{Weekly Haul: Target, Meijer & Walmart}

I went to Target, Meijer and Walmart this past Saturday, and I wanted to share with you all the haul I picked up. I'll break down each purchase store by store and then include the coupons I used for the transaction. 


 The first store I went to was Walmart because I wanted to get it out of the way. I had my first bad experience here with coupons a little while ago and I took away several things from it. I was determined to overcome it and see that a positive experience could occur here and that you are not always going to have smooth sailing. Everything turned out fine. I've learned to only use the u-scan registers at Meijer only and at other stores to go to a regular register. Bonus points to Meijer for allowing customers who use the u-scan to scan their own coupons.

For some reason, the thought of separating out the items by store and then taking the picture never crossed my mine. Maybe the items just look better all grouped together? Maybe it is more exciting that way? I am going to go with that reason, haha. 


Meijer - OOP (out of pocket): $22.47. WHB (would have been): $44.89. Total savings: $22.42 or 52%.

• (1) Maybelline Foundation: $8.19 - $2.00 Meijer electronic coupon = $6.19.
• (3) Splenda Sweetner: 3 at $4.92/each, for a total of $14.76 - (3) $2.00 manufacturer coupons = $8.76.
• (1) Strawberries (carton): $1.67. [No coupons].
• (1) Cheerios cereal: $2.50 - $1.00 manufacturer coupon = $1.50.
• (4) Quaker Granola bars: $8.00 - (2) $1.00 manufacturer coupons = $6.00
• As a perk for signing up via text for Meijer electronic coupons, a '$2.00 off your next order' was added to my account.

Total: $22.47.


Walmart - OOP: $8.67. WHB: $26.28. Total savings: $17.61 or 33%.

• (5) Band-Aids: 5 at $1.97/each, for a total of $9.85 - (5)$1.00 manufacturer coupons = $4.85.
• (3) Reach Floss: 3 at .97 cents each, for a total of $2.91 - (3) $1.00 manufacturer coupons = FREE! (overage applied to rest of order).
• (1) Nivea Lotion: $2.97 - (1) $2.00 manufacturer coupon = .97 cents!
• (2) packs of staples [I have been needing this desperately. Unfortunately, no coupons for these!]: .94 cents each, for a total of $1.88.

Total: $8.67.

Target - OOP: $15.31. WHB: $32.26. Total savings: $16.95 or 47%.

• (1) Glade aerosol: .99 cents - $1.00 manufacturer coupon = FREE!
• (1) Glade Expressions starter kit and (1) refill: (1) manufacturer coupon - "Buy 1 Glade Expressions starter kit and receive a free refill [up to $3.99]: $3.99
• (1) Oatmeal Real Medleys: $1.79 - (1) .50 cents off manufacturer coupon = $1.29
• (2) Edy's Fruit Bars: $3.25 each, for a total of $6.50 - (2) $1.00 coupons = $2.25 each.
• (4) Reach Floss: 4 at .97 cents each, for a total of $3.88 - (4) $1.00 manufacturer coupons = FREE!
• Special Promotion - Buy (3) Greenworks Clorox Wipes and receive a FREE Greenworks Clorox Dish soap. (3) Greenworks Clorox wipes at $2.36 each, for a total of $7.08 - $2.29 for the free dish soap and (1) .50 cents coupon and (1) $1.00/2 Greenworks Clorox products = $7.58

Total: $15.31.

Total out of pocket spent for all stores combined: $46.45

Total of what it would have been without coupons/promotions/sales: $103.43

Total saved: $56.98 or 45%.

My next haul post is going to be my shopping trip to Kroger, which occured today (5/8/12). If you have any questions about this post, please do not hesitate to comment!

{Cutting Coupons}

Working on coupons at the moment! I am also working on a post that breaks down my binder to show you how I organize my coupons. 

{Introduction}

I have only recently been in the couponing game, but I have come to realize very quickly that it is a difficult skill to know how to do. However, that does not last long. Once you understand how it works, it becomes second hand. When I first started, I wanted to go out and grab every single deal available to me. However, this quickly became a lot to deal with since I was in school full time and working part time. Some days I wish I could just live a "stay at home mom" lifestyle (without the mom part right now!) and be able to dedicate a good amount of my time to couponing. I realize that may sound crazy, but it's honestly how I feel. Maybe the future will lead me down that path. I truly enjoy couponing and I hope that this blog will help offer some insight into saving money and maybe even inspire you to coupon! :]


I have only been couponing for four months now. I started at the beginning of January 2012. Something switched on and in my head and it was like, "I want to start couponing." Usually when something like this happens, I throw myself into whatever it is completely, and this was no different. Yes, I had seen the crazy 'Extreme Couponing' show on TLC and was baffled by how a small, simple sheet of paper cut from a newspaper I had never really paid any attention to could save a person such a significant amount of money on groceries. And being able to get items for free? FOR FREE? Really? It was absolutely mind blowing, and I wanted to get in on it. 


From watching the show, I knew I needed to buy: a) Sunday newspapers and b) a binder to keep all those money saving pieces of paper in. I am someone who researches everything before committing to buying it (thanks, Grandpa<3) and even something as small as a purchase of a binder was included in that scrutiny. I wanted to make sure that I was going to be obtaining the right materials in order to be completely successful with my new adventure of couponing. From what I found out, getting a zipper binder was one of the many routes you could take in regards to organizing your coupons. Although it is highly recommended you play around see what is best for you. I like to organize my binder by category. Others like to organize their system by expiration date. It all depends on who you are as a person and what suits you as a person! Do not be afraid to try several different options until you find the route that is right for you! :]


I realize that there are several (okay, more than several) blogs out there that relate to couponing, but a few people that I know have asked me how I go about couponing and are interested in trying it for themselves. If you decide to take on this adventure, start small! Any savings = a good thing! Do not become distressed if you are not seeing the 50% or more savings on your first few shopping trips. Once you become more used to couponing, you will start to see your savings increase. Some people go all out and try to grab deals from every store. Others pick two or three and stay with those. Whatever route you plan to take, just keep focused and stay the course.


I'm happy to share what I know and what I have learned in my journey to never pay full retail price for anything ever again! Remember: any savings is good!