Cha-Ching!

My January resolution is in full swing! I am addicted to this saving money gig! I have about 10 hours of research in but it doesn't feel like work. I am enjoying it. These 10 hours include surfing the internet in finding "saving" blogs, coupon sites, and other deals. Based on this I have been pretty successful. I even found a blog that compares stores ads with available coupons. For example: last week Target had a deal on Lean Cuisine frozen meals and there was also a manufacturer's coupon for $1 off when you buy 2. It is nice because they do the work for you..yet they are not local so sometimes the deals are not the same.

I choose to go to Target for grocery shopping for a few reasons:
1. I love Target. It is bright, clean, and reliable.
2. They are about the same distance as a true grocery store but I like the idea of being able to pick up other items at the same time.
3. Target Rewards: When I use my DEBIT card I receive 5% off my total purchase. (They used to only offer this for their credit card but now also offer it if you connect it to you existing Debit card...I wonder if they are having a problem with collecting on those credit cards!).
4. Their prices are very similar, and usually cheaper, than other places.

Saturday I went to Target and it was the first grocery experience of the new year, and first time under my resolution. Now, originally I said that I would buy groceries without a coupon but I think I may go back on that because I think I can do it with coupons. There are only certain items that I need to buy without a coupon. We have a freezer full of beef and pork so I don't need meat coupons so I just need to find things to go with it..and that isn't hard. So back to my trip...it was also the first time that I had to ask them to price match. I had called earlier to find their guidelines. If you want to price match at Target you go through the main line for everything NOT getting matched and then you go to the Service Desk for everything that is. WHAT IS PRICE MATCHING? Price Matching is when you bring a competitor's ad in to a store and they honor the competitor price. For example, Coborns had a deal on Special K cereal at $1.99 plus I had a buy one get one free manufacturer's coupon..so I got 2 boxes for 1.99..lucky for me I had 2 coupons so I ended up getting 4 boxes for 3.98!!!! That is insane since each box is usually $4.39. Anywho, the point of price matching is so you don't have to go to every store to get the merchandise you want..plus you can still use manufacturer's coupons PLUS any in-store coupons (for the place you are at..Target will match ads but not take competitor's coupons!). So I went through the normal line and unloaded half my cart. Then, I went to the Service Desk and unloaded the other half. My savings: Of the 73 items I purchased...I only paid full price for 9 of them..and since I got 3 milks and 2 cans of tuna..I only paid full price for 6 different items. I was pretty proud of myself. My final savings including coupons, Target rewards, and matching ads: $36.11.

I have learned a ton from reading blogs though...and have even considered starting my own!

Here are a couple things on coupon etiquette:
-Don't assume every store price matches- it isn't true. Call your favorite store and ask!
-Keep manufacturer's coupons until there is a store coupon and/or in-store special. If I would have used my BOGO free Special K coupons without the in-store special I would have paid $8.78 for 2 boxes instead of $3.98.
-Don't be afraid to stock up on non-perishables as long as you have the space.
-Don't buy things you won't eat/use just because you have a coupon. This isn't truly saving anything.

You may think I am crazy for buying 4 boxes of the same kind of cereal and that is ok-I have been called worse :) The thing is, Corey and I both love it and we eat cereal every day. Plus I bought 4 boxes of Chewy Granola bars because I got them cheap as well. Corey and I go through a box of 10 a week (we each eat 1-2 per day). Therefore, I know we will go through it.

Another deal I had this week: Office Depot had copy paper on sale for $1 (after mail-in rebate). I also found a $1 off coupon, which I saved instantly. So I paid $13.56 in store but am sending in the rebate and once I receive the money- I will have received both reams of paper- FREE!

I could go on and on ..(I am also changing to rechargeable batteries since Emma's toys eat them up like crazy..might as well change now instead of buying "disposable" ones that are bad for the environment and are equivelent to throwing my money in the trash..especially since you can buy Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries on Amazon for almost the same price of "disposable" ones...).....but I will stop :)

All in all- I am quite satisfied with this month's resolution...........