One Way To Make a Coupon Organizer

I've used the same coupon organizer that I bought on line for several years.  It has now officially been declared "worn out".  But, I loved using that pocket style coupon organizer.  I was just about to order myself another one, but it didn't make sense to me to spend money if I could make something similar myself.

There were several of these small size 3 ring notebooks at my office that had previously contained insurance information and were going to be thrown away.  Its hard for me to throw away something that could be used, so I stuck 3 of them in one of my filing cabinet drawers.  They are 7 1/2 by 9 inches.  The spine is 1 1/2 inches wide.

I like that this notebook isn't full size and so it will fit in my purse.  I don't think I would like using a full size notebook in the store.  Too big and cumbersome!  This one is big enough, but I don't feel like people are thinking I'm a "crazy coupon lady".  I can decorate it by putting pictures or cards inside the plastic sleeve on the outside and along the spine.

I made some cardboard pockets similar to the ones in my old coupon organizer.  I loved being able to label them any way I wanted to.  On my old one, I had marked out and renamed some of the categories.  It has pockets in the front and the back that work great for holding my grocery lists, coupons to be used or receipts.

Here's how I made the pockets.  I had a package of plain file folders at home that I used for most of the pockets, but you could use any light weight cardboard.  Some of my pockets are smaller than others.

Open the file folder or other cardboard and then fold the bottom half up to the size you want your pockets to be.

 

Then fold it back in half. Cut the edge off so that its the size you want. Then just tape the side together, punch holes and insert in the notebook.

 

If you don't have a notebook, I am sure there are other ways to secure the pockets together.

However, the point is to have a nice organizer without spending any or much money.  Look around to see what you already have on hand.  I think you could make a pretty cardboard cover and use ribbon in the punched holes to hold it together.  If you put on your creative thinking cap, I'm sure you could make one even better than mine!

Being Consistent with Upromise Savings

I guess I am a little slow, but I just realized last week that funds earned in a Upromise account can be invested into an online savings account, CD or 529 plan. The thing that is nice about the savings account is that you have control over the account now and not just when a child is going off to college. You can use the money anyway you wish and can request a withdrawal of the money directly from UPromise. You do not have to designate a beneficiary of the money. You can also transfer money into the account yourself in addition to the Upromise funds going into it.

Upromise will invest the money in your account for you monthly, as long as the dollar amount is at least $10.00. I was very excited to discover this and have opened up an online Sallie Mae savings account, which is easy to do by going to the Upromise website. The interest rate on the account is 1.5%. In addition to the Upromise money going into the new account, You can link the Sally Mae Savings account to a local bank account and set up a small monthly transfer, which would be a great way of investing for a child or grandchild's future.

One small way to add funds to this account is by taking advantage of Upromise's Grocery Ecoupons. Each month a new group of Ecoupons is available on the Upromise website. Just go through the selection of Ecoupons and choose the ones you want to take advantage of. When you buy these items using your CVS card, Food Lion MVP card or other card that you have registered with Upromise, the amount of the Ecoupon will be deposited in your UPromise account. It would probably be advantageous to just choose all of the Ecoupons, and then if you buy any of those items, you will be covered.

The good thing about using the Ecoupons is that you can also use manufacturer's coupons on the items! I try to catch the items on sale, use a mfg coupon AND use the Upromise ECoupon.

For example: In December Charmin Basic was available as a Upromise Ecoupon. If you purchase Charmin basic, $1.00 would be deposited into your Upromise account. There was a $1.00 off Charmin Basic coupon in the December P&G coupon insert. This week the 12 packs of Charmin Basic are on sale at CVS for $4.99 and you would earn a $1.00extra buck. So that's $4.99, less the $1.00 mfg coupon, less the $1.00 CVS EB and $1.00 would be deposited into your UPromise account.

Now, I know the amounts that go into the Upromise account are small. But if earned CONSISTENTLY over time, this will add up. The ECoupon money would definitely add up faster than the 1.5% interest rate!

These are examples of the Upromise Ecoupons that I have taken advantage of during the month of December:

Fleischmann's yeast strip on sale for $1.50, less .40 mfg coupon, earned .40 in Upromise account.

Sister Schubert yeast rolls on sale for $2.99, less .50 mfg coupon, earned .75 in Upromise account

Charmin Basic Mega Roll on sale for $4.99, less $1.00 mfg coupon, less $1.00 extra buck and $1.00 earned in Upromise account

2 jars of Ragu Pasta Sauce on sale for $1.67 each, earned $1.00 in Upromise account.

