Coupon Rookie

So... I just made my monthly trip to Target to get our household supplies (ie. toothpaste, toilet paper, razors, etc) and had an all out anxiety attack trying to use these dang coupons!

So I have to make a disclaimer: I am pretty sure my hesitation to previously use coupons is due to my lack of math skills...and today, I think that theory was confirmed!

The only preparation I did beforehand was deciding what coupons I was going to use (based on the items I needed) and cutting them out. So, as I go through Target gathering up these items I realize that I must buy TWO of each item in order to use the coupon. Ok, no problem....wait, there is a problem! I ended up spending $243 in one trip....how is this saving me money?? I started to become skeptical and felt the need to abort the mission! :) I found myself looking at the value of the coupon, the requirements needed to use the coupon, and feverishly trying to calculate and determine how to get the biggest bang for my buck.

Ex. If I have a $2.00 coupon for shampoo, and I must buy two of them. Is it better if I buy two regular size (12oz) bottles or two jumbo (25oz) bottles of shampoo....do I really need that much shampoo right now?? But if I have a coupon, why not get it, right? RIGHT? ...or if I get $3.75 off of toilet tissue when I buy two packages of 8 rolls or more, do I get two 8 roll packs or two 12 roll packs? Do I really have to do the calculations for all of this? ...Did I already say how terrible in math I am?

These are the thoughts racing through my head as I crunch numbers on my iPhone and wipe sweat from my brow! This is my punishment for cheating my way through 6th grade math...I just know it!

My typical spending habits at Target include a monthly trip which costs me roughly $150...sometimes $200. So when I get my total, after coupons, from the cashier I had to do a double take at the debit card keypad.

All the way home, I was scratching my head wondering how I just saved money when I spent $100 more than I usually do. So, once I unload enough toilet paper, paper towels and shampoo to get us through the apocalypse, I examined my receipt more closely. Here is what I came up with:

If I would have purchased my normal quantities, I would have spent $208 and would have to return for additional supplies in about a month. With the quantity purchased, in order to utilize my coupons, I spent $243 and supposedly saved $21.45...I am assuming these supplies will last me 2 months. So, in one year I would spend $2500 making a monthly trip to Target, but with coupons and only having to make this trip six times a year I would spend $1458...for a total savings of $1042. Is is worth it? At this point, I am starting to buy in...but I still have a few questions and concerns.

If I am going to buy bigger quantities, why should I use a coupon vs. going to Sams Club or Costco? ...Maybe my investigation should go further!

...This is to be continued....

February Habit: Coupons

COUPONS:

February Habit

If you are like me, you get these bad boys in the mail weekly if not daily...not to mention the flood of coupons sent to my email. Well, my current habit is to leave them sitting on my counter until they have expired, or cut them out and forget them in my wallet until they have expired! So, this month I am going to try and change this habit and use at least one coupon per store visit for at least 21 visits.




As a stay at home mom, my husband suggested that I start using coupons as a way to save money. Although I left my job, our income has not changed; therefore, making it hard to make changes in spending habits. However, we have started the discussion about building our dream home in the next two to three years, so now is the time to begin shifting our focus to different ways we can save money and cut back on spending. So, If I want THESE digs I better be contributing in some way to make it a reality! Coupons....I can handle that!

Dream House

This will NOT be an extreme coupon challenge, nor will I make a special trip to the store to use a coupon that is about to expire. This is a simply a challenge for me to be more self conscious about the money I can save if I can just remember to use the coupons that are so graciously sent to my house!  

As I look at the current coupons I have in my possession, I could save $15 on my next trip to Target...coincidentally, I have trip planned there tomorrow! Let's see if I can remember to BRING my coupons and USE my coupons!

I am going to track the money I have saved...and you never know, I may just turn into an extreme couponer once I see how quick the savings add up.

...THE CHALLENGE IS ON!

*Update to follow in 21 days!

 

The Journey Begins

This is not a family blog. It's not a fashion blog or a beauty blog...or even a blog of random thoughts. This is a blog about a journey that will consists of trying to create new and better habits in my life 21 days at a time.

So it has been said that if you repeat an act for 21 consecutive days it will become a habit. Well, this is a journey that will put this theory to the test.

As someone who has created new year resolutions several times and failed to follow through with them or keep them for an entire year, I decided NOT to make a resolution this year...this lead to the 21 day idea. At the begining of this year I became a stay at home mom and realized I had