My First Attempt at Extreme Couponing

I have always used coupons.  I learned how to clip and save from my mom. I've seen the TLC shows on extreme couponing and have always been intrigued by them.  It must be such a rush to get all those groceries for much less than what they're worth!  Then I was watching Dr. Drew's Life Changers the other day and they had a woman on who was an extreme couponer.  I wanted to learn more couponing secrets so I contacted one of my friends who is a bit of an extreme couponer.  I asked for her advice and if there were any websites I could visit to learn more.  She recommended www.thekrazycouponlady.com.  I read all about how to become an extreme couponer, put a couponing binder together, printed out online coupons, and made shopping lists for stores I already frequent.  Today I went on my first extreme couponing trip and it was pretty successful! 

Here is a picture of everything I bought.  I spent $24.56 on 18 items and I saved $37.14.  Without sales and coupons, I would have spent $61.70 on everything.  This is a 66% savings altogether.

Here are the details:

Kmart
1.  Smart Sense 10 oz. bag of chips - $0.00.  I had a Shop Your Way Rewards Coupon for a free bag of chips.  They were normally $2.00.

Walmart
1.  Calculator - $1.00.  Back-to-school sale.
2.  Citronella votive candle - $0.00.  I had a $1.00 off coupon for any Cutter brand item.  These were normally $0.97.

Office Depot
1.  1" Purple Binder - $0.50.  Back-to-school sale.
2.  1" Blue Binder - $0.50.  Back-to-school sale.
3.  1" Green Binder - $0.50.  Back-to-school sale.
4.  White correction tape (2 pack) - $1.00.  The back-to-school sale had Bic correction tape (single packs) on sale for $0.50, but they were out of Bic, so they allowed a substitution of an Office Depot brand 2-pack instead.  :)  Thank you Office Depot!  These were normally $4.29.

Walgreens
1.  Cap erasers - $0.29.  Back-to-school sale + in-ad coupon.  These were normally $0.59.
2.  Purex laundry detergent, 33 loads - $3.99 for both.  These were already on sale for Buy 1, Get 1 Free + I had two $1.00 off coupons.  These were normally $5.99 for 2.
3.  Purex laundry detergent, 33 loads - $0.00.  See above.
4.  Quilted Northern 9 ct. toilet paper - $2.99.  Sale.

Target
1.  Mossimo black cami - $2.00.  On sale for $5.00 + I had a $3.00 coupon good on any Mossimo clothing item.  This was originally $8.00.
2.  Merona gray and white striped skirt - $3.88.  On clearance for $6.88 + I had a $3.00 coupon good on any Merona clothing item.  This was originally $22.99.
3.  Papermate black ballpoint pens - $0.00.  Back-to-school sale + I had a $1.00 off any Papermate product coupon.  These would have been $1.00 without the coupon.
4.  Special K cracker chips - $2.66.  These were a total impulse buy.  I love these chips as a snack and couldn't pass up the sale.
5.  Garnier hair color - $2.99.  These were on sale for $5.99 + I had a $1.00 off Target coupon + I also had a $2.00 off Manufacturer coupon.  Target allows you to "stack" coupons like this, which can result in huge savings!

Sonic
1.  Route 44 Sonic drink - $0.00.  I had a coupon for a free Route 44 Sonic drink from doing a survey about my last visit.  These are normally $2.06 (with tax, not during happy hour).

Overall, I was very happy that I got 4 things absolutely free.  I hope to improve my couponing skills and save even more next time!

P.S.  My husband got a part-time job starting next week and to last until he graduates from law school next May!  I'm so happy that this will give him more experience AND allow him to make a little money in the meantime AND hopefully this will turn into a full-time job once he graduates.

P.P.S.  Do you know what I love about Blogger?  My internet stalled out in the middle of this post and when I logged back in, Blogger had saved my draft.  Thank you!!