Couponing Isn't Always Free

Yes, I coupon. Yes, I save a lot of money. No, I don't always the leave the store paying $0. The type of couponing that I do is not like the TLC show Extreme Couponing. When I look for deals, I make it a point to pay less for things that I would have paid for them at Wal-Mart (since that's where I did most of my shopping in the past). Yes, I like to get things free and occasionally I do, but my main goal is to simply be aware of the prices that I'm paying for certain items and to make sure that I shop around for the best deal.

So, here is a breakdown of my shopping trip to Target today. Everything I purchased. Item by item. I want you to get the full picture of couponing and not just the free deals. Today, I did two separate transactions. This was only my second time to check out twice in one shopping trip, and my first time to try it at Target. Guess what? It was simple, and the cashiers are used to people doing this.

Transaction #1:

• Qty 2: Oscar Mayer Lunchables. Sale price $1.25 each. I got two for $2.50 and I had a $1.00 off if you buy two Target coupon (anyone can print this coupon from their website). So, I got two lunchables for $0.75 each. The cheapest ones you can get at Wal-Mart are $1.00 each. I usually buy those, but this was a better deal.
• Qty 1: Four pack Jell-O Pudding. Reg price $2.04 and I had a $1.00 Target coupon also printed from the Target site. I got one pack for $1.04, or $0.26/cup. I have to be honest, I'm not sure about the price of these at Wal-Mart because it's not something that we normally buy, but I knew that it would be a nice treat for the girls (or myself) so I went ahead and got it.
• Total before tax $2.54.

The reason I had to do two separate transactions is because the two coupons that I used above stated on the coupon that it was "one coupon per customer." In other words, you have to check out more than once to use more than one coupon (if you have more than one of the exact same coupon).

Transaction #2:

• Repeat Oscar Mayer Lunchables
• Repeat Four pack of Jell-O Pudding
• Qty 2: Enfamil Baby Formula. Reg price $23.99 each. I had two $3.00 off manufacturer coupons so I paid $20.99 per container, or $41.98 for both. I will take any savings that I can get on formula. This is where my statement "couponing isn't always free" comes in to play!
• Qty 4: Gerber 2nd Baby Food. Reg price $1.00 each for two servings. Sale price $0.90 each, and I had two coupons for $0.75 off of two 2nd Baby Foods. I paid $2.10 for all four, or $0.52 each. Not bad when the sale price was $0.90 each!
• Qty 10: Gerber 1st Baby Food. Reg price $1.00 each for two servings. Sale price $0.90 each, and I had two coupons for $0.99 off of five 1st Baby Foods and a Target coupon for $0.50 off if I buy 6 (this quantity is already covered since I'm purchasing 10). I paid $6.52 for all ten, or $0.65 each. Again, not bad when the sale price was $0.90 each!
• Didn't intend to buy, but was on sale -- Qty 4: Acadia Farms Fruit Strips (10 strips per box). Sale price $2.79 each. We have never purchased these, but I know that the girls tried them at a birthday party and loved them so I got them since they were on sale. Even on sale, I paid $11.16 for these four boxes which is kind of high in my opinion, but that gives me 40 strips so they will last quite a while. And that breaks down to $0.27/strip for a healthy snack.
• Qty 3: Better Oats Organic Oatmeal (5 packets per box). Reg price $1.79 each. Sale price $1.00 each, and I had a Target coupon for $1.00 off a purchase of three. I paid $0.66 per box, and they retail for $1.79 per box. I've never had this oatmeal, but for that price I will give it a try!
• Didn't intend to buy, but was on sale -- Qty 2: Sun Maid Mini Raisin boxes. Reg price $2.49 each. Sale price $1.99. The girls love raisins and we were almost out so I got two packages of these. I believe that these are close to $1.99 each or maybe a little more at Wal-Mart so I might as well get these at Target since I was already at the store.
• Qty 2: Simply Orange OJ. Sale price 2/$3.00. We drink OJ off and on at our house, and right now we were on so this was a good deal. Sorry, but we don't do off brand OJ around here. For most items, the off brand is fine, but we've found 2-3 things that just can't be substituted for, and OJ is one of them!
• Qty 1: Reach Floss 55 yrds. Reg price $0.97. I had a coupon for $1.00 off so I made $0.03 on this purchase!
• Didn't intend to buy, but was on sale -- Qty 1: Angel Soft Toilet Paper (36 double rolls). Sale price $14.99. This calculates to $0.41/roll. I'm used to paying $0.46/roll so anything below that is a bargain! Yes, I've gotten better TP deals, but this is the best deal this week and we are almost out.
• Total before taxes $93.21.
• I had $30 in Target Gift Cards from my last purchases so that knocked my total down to $63.21.

Therefore, my grand total of both transactions before coupons and gift cards was $120.70. After coupons and gift cards, I paid $65.75! This is awesome considering the fact that I purchased items that I did not intend to buy, and still cut my bill in half!


Matthew 9:37 - Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." This verse pretty accurately describes my feeling about couponing. There is a huge 'harvest' out there to save you money, but few people will take the time to figure out how to use coupons to their advantage. Take it from me - a part time working mom of 3 kids four years old and under - if I can do it you can do it! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. morrison25@cox.net