The Basics of Saving Big

I feel a bit neglectful of my little blog here, so let me just jump right back in with an overview of some of the resources I find invaluable for saving big!

The "big two" sites in the couponing arena (at least in my estimation!) are A Full Cup and We Use Coupons. Their forums are the first place I go to for information about upcoming sales, coupon match-ups, and Sunday insert and store sale previews. They're both incredibly welcoming communities, which seems to be a rarity in the wild wild world of internet forums. ;) That being said, they might come off as intimidating to someone just starting out. There's tons of information to absorb, and a lot of coupon jargon--terms like OOP, DND5, ONYO and others definitely flew over my head when I first visited! Luckily, they've devised cheat sheets like this which are useful not only in their forums, but with any website dedicated to coupons.

A site with a narrower focus, but one that's proven really useful to me, is I Heart CVS. The author provides previews of CVS flyers well in advance of the sale, giving you plenty of time to gather all the coupons you need for a killer deal. I love how handy the flyers are to flip through right on the site!

Finally, I have to give a shout-out to the blogger who really spurred me into this crazy coupon world. The Coupon Goddess is always a fun read--she's witty, smart and uses her extreme saving skills to help out so many people. If you're in need of some deal inspiration, check out her "Epic Coupon Haul" posts--woah. Before I found her blog, I had used coupons casually, but when I saw some of her amazing totals I thought... I have got to get in on this!

Famous last words, right? ;D

I hope I've given you some useful tips on how to use some of my favorite resources to help you save the most money. Of course, there are tons and tons of other great sites out there, and I'm planning on covering more of them soon! Until then, see ya <3

Let's get saucy!

Stop and Shop is running Dollar Doublers in some flyers this week, which is always cause for celebration for me. These will double a $1 manufacturer's coupon, which you can bet often makes for some awesome savings. I was lucky enough to get some, and I knew just what I was going to grab with them when I did--lots of free pasta! Many varieties are on sale this week $10/10, and with the 8/29 SmartSource coupons for $1/2 Whole Grain or Picollini pastas and the doublers, they're free! They also produced a $2/3 Picollini pasta coupon upon checkout, which would make for .33 boxes, another great deal!

Now if only I could wrangle one of those handsome Barilla pasta men to join me for dinner. ;D

Wisk-y Business

My favorite way to kick things off: with a bad pun!

Hey everyone! I'm Rinji (aka babyrowsdower) and... I might as well face it. I'm addicted to saving money. In an effort to chronicle my coupon madness and help others save, too, I decided to start this blog. 

Since I started my "couponing" hobby earlier this year, I've consistently gotten the best deals at CVS. It might seem strange, because CVS's prices are usually quite a lot higher than those you'll find in big box or grocery stores. By watching their weekly sales, using coupons, and utilizing their Extra Bucks program, however, you can come away having spent very little--or even making money--on tons of products!

I didn't make a profit on the deal I'm going to share with you, but I still think I did pretty well! With a pre-coupon subtotal of $36.19, I paid $8.19 and received $4.99 in Extra Care Bucks, which can be redeemed just like cash on almost any CVS transaction. Here's a picture of some of my haul, and the details of my trip after:

(not pictured: two additional bottles of Wisk, given to my friend who was kind enough to hold my coupons as I shopped (always an invaluable asset!) and a pack of gum.)

My bill broke down like this: 

4 bottles of Wisk laundry detergent, Buy 1 Get 1 Free, @ 10.39 x 2

1 9-pack of Scott paper towels, 4.99

1 Schick Hydro 5 razor, 8.97

1 pack Trident, .99

And now for the fun part--the coupons! First up, the manufacturer's coupons:

- I used four $3/1 bottle of Wisk coupons from the 8/29 Redplum coupon insert. The great thing about CVS is that they allow you to use coupons on both items in a Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale, which meant I netted $12 in savings from those alone!

- On the paper towels, a $1/1 coupon from the 8/29 SmartSource insert

- A $5/1 coupon from the 8/8 SmartSource insert on the razor

CVS also issues their own coupons, which you can receive both by email or by scanning your ExtraCare card at the in-store kiosks. I had a $5/30 purchase from their Labor Day promotion. Woohoo!

Finally, I had $5 in ExtraBucks to redeem from a previous deal, for a total of $28 in savings. As I mentioned earlier, I also received ExtraBucks this trip: $4 for purchasing the razor, and $.99 for the pack of Trident. You can bet I'll be rolling those into another great deal soon!

Phew, that was fun! I hope you enjoyed my first post. Check back for more deal breakdowns, info about couponing, and money-saving resources that I've found invaluable since I began my Quest for Ultimate Frugality. See ya!<3