Back when it was still Jon & Kate Plus Eight, I liked to watch the show. One episode followed Kate on her typical trip to the grocery store (!). She said something that resonated with me. Since she stays home with the kids and Jon was the breadwinner, she said the least she could do is contribute to their fiscal health by being frugal with their grocery money. She called it being a good steward. Interesting.
I have to admit that I've always been what one of my friends calls a European shopper. You buy what you need, when you need it and pay what price they are asking for it. With the seemingly recent "couponing" boom, I thought maybe I could seek to stretch our dollars further by giving it a go. After all, Jesus did bless and multiply the little boy's lunch of two fish and five loaves to feed 5,000. So then, I can bless and multiply what I have...
I have one friend who told me all about her affinity for CVS. It sounded very complex and difficult and even though she was really excited and seemed to have saved a lot of money; it didn't seem to me like she needed all of the stuff she bought (at the time...read on to see my conversion). I did get a CVS Extra Care card on her recommendation, but never really did anything with it, because I very rarely ever patronize them.
A second friend recently gave me some tidbits of how she was able to virtually get things for free. Again, it sounded laborious but her methodical system was what convinced me it could be done by lousy shoppers like me. She said she got emails each week on the specials and when I realized I wasn't getting those same emails she said that I must not have given them my email when I signed up. She was right, I didn't want them spamming me with specials. I can't believe how my mind works sometimes.
So, the next day I went online and got $4 just for registering my email. So, I was rewarded for changing my mind about the spam. Next, I spent a good portion of the evening browsing CVS' circular to find items that counted for Extra Care Bucks (ECB). As I understand it, ECB is essentially a dollar value off coupon off of your total order. Once I did that I went through CVS' store coupons and again went to coupons.com to find manufacturer's coupons. Even though it annoyed me that there is not a lot of organizational process occurring, I knew if I did my best that the system would come later.
Something worth mentioning is that we have a flex spending account (FSA) through Dapo's work. His benefit actually gives you a Mastercard with the money they deduct pre-tax from your paycheck loaded onto it. That way it removes the middle man of reimbursement. It is a nice bennie.
I found a couple of things on the ECB offer that I didn't really NEED that I could USE the flexcard for. In particular, Tylenol precise heat patch. On sale for $5.99. Unadvertised, was a $2.00 mfg coupon on the display case. Reducing to $3.99. And I got $2 in ECB for my NEXT purchase. I also got Motrin PM which I did not see in the circular for $9.99. I got $3 ECB. I asked her to ring these up separately from my next purchase because it was through the flex card (you have to provide FSA receipts from time to time, and I prefer my receipts to be compartmentalized).
What is beautiful is that I was able to find things I NEEDED to try this new method of shopping on. Also in the circular was DIAPERS. You know I need those! :D They were "on sale" for $19.99. That's about what Publix and Kroger charge for regular price. But the Pampers were an ECB eligible item, $3. I also had a $2 mfg coupon for Pampers as well. I bought a few other items: deodorant, body wash and toothpaste. The toothpaste was also ECB $2. I am still a little confused about how it all worked, but I only paid $22.16 for the diapers, deodorant, body wash and two tubes of toothpaste. I would have spent $22 on diapers alone at Publix. So it was kind of like getting the other three items for "free".
But the fun doesn't stop there. I now have two coupons for $3, and $2. The next time I go in, I have a $5 coupon.
I don't know if the ECB coupon that prints out at the end of your receipt has to actually be retained and used or if the CVS card recognizes you have earned it and gives you instant credit for it on your purchase. MAYBE ONE OF YOU VETERAN CVS COUPONERS CAN TELL ME? If it doesn't apply automatically, then I actually have four coupons totaling $10; and I'm in the dark as to how I saved $5 for no apparent reason. I'm not complaining, tho.
Another nice thing is that between the items you purchased and your coupons, there is a summary of the trip (how much you saved today) as well as a summary of your endeavors to utilize the ECB offers. It tells you the item, what the offer is, Qty you have purchased toward the reward, and bal remaining to receive reward.
The only drawback is that CVS is about 13 miles from home, round trip. I will need to work my trips there into times I'm already "headed to town" to make it more feasible.
Overall, though, I loved it. I don't exactly understand it all yet...but like anything you get better with practice. I can't wait to make another trip there. They are so smart to have given me incentive to move my business from their competitors! And I can't help that think that the people who shop WITHOUT coupons are essentially paying for the people who shop WITH coupons. Maybe socialism isn't so bad after all?...
I'm definitely just kidding about that last line. And I'm definitely hooked on the couponing. I can't wait to find more deals and bargains. If you get inspired by this, you have to go into the CVS to get a card. Do like me and don't put your email on there. Then, go online and add your email and get $4 to start your adventure off.
If you already coupon, I'd like your input or tricks or methodology or betterment or any clarification you have to offer!
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Hey Kari. I read a few different websites that tell me what stores are offering specials and how to combine those with manufacturer's coupons to save money. Unfortunately, they are all websites that are pretty specific to the Pac NW area, so I'm doubtful that they would help you much. However, finding good couponing sites is pretty easy, so doing a search should turn up some good ones. Asking friends is probably the best way though :)
I am NOT a crazy couponer. Some of the sites advocate buying 5 Sunday papers for all the inserts and doing deals that way. I just have one subscription and go from there. I don't buy stuff I won't use or don't need (I could get free blood glucose monitors, but why the heck would I do that?!). I organize my coupons in a very simple way that works for me. I have a large accordion file binder thingee (how's that for a description?). In the first spot I put the weekly ads (from Safeway, Freddy's, Walgreens, etc.). I chuck and replace them each week. Next, I have misc. coupons that I have picked up from certain circulars, magazines, inside cereal boxes, etc., and calatlinas (those paper coupons that you get from the grocery store that are sometimes ads and sometimes coupons).
Then I start my organization by month. Say, you start this month...on the covers of your Red Plum and Smart Source (RP and SS are how coupon sites reference them) write with a sharpie in big numbers the date you received the coupons. By writing on the covers, it makes it fast to go through your monthly stash and quickly find the coupon a site is talking about. I generally keep them in date order in the binder, but it's not all that necessary, seeing as I only have one month's worth per section.
If you want to save big and get a lot of stuff for free, you pretty much have to get a Sunday paper. If you just want to live frugally, then plan your menu for the week around the ads in your grocery store.
I started doing this coupon thing in November of last year, but didn't do a whole lot with it until January or February of this year (about the time I quit my job). Sometimes it will take me hours to prepare for my shopping trip (I look online for recommendations on how to save the most $, print coupons, cut them from the paper and my RP or SS, etc.) but, like you mentioned, since I'm not working, I feel that saving our family money is my "job". I regularly save 50% (sometimes more) on my big monthly shopping trip. I have watched the register ring up $200 worth of groceries and after shopping the weekly sales and combining those with coupons, I have walked out spending $80 and filling the back of my Pilot with food for the fam.
Oh! One thing I almost forgot...go online to shortcuts.com and cellfire.com to see if either of those sites offers pre-loaded coupons to your "club card" (or whatever your grocery store may call it). You can combine those instant coupons with ones you cut out and get stuff for free (or better yet, they pay YOU to take it!).
Was any of this helpful?? Best of luck on your adventure. My biggest advice -- don't let it consume you or feel bad if you miss out on something. Deals come back around and even if you just do a little, it will add up big when it's all said and done :)
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