1 large tub of Country Crock Spread, on sale for $2.50, less $1.25 mfg coupon, earned .40 in Upromise account

These are items that I would normally buy anyway. There are many more Ecoupons available on the site. The ones you might use would probably be different than the ones I use.

So remember that the current month's Upromise Ecoupons are only good through December 31st, so if you want to take advantage of them, you must do it soon. But, new ones will be available January 1st, and the first of each month thereafter, so it's never to late to start saving this way.

We Love Couponing in 2011

I'm planning ahead to 2011 for another area of my life that I not only enjoy, but will also benefit me financially. I posted MY SIMPLE COUPON ORGANIZATION METHOD in July.

A couple of days ago I was so excited to see a video by Jenny on Southern Savers.Com that described a NO CLIP (!) coupon organization method that is similar to mine, but much better. If you are interested in becoming serious about couponing in 2011, but want to be a normal person at the grocery store, PLEASE CLICK HERE AND WATCH.

Southern Savers has been one of my favorite deal blogs for a while, but now it has taken on a whole new meaning for me. There is so much great information on there. One thing that impresses me the most is that using the ideas found there I can use coupons without becoming obsessive about it. If I miss a deal, it won't be the end of the world, but if I am consistent I will save money in a stress free way.

Just today I needed to go to Food Lion for groceries, so I visited Southern Savers. In the search box I typed in "Food Lion". A post came up with the best sales prices with coupon match ups. I planned to buy a spiral sliced ham for our Christmas dinner. On the list was the spiral sliced ham and it told me where to find a coupon. The coupon was in the All You magazine that I subscribe to. I was able to find the coupon, along with several others, without having to spend huge amounts of time clipping and organizing coupons.

Above is my new purple accordion file and my old coupon organizer. Each week's coupon inserts will be filed in the accordion file after I have written the date on the front. It holds 13 weeks, so since most coupons expire after that length of time anyway, the oldest one is thrown away each week. Any unexpired ones that may be of use will be filed in the coupon organizer. The video recommends a check file for the coupons that you get from the store, or other places, but my old coupon organizer will work just fine for now.

Here are the things I like about the Southern Savers system:

1. No more Sunday afternoons doing a marathon CLIPPING, FILING AND PURGING OUT OF DATE COUPONS.

2. The posts on Southern Savers only include the items that are REALLY on sale. I don't have to wonder if its really a good price. Jenny stresses that the items go on sale regularly and we should only buy items when they are at their best prices.

3. I can put in any product in the data base search box to see if there is a coupon available. For instance if I need peanut butter, I can see if there is a coupon, even if its not on sale that week.

4. It a simple way of staying on top of the coupon monster.

5. I can go to the grocery store and behave like a normal person, which means I don't spend lots of time roaming up and down isles going through stacks of coupons to see if I can get a good deal.

Need a Ride?

I have added two more blog lists to my side bar that may be of interest to some of you.

For the deal seekers among you, I have listed my favorite coupon and deal blogs. If you need to know what's on sale and what coupons are available to use in conjunction with the sales, I'm confident one of these blogs will fit the bill.

I have been slack (aka lazy) about using coupons lately and am feeling a coupon frame of mind coming on! During this time year the best deals can be found. I am still using grocery items bought last year right around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

For the sewing, quilting and crafting enthusiasts among you, I have listed some of my favorite crafty blogs.

So what ever mood I am in, crafting or couponing, I can always find inspiration somewhere on my blog and hope you will be inspired too.

Tips for Getting Started With Coupons

In response to a couple of requests for ideas on getting started with coupons I am offering these tips that work for me.

I am a very imperfect person and organizing and using coupons is a constantly evolving process for me. I go through periods of time when I am totally on top of using coupons and always getting the best sales prices. There are times when I just use a few and am a minimal coupon user. Still there are other times when I skip them altogether.

So, how does someone who is new to couponing or who hasn't done any couponing in a long time get started? This is how I would suggest they get started:

1. Start out small. You don't want to get overwhelmed or burned out the first week!

2. Start out by getting one Sunday paper each week. Normally the coupons contained in the paper will more than pay for the paper. Better yet, if you know someone who will give you their coupon insert, take them up on it. Right now we don't buy any newspapers, but my mother gives me her inserts since she isn't into couponing.

3. To begin your coupon adventure, only clip the coupons you think you would use and file them in your coupon organizer. Label by date and keep the rest of the coupon insert.

