Week One Shopping Results

Whew! Week One of saving money has started! I'm feeling really good about my first week's results, and generally very proud of myself. For a coupon "noob," I did pretty well.

Here are my results:

CVS:
I spent $69.53 on household stuff that we need, which will easily last us for the next 3-5 months.
I saved $63.03, which included a FREE $10 gas card because I purchased certain items. 
I used my CVS Extra Care card, coupons,  and paid attention to sales.

Buehler's:
I spent $126.19 on 2-3 weeks worth of groceries.
I saved $54.39.
I used my Buehler's Advantage Card, coupons, and paid attention to sales.

At both stores, I spent more than I anticipated because there were deals going on in the store that weren't published in the store ad/circular. I had coupons for these deals in my handy-dandy-coupon-binder, so I went ahead and got what I needed.

I also went to Family Dollar and bought a years worth of trash bags for $20. This made me so happy I almost cried. I hate buying trash bags. And now I don't have to worry about it for the next 12 MONTHS. And that's IF I use a trash bag a day, which I won't. So, actually, these trash bags will last me more than a year. Excellent.

All in all, the day was a success. I am still a noob, so my savings aren't as spectacular as they can (and WILL!) be, but I feel really good at saving more than $100 on stuff that we actually need. I'm learning that in order to save a significant amount of money, I just have to change the way I think about shopping. Before I started doing couponing, I would go to the grocery store with a budget every week, and that budget would be pushed to its limit every single week. I wasn't worrying about stuff on sale, I couldn't be bothered with coupons. I never believed that a .55 cent coupon off of bread or a .75 cent coupon off of cereal would ever make that much of a difference. I just bought what I needed and didn't have much to show for my weekly grocery store trips. Now, however, I have doubled the amount of food I bought, saved $54.39 in the process, and still kept within my budget. So technically, I saved even more than the $54.39, because this is enough food to last way longer than just one week. My days of wasting money (and time!) at the grocery store are OVER. I'm determined to never pay full price again.

Now that I have the basics down, it's time to really get into the nitty gritty. I need to start building up my stockpile of household items, non perishables, etc. My long term goal is to only have to buy the following things from the grocery store every week: meat, produce, and dairy products. Everything else will be in my stockpile/freezer. Then, when I'm doing well on my stockpile, I would like to be in a position to donate a lot of that kind of stuff to people in need. That's the long term goal/lifestyle change that I am working towards.

All in all, a very good day!

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!

The Beginning

It recently occurred to me just how much money I waste at the grocery store when I do my weekly shopping. After watching several episodes of TLC's "Extreme Couponing," I was wary of the cut-throat lifestyle that many of these people seem to employ over their precious "coups." But after seeing their savings continue to reach startling new heights, I've decided it's incredibly foolish to not give this a try. We all have to have food and other necessities to survive. It helps to also have extra money to survive as well. And, I believe there is a way to do extreme couponing without allowing yourself to turn into a raving lunatic. So, I'm going to give it a shot. If it turns out to be enjoyable and I learn how to save more money, I will stick with it.

I am just now starting the beginning stages of getting organized and figuring out how to do this. I bumbled around on the good ol' net last night, and came across this website: http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/beginners-guide-to-coupons/thebeginners-guide-to-coupons-2/part-one-how-to-start/ She has organized an 8-week, step-by-step guide on how to successfully start up your own extreme couponing endeavor without feeling overwhelmed. She also has some good coupon sites posted as well.

This blog will be a means of helping me keep track of my progress, pitfalls, and coupon education. Enjoy!