What a high! I put the kids to bed tonight and made my trip out to the grocery store for some coupon extravaganza fun. Yeah, baby.
So I know you all want to know how I did, but before I tell you, let me let you in on a little secret: If you have multiple coupons for the same items (like you want to get 5 Fantastics, and you have 5 coupons for Fantastic), many stores will only double ONE of those coupons. So, my savings in prior weeks should have been a lot higher, and once I found this out, I was peeved! I called my sister with my coupon emergency and she tipped me off to two tricks:
1. Pick a cashier that is male or a young teen girl. They don't follow the rules as much as the middle-aged females that are bitter and jealous of your savings. They tend to want you to save money, and they like to feel that they helped you. Male cashiers don't pretend to have as much loyalty to a grocery store chain. Of course, this is all stereotyped, and I will deny that I told you, but I have found much higher coupon saving success in my experience with male cashiers, and my sister verified that she, too, has found this to be true. You're taking a chance, but there it is.
2. Separate your products into multiple orders. If they will only double your coupon once for your 5 Fantastics, then have them ring up 5 separate orders, and then you win! This seems like a pain, but the thrill is worth it, trust me. Especially since this week, Fantastic is FREE!! (And I actually got 6.) But that's what I did. I took my cart and separated it into three sections and when I had 3 coupons for something, I put one product in each section and then I had the cashier ring up 3 different orders to maximize my savings. Yeah, baby.
So, this week was exciting because I got lots of household cleaners. LOTS. More than a year's worth. Plus, 4 shampoos/conditioners (the GOOD kind, ladies. The generics are just too expensive!), cat litter, 2 bags of cat food, toilet paper, and my favorite savings was packs of Bic Soleil disposable razors that normally sell for $8.99....I got them for $.99 each. Three packs of them. Whoo-hoo! Lots of food. And of course, there's the bummer of milk, butter, and bread that I had to pay full price for. And now for the results?
I spent $80.01 for $291.23 worth of groceries! Savings of $211.22!! Yeah, baby!!
10 comments:
hi jenna:
whoo hoot is right.
you are TOO cute. so refreshing. i got a kick out of hearing you say "yeah baby" a bunch. i say that, too.
thanks for stopping by. glad you are enjoying your scripture challenge/reading. i spent my morning read in D&C 50.
hope your day is great and smiley. i am having computer problems ... yuck ... i feel like so addicted, so get frustrated when i can't get it to work! it pulls me in, like the dark side, ok the light side. cause it brings me to joyful people like you sweetie.
thanks for the little smiles,
kathleen :)
ps. i have to say a prayer now that i won't have anymore computer problems! ha. i have to be able to blog tonight! :)
oh yeah! i am first. i so rock! ha! i am making myself laugh, so join in if you want. your laughing pictures on your blog are still so cute and endearing to see such free laughter. love it.
I'm so sad that this couponing thing is not available here. But I'm thrilled for you!
Yay Jenna!! Such a thrill, huh. I'm so glad that now I have 1 sister who won't make fun of me for being a coupon freak.
I wish I could find a coupon extravaganza like you have.
I seriously love good deals and have been know to come home and figure out how much I would have spent if it was all regular price, talk about a thrill LOL.
This summer I found blue jeans for my DD and niece, I got 3 pair for $9, regular price for them would have been $90. Cha-ching it was fun LOL.
Wow, that's awesome and the casheir thing is a nice tip. One of the things I hate the most about coupons is when the clerk acts all put out about it. I try not to let it bother me, but it still does. I'm sure once I get into this a little more I'll get over it.
So, here's a question. How do you organize your coupons? And, is there a time of day that you go? I went Monday morning, around 8:30, thinking it would be good cause there wouldn't be so many customers, but they were stocking shelves which was a pain cause I'm slow, and they were already out of a few items.
thanks for the help!
Oh, and one other thing. this week I got a little carried away with "I think I'll use this" and ended up bringing home several things that I didn't need (lots of candy, and not the halloween kind) I realize I got carried away with the 'it's on sale, I must have it!" So I need to work on that next week. I am having a good time. Even my hubby, who is anti-coupon, was impressed when I told him what I'd saved (he didn't seem to notice I had $20 worth of candy I'd never bought before)
Josi,
I have my coupons organized in a three-ring binder with trading card holder pages. I bought two packs of 10 each, and then I cut index cards in half (they fit perfectly) to label each section. I then put my coupons in there (sometimes they have to be folded).
On sale is not enough to maximize savings. Don't buy unless it's on GOOD sale AND you have a coupon. The trick is holding out till you get both at the same time. And candy is a VERY important purchase! One must have loads of chocolate, candy, and other yummies in store, or one will be very hostile come bird flu, natural disaster, or unemployment. Or, late at night, when the kids are in bed and it's been a hard day.
My sister Hannah at http://www.hannahislivingthesweetlife.blogspot.com posted a great tutorial about coupons a few weeks ago. I think it's called "Coupon Tutorial". Go read it if you haven't.
Woohooo is right! I'm still really new at the whole thing, but it's been great to save so much. I'm running out of freezer space, however. I really need a deep freeze, and soon. Congrats on the savings! I hope I can get that good soon.
jenna:
your reasons for having candy on hand were a hoot! funny girl, k
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