4. There are many couponing blogs that give the best deals at drugstores, grocery stores and super centers. If you are planning a shopping trip to one of these, simply check to see what the sales prices with coupon match ups are for that store on one of these blogs. The coupon match ups usually state which coupon insert (by date and kind) the coupons can be found. This way if you didn't already clip the coupon, you can go back to your inserts and find it. In addition, if you want to print coupons from the internet, the blogs will give you a link to print it from.

5. Always keep your coupons with you.

6. When you are in the store, be on the lookout in the store for packages that have coupons right on them and also for the blinkies in the isle that dispense coupons for items located near them. Also a few stores have a scanner at the front of the store where you scan your store card and receive more coupons.

Right now I am going through a lull in my couponing. But, even without taking my coupon organizer into the grocery store I ended up using about $16.00 worth of coupons on a shopping trip yesterday afternoon. Here's how: I scanned my MVP card at the front of the Food Lion Store and received a $5.00 off my total order coupon; I bought 2 or 3 items that had coupons on the package; I remembered that I had in my handbag 2 coupons I received in the mail from Kelloggs for 2 free Kelloggs items up to $5.00 each. So of course I bought 2 huge boxes of cereal that weren't even on sale that I normally would not have purchased, but that we will definitely use.

7. Couponing blogs that I use regularly are: Money Saving Mom; 30 Dollar weekly grocery challenge, Southern Savers,Kingdom First Mom, My Frugal Adventures and Frugal Coupon Living.

8. There are certain items that can be bought free or nearly free if you keep on the lookout for them. Between Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS, there is a free tube of toothpaste on sale just about every week.

My deal of the week: At Rite Aid, I have a $1.50 UP Coupon (good on any non-prescription order) and a Rite Aid Single Check Refund for $4.69. I will buy a bottle of Contact Lens Solution for $7.99, apply these for a balance due of $1.80. Then the Contact Lens cost ($7.99) will be refunded to me in another Single Check Refund. When the check comes I will use it to buy another item that generates a refund or UP Coupon, etc.

The Brave Blogger

Are you brave enough to show what the cabinet underneath your kitchen sink looks like?

Here you go! The last place you probably wanted to see in my house. We seem to use a lot of dish washing liquid and they are a great filler when coupon shopping at Walgreens and CVS. If I need a filler, I'd much rather buy something really useful like dishwashing liquid, as opposed to a candy bar or something like that. There always seems to be at least one brand on sale every week. So, I've accumulated a little stockpile underneath the kitchen sink.

I'm really on a roll with couponing lately! I think its worthwhile to budget $5.00 at Walgreens and $5.00 at CVS weekly. If you would like to get ideas for how to get the best bargains for $5.00 out of pocket at Walgreens and CVS, you should check out the Kingdom First Mom blog. Every week, she hosts the $5.00 Walgreens Challenge and the $5.00 CVS Challenge.

Yesterday I made a quick run on my lunch break to CVS and Walgreens and here's how I did.

Walgreens:

1 large Crest Whitening with Scope toothpaste $2.99, less $1.50 off coupon, received $1.00 Register Reward

1 large Colgate Max Fresh Toothpaste $2.99, less 75 cents off coupon, received $1.00 Register Reward

1 Package of Cascade Dishwasher gelpacs $3.99, less 50 cents coupon, received $2.00 Register Reward.

2 10 count packages of pencils (for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes) 19 cents each.

I applied the $5.00 Register Reward I had on hand from last week, so out of pocket I paid $2.80.

Register Rewards on hand $4.00

CVS

First Transaction:

1 Cover Girl CG Smoothers Make Up, $8.99, used $1.00 off coupon
1 Cover Girl Mascara, $4.99 (used buy one mascara and get one eye shadow free coupon)
1 Cover eye shadow $3.49(free with coupon above)

Earned $5.00 extra bucks in the buy $15.00 and get $5.00 EBs deal

1 Small bottle of Bausch and Lomb contact lens solution $2.99, earned $2.99 EBs

Second Transaction:

1 Small bottle of Bausch and Lomb contact lens solution $2.99, earned $2.99 EBs. Paid for with the $2.99 EB from above. (There is a limit of 2 of these, even though the sales paper says 1.)

I paid for the first transaction with $10.99 Extra Bucks I had on hand and so the total out of pocket for this week was $4.98

Extra Bucks on hand is $7.99

Ok, now tell me what's underneath your sink!!! Be brave!

Simple Coupon organization

I really hate to do unnecessary work and I don't have a lot of time to spend clipping a bunch of coupons.


