Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Extreme Couponing?

When shopping for clothing, accessories, jewelry, etc I ALWAYS try to save money. I use sites like Mr. Rebates, Ebates and RetailMeNot to get cash back and find coupon codes. I will not pay full price! See my post here for tips on how to save money when shopping online.

But I was not as careful with other shopping (I mean grocery stores, Target, Walgreens, etc). I always used my Ralphs or Vons card (my two grocery stores) and tried to buy things on sale but that's about it. I started couponing to save money (duh). I also started couponing because I often do the grocery shopping for the family I nanny for AND I started watching Extreme Couponing. I like to have a small stockpile so I don't have to run out and get baby food, cereal or baby wipes every week (like just a couple of extra, not a whole garage full!). Taking a toddler to the store takes so much longer and just isn't something I want to do multiple times a week. I will NEVER buy more than what I can actually use and I've donated a few things that I found free but didn't need. I think many of the people on Extreme Couponing are hoarders and there is NO NEED for 70 bottles of mustard!!!!

I do not have a stockpile that takes up a whole room, I don't spend hundreds of dollars (and get the actual total down to $3) or anything actually extreme. Stores in the Los Angeles area are more expensive than many other places in the US so I KNOW I won't be getting the deals I see on the show/other websites (for example, the Wet Ones wipes below usually retail for over $1 at my Targets but they are under $1 in other parts of the country). BUT I do want to save money!

Here's what I do now:
1. ALWAYS use my Ralphs or Vons card. I also load electronic coupons onto my card (check your grocery store's website to see if they do this)
2. Cut coupons from the Sunday paper, print coupons from Coupons.com, Target.com, and facebook
3. Check websites. My favorites are: Totally Target, Southern Cali Saver, and Chief Family Officer (the last two are both women in Southern California-they do post deals that apply to other areas too)

I went to Target last night and saved $33 ($3 more than I spent)!!! The crazy thing is that when I look at what I bought it doesn't even look like $33 worth of stuff, let alone $63 (the actual total if I'm doing that math correctly)

What I got:
7 packs of pens, 3 scotch tapes= all of these will be donated to a local non-profit (they were free so why not!)
2 packs of Trident gum, 2 packs of M&M pretzels, Sharpies, Wisps (excited to try these/will put them in my car/purse for "emergencies"), Jergens Natural Glow (excited to try this too), 3 packs of travel Wet Ones (I use these ALL THE TIME), St. Ives body wash, Kleenex 4 pack, 2 tubs of Cottonelle flushable wipes (I'll use these with Baby H)
1 watering can, 3 pack of animal water squirters, Plum baby food=all for Baby H
Anchor water bottle, Tums travel roll 3 pack, Command picture hanging strips, Command hooks, travel Tide (this single use pack comes in handy when traveling. unfortunately this one appears to be leaking so I put it in a ziploc), Shout wipes (travel 4 pack)

Do you have any couponing tips? Have you tried Extreme Couponing? Do you think it's crazy or not worth it? Leave a comment with your thoughts, suggestions, and tips!

13 comments:

  1. You'll love the Jergens! Great stuff that you picked out.

    I wish I could be better about using coupons. I'm just too lazy sometimes. :(

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  2. I agree with Sarah about Jergens! Definitely impressed, too; I always use RetailMeNot, but I'm not very good about it otherwise.

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  3. These are great tips! I always get suckered into buying so much at Target because they have such a great selection, but my bill always ends up way higher than expected.

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  4. How did you get the free pens and tape? I would love to get them and donate to our local urban district!

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  5. i do love couponing... I am not good at it though. I am going to try to get more into it after the summer. I love the show and know its not realistic but I still LOVE watching and can't wait for the new season coming out (i think) in september ha!! I always google coupon codes when buying something online (ex: childrens place,papa john's pizza... etc) and love retailmenot.com.

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  6. LOVE LOVE LOVE jergens natural glow. I keep running out of the foam!

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  7. I made my mom promise me we would extreme coupon before the summer is over. Looks like you got some great stuff and I will definitely be checking out those websites!

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  8. Heather-email me and I'll explain. Basically I just used coupons from target.com!

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  9. I LOVE couponing! I never used to shop at drug stores before I started couponing in Jan. But now I find the best deals there.

    My tip is to stack those coupons. At stores like Walgreens, Rite Aid and Target, you can use both a manufacturer coupon and te store coupon on a single item. I get things for free or nearly free all the time. I also keep a small box in my closet where I immediately toss items to give to my food pantry.

    My other tip is to use the coupon binder method. I have no shame in bringing my binder into Target with me!

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  10. I think you did great! I live in Westchester so I definitely feel your pain about the prices. We are over taxed here and way over priced. I have been doing some coupon clipping here and have saved $800 on my amex bill in one month. Keep up on it.

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  11. Like Preppy Pink Crocodile, I try to stack coupons also. I buy a lot from CVS since they have really good extracare rewards (basically coupons up to $10 based on what you buy that you can apply to anything in the store.)

    Natalie
    http://twoprepsinapod.blogspot.com

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  12. Hello Kate... I agree with the hoarder comment... I do try to save money when possible and I also try not to buy something without a coupon code etc. (you have helped me with that!!)

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  13. I love to use coupon codes. I always search for free online coupon codes before any online shopping. I get these coupon codes from RetailMeNot and CouponRefund.com and save my money.

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