I just don’t know if I can keep doing this. I need some coupon encouragement. Since I have started using coupons more I feel like I am shopping more. Looking for more deals and taking up so much more of my time. So if anyone out there can encourage me to keep going, please do. If not then I may quit and go back to my original plan which is to buy in season fruits and vegetables from local growers when possible. Also, to buy my grass fed beef in bulk which I have done! And then try to make as many things from scratch as possible. I may not give up my CVS just yet though. I will keep trying that for a while. We shall see!
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May 6, 2008 at 12:18 pm
klutzymama
I tried the CVS thing for a while, but I found that I was buying a lot of things that I normally wouldn’t buy just because it was an incredible deal. I know that this probably isn’t the encouragement you were looking for, but I try to take a minimalist approach to my shopping. I still clip coupons and I still have my CVS card, but I usually don’t buy anything other than what I actually need. And this will probably go against what a lot of people are saying, but I hardly ever buy in bulk. I buy what I need for each week, I make a menu and a list and that’s all I buy. When you’re trying to make every penny count, 3 tubes of toothpaste at a really great price just doesn’t make sense for us to buy. I know that a lot of the blogs I read really encourage the CVS thing and I think that it works out great for some people, it’s just not for us at this stage in our financial life…
Since I’m new to your blog I haven’t had a chance to find out how long you’ve been CVS-ing. Have you saved a significant amount so far?
May 6, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Extraordinary Ordinary Life
Thanks klutzymama, I have been CVSing for about a month or so. I have spent $442.83 and have saved $743.66 for the year so far. I do like it because it is half a mile from my house and I will probably still do it a little to try to get formula for cheaper and of course diapers when they are on special although I do use cloth diapers about 75% of the time!
May 6, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Centsible Savings
I have been CVSing since January, and it has saved so much money for us! I buy things I don’t need because they help me earn more Extrabucks. If I use my coupons strategically, I almost always come out of the store with more Extrabucks than I went in with. I can then use those to buy the things I do need. Since January, I have not paid one penny for diapers, laundry detergent, milk, shampoo, or basically anything else that is sold at CVS. Do you know how much my budget has gone down since none of those have to be included any more? Please don’t give up! As far as coupons at other stores, I think you’re wise to do in-season fruits and veggies. That’s a whole lot more healthy anyway. Look at the Grocery Gathering at BeCentsable every week to see if there happen to be any great deals, otherwise don’t spend hours preparing your shopping trips.
May 7, 2008 at 1:47 am
FLUUD7
Well, you ought to KNOW you’re going to get a comment from me on this one! Lol.
I have to be honest…I’ve slowed my intensity a bit when it comes to couponing. I used to religiously clip and sort coupons every Sunday afternoon, but…some Sundays just don’t go as planned. I do still KEEP all of my coupons and I do still clip and sort. Sometimes I just get a week behind and have to catch up. Nothing compares to getting 7 packages of free Betty Crocker cookie mixes from Meijer though! And definitely CVS has saved me TONS!
Since I started CVSing, I’ve dropped our grocery/toiletry budget from $250/month down to $200/month – and that’s with an additional mouth to feed and bottom to diaper! I’ve spent under $100 since February and have saved almost $1000! CVS is definitely NOT something I’m willing to give up.
You do have to pick and choose though what you need and how much time you can devote to couponing. As Crystal @ Money Saving Mom always says, she doesn’t actually go out and take advantage of all those great deals she posts about every day – she chooses the ones that fit her schedule and needs the best and goes from there. I try to do that same.
So don’t give up yet! You can come clip and sort coupons with me anytime!
May 7, 2008 at 4:22 pm
klutzymama
Clearly I need to look further into the CVS thing. I mean, I look at the ads every week, but I usually don’t find a lot of things that I would normally use. Is there something that missing about it all? I’d love to save tons of money too, but not if it means I have to spend a bunch of money on stuff that I don’t need…
Maybe I need CVS therapy! Ha ha!
May 7, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Extraordinary Ordinary Life
Klutzymama,
Here is a link that might interest you: http://www.todaysdailydose.com/search/label/CVS. She was the one who got me more into the CVS thing! Also you may already have read this, but check out the CVS 101 link on Money Saving Moms.
May 7, 2008 at 4:54 pm
klutzymama
Thanks! I will definitely check it out!