Learning to use Coupons

So, my little sister is like the coupon queen. She has been able to get stuff for free and has even been paid by the store to take some stuff out! It's crazy! Anyway, we are going to be starting baby food with Michael this weekend, so I asked Becky to help me get some good deals. I looked through all the baby coupons that I had, and we figured which ones I could use together to get the best deal. She also showed me some websites where I could print additional coupons. I also looked at other baby related coupons that I had, or that I could print, and ended up having a lot for diapers, formula and baby food.

So, here is what I got!

Total items: 36
Total before coupons: $95.68
Total saved: $37.40
Total after coupons: $58.28

And just to give some perspective, the big box of diapers was $19.99 and the big can of formula was $22.49. Also, the bottle drop ins were $6.99 So, if I had paid full price for each of those items, it's like I got 30 jars of baby food, a box of baby cereal and two packs of diapers for free!

Not too bad for my first attempt. I learned some things, and now know what to do for next time. The key to getting the most out of your coupons is to use a coupon paired with an in store sale on that item. I was able to do that with some of the baby food. Another great thing is that at the store I shopped at (Publix) you can use a manufacturers coupon, a in store coupon, and a competitor's coupon all for the same item.

For example, with the Gerber Formula, I had a Publix baby club coupon for $5 off, a manufacturers coupon for $3 off, a competitor coupon for $3 off and I also had a manufacturers check for $4.25 off (which is different than a coupon). So Before the coupons, the price was $22.49, what I paid for the formula, $7.24!

Let the coupon fun begin!