So by now you all know I’m unemployed.  With unemployment comes some financial stress…and saving where one can is always helpful.  I’ve been clipping coupons for almost a year now.   At first, I just had the mind set of saving the cost of the paper (or $2 in my case).  As long as I used $2 in coupons, it was a wash.   Then a few sorority sisters of mine turned me on to this website:  Southern Savers

Basically, Jenny (the site owner) goes through the major drug store ads and several grocery ads and shows you how to use the store sales, manufacture coupons, and customer loyalty programs to get items for ridiculously low prices.

I’ve been reading this website for a couple of months now.   I couldn’t believe that people were getting shampoo, razors, and OTC medicines for FREE!   And, always up for a challenge, I wanted to see if I could do it too.

After a week or so of small purchases, I made my first major purchase today:

I got all of this for $20.34

$20.34/14 items = $1.45 for each item!!

What’s crazy is this really isn’t a great deal.  Most people go in to a CVS or a Walgreens and leave with much more for under $10, but I was happy with my haul.

I was craving a small shopping spree and I had some CVS Extra Bucks rewards that I needed to use.  CVS Extra Bucks (EBs) are basically part of CVS’s customer loyalty program.  You sign up for the little customer loyalty card they have, and they have these coupons or CVS ‘money’ that print after you buy a certain product.  Those coupons can then be used, like CASH, for almost anything in the store.   They do expire about 2-3 weeks after they are issued, so you have to watch that.   I had several that were burning a hole in my pocket, and CVS was having some good sales.

Here’s how my haul breaks down.

Let’s start:

• The Air Wick Air Fresheners.   They were on sale for $4.99 (regularly $8.99) and I had two $4 off coupons.  Total paid for both: $1.98!!  (On a side note, I don’t think the coupons I had were really good for these air fresheners but the CVS lady took them.. so I’m not complaining)
• The Colgate Toothbrush:  Was $3.99 and I had a $.75 coupon.  Total paid : $3.24   I also earned $3.99 in EBs.   So.. basically, CVS gave me $.75 to take the toothbrush.
• The Peeps were on sale 50% off.   $1.50 for both boxes
• The Husband somehow lost his travel bottle for shampoo, so that’s the little red bottle there.   Total:  $1.99
• The Viva paper towels were a bit disappointing.   I paid $7.09 for the pack (I had a $.40 coupon).   I got back $2 in EBs (and we needed paper towels), but the rolls are small.
• The Dove shampoo was BOGO (buy one, get one).  I had two coupons totalling $2.50.  The one bottle was $4.99.  Total for two bottles of Dove shampoo/conditioner:  $2.49 ($1.25 each!!!)
• The Softsoap Body Wash was $4.99, and I had a $.75 coupon.  Total Paid:  $4.24.    Again, I got $4.99 EBs for the purchase, so CVS basically gave me $.75 to take the body wash
• The Pantene was the steal of the day.  CVS was running a 2 for $7 deal with a $2 EBs return.  I had two coupons for $3 off.  So I got 4 for $8 and then got $4 in EBs.  It’s like getting them for $1 each!  (The husband LOVES this stuff. I think he’s set for a while on shampoo!)

So.. when you add that up, my total was around $30 after coupons. I had a $5 off $25 purchase, so I used that, taking the total to $25.  Then I had $8.50 in EB from past purchases, so that took my total to about $17.   When you add in the tax (which is calculated on the PRE-COUPON price.. which I didn’t realized until I got home.  WTF?  That’s a scam if I’ve ever heard one!) I finished at  $20.34.

The best part though:  I used $8.50 in EB but I left with $14.98 in EB for future purchases!!

If you were to take the $14.98 out of my total, I essentially paid (fuzzy math, as my husband would say):  $5.36 for the haul.

I also have some Walgreen’s money (similar to the CVS EBs) to spend, but can’t find anything to use them on this week.  I think instead of trying to juggle two drug store savings plans, I’m just going to keep on “CVSing” my way to free stuff!   Woot!!