is it just me or is summer already flying by? next week is really the last week of june? amazing. and sad.
i had another successful and purposeful week of coupon shopping!
for those new to my blog (welcome!), each tuesday i share the results of my coupon shopping from the last week. i am not an extreme couponer. i buy only the items we need and will use. if you have been interested in couponing but haven’t been sure how to get started, i hope you’ll enjoy learning the process i follow to make it simple and easy….and save you and your family a lot of money. there is a link to “coupon organization” on the top menu bar. click there to find out more!
also, i’ve been keeping track of my coupon savings this year – beginning on january 1st. we wondered if couponing was making a difference in the big picture. after tracking my savings for the first 5-6 months of this year, it’s clear that it is impacting our family budget.
at the end of each coupon post, you’ll find my coupon savings ticker. that amount includes ONLY coupons i have used during check-out (either in store or online). this amount does not include sale items or reward card savings. it’s coupons only! 🙂
walgreens:
my out of pocket expense = $14.07
my coupon savings = $7.48
*trident layers gum: $1.49 each, used buy 1 get 1 free coupon = $.74 each
*suave shampoo and conditioner: $1.00 each on clearance, buy 2 receive a $2 register reward = $1.00 each + register reward
*hefty zipper bags: $3.49 each, on sale buy 1 get 1 free, used $1.00/2 manuf coupon = $1.24 each
*huggies diapers: $9.49 on sale, used $1.50 manuf coupon = $7.99
target:
my out of pocket expense = $0.00
my coupon savings = $3.49
*charmin toilet paper: $3.49, used free target catalina coupon = $0.00 – free!
additional coupon savings:
*another small target trip = $6.00
*grocery store = $7.35
*school uniform shop = $32.40 (the uniform shop e-mailed a 10% off coupon – any little bit helps in this department!)
*local children’s boutique = $61.30 (a local children’s store mailed me a 25% off coupon that could be used with regular priced as well as sale items. this store is high-end, but the coupon gave me a reason to splurge – on the kids of course…not me!)
are mail-in rebates worth your time?
truth be told, as much as i enjoy saving money for our family, i don’t have the time to spend filling out rebate forms. come to think of it, i don’t recall ever mailing in a rebate form. unless it was for something major like a big appliance. but last week i found a mail in rebate form attached to a product i purchased. the rebate was essentially paying me to bring home their product. when the deal is that good, why pass it up!?
when i purchased cat litter from target last week, there was a little $8.00 rebate sticky attached to the box….
the box of cat litter was on sale for $9.99 and i used a $3.00 coupon bringing my total down to $6.99. i mailed in the rebate form, which was easy and uncomplicated. all you do is fill in your name and address, attach the original store receipt, and include the litter upc code…
now that box of cat litter is free. actually, this is what couponers would call a “moneymaker”. the company is paying me $1.00 to buy that 28 pound box of cat litter.
(if you have a cat and use litter, check out the box for a rebate sticky. the offer ends on June 30 and the rebate needs to be postmarked by July 15.)
so, to answer my original question, yes i do think sending in the rebate forms are worth it to me if it’s a substantial amount of money. if the rebate is $1 or $2, i’m not likely to fill it out and waste my time. but this rebate definitely seemed worth my time at a whopping $8.00.
hey, that’s 2 iced coffee’s from starbucks! 🙂
updated coupon savings ticker:
our total coupons only savings this week? = $118.02! another $40 and we are halfway to our annual goal of $3,000!…
finally, i thought you guys would get a kick out of this photo…
so much for having someone help with clip coupons – hehe!
That photo is too cute. I have to ask how do you get so many coupons. Where do you get them from?
hi shirley!
thank you! she was so funny….awake one second and out like a light the next second. haha!
regarding where i get my coupons from – they come from many sources. i shared all of the sources in my coupon binder post. if you go to the coupon organization section on the top bar of the blog, you will see an entry about my coupon binder. it is all listed in there. i get them from the sunday paper, through the mail, in magazines, from being a rewards member at the market or with a store, etc. they are all listed in that entry though…those are just a few sources off the top of my head. 🙂
sam
haha that is too cute!!! What a great little helper. 🙂 Love it!
hi tara – i know!!! funny girl! one minute she was helping me….the next minute? "zzzzzzzzz". hehe!