Clipping to Save!

I want to share my experience with you as a first timer!

When I got up yesterday morning and went to fix breakfast for the kids, it reminded me that I had to go grocery shopping. I despise grocery shopping alone with two kids but I do it because it is part of my SAHM "duties"! Well, I got on Facebook like every morning and saw a few people talking about doing their grocery shopping with their coupons. So I decided to give it a try this week! Now, let me tell you I was, and still am, the person that will tell you it is CRAZY to stock up on things you don't use that often or at all for that matter, just because you can get them for super cheap, eg: 10 bottles of mustard. With that said, I began my coupon hunt. I looked online at sale ads for the grocery stores in the area. If I saw something on sale that we needed (fruit snacks, spaghetti o's) I would look for a coupon for it. Giant and Bloom were my best deals...Giant, I saved a total of $31 after two trips, one yesterday before last weeks sales ended and then today for the new sales! Bloom, I saved $25. Total, with all the stores I went to, I saved a grand total of $93.68!!!! I got a lot of different items, from food, paper products, underwear for the kids, face moisturizer and more. I didn't purchase a single item we didn't need. I am hoping to be able to start stocking up on things now like, ketchup, peanut butter, etc.! One thing I am impressed with, is that Giant and Bloom double manufacturers coupons up to $1.00! That was AWESOME! 

I am very excited to really get the hang of this because I did make a few mistakes today that would have saved more but shopping and couponing with two kids alone is a bad idea! Let me give you an example and yes, it's OK to laugh. I can laugh about it... NOW! ;)

My first stop today was Walgreen's. I had it all planned out (or so I thought)! I go in and get a basket, Logan offers to carry it for me, I then get my 100ct box of Splenda packets ($2.99 with Walgreen's coupon plus $1.00 off manufacturers coupon), my Aveeno face moisturizer (25% off plus $2.00 off MFG coupon PLUS if you spend $15 or more on Aveeno products, you would get $5 in register rewards, then a Fusion razor (on sale for $9.99 then a $4 off MFG coupon PLUS you got $4 register rewards) then I picked up some Hellmanns because it was the best deal in town on it for the size! OK, so here is where things got crazy! I get to the register and pay for the razor and out prints my $4 reg rewards. Then I put up my other items (Moisturizer, Splenda, Mayo). I am thinking that with the regular price of the Aveeno and the 25% off it will still be over $15 so I don't pay much attention as she rings it up. She rings everything up and I hand her "all" my coupons. I pay, and stand there looking at her like where is my other reg rewards for the Aveeno? She hands me nothing, at this point I am already frazzled because during this whole time the kids are touching stuff and asking for stuff. So I just get my bags and leave. Once in the car I get so mad when I notice why I didn't get it, but my mom talked me down. ;) I head onto Target and do much better there but as I was giving the lady at Target my coupons I see the Splenda coupon that would have made it $2.99 (from $5.49) plus $1.00 of MFG coupon for a total price of $1.99. Now I am SUPER angry!!! So I head back to Walgreen's determined to at least get it for $2.99 even if I loose the MFG coupon. Lucky for me the manager was working the register and was really nice about it and refunded me $2.50 which mean in the end I only paid $1.99 for it!!

So, with that long story told I can promise you this, I will NEVER do that to myself again!! I am going to go early on Saturday mornings while Matt is home with the kids!! One last thing...I also want to tell you, I did this all with only online coupons. I can't wait till I get the Sunday paper and get to really get into this!!

Happy Couponing Everyone!!! :)