I've been experimenting with coupon organization systems for quite some time. The following system is working.... for the time being. It requires a whole lot less work than clipping every single coupon. Here's my latest attempt.

1. When I get the coupon inserts I go through them and only clip the ones I'm sure I would use, especially if the item were on sale. Examples are: toilet paper, toothpaste and Hunts Ketchup. By the way, I plan to never pay for toothpaste again!

I then file these in the appropriate category in the coupon organizer. I carry this with me in the car so that its available if I make a stop at the grocery store or drug store.

2. There are a couple of couponing blogs that I read when making my shopping list, which show the deals for each store along with coupon match ups. The only problem, in my opinion, is that they will say something like this, "1.00 off coupon from 6/27 Red Plum". Well, that works fine if its 6/28, but if its 2 or 3 weeks or more later, I have no idea where that coupon is, without going through stacks of coupon inserts.

Since there are often coupons in the Parade Magazine and the date is clearly printed on the front cover, I stick the coupon inserts with the remaining unclipped coupons inside the parade magazine that came out the same date. Then I just keep these little packets in order by date. When I need to find a coupon from a prior week, I can find the insert needed by checking the date on the outside of the parade magazine.

These packets don't take up much space and can be stored in a small cardboard box, such as an empty envelope box from my office. This can be kept in the car for any new deals posted on the couponing blogs. That way I can quickly leaf through my coupons to see if I have the coupon and if its worth taking advantage of.

3. I use the same process for the All You Magazine coupons. I clip the ones I know I will use and then just keep the magazines in a convenient place, along with the above described Parade Magazine with coupon inserts. When all the coupons are out of date I can just throw away or recycle that little packet or magazine.

4. Each week I compile my shopping lists based on my own take on the sales papers for each store and coupon blog posts which tell me what coupons are available to go along with the sales prices. I can look at my coupon inserts by date to find any older coupons. Then I just paperclip the coupons to the list for each store.

5. This system is especially helpful for me because I do not get many of the coupons listed that the folks in bigger metropolitan areas get. I used to drive me crazy because I would look and look for a certain coupon, thinking I was just over looking it. Now I can be sure as to whether or not I ever had it to begin with!

Month End Coupon Organization

This is me sitting on my couch with the laptop, snuggie (which I definitely don't need these days) and my coupons.

Tomorrow is the last day of the month, so I started going through the coupons this past weekend to see if there were any that I especially wanted to make use of before they expire.

Saturday my mother and I made a trip to Walmart and I was able to use one coupon for $2.00 off Quattro Disposable Razors and $1.00 off fluorescent light bulbs. Both of these items were on my list of items to buy.

Today I need to pick up a few items at Food Lion so I'll check to see if any more of the almost expired coupons are worth using. If not, I'll happily throw them away. I don't intend to use them unless they are for items I really need and will use.

I hope to get my CVS and Walgreens list together today. I'm a little behind this week!

Drug Store Deal Runs For The Week

Ok, the following shopping scenarios are getting kind of complicated for me to keep up with, but I'm excited to try! I won't be able to keep up this pace of going to two stores and doing two transactions at each one. However, this week there are some good deals at both places and since I'm on a roll, this is the plan:

CVS:I already have $11.00 in Extra Bucks to spend.

Transaction Number 1:

Purchase:

2 Colgate Total Advance Toothpaste at $2.99 each (There is a $1.00 coupon for this, but I've already used mine), EBs earned $4.00

2 Power Bars at $.99 each, EBs earned $1.98

1 CVS brand Ibuprophen at $3.99 each, EBs earned $3.00.

Total cost before EBs = $11.95. I will pay for this with the $11.00 EBs I have from last week, so I will pay $.95 out of pocket.

Total EBs earned $8.98

Transaction Number 2:

Purchase 1 BIG box of Huggies for $19.99, using a $1.50 off coupon.

Use the $8.98 EBs from the first transaction towards this. I'll pay out of pocket $9.51.

EBs earned $10.00.

So I will have $10.00 to use next time.

WALGREENS:

I have $6.00 in Register Rewards to spend.

Transaction Number 1:

Purchase:

1 Old Spice or Gillette Body wash for $4.49, earn $4.49 Register Rewards
1 Aussie or Herbal Essence shampoo or conditioner for $2.99, earn $2.00 Register Rewards.

Total - $7.48. Apply the $6.00 Register Rewards and spend out of pocket $1.48.

