"Quick" Couponing

So as everyone may know...My mother was (still is)...the QUEEN of couponing at least in Utah. She was the one who introduced it to me when I had my kids and helped others get into SAVING also!

In addition to my becoming healthy, my goal for the New Year is to $ave even more than I did last year. :) and believe me last years $avings have set the bar pretty high. I have been couponing -almost- every day since the new year has started and looking back to day one I've $aved over $500 in just 23 days. YAY!!!! I have come to love couponing so much I encourage others to do the same. Doesn't have to be couponing exactly, but just to $ave in general. Couponing has been a huge lifesaver and money saver! At work people always ask the famous question, "Are you an Extreme Couponer?" The answer...NO...but I'm definitely extreme when it comes to $aving. After I kind of give the break down about how to coupon and how it actually contributes to my life, then comes; "what would you really do with '50' tubes of toothpaste?" I honestly just laugh.

After evaluating really what I'd do with '50' tubes of toothpaste, I come back with my answer. And it's simple...

Saving shouldn't just benefit mine and my family's life, (especially if the money someone would normally spend on the things I buy-I pocket) but I should be able to share and allow OTHERS TO $AVE as well. We live in hard times and those who don't coupon and have a family of 8 or 10 or even 3 could use '50' tubes of toothpaste or '100' bottles of water or '20' bottles of lotion, whatever it may be, someone who you know direct/indirect needs it. So the answer "what would I do with '50' tubes of toothpaste", I *share* it.

With that said, tonight was a "quick" coupon run. My daughter Aaliyah was low on formula and I literally only had 20 BUCKS in my wallet to last us the week til I get paid. Now to many single mothers/fathers this is not a lot of money and should be spent wisely. Let me tell you...with my coupons...it definitely was.

I made a trip to WalMart and planned on only using my coupon for a can of SIMILAC (which most of you parents know is roughly 15 bucks before tax). So I thought, since I'm here and know the deals I might as well take advantage of them. Off I went shopping through the store like I was holding a hundred bucks or something. :) Well as I stated before, I didn't and I definitely wasn't planning on spending anything near it either!

Here's how I did...
- 2 cans of formula ('bout 30 bucks for both)
- 4 Febreze Noticeables decor (sale 3.97)
- 2 Glade plugins (sale .98)
- 8 Colgate Toothpaste (sale .94)
- 6 Johnson n Johnson baby products (1.00 ea.)
- 4 Dulcolax products (1.98 ea.)
- 2 Dial Soap bars 2pck (.98 ea)
-8 Post-it Stationary Products (ea. 'bout 2.30)
-6 Softsoap body wash (sale .94)



2 price matches and 46 coupons later....



My grand subtotal= $90.30
OOP (out-of-pocket) = $13.41

In the end I got more than what I planned for and definitely spent less than what I had! Pocketed $7.09 for gas =) and brought home more stock up items and MORE cans of formula than I had money for!

*Don't get discouraged, be excited and ready to save so much money that you and your family can enjoy.*

-Great thanks to the coupon bloggers who maintain the daily $avings and help MOTHERS like me save!