My Coupon Experiment - Favorite Deals this Week

I have started a post about how this couponing experiment is affecting our space and our budget, but it just is not ready, yet.  I think it may be good to wait a little longer anyway because it will give me more time to really observe our budget for a few months.  Instead, I thought I would share a blog I found today and some of my favorite deals of the week.

First, my favorite deals:

CVS - Total Paid: $6.97, Extra Care Bucks to use Later:  $7

I liked my CVS deal this week because it was an example of the "best sale" not being the "best deal" for me.  I had two $5 CVS coupons, a $5 ECB and a $5 off $25 purchase that I received when scanning my card at the front of the store the week before.  Here is what I did:

Buy 2 Vicks Nature Fusion Cold Medicines $12
Use (2) $3/1 Vicks Nature Fusion coupons (1/29 P&G insert)
Buy 3 General Mills Cereals $10
Use $1/3 GM Cereals coupons (GM insert)
Buy 1 Blistex Lip Care Product
Use 1 $0.25/1 coupon (1/22 SS insert)
Total:  $24.89
Use $5/25 CVS Coupon (they waived the $0.11 difference)
Use $5 Extra Care Buck from last week
Pay $6.97 OOP
Receive $3, $3 and $1 ECB
Final Price: $0

The "better sale" was a better price on Cereal, and I would never have bought cereal at CVS before.  However, because of all the coupons and Extra Care Bucks my cereal was basically free.

Walgreens - Total Paid:  0,  Register Rewards to use later:  $4

At Walgreens, I did the same type of thing - using Register Rewards from a previous week to pay for this week.

Buy (3) Chocolate Marshmallow Hearts - $1.59
Buy (2) Colgate Toothpaste $6
Use $1/2 Colgate Coupon
Use $6 in Register Rewards from previous week
Pay $.53 OOP
Receive: $4 in Register Rewards for later

Rite Aid - Total Paid:  $4.25, +UP reward to use later $4

At Rite Aid, I did have to pay more out of pocket, but it was offset again by the +UPs I received.

Buy (2) Stayfree $6
Use (2) $1/1 Stayfree Coupons
Pay $4.25 OOP
Receive: $4 in Register Rewards for later

I also thought I would share with you something I found today that might help you get more information on getting started in couponing, if you are interested.  I stumbled upon a YouTube video called "Extreme Couponing for Normal People" and I thought that was a great title.  So, I watched it.  Other than it being a home video, which is harder to hear and such, it was a great introduction to what my shopping trips have looked like.  So, I hopped over to her blog and found the original post that she recorded the video for because it had pictures of everything she bought and her totals.  I also found a video on this post where she explains how she puts together her shopping trips each week that I thought might be helpful.  It was from "Black Friday Week" when there are a lot of deals to be had, so a normal week is more like the first video.  The blog is called Living Well Spending Less.  I learned a few tricks while watching the first video, so I will likely check out more on her blog as well.  I hope it helps others, too!