Couponing - My Most Recent Obsession

About a month ago I watched a few episodes of the Extreme Couponing show on TLC. After watching a man and his wife walk out of a grocery store with about $800 worth of products and not paying a dime, I made up my mind that I could save at least some on a small scale. So the next Sunday I went out and bought a paper and clipped out all of the coupons and began planning. I found a few websites that helped me figure things out. I use www.couponing101.com and www.thekrazycouponlady.com.  These sites lay out each store’s coupon policy and give you the deals at each store every week.

Up to this point, I have done couponing at Walgreens, CVS, Target, and Homeland. My goal has been to save anywhere from 50% up. For the most part I have done this! I have actually walked out of Walgreens with more money in their Register Reward (RR) program than I have spent out of pocket twice now.

I’ve decided to occasionally share with everyone what I’ve saved in some stores each week for anyone interested in or curious about couponing. I am by no means an expert but I’m loving this and I like to share what I love. Everything I share is going to be before taxes are added.

Here are my best deals this week:

Walgreens:

The first week you shop at Walgreens you won’t have any Register Rewards, but after that first week your savings can definitely go up! The key is to use your RR for products that will earn RR.

I bought the following

1 Sobe flavored water
1 Gillette Pro Fusion Power Razor
2 cans of Planters cashews
1 Garnier Shampoo 13oz
1 Garnier Conditioner 13oz
1 Garnier Mousse 6.8oz
1 Garnier Hairspray

Total: $40.92

Total after sale: $30.88
Total after using coupons (including RR): $6.38 before taxes
Register Rewards earned: $11.99
Total savings: Profit of $5.61

CVS

Just like Walgreens, the first time you shop you won’t have any of the Extra Care Bucks (ECB) they give out, but after that you can get some decent deals. Make sure you have one of their savings cards to get the good prices!

I bought the following

1 Oral-B Pulsar Toothbrush

Total: $6.79

Total after sale: $6.00
Total after coupons (including ECB): $0.02
ECB earned: $3.00
Total savings: Profit of $2.98

Homeland

Homeland is a local grocery store so the sites I mentioned above do not list the deals for here. I learned from a friend that Homeland doubles coupons that are $1.00 and below.  They have their coupon policy on their website – www.homelandstores.com. The key is to have their savings card and to match coupons with sales.

I bought the following

3 Wishbone Italian Salad Dressing
1 Ronzoni Garden Delight pasta
2 Lysol Disinfectant Wipes 30 count
1 Lysol Disinfectant Spray
2 Philadelphia Cooking Crème
2 Jars of Ragu
1 Bob Evans Refrigerated Side
1 La Victoria Salsa

Total: 42.07

Total after One Card savings: $27.62
Total after coupons: $11.12 before taxes
Total Savings: 73.5%

Like I said all of the totals are before taxes so I spent a little more than what I listed but you get the idea. Even after taxes I still had profits at Walgreens and CVS. I don’t think there is any turning back after this!