Before I go into the details of my savings, I need to give some much needed shout-outs.
Andrea: Andrea was house sitting last Friday and extended an invitation to me to spend the night, to which I accepted. I got two newspapers last week and had only had time to cut the coupons from one of them. Little did Andrea know that she was going to spend the night cutting coupons with me, but she cut them like a pro! I'm sure she had a lot of fun.
Dad: When I told my dad how I was venturing into the couponing world, I also told him that newspapers were expensive and I wasn't sure that I wanted to buy more than two each week. He remembered that he gets about 10 Sunday papers where he works and he just so happens to work on Sundays. Let's just say the people who read those newspapers won't be going to the grocery store any time soon to redeem those coupons. My dad volunteered to collect all of the coupon inserts from the Sunday papers and mail them to me each week. JACKPOT! In return, I told him I would pay him $3 a week. I didn't realize shipping would be $5.00, so I'll have to increase his stipend.
Mom: You played a vital role in making sure the coupon inserts got to me before the sales for this week were over. That was some great team work; no wonder you guys have been married for nearly 38 years!
And now for the this week's savings...
Starbucks: You better believe I picked up my FREE pastry at Starbucks on Tuesday! My handcrafted drink of choice? A grande, sugar-free hazelnut, non-fat misto. The misto is cheaper than the latte because it's made with coffee instead of espresso. I can't really tell the difference, other than the $1 in price. Try it! Thank you, H.D., for introducing me to the misto.
Regular Price: $1.95. My price: FREE. Total Savings: $1.95.
Kroger: I did some more grocery shopping at Kroger this week, but didn't come across any hot deals. Even though I only used 3 coupons, I was still able to save a good amount of money from the sales. I had one coupon loaded on my Kroger card from Cellfire and gave the cashier 3 more manufacturer coupons, one of which was $1.00 off Ken's salad dressing. I got to my car and realized that he skipped over my $1.00 off coupon. I was tempted to go back in the store to get it straightened out, but I decided not to. Note to self: Pay close attention to the screen when the cashier is scanning valuable coupons.
Regular Price: $29.86. My price: $20.75. Total Savings: $9.11.
Walgreens: I love saving money and scoring hot deals, but the last thing I want to do is turn into a hoarder. Why buy all of these things, just because they are great deals, when I don't need them? There is a fine line between stockpiling and hoarding. Stockpiling simply means getting your groceries at the lowest price and stocking up on them so you won't have to buy them again in the near future. When thinking of hoarding, my mind turned to ministry. There are a lot of times when I want to donate to a certain ministry, but somehow convince myself that I don't have the money, or can't afford it that month. Using coupons to buy items when they are dirt cheap is a great way to help ministries that are in need of the exact things that you aren't. Because really, who needs 12 toothbrushes and a 20 bottles of shampoo and conditioner? Case in point: Walgreens was having a sale on their Schick Quattro razors this week. Regularly priced at $8.29, they were on sale for $6.99 plus an instant $2 off in-store coupon, making them $4.99. Smart Source also had a coupon in this week's insert for $4 off a 3-pack of Schick Quattro razors. Since my parents teamed up and sent me 14 inserts from this week's paper (7 Red Plum and 7 Smart Source), I had 8-$4 off coupons (I also bought one paper this week) to use on these razors bringing my total to $0.99/each! Do I need 24 disposable razors? Heck no! Does a homeless ministry need 24 razors? Absolutely! By combining my coupons with a sale, I was able to save 90% and now I can spend my savings on even more hot deals on items to donate to ministry! Proverbs 11:24 says, "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty." The bible also says in Psalm 112:5, "Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice." These are great verses to live by, no matter what your situation.
I also came across an Olay Quench Body Lotion Rebate Form while I was blog hopping this week, and decided to use it at Walgreens since I was already there. With the rebate form, Olay will reimburse you for the full cost of the lotion if you purchase it by 4/16 and postmark your envelope by 4/30. The lotion would normally cost $9.99, but with the rebate form, it's FREE! What are you waiting for? Print off the rebate form, above, and go get you some!
Regular Price: $76.31. My Price: $7.92. Total Savings: $68.39.
WEEKLY TOTALS: Regular Price: $108.12. My Price: $28.67. Total Weekly Savings: $79.45.
No comments:
Post a Comment