When did I become THAT person?

You know, the one who loves coupons? Now, disclaimer: I am NOT an extreme couponer, by any means. I don't have some $5,000 stockpile that needs to be insured stashed in the extra spaces of my apartment. If I see a deal, I go for it, but ONLY if I need it. Example:

Yesterday, I went to Walgreens. I love that store - I get a ton of my deals from there. Yesterday, they had toilet paper on sale...and, I'm about out, so I went for it:

Kleenex Cottonelle 12-pack = $5; buy 2, get $3.50 back in RR [Register Rewards]
Use $1/1 from August Walgreens coupon book [some say their store rang it twice; mine only did once]
Use 2 $.75/1 12-pack coupon

So, to break it down...
2 12-packs x $5 = $10
minus $1/1 from Wags book
minus 2 $.75/1 coupon
Pay $7.50 OOP; get $3.50 in RR = like paying $4 OOP for 24 rolls of toilet paper [less than $.17/roll]

Come on now - $4 for 24 rolls of toilet paper? Where will you find a deal like that? I'm lucky if I can find an 8-pack of toilet paper for less than $6 at most places. So, I'm happy, my wallet's happy, and I'll be swimming in toilet paper for probably the rest of the year.

And don't even get me started on my favorite shampoo and conditioner, Pantene:

Normally $4.99 each, on sale 2/$7
Used $3/2 coupon that expired yesterday
Get $2 RR
Pay $4 OOP, get $2 in RR = like paying $2 out of pocket for two bottles of Pantene [$1 each!]

I tend to do this deal every 3-4 months, so I think I'm stocked up on Pantene for the rest of the year, too. Same for razors, toothbrushes, paper towels, dish soap, deodorant, Cascade Complete gel packs, yogurt...

OK. So maybe I have a liiiiiiiiiiittle bit of a stockpile going. But trust me, I will use all of this stuff or donate it. I don't go crazy and buy 50 things of floss so I can use the overage on things I need that aren't cheap after coupons [like milk - have you seen the price of a gallon of milk?! more than $4 at walmart! - eggs, and meat], but using coupons and taking advantages of deals like this has saved me money on my grocery bill. I'm a much more careful shopper now...which means I can spend an hour or two in Walmart or the Commissary, but I come out saving at least 30% using coupons every single time. And that's just with coupons - doesn't include the savings I get from the sales that I get on the items I buy. At Wags, I can usually walk out saving 60-70 percent after sales, coupons and RR.

I, unfortunately, do not live in a town where doubling coupons is beneficial. Two grocery stores will double, but it's still cheaper for me to shop at Walmart or Wags and take advantages of deals and overage there. I typically buy a lot of my stuff there, but my meat and milk come from the Commissary since they're way cheaper [especially during sales].

Gah. I'm such a nerd.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, I wasn't like this. I'd walk into Walmart, buy what I wanted and just move on. But now that I'm realizing the value of coupons [and follow a lot of FB and Twitter pages that naturally break this stuff down for me], it's stupid NOT to take advantage. I'm pretty sure the husband thinks I'm insane, but every time I tell him how much I save, he's impressed. I wish I could do his shopping for him...he and I aren't on the same page with coupons, and he just gets whatever, no matter the cost...

But I digress. Couponing is easy if you use the resources that are out there and take advantage of sales. I'm sure once I move to a bigger town that has more stores than just Wags and Walmart [i dream of the day i'm near a cvs, rite aid, target and kroger], my couponing will become a little more intense; but for now, I think I'm doing pretty good. Make fun of me all you want, but I'll say it again: $4 for 24 rolls of toilet paper. You can't beat that.

My new thing: couponing

As I was making my resolutions for 2011, I really wanted to make headway on our debt and save money. Maintaining two households, student loans, daycare...we have a lot to cover every month. The best way to do that would be to cut out everything we can and use that money to focus on the debts...and coupons became a part of my mental discussion on how to save money.

I've used coupons in the past, but I quit using them after JJ was born. I used to spend waaaaaaaay too much money on groceries, but after figuring out just how much I was spending on groceries, I started reconsidering it. I did some research online and found tons of resources for couponing, such as couponmom.com and various blogs and coupon sites. Since I've discovered those, my life in groceries has pretty much changed.

Example: Walgreens - a store I NEVER went to - is a store I go to weekly now. Between deals and coupons, I can usually cut my bill there in half, if not more. I went to Walgreens on Friday night to get some things. For a list that included two sets of razors, three Secret deodorants, a handless soap system, two disinfecting wipe sets, lipstick, mascara, mouthwash and two lotions for JJ, I paid $38 - saving $47 in the process and getting $8 to spend next week. I never thought about taking advantage of deals at Walgreens on stuff that I need, but I do it all the time now. It's kinda like I'm making my own stockpile of things, and I'm saving a ton of money in the process.

When it comes to spending money on food...I'm not so good at that at the moment. I do use coupons and can knock off quite a bit, but I can't do what those extreme couponers do since the main grocery stores I have where I live don't have that great of deals and are simply local stores. But, I have started shopping at the commissary again and can save a lot of money there. Example: I got five pounds of chicken for $7 - getting four pounds of chicken at Wal-Mart would've cost me $15. We eat a lot of chicken every week, so being able to save that type of money on something like that can really stretch throughout the rest of our grocery list.

I'm excited that something as simple as clipping coupons can save me some money. I'm cutting spending in other areas of our lives, but I hope that being able to save at the grocery store will realy help us stretch our groceries a long way. I might even become an extreme couponer when we move, since there are several stores in Colorado that have stores that allow for huge savings...

...maybe.