Coupon Fun

OK: Guilty confession.  I watched TLC's Extreme Couponing last fall, and like the sheep that I am, I was suddenly hooked on couponing.  Let me follow this up by stating that I am not an extreme couponer.  The people on that show are crazy!  Seriously, who buys a cartload of mustard just because it's 'free?'  While I might not have achieved a level of crazy that would land me on the show, I've definitely noticed that the cashiers are giving me looks when they see my pile of coupons (the two OCD coupon binders probably contribute to this).

To get started, I bought 4 subscriptions to the Sunday paper in order to get coupons.  The subscriptions paid for themselves the first week I went shopping with coupons (I saved $60).  I have to thank the Krazy Coupon Lady blog for TONS of help in learning to recognize a good deal and helping me crack various stores' coupon policies.

WARNING: Shameless bragging ahead.  I had a particularly successful day today, and felt the need to toot my own horn.  The photo above shows today's 'loot.'  Almost everything I purchased was on sale, and I then combined store rewards and coupons to reduce my total.  All the products would have retailed for $67.88.  Instead, I paid $12.85, for a total savings of 81%.  Best of all?  The 4 bottles of hand sanitizer, Sleep Aid, and cat litter were FREE!