Less Is More

I like to spend money (duh). I like to save money(DUH!). I like to save money while spending money...that's like hitting the jackpot for me. I've gotten pretty good at deal hunting, stockpiling, and coupon clipping. I save (on average) $140.00 on my grocery bill each month by using coupons and stockpiling during sales. I'm not great at it yet, but I'm getting MUCH better, and each time I go shopping, it seems like I come home with more stuff for less money (hence the blog title). I've also learned to shop for gifts EARLY in order to snag some great deals. I'd like to share two particularly triumphant jaunts with you. First, Wal-Mart.

Here's what I got: Oreo Double Stuff Cookies (x2), Dove Hairspray, Citronella votive candles for the camper (x4), My Little Ponies (x2), Johnson's Baby Lotion (x2), Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula, Friskies Cat Treats (x2), a jar of baby food, Goodlife Recipe Cat Food Indoor Formula, Monopoly Deal game, Pictureka card game, Sorry Revenge game, Scrabble Slam game, Dove deodorant, and a candy bar for Kendra for behaving herself. Subtotal (before discounts): $65.63. Total after coupons: $30.95 for a total savings of $34.68. Now, a few things I didn't necessarily need, but who would pass up clearance citronella...or free Oreos...and I got a few things to put on my gift shelf. Not to mention, you always need lotion, deodorant, hairspray and cat food! If you figure it up, that's 1.35 per item!!

Today, I went to WalGreens and snagged some more great deals. Brace yourselves, folks, this one will knock your socks off.

This is what I got: Two jumbo packs of Huggies diapers, an 8x10 portrait, five 4x6 prints, a bottle of men's Dove body wash, and 2 pieces of candy (I'll explain those in a minute). Total cost of all items before discounts: $29.30. Total after coupons/discounts: $12.98, for a total savings of $16.32. Now, it doesn't seem like a lot, but I bought TWO jumbo packages of diapers for what you would normally expect to pay for one (nevermind the fact I got some yummy manly smelling body wash for Justin, some pictures, and two pieces of candy I will never eat)! See, here's the deal with WalGreens...however many items you have is how many coupons you can have. So, in my situation, I had register rewards plus a coupon for the diapers, so I had to throw in something cheap to use my two coupons (I couldn't find anything that was cheaper than $0.10). I also had 3 separate transactions, but to me, it was well worth the extra time to pretty much get body wash and diapers for free! The cashiers jaw literally hit the counter when she rang up my first package of diapers and my total came to $1.78!

I'm going to start keeping track of this. When I find exceptionally good deals, I'll post them...and if you're curious about any of the items I purchased and what I actually paid for a particular item, let me know...I'll tell YOU how to get them for dirt cheap!