Too Much Information

Why would I buy Dulcolax?  Besides the obvious.  And, no, I don't need Dulcolax...today.  I bought it because it was on sale for $9.99.  I had a $3 coupon and got a $9.99 register reward back from CVS.  So, this was a $3 money maker deal. 

I also had a $5 coupon of off Schick Hydro Razors.  They were on sale for $8.97.  So, I paid $3.97 and got a $4 register reward.  So...free.  Now, we have $7 register rewards going into next week when they post the new deals. 

Now, the question on many a mind is...is it worth it?  Well, yes and no.  If you don't enjoy this type of activity, then no.  You would be better off working an extra hour a week or taking the hit on your budget for toiletries.  But, for Lil Bit and I, this is a game.  She told me today that it was like having a membership to a secret club where you get free stuff.  It is really fun, if you don't overdo it.  We live less than three blocks from CVS, so we can stop by on our way to just about anywhere. 

Alot of people complain that couponing doesn't really save you money unless you eat a bunch of processed foods.  I challenge that assumption.  We eat fresh fruits and vegetables and very little processed foods.  There aren't alot of coupons for apples and grapes.  However, with our system, we spend almost nothing on shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, hairspray, and the like.  These things can add up, especially if you have more than one female in the house.  That puts a lot of room back into the weekly shopping budget.  And, we are using all name brand items.  We are just getting them for free, or almost free. 

And, I've created a couponing monster.  Lil Bit can't wait for next weeks circulars to get here, so we can get started on our next deals.  We have a combined $22 in +ups, register rewards, and ECB's to wheel and deal with.  Free is fun.

Low Falutin Victory 8/10

My husband and I have decided to write a book, or actually a series of books, on our Low Falutin' lifestyle.  This is encouraging me to take advantage of more frugal resources.  One of the resources I've recently started taking advantage of is Couponmom.com .  This site is great, especially for beginning couponers.  She has a great system that is fun and easy.  I logged on yesterday and printed out the deals for Rite Aid.  I found that they are having a sale on Old Spice 2 for $6, with a $2 plus up coupon good for your next purchase.  I bought two and it came to $6.49.  I had $4 worth of plus ups that were about to expire, so I used them.  I ended up paying $2.49 and recieved the $2 plus up.  Not bad.  Net $.49 for two items that were regularly $4.49 each.

Our (I had Lil Bit with me) next stop was Walgreens.  Yesterday, I signed up for an email subscription to  Krazy Coupon Lady's Blog and got a cool heads up in my inbox.  Walgreens has a sale on Secret Soothing Deodorant.  They are regularly $4.99, but were on sale for $2.29 each with a $3 register reward good towards next purchase.  Lil Bit and I both bought one.  So, we spent about five dollars and got $6 back in register rewards. 

Then we stopped at Kmart (it is in the same strip mall) and used our $1 off 1 coupons for Post-it Super Sticky Notes that we found in an email from MoneySavingMom.com .  We printed off three.  They were $1 a piece and so free after the coupons.  I used two and Lil Bit used one.  I used my Kmart rewards card and got a Kching prize of a 15oz bag of Pretzels. 

To Sum up, we spent a total of $6.13 (we had to pay taxes on the free stuff) and recieved $8 worth of coupons to use like cash on our next purchases...and free pretzels.  And had some good Big Mama/Little Mama fun.  Can't beat that.

btw...all of these stores are within one square mile of each other, so this trip took about thirty minutes.

School Supplies

Hey Ya'll,
It is school supplies time again.  Walgreens is having a killer sale.  I just picked up 1 subject notebooks for .29, 6pks of papermate highlighters for .19, 3 for $1 legal pads, 10pk of pencils for .10, and 3 prong 2 pocket folders 6 for $1.  Some of this stuff is so cheap that you might want to pick up some extra for your desk drawer or drop some off at your local shelter.  Link to the site here.  Btw, if you go, pick up a circular at the front door.  Some of the savings have to be scanned from the coupons that are in it.  I caught a couple of times the cashier didn't automatically know the stuff was on sale and I had to point to the coupon.
Smooches,
April