Couponing + 30 Weeks + HOTHOT Summer

Ah, normalcy!

We have our own place now and are living with our heads barely above water with one paycheck. It's awesome.

I know... I know... Awesome to live paycheck to paycheck? Crazy talk, right? Well, At least we manage to get our bills paid with one source of income and still manage to eat on the regular. I can't be more thankful. Hubby always seems to provide everything we need. He may be stressed out about it and I drive him crazy because a hundred dollars in the bank account doesn't scare me enough to not spend thirty dollars of it on groceries. In couponing terms, that's atleast seventy dollars worth of groceries anyway... so I don't see the issue.

Shop Smarter

CVS Extreme Couponing:
Saved: $20.72
Spent: $1.20 (Before taxes)
Extra Care Bucks/Store Credit: $4.00

Networth: $1.80 Money Maker!!

I had only ONE manufacture coupon and the rest was Extra Care bucks ($7) I had from a previous purchase, CVS coupons from the machine and register. I thought it was going to be a bust since my CVS had a sign on the door that said cash only and I hardly ever have cash. Luckily there is always another CVS nearby so I went to the next closest my GPS directed me to.

"Couponing just gets you lots of stuff you don't need"

No one needs toilet paper and deodorant. Nobody loves free stuff... and some other lies I'm to lazy to come up with. 

I've worked in radio. Working in radio has put a few things in perspective for me. 

- People LOVE free stuff!
I don't care if it's a bottle opener and you refuse to use glass products or an XXL tee-shirt and you're a 98lb, 5'7" person. If it's free you'll most likely snatch it (and three more) off the table and run like you stole it. People worship free. 

- People want an amazing deal without working for it.
Same goes for wanting money but not wanting to get a job for it. Or wanting to win a car but not filling out every sweepstakes that becomes available to them. Laziness. Pure laziness. 

Stock .waitforit. Pile!

I've been depressed due to money issues and various first world problems. I've been trying to validate myself as a house maid and stay at home mom. Some days I just want to set stuff on fire and laugh like a creepy kid in a horror flick while other days I'm left with a void stare and some teeny bopper vampire shows.

Today I somehow broke out of that. I don't know if it's the fact that we have enough food in the house to last us a few weeks if need be. (Along with toilet paper, diapers, wipes, toothpaste and deodorant.) Or if it's getting a new phone today or if it's seeing BabyG roll over and over and over and over today. That's her thing today, rolling over. She's been sticking her tongue out and laughing at random things. She's officially the cutest sideshow in town.

CVS Couponing Attempt #1

I don't feel like I did very well. I spent $14 out of pocket... but I do have a $3 credit for whenever I go back and try this again. So I guess that brings it down to $11.

As you can see, I broke it up into two purchases so I could use the bucks instantly. The first one was the most out of pocket ($9) but I got $6 back instantly and used that on my next purchase... so in a way, it was only $3... but I feel like I was just able to recycle that $6 and not actually save it. The second was $5.42 and I saved $13 and received $3 for my next purchase. So you could say I only spent $2 on the last one.. if you want to look at it that way.

Couponing

I'm attempting to coupon.

I'm not awesome at it. I spent a couple hours today trying to round up the coupons and sales and still spent more than I saved. But, I did save a good amount compared to what I spent so that's better than nothing. I was averaging $30 savings a trip and today I saved $51. (I don't think that counts the $10 I saved using my dependent card at Target) I used cellphone coupons, the Target Cartwheel app (Which is AMAZING, by the way. Even if you aren't big on coupons. It reminds me of the "cash back" stuff on credit cards) and good ole print outs and manufacturing coupons.

I went with Hubby. I think next time I plan on couponing I need to go with just me and stick to my list. I want to do that extreme couponing stuff and I want to stock up so I can have endless food. I want to have organized hoarding like those chicks do on TV. I need to find out how to do multiple purchases and such. I'm freaking out a bit.

My babysitting job fell through and I officially quit my cellphone job. I have to make up for that loss of money somewhere. I have to. I'm falling into a dark hole. I can tell Hubby is stressed because of our money situation and I want to do what I can to pull my own weight.... other than being a housewife. Doing laundry doesn't pay the bills, ya know?

I'm learning to save my Redplum inserts and not cut them out unless I plan on using them. I'm learning to not print out coupons unless I plan on using them. The couponing blogs usually link a printable anyway. I just want to pull a big haul for $20 instead of this kind of bogo thing I have going on. Anyone have any tips? Any websites you go to? Have YOU mastered the multiple purchase small dollar amount?

Back to youtube and couponmom I go...