Coupons Are Such a Pain (But Totally Worth It!)

Well, I did it...rain and all!  I guess it's a little strange that I'm celebrating getting out of the house with my very own children, but throw in the coupon savings and it really does feel like a victory for me today :-)

I went to Walgreens and did 6 transactions and got the following items:

4 Gillette Fusion Razors
6 Dawn Dish Soaps
4 Boxes of Ziploc Bags (400 bags!)
3 Boxes of Kleenex Tissues
3 Jumbo packages of Huggies diapers
4 Little caramels for my little shopping helpers

I came home and put my receipts into my coupon savings spreadsheet (of course!), and I saved 61% off retail!  Before store deals and coupons, my total was $110.09.  I spent $42.99.  Not bad!

I have a confession to make though - I decided to stop using the free couponing blogs.  Well, I check them from time to time, but so far I haven't found anything new on them.  I was so overwhelmed trying to keep all the different deals together for the various stores - I needed a new system.  I finally found a single spot that lets me build a list for all three of my favorite stores (Alberstons, Walgreens, Rite Aid).  It's laid out clearly with easy links to any internet coupons I need, and it's all organized neatly in...you guessed it...a SPREADSHEET.

I love it.  Granted, I have to pay $20 a month for lists to my 3 stores.  But in my last two trips, I saved enough to pay for my membership for the next 12 months.  The rest of my savings is going straight into my pocket.

What is this site?  It's called The Grocery Game (www.thegrocerygame.com).   If you go over there and sign up (which I recommend if you're interested in being a great couponer with as little work as possible), please let them know that Daiquiri Fouch sent you ;-)