Baby Steps

So, I've been taking note of the good CVS and coupon deals for quite some time. It is such a blessing to be able to stay home with Eliana, but any opportunity I/we have to save some money is worth investigating. I am very much a "newbie" but have enjoyed learning the ropes, so to speak. It used to be quite exciting to have a $2.00 or $3.00 coupon savings at Wal-Mart (which isn't our favorite place to shop), but yesterday I had $15 in coupon savings!! Had I not needed other non-coupon items, I would have left Wal-Mart spending about $3.00 for nine items. We also typically buy store brand/generic items and limit our "Oh, let's try this." items.

However, since the beginning of June we have been (mostly me at this point) frequenting CVS and then just recently signed up at Coupons.com for additional coupon offers. Money Saving Mom has been a tremendous help as well. This week I have also started receiving many of the free samples that I requested about four weeks ago. For those interested in a free miniature booklet containing the Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution just visit The Heritage Foundation. (bottom right corner)

Most of our cosmetic and household items we are now purchasing at CVS, and the most exciting part is that we are not buying generics. We are now getting name brand items for minimal to no cost. For my own satisfaction I have taken pictures of our purchases and have been tracking things just to see how everything plays out. Though I don't plan to post any pictures, here is a short summary of our savings.

CVS (five week summary)
Retail value: $245.08
Sale value: $194.15
Out of pocket: $60.91 (slightly disappointed with this, but I'm still learning and the first initial trip was a higher out of pocket amount)
Coupons savings: $44.58
Purchased a total of 52 items (that equals out to $1.17 per item)
ExtraCare bucks earned: $92.91

Yipee! Saving money is quite exhilarating at times! I owe a big thank you to Sandra and Rebekah for "pushing me over the edge" with tips, extra coupons, or visual ideas on how to save BIG at CVS.