Shopping those sales...

My recent addiction: shopping the sales at CVS, RiteAid and Walgreens. Slightly lame, yes, but I am constantly amazed at how much I'm saving each time I go. I am getting the hang of it. The thing is, you have to know what the regular store prices are to be sure you're actually getting a good deal. Sometimes I make a mistake and don't save any money, paying the same I'd pay at the regular stores I shop, and occasionally I'll pay more. Thankfully, those mistakes are few and far between; lessons learned the hard way.


It's no secret that these stores tend to be on the pricey side when it comes to shopping for the necessities, but I've found that with some careful planning, topped with creative uses of coupons and rebates, the upfront cost is pretty minimal.

I'll gladly spend 10 minutes a week sitting in front of the Sunday ads and making my little list of things I know I have coupons for. That 10 minutes usually pays off for us, saving $10, 20 or even $30. You can't beat the BOGO dish soap and having a coupon on top of that, so you're getting 2 bottles of dish soap for $1.50. It's hard enough to come by some of the coupons, much less coming across two of them for the same item at a time. Like store sales, coupons are cyclical. By the time you're finding sales you're actually interested in, it's tricky finding coupons that match your best interests. Not impossible, but in times like these... I'll do everything to save a buck or two.