My First Shopping Trip - Anticipation!

Tomorrow, I will be embarking on my first Extreme Couponing shopping trip. In an effort to not feel completely overwhelmed on the first go, I've decided to limit myself to two stores: CVS and Buehler's. From the research I've done, they both have their own advantages. CVS is currently offering a free $10 gas card when you spend $30 on selected items that are also on sale. It turns out, I need some of those items. And, I have coupons for some of them. Excellent. (I could try to get up to 5 - $10 gas cards, but I really don't need that much stuff yet, and I'm in the beginning stages of this lifestyle, so I don't want to go overboard just yet.) Buehler's does double couponing everyday, up to .99 cents. This is also excellent, because I'd like to do my normal grocery shopping tomorrow.

Here are my projections:

CVS

• Will spend $30.47
• Will receive 1 - $10 gas card (free)
• Will save approximately $6.

Buehler's

• Will spend approximately $80. 
• Will save approximately $58.87. (super excited about this total.)

 Tomorrow, after I've shopped til I drop, I will post my receipts/savings, to determine if I stuck to my projected savings or not.

Everyone is telling me that the first couple of weeks won't amount to a ton of savings, but I should keep going and try to start my stockpile. For the past week or so, I've just been getting organized - collecting coupons from newspaper inserts, printing coupons online, adding coupons to my digital click-to-cards, organizing my coupon binder, and reading the store circulars. I've also been doing research to understand the different coupon policies offered by the stores in this area. It's amazing how different they all are!

The thing I've learned this week: with just a little effort, we can save so much money on the things we use anyway. I can't believe how much money I've been wasting every week when I go grocery shopping and buy things at full cost. Never again, I tell you!

Stay tuned for more!