Coupon Savings this week

This post is happening late Sunday (okay early Monday Morning) night.  As I haven't gone to bed yet, it is still Sunday night to me. 

Anyway, I have finally finished going through my two papers and clipping coupons I wanted and saving those I don't for my coupon exchange club.   This is also the time that I try to re-organize my coupon binder.  And I found out I need more baseball card sheet protectors!!!  I thought I did last week but now I am officially out of room in those that I have!  So I guess my shopping list this week just got a bit bigger. 
After completing the clipping and the organizing, it is time to sit down and tally up how I did this last week in my savings calculator.   And tonight, I have decided to share with you how I did and how I arrive at that number:

Week ending Saturday 9/10/2011
Store Names	Total Cost, if no Coupons	Coupons	Actual Spent	Percentage Saved
Bi-Lo	$131.91	$30.76	$101.15	23.32%
CVS	$30.86	$11.73	$19.13	38.01%
Walgreen's	$61.59	$2.51	$59.08	4.08%
Other (this week: Wal-Mart & Petco)	$175.17	$20.57	$154.60	11.74%
TOTALS	$399.53	$65.67	$333.96	16.41%

Overall, I give myself a C this week.  Although I was under my goal of 25% saved this week, I did score some big wins.

• New exercise outfit for $12 at Wal-Mart which if I had bought it at the beginning of Summer would have cost me $25+.
• $.50 off per gallon at the pump.  Thank you Bi-Lo !!!!  That made our price per gallon $2.99. 
• B1G1 1/2 off Walgreen's brand scored us two cans of nuts for $5.00 and I put money on my Walgreen's prescription card for the next trip.
• Party favors and wrapping paper paid for by my coupon savings at Wal-Mart for Jea's Birthday next Sunday!

So how did you do this week at the store?  Tell us about your big wins.

Do you use coupons?

I think I ask most of my friends and acquaintances this question.  I am always looking for someone to take the coupons that I can't or won't use.

I have been couponing it seems forever.  But in reality I have only been seriously paying attention to my savings in the last year.  My mom and grandmother taught me to coupon when I was a little girl and I have never forgotten.  Though I rarely used their advice until after I got married and had a child.  

In today's economy it is even more important to save where I can.   Thus my journey to serious couponing over the last year.   Unlike the show "Extreme Couponing" or many of the websites I use each week, I do not stockpile more than I will use or buy things I do not need/like.  My goal each week is to save an average of 25% off of my bill at stores I regularly purchase from. This does not mean I will not purchase items at full price.  But it does mean that if I don't need it immediately, I will wait until it is on sale or I have a coupon or best of both worlds -- I have a coupon and item is on sale! 

Couponing works! 

In the last three months, I have saved approximately $1700.  Unfortunately or fortunately, our renovation project has eaten that money and none has been saved.  Hm mm, I think I have my next project in regards to couponing -- Open a savings account and put the amount saved each week from my budget into it.   I can use my savings for Christmas shopping or on my vacation to Orlando in January!   Stay tuned to see how it goes.

So do you coupon?