Frugal CAN BE Fun -- My first trip

So I was pretty excited.  Pumped.  Jazzed.

Feeling like the hunt was on, and I was going to be victorious.

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I'd made a list and clipped my coupons.  I decided to hit up CVS first and made a short list.

And I did alright.  Not bad for a rookie.

My big score of the day was Coke products.  They were buy 5 for $15, get $5 Extra Bucks*.  I then turned around and used the $5 Extra Bucks (they spend like cash at CVS) for some Pantene shampoo, as well as Pantene hairspray that I also had coupons for.

So, short story long...  Spent $15, got all this:

In case you're not quick with math, that works out to be $2.14 per item!

And what I would have paid before becoming coupon savvy:  

• Coke, 12 pack:  $3.98 each
• Pantene Shampoo:  $3.99 each
• Pantene Hairspray:  $4.12 each
• Total for above items:  $ 28.08 or $4.01 per item

All stuff we regularly buy and use, just at better prices.  I like that.  No, I LOVE that!

The whole trip wasn't a complete success, however.  I'm chalking it up to the learning curve.

And, because I'm so helpful and don't mind making myself look like a goof-ball so that you can learn from my mistakes, I'll tell you why.

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On that day, I also purchased some Olay Body wash that was on sale and that I had coupons for.  For that purchase, I received $3 in EBs.  Because I was flustered a bit by my first "extreme couponing" attempt, and because there was someone waiting behind me in line, I bent under pressure.  I still had a Green Bag Tag** and some Kleenexes to pay for and instead of using the EB I'd just received and was holding in my hand, I paid cash for both.  It wasn't a lot, only $3, but after I left the store I realized what I'd done.  My pride wouldn't allow me to go back in the store, return the items, and then repurchase them.   Chock it up to the learning curve, baby, and move on...

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 But I did have to kick myself when I went to WalMart later and saw that Kleenex was less expensive there than were the ones I'd purchased at CVS on sale.  SIGH...  There's that learning curve again!

I still have some fine tuning to do, as you can see, but I think I'm hooked!!

After this first trip, I decided that I needed to be better prepared when I went to the store.  Using "laser focus" to determine EXACTLY what I was going to buy, and ONLY buy those things.

In the next FCBF post, I'll tell you what I did to get prepared for my next trip.

Because you KNOW there's going to be a next trip! 

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* Extra Bucks:  CVS "money" you receive when you make a specified purchase.  They can be used like cash on any subsequent purchase.  In order to receive EBs, you must have the Extra Care Card, which is free.

** Green Bag Tag:  Leaf shaped tag with a barcode on it from CVS.  Initial cost $.98.  Bag Tag is scanned each time you bring a reusable bag for your purchases, and after 4 scans you receive a $1 EB.  One scan per visit to CVS.