All the better to track your savings with...
Stopped at Giant Eagle on the way home today and noticed a new feature on the receipt. They are now tracking, and breaking down, your shopping savings. They've been listing the fuel perks savings for some time now but now they are really itemizing how your savings break down.
Now I've only been doing the "couponing thing" for about 6-1/2 months to date. Before that I "looked for sales" and did a bit of coupon shopping but really my majority of targeted coupon/sale shopping has only been in calendar year 2010.
Today my Giant Eagle receipt informed me that in the past 12 months my savings in their stores and at their gas stations has totaled $1,124.71 - not too shabby!
Here is the breakdown:
Fuelperks savings: $121.50
Weekly Specials: $632.45
Coupons: $370.76
again - not too shabby!
I can't wait to see what the total will be in January 2011 when I've been doing this style of shopping for a full year.
And remember - that is only at one store. I've also been saving BIG at Walgreen's, CVS, and a few others.
Now tell me again - is this a waste of time?
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Excuses - Myth - "I don't have time"
Biggest complaint – It takes too much time to do the coupons… my answer… well, time is money, but in a good way with this.
I’ve been talking about this coupon saving and shopping way for about 6 months now and I’ve gotten a bit more organized than I was in January when I started this endeavor. “Back then” I would spend over an hour getting ready to shop at 3 different stores and then an hour at the grocery store and probably half an hour or more EACH at CVS and Walgreen’s.
Now, well I’ve probably carved off about 15 minutes of my prep time and I was going to spend the time in the grocery store any way so I’m not going to worry about time spent there. But I’m saving a lot of money with those coupons and spending that time prepping to shop.
My time is definitely worth the $50.00 an hour that I saved just this week at Giant Eagle. Other weeks its worth over $80.00 for that hour of prep time… even if its just “little shopping” and takes only half an hour to prep for a couple of things – my time is still worth the money I’m saving. I don’t know what you make “per hour” if you break it down but I found a job paying what I SAVE in that hour – I’d be bragging about my good paying new job.
Happy shopping – Last day for the cereal sale at Giant Eagle today – extra fuel perks too!
I’ve been talking about this coupon saving and shopping way for about 6 months now and I’ve gotten a bit more organized than I was in January when I started this endeavor. “Back then” I would spend over an hour getting ready to shop at 3 different stores and then an hour at the grocery store and probably half an hour or more EACH at CVS and Walgreen’s.
Now, well I’ve probably carved off about 15 minutes of my prep time and I was going to spend the time in the grocery store any way so I’m not going to worry about time spent there. But I’m saving a lot of money with those coupons and spending that time prepping to shop.
My time is definitely worth the $50.00 an hour that I saved just this week at Giant Eagle. Other weeks its worth over $80.00 for that hour of prep time… even if its just “little shopping” and takes only half an hour to prep for a couple of things – my time is still worth the money I’m saving. I don’t know what you make “per hour” if you break it down but I found a job paying what I SAVE in that hour – I’d be bragging about my good paying new job.
Happy shopping – Last day for the cereal sale at Giant Eagle today – extra fuel perks too!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Happy New Year - 2010 here I come
January 2, 2010
Okay - this is my new way of keeping track of my resolution to become a better shopper. By that I mean get more and spend less. Learning to use the sales and the coupons out there (and the internet) to save money for my family.
And I'm going to log how it is going and what I learn and hopefully you'll follow along and save some money too.
The amount of money our family spends on groceries, paper products, cleaning supplies, kids supplies, and just general "stuff" is amazing to me. Sure it's a lot less that we were paying in Hawaii (and coupons themselves were rare in Hawaii - never fear HI friends - I have hope for you as well) but it's still more than we have to spend - the deals are out there, I just have to find them.
We have all seen the "coupons queens" in line at the store. You know the ones, they have a whole cart worth of stuff and end up paying $22 for it when all is said and done. We hate them - and not because they're saving the money - but because we're jealous that they are so organized and they know how to keep all of those coupons in line and follow the sales and they save all of that money. We either don't have the time, the patience or discipline to do the same thing. Heck - they're so organized they get through the line with all of their stuff and coupons faster than some people can get their ID out when writing a check.
______________
Off and on for years I have used coupons and tried to buy things on sale. I've saved a few bucks here and there and feel good about doing so but I keep finding myself in a place where I end up running out of something and needed to go buy it and I end up paying full price. I want to learn to stock up on things I use regularly and not pay full price on them!
I figured there was some sort of system for keeping an eye on the ads and keeping track of the coupons but the amount of work involved seemed daunting. I'd just clip about every coupon that I thought I might need and then when I was shopping and found something that I needed or was on my list (or something on sale that I would soon need) I'd flip through my coupons and if I had one I'd use it and save some money. It works but it's not all that efficient. Sometimes on one trip I'd be flipping through tons of coupons multiple times (pulling my cart off to the side etc.) NO MORE!
Thanks to Facebook and reconnecting with a friend from High School I've learned some tips to learn and to share. Every once in a while this friend would post about huge savings on grocery trips and I would think "I have got to ask her how she does that". I finally asked her this past week and the amount of knowledge I have gained is amazing! That's why I'm going to write is all down, track it, link to it and share it as best I can.
Even using just a few of the tips and websites out there the savings are easy! In the past few days I've already saved noticeable amounts on items I was going to buy this week regardless of their cost. But with a little bit of time online and with the coupons before I left the house I've saved money - over 50% off the regular price of what I was shopping for.
The first things I've learned and will share are:
1. Save all of the coupons ads - intact - and keep them in order (date the cover page) - only clip the coupons when you are getting ready to do the shopping.
2. Get multiple copies of the coupon ads since often you have to buy more than one item to get the sale price at a store - may as well have a coupon for each item.
3. Internet Coupons
www.redplum.com and more
4. Visit the websites and blogs:
www.couponmom.com
http://bargainbriana.com
http://thecouponhigh.blogspot.com/
5. Get organized! (more on that to come)
That seems to be enough for day one of this blog.
I hope you come back and check on my progress - I plan on updating my savings, information and what I learn on a regular basis.
Aloha - Ellie
Okay - this is my new way of keeping track of my resolution to become a better shopper. By that I mean get more and spend less. Learning to use the sales and the coupons out there (and the internet) to save money for my family.
And I'm going to log how it is going and what I learn and hopefully you'll follow along and save some money too.
The amount of money our family spends on groceries, paper products, cleaning supplies, kids supplies, and just general "stuff" is amazing to me. Sure it's a lot less that we were paying in Hawaii (and coupons themselves were rare in Hawaii - never fear HI friends - I have hope for you as well) but it's still more than we have to spend - the deals are out there, I just have to find them.
We have all seen the "coupons queens" in line at the store. You know the ones, they have a whole cart worth of stuff and end up paying $22 for it when all is said and done. We hate them - and not because they're saving the money - but because we're jealous that they are so organized and they know how to keep all of those coupons in line and follow the sales and they save all of that money. We either don't have the time, the patience or discipline to do the same thing. Heck - they're so organized they get through the line with all of their stuff and coupons faster than some people can get their ID out when writing a check.
______________
Off and on for years I have used coupons and tried to buy things on sale. I've saved a few bucks here and there and feel good about doing so but I keep finding myself in a place where I end up running out of something and needed to go buy it and I end up paying full price. I want to learn to stock up on things I use regularly and not pay full price on them!
I figured there was some sort of system for keeping an eye on the ads and keeping track of the coupons but the amount of work involved seemed daunting. I'd just clip about every coupon that I thought I might need and then when I was shopping and found something that I needed or was on my list (or something on sale that I would soon need) I'd flip through my coupons and if I had one I'd use it and save some money. It works but it's not all that efficient. Sometimes on one trip I'd be flipping through tons of coupons multiple times (pulling my cart off to the side etc.) NO MORE!
Thanks to Facebook and reconnecting with a friend from High School I've learned some tips to learn and to share. Every once in a while this friend would post about huge savings on grocery trips and I would think "I have got to ask her how she does that". I finally asked her this past week and the amount of knowledge I have gained is amazing! That's why I'm going to write is all down, track it, link to it and share it as best I can.
Even using just a few of the tips and websites out there the savings are easy! In the past few days I've already saved noticeable amounts on items I was going to buy this week regardless of their cost. But with a little bit of time online and with the coupons before I left the house I've saved money - over 50% off the regular price of what I was shopping for.
The first things I've learned and will share are:
1. Save all of the coupons ads - intact - and keep them in order (date the cover page) - only clip the coupons when you are getting ready to do the shopping.
2. Get multiple copies of the coupon ads since often you have to buy more than one item to get the sale price at a store - may as well have a coupon for each item.
3. Internet Coupons
www.redplum.com and more
4. Visit the websites and blogs:
www.couponmom.com
http://bargainbriana.com
http://thecouponhigh.blogspot.com/
5. Get organized! (more on that to come)
That seems to be enough for day one of this blog.
I hope you come back and check on my progress - I plan on updating my savings, information and what I learn on a regular basis.
Aloha - Ellie
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