Sales. Clearance sections. Coupons. I LOVE all these things! It gets me all giddy…clearly.
Whether I’m at CVS, Target, the grocery store or at the mall, I love to find a good deal! I first got into couponing after attending Jill Cataldo’s Super Couponing workshop. She is a Chicagoland blogger/coupon expert and helps people save money on everything from groceries to clothes. She is fantastic! Since watching her DVD and attending her workshop a few years ago, I can honestly say that now pay little to nothing for things like toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, razors, some groceries, and lots more.
Case in point, here are the goodies I got from a trip to Jewel:
Loot includes: Hormel party tray, balloons, liter of 7up, 12 packs of pop (4), 24 pk of Miller Lite bottles, 2 lbs ground turkey, strawberries, eggs, pizza rolls, hot dogs & buns, ice cream. Total cost: $7.23
And a trip to CVS:
Purchases include: 1 gallon milk, 2 Tide detergents, 1 deodorant, 2 Revlon nail polishes, 1 greeting card and developed photos…Total cost: $2 + tax
I don’t spend hours clipping coupons like the people on the TLC Extreme Couponing show…I think it’s a little excessive. (Who needs thousands of bottles of BBQ sauce if they aren’t going to share it or donate it? Seriously?!)
But taking a few moments each week to match sales with coupons, combined with following others like Hip2Save, who posts real time deals on her Facebook page, I am set! All that savings in the drugstores/grocery stores gives me more money to put towards clothing and other things…
For example…
The other day I put together this outfit (my apologies for the creepy red eyes). After seeing the photo, I realized that nearly all of it was purchased on sale at great prices!
Necklace: Target (was 15% off, about $10)
Watch: NY&Co Outlet (on sale, plus I had a coupon, about $15)
Gingham shirt: JCrew Outlet (on clearance AND I had a coupon, $16)
Sweater: Target (on clearance at the flagship Target store in Minnesota when I was there earlier this year, a whopping $5!)
Jeans: American Eagle Outlet (on clearance, plus I had a 20% off coupon, $25)
Shoes: Kohls (yet again, on clearance plus another 15% off sale, $16)
Purse: Coach outlet (Xmas gift from my parents)
I was eager to try a button up gingham print, but always had a problem with the buttons. (It’s such a pain! The buttons that go over my chest always seem to pull so much that it makes the button protrude…giving me a third boob bump in the middle of my chest.) Luckily, I had just read Franish’s post about layering with a tank top underneath my sweater. Crisis averted! Genius!
So there you go…it’s my super sale-worthy outfit!
Until then, I’ll continue hunting for great deals…and daydream about my utopia, where chocolate makes you skinny and everything is 75% off. That would make me one happy girl!
Courtesy of someecards.com
How do you try to save money? What blogs have you found that helped you save or find good deals?
Ha ha ha! I LOVE that first pic. It really made me laugh.
I just don’t get how to do coupon-ing! I feel like it is so over my head. But I love the steals you are getting! Yes, as long as you aren’t filling your garage with BBQ sauce, lol!
Glad to offer you some comic relief :-) Couponing can be overwhelming, but you can get into it as much (or as little) as you want. It’s quite fun!