found $2.00 coupon, plus matched this with another .35. off coupon. bringing my total cost per half gal down to $1.64, (again I had to lay out everything I was doing, this trip cost me over 4.5 hours to plan) I looked online for product coupons that would save me money or almost give me the item for free. I purchased nothing else other then what was on my list. Upon check out. with Kroger savings card, that was the first thing I did hand the clerk, then I watched every item on the register to make sure it rang up correctly. Then came the "COUPONS".. poor lady behind me, I said; "this lane might be tied up awhile"....

 Double stacking coupons, is not against the law.. by the way, stores get money back for every coupon they receive. My total was $205.79, I ended up paying right at, $45.00.. it took about an hour at check out.. this is not the way to shop if you are in a hurry or with children. Everything must be planned out and once you start shopping, you can not add anything to your cart that you don't have on your list.. it will toss off your numbers and cost YOU money.. several items I was able to get for FREE..Oh and by the way, you do have to profile your cashier.. the last thing you want is a cashier who is going to print off the grocery store receipt and go item by item making sure to check every single bag that you did purchase the item in question.. Yes, I didn't profile my cashier :(

After I got home, blowing the horn of the SUV from down the street.. heck why not, I had just won, HUGE SAVINGS.. lol lol

Back at the kitchen table, I wondered if I could do the same thing with another grocery store.. Marsh has great deals, 10 for $10.00.. 3 hours later, I was in side Marsh buying what I had coupons for.   Marsh as well had a deal where if you spent $10.00 you got $5.00 back. With limited cashiers, profiling was not something I could do, one lane open only :(

Again out came the pile of coupons.. one after the other.. I could really tell the cashier was totally not liking me too well.. I did apologize, but it didn't seem to help my case..10 gaterade bottles, only ended up costing me .16 each.. total with coupons, $14.00, 3 transaction later, $15.00 in reward bucks. So I spent $29.00 but got back $15.00 in reward bucks.. good thing, while I was inside the store, I ordered 10 more Horizon organic milk, $3.99-(in store savings $1.00) -  $1.50 off 2, plus another instore coupon, made each half gallon only .69 cents. 10 half gal of milk $6.90, 10 boxes of cereal, plus all the coupons, $1.25 a box. Plus I had to pick up a few other items, which I had coupons for as well.. Bringing up my total upon check out to $29 and some tax .. but then I received back $15.00 in which I can use upon my next visit.

So there you have it.. in total, about 7.5 hours plus figuring out my coupons with store ads, loading 2 cards up prior to shopping, matching up coupons.. but the savings was HUGE.. I don't know why I never used coupons prior.. Will I do this again.. sure, now that I have a binder full of coupons.. Oh, by the way.. when I was at Kroger a man asked me to sign up for the Indianapolis Star newspaper.. I would receive the Thursday paper with coupons, plus the Sunday paper with coupons for $4.24 a month... Remember the blog I had written up about walk away, for the best deal.. I took my own advice and walked away from the newspaper offer..Guess what I got, the subscription for $4.24 a month, but I got a $5.00 Kroger gift card, I used upon check out :) So, really I got the first month for free, plus I made .60 cents off the deal.. See, it never hurts to walk away from something because you never know what someone will offer you .. I am now wondering if I would of held out, if I would of received 2 $5.00 Kroger cards, darn.. my sales Technics are slipping with age..

So, do you coupon clip? Are you a coupon hoarder ?  Did you save big with coupons? Let me know how you feel about coupons and if you have ever used coupons, or are willing to try being a "Coupon Diva"