I am learning the ways of couponing. There is a ton of stuff online that gives you the info you need to shop. I also have a handy friend I sometimes ask questions to if I want a quick explanation. I've never taken photos of the stuff I've bought (I might have about twice as much as the photos show?). It's actually REALLY fun! It's like a game where you have to figure out where all the pieces go. While learning, you start off small (plus, you don't have all the coupons built up yet!):
WALMART: About $0.66 - everything was free, except for the blue bag of wipes (which was $0.66).
Total Out-of-pocket $1.59KROGER: They have a nifty thing where you can download coupons onto your store card (other stores do this as well, you can look online and find the ones in your area). You can also use paper coupons. So the two types of coupons together give you really good deals if you have both for the same item.
This totaled $24.63 (approximately $3 per item) and I paid $1.59 for it.
WHY I WISH FREX HAD CVS...
Total out-of-pocket $0.00- 3 Allergy Relief (we don't use these, but they gave us extra $3 than we had before, so I bought them)
- Deodorant: Tyler is allergic to antiperspirant, so I'll be giving them to the elders.
I paid zero cash for all of this. I just used ECB (extra care bucks, aka, store money I had previously earned and keep reusing) and then was given all the extra care bucks back, PLUS $3 more.
Total out-of-pocket:Kroger (safesoap): $3.79
CVS (everything else): $1.95
KROGER Today:
See the the Safeguard Soap on the right hand side? I got 20 bars for $3.79. That was the most expensive thing out of everything I bought today.
CVS Today (the rest of the stuff in the above photo):
This was my bestest shopping trip so far.
- Six packages of diapers
- 3 Allergy Relief things
- 3 Excedrines (they were free - as in, I didn't even have to use ECB to pay for them)
- 3 toothpastes, earned $2 additional ECB
- 2 Tums Quik Paks, earned $4.50 additional ECB
- 3 deodorants for the Elders
- 1 thing of Rolaids
- 1 "6" birthday candle
I still have $23 in ECB to use for future stuff.
The idea is to buy stuff that while you use your ECB to buy them, those items you buy give you ECB back. Ideally you make as much as you use to pay for it. So, if I use a $15 ECB to buy something, my goal is to earn $15 back in ECB. It does limit what I can buy, and sometimes I buy stuff I normally wouldn't because they give me money back or because it's free (and it's hard not to buy something that is free!). But there are monthly deals, as well as weekly deals that give ECB back, so it's nice that the items rotate. So, we "buy" what is a good deal per week. Also, it's especially fun to make more ECB than you spend. I did that today quite a bit (the use of coupons helps a lot). Since the diapers didn't give much ECB back, it helped that I was able to earn extra ECB prior to it, so in the end, i didn't really loose too many ECB.
Frexy, I really wish you had a CVS. I keep wanting to talk to you about CVS, but I restrain myself! Maybe you can start a petition to get one in your area;-)
We've bought a lot of toothpaste, toothbrushes, makeup, razors...and I'm sure other stuff that I can't think of at the moment. They are good stocking up items.
Just wanted to share!
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