CVS & Target Savings

Let me start by saying that I didnt intend to ever post this much about coupons and shopping. However, the main goal of me doing this blog is to write about my journey and thoughts and life. Being debt free is one of my top goals. If you are ever going to be free, you have to become very frugal. I think couponing fits in here, that is if you are truly saving money. I think I am, and it can be exciting to know that there are ways to really save some money out there in the world.

Let me point out that I , the Dad, usually do all of the shopping for our family of three and our three dogs(we have two pointer mixes and one miniature daschund). I usually do our shopping for groceries and toiletries(if necessary) about once a week to a week and a half(if we can stretch it that long)at Walmart. They are usually fairly cheap and everything is in one place. So you get to knock it all out at once. We spend app. $100 a week. I kept up with our receipts last year and figured out that we spent this amount which figures out to be $5200 a year. That amount is fairly good. But when you hear that others have bigger families and spend less, you have to wonder if you can do better for your family.Also, I like the idea of just going to one place, but when trying to use coupons I have made sure that the places are near where I need to go anyways.

In the above picture you can see the items I bought at CVS and Target this evening. At CVS I bought these items and spent the following:

1. Two Right Guard Deodorants- Each were $2.99 a piece(normally at Walmart I spend $1- $2)--However I had a coupon for $1 off two-CVS gave $4.00 extra bucks back
2. Xtra Washing detergent---on sale for $1.99 (Any comments?--Ive never used it before--we mainly use Gain powder
3. Glade Air Freshener- buy one $1.89- had buy one , get one free coupon(Not that great of a deal-saw later at Target for 99 cents each)-- oh well
4. Colgate toothpaste was $2.99-CVS gave $2.99 Extra Bucks--so free

I also had a CVS Extra Bucks coupon for $3 which I used--My total came to $9.14 I received $8.00 back in Extra Buck coupons----essentially I spent $1.14 if you look at it like the other coupon bloggers do.Heres one of the problems I have with couponing...if I qualify my order here with the coupons received back, you cant count the coupons received back towards your next order , right?

I plan on using all of the $8.00 extra bucks coupons plus a $4 off manufacturer coupon off purchasing some razors next. By the way, have you seen the price of RAZORS lately? The refill cartridge prices are ridiculous! Makes a guy want to grow a beard! I think I read somewhere that razor prices are tied in with the price of petroleum.

I went to work out and then I decided to go to Target. I had been hearing how you could save $5 each on Huggies diapers with a coupon. I printed two( I really needed 3) of those coupons off of Coupons.com. A great deal had been running at CVS, but I "missed" that one. Plus, I saw the specific kind it called for were too small for my son.Let me note here that Ryan will be 3 on April 7th and he does great with potty training here at home. He goes when he needs to with no problems, and he wears underwear while home. When he naps or goes to sleep at night or when we leave the house, we will put a pull up or a diaper on him--whichever we have. I try to get him to tell me if has to use the potty when we are out, and he usually will.

Anyway here is what I bought at Target:

1. 2 Huggies wipes-- $5.99 each --had the 2 $5 off coupons(diapers were too small for him)- I wish I could give them credit, but on one blog I read in the comments that the coupons would ring up on any Huggies product--so I tried it and sure enough, the computer took them
2. 2 Goodlife 3lb cat food-on sale for $3.99 each, normally$4.49-- used 2 $3 manufacturer coupons-oh yeah I dont have cats, but my girlfriend said that dogs would eat it, and sure enough Bailey liked it---saved total of $17 there

So with tax I spent $5.31 --That's right only 99 cents each item and $1.35 in tax ! The trick is you need to catch the items you want or need on sale(checking your fliers is the easiest way) and add your coupons in. That is were you can save the big money!