Total Register Rewards earned: $6.49

Transaction Number 2:

Purchase:

1 Renu Contact Lens Solution at $7.49, earn $7.49 Register Rewards

Apply the $6.49 Register Rewards from the first transaction, so I'll spend out of pocket $1.00.

Total Register Rewards for next time - $7.49.

**All of these coupon plans depend on whether or not my stores have these items in stock. My situation prevents me from going shopping until I am on my lunch break on Monday. Lots of times the best deals are gone!

***There are coupons available for lots of these items that would further sweeten these deals, but unfortunately I don't have them. I haven't been keeping up with my coupons very well, but am starting all over with organizing them.... on a very SMALL scale.

Coupons Again?

ok, so I'm trying to use my coupons again, on a smaller scale. This is my old coupon organizer which I bought from Gooseberry Patch, using my birthday $5.00 coupon, of course. Its getting a little worn, but it still works and fits in my purse or totebag.



This organizer is about as high tech as it gets for me!

At one time I saved EVERY coupon I could get my hands on, no matter what it was for, just in case a deal came up that I could combine the coupons with and maybe, just maybe... get it for free.

Well, I'm still interested in getting free stuff, but it has to be something we really need and will use. I don't have the time or energy to keep up with a big pile of coupons. So, I am simplifying as much as I can, but at the same time I want to save lots of money on my family's grocery bill.

I enjoy getting extra bucks from CVS and Register Rewards from Walgreens. Its fun to keep rolling them on more items, but it can become overwhelming if you let it. So, I'm not going to let myself get carried away with it.

One way I have failed in the past with this was by letting the extra bucks and register rewards expire. Here's how I am trying to avoid this in the future. I have set aside a pocket in the organizer JUST for the extra bucks, register rewards and also Food Lion Coupons. These coupons have a short period of time before they expire, so I need to keep them in a separate place, like this:



Since I usually make my drugstore runs on my lunch break, I wrote down the dates I need to have used them on a post it note which is on the front of my computer at work like this:



So where do I get my coupons from? We don't subscribe to any newspapers, but I still have more coupons than I can keep up with! My mother gives me her coupon inserts and I subscribe to the All You Magazine. I'm not a big fan of internet coupons, but will occasionally print them out. Food Lion emails me coupons that are good just at their store each week and I use lots of these, especially the ones for meat, eggs, and produce. In addition, all kinds of coupons print out at the register at Food Lion, CVS and Walgreens. CVS and Food Lion now have a machine at the front of the store that prints out coupons when you scan your little card.

Coupons are everywhere!

Some Food Lion Deals

Be sure to sign up for Food Lion's weekly email which usually includes some great store coupons. The coupons are good for a couple of weeks. What I do is check to see if the items are on sale the first week that I get the coupon. If its not on sale that week, it might be the next week. If it doesn't go on sale and its still a good coupon, I will make sure I use it before it expires. I especially appreciate it when Food Lion issues coupons for fresh meat, produce or dairy products.

In order to stay on top of the Food Lion and CVS deals and many other deals I regularly read these blogs: Thirty Dollar Grocery Challenge, Frugal Frenzy. and Southern Savers. It is amazing to me the amount of work that goes into posting all those sale prices and coupons!

Here are a few items I bought this week at Food Lion using coupons and/or sales.

3 jars of Ragu Spaghetti Sauce for $5.00. I really like this brand so I bought 6. When I got to the register two $2.00 off your next order coupons printed out making the actual cost of the jars $1.00 each.

Jimmy Dean Sausage two for $4.00. I had a Food Lion coupon for $2.00 off 2 rolls, making these $1.00 each.

Food Lion Brand frozen pie shells (deep dish/2 to a pack) on sale for $1.69. I used a $1.00 off 2 packages making these $1.19 each. These will be handy for making my new favorite dish - Quiche.

12pk cans of 7UP on sale for $2.75. I had a Food Lion Coupon for $1.00 off making these $1.75. My guys love finding the occasional treat of cold canned drinks in the fridge!

Swiss Miss hot chocolate on sale for $1.00 each with a Food Lion Coupon of $1.00 off making it free!!!

Ten pound back of Russet potatoes for $2.88. These are so nice to have on hand for making baked potatoes.

It will be worth it for me to make a second trip to Food Lion this week, after I get today's coupons. If you buy any 5 Special K products you get $5.00 off. It is my understanding that the coupon inserts today will include Special K coupons. IN ADDITION, I will use my two $2.00 off your next order coupons earned from buying the Ragu above to minimize my out of pocket cost, not to mention the fact that the $2.00 coupons are only good until January 7th!

Oven Fried Chicken

I recently took advantage of an offer for the All You magazine - a 2 year subscription for $18.00. If you aren't familiar with this magazine, it is sold at Walmart and is loaded with coupons.

My first experience with buying it was when I was waiting in line to check out at Walmart and picked one up to leaf through to pass the time. I noticed a coupon in the magazine for an item I already had on the conveyor belt at the cash register. The amount of the coupon paid for the magazine, so I quickly tore out the coupon and bought the magazine.

My first issue came this past week and it really is full of coupons. Now, If I can just find time to clip them and organize them!!!

Last night I made oven fried chicken using a recipe from the magazine. It was actually in an ad for French's french fried onions. There was a 55 cents coupon for the french fried onions also.

This picture was from the magazine. Mine didn't turn out this pretty!



I recently stocked up on boneless chicken breasts when they were on sale at a good price at Food Lion. Each pack of chicken that I bought was about $3.00 and I was feeding three people, so that's not too bad. The pack of chicken had 3 large pieces, so I cut each one in half.

It turned out very tasty, was quick to make and the cost was reasonable.

Here's the recipe:

Crunchy Onion Chicken

2 cups (4 oz) French's French Fried Onions
2 tbsp Flour
4 (5 oz) boneless chicken breasts
1 egg beaten

Crush french fried onions with flour in plastic bag. Dip chicken into egg; then coat in onion crumbs. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees until cooked through. (My chicken was thick and not quite thawed out completely, so I cooked mine for 30 minutes)

Taking into account the fact that I bought the chicken on sale and had a coupon for the french fried onions, this is a fairly frugal dish. Also, I utilized several leftovers from the fridge to go with it. These leftovers were chicken pot pie, corn, rice with gravy and sweet potatoes. Not a bad meal!

Frugal Friday - Making Use of Coupons

Elizabeth has begun a new blog called "Saving Pennies". One theme of her new blog is to feed the hungry, by using coupons and sales.

It would be wonderful if people everywhere would use their coupons to help stock food pantries, wouldn't it?

Here is one example of making use of coupons to feed the hungry:

Like many of you, I received several coupons for Rice Krispies Cereal from Vocal Point. One of these coupons was even for a free box. The others were for $1.00 off each box. We would never eat that many boxes of Rice Krispies, but it occurred to me that this would make a great food pantry item. To sweeten the deal, last week Food Lion had these large boxes on sale for $1.99. So I purchased 5 boxes using the $1.00 off coupons, making each box only 99 cents. So for $5.00 I was able to get 5 boxes of cereal for my church's food pantry.

I know $5.00 isn't alot, but many times I will think in terms of spending $5.00 for groceries to donate to the food pantry. I try to get the most groceries I can get for that $5.00. Some weeks that might be 2 boxes of spaghetti and 2 jars of spaghetti sauce.

It also helps to think in terms of some people not having the means to put other items with the food. Who ever gets the Rice Krispies, will need milk. So that is a drawback. I wonder if some people even have electricity to cook the food. So in that case it would be nice to donate canned meats or other items that don't have to be cooked. Any ideas for that?

Today is Frugal Friday at Life as Mom. You can get lots of frugal ideas by checking out all the posts!

Using Restraint at CVS!

I haven't been shopping at CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid for several weeks now. We even stopped taking the newspaper, so my couponing has slowed considerably. But, I have two people who give me the coupons they don't use, so I'm still in the game!

I noticed that this week at CVS there were several school supply items "free after extra bucks". I also saw that the Colgate toothpaste that I had a coupon for was on sale plus earned an extra buck, so I made a CVS trip on my lunch break yesterday.

But, you know what? I really don't NEED any school supplies! My children are out of school and I probably still have left over school supplies in storage somewhere in the house. I even had the free school supplies in my shopping cart. I decided to put them back so some other mom with school age kids could make use of them.

At one time I would buy anything I could get for free, but I've decided to use restraint at CVS or any store where I am couponing. If its not something we need and use, why bring it home to clutter up my storage areas?

This is what I ended up buying:



I swiped my CVS card at the little machine they have in the store and a $1.50 coupon off the deodorant printed out, as well as a 50 cents extra buck coupon. I already had a $1.00 coupon off the toothpaste. So out of pocket I spent $3.26 for both these items and $3.00 worth of extra bucks printed out for my next shopping trip, making these items free. The great thing about it is that we will really, really, actually use both these items!

Yes, I've reached the stage of using restraint in my coupon shopping. How about you?