Saving Money the "Crimson" Way

These days, everyone is on a budget.  Costs for practically everything keep going up, pay is going down (or stagnating).  What's a family to do?

Well, as you well know, I am a huge fan of freebies and coupons.  Honestly, yes, if you are serious about these two things, it does take a substantial amount of time to coordinate, however I think it is worth every minute (and ever penny saved).  

So, I thought I would share a few of my recent shopping trips, how I saved during those trips, AND some other tips and techniques for saving money, budgeting, and getting products for free

Shopping Trips

Whenever possible, we buy our groceries from ALDI.  Most people don't want to buy generic.  But why?  Unless it's a product you specifically prefer in a particular brand, I say go generic.  And at ALDI, they stand behind their "generic" products.  If you are unsatisfied with an ALDI product, you can take it back to the store.   

With this in mind, we make two, sometimes three stops when grocery shopping.  We purchase the bulk of our food at ALDI, including milk, eggs, cheese, meat, bread & fruit and vegetables.  The quality of their produce if extraordinary.  It beats Giant Food on any day of the week. 

Our second stop is at Target.  Target is our go-to store for brand name items, household items, and medical products.  They also have, very frequently, coupons for a $10 Gift Card with a new prescription purchase.  And because I do take a few different medicines, this comes in handy.  We can get $40-$50 in gift cards in a month, if the timing of the coupon is right (if it coincides with my doctor's appointments where I receive my prescriptions).  Combine that with my use of coupons, and we save tons of money at Target!   

Lastly, on occasion, we find it necessary to stop at Giant to pick-up specialty grocery items not sold at ALDI or Target.  When we do shop at Target, we strive to purchase only items on sale, and with a coupon if at all possible.   

Shopping Trip Examples

A typical ALDI trip usually ends up around $45.  Today, I spent $49.94.  ALDI does not accept coupons, so no extra discounts here.

Target shopping trips vary depending on the products we need (think about all the stuff available at Target), the amount of coupons I have, and if we have any gift cards.  This week was an unusual week, and I went to Target twice because I had special coupons to use. I'll explain: 

The 1st trip to Target included purchasing Swiffer refills, Renuzit Adjustables, and some items I got for *almost* free thanks to coupons.  The original total was $78.45.  Take off $51.48 in coupons, a $10 Target Prescription Gift Card, and an $8.99 rebate Visa card...my total out of pocket cost was $7.98!!!

The 2nd trip to Target included Scrubbing Bubbles, lots of dog food (with coupons of course), and a few nail implements.  The original total was $88.81.  Take off a whopping $67.69 in coupon savings, and my out of pocket was $20.72!

On Giant Food shopping trips, our typical savings (including Bonus Card savings) is 40%.  Decent, but not great.  However, this week, I had some awesome coupons and the trip went like this:  Original total was $58.70.  Take off $10.74 in Bonus Card savings, a $10 Giant Food coupon (from the previous shopping trip -- I think it was from buying a certain amount of frozen foods we received that coupon), and $34.96 in coupons (most of which were "free item" coupons) and the grand total out of pocket was...wait for it...$0.50!!! That's right!  You read that right, $0.50!!! Let me tell you what I purchased in that trip: four full size frozen pizzas that come with sides in the box as well, and six frozen dinners for Jon's lunches. All I have to say is WOW!

How in the...?

How can you save so much in coupons you ask?  Well, I plan to make a series of postings on couponing.  But to complete this post, I will explain how to use coupons effectively at Target.

First, the basics.  There are three types of coupons you can use at Target:  Manufacturer's Coupons (Regular and Web), Target Coupons (Regular and Web), and Target Mobile Coupons.  For one product purchased, you can use one manufacturer's coupon, one target coupon, and one target mobile coupon.

Examples:

1. Excedrin ES, 20 ct. $3.87 - I had (1) $3.00 Target Coupon and (1) $1.00 Manufacturer's Coupon = FREE with overage!
2. Zantac 24 ct. or more $7.59 - I had (1) $2.00 Target Coupon and (1) $5.00 Manufacturer's Coupon = $0.59 Total!
3. Pond's Towlettes $4.79 - I had (1) $1.50 Target Coupon and (1) $1.50 Manufacturer's Coupon =  $1.79 Total...not too shabby!!!

Well, that's about all I have for you now, but as promised, I'll be writing again soon!

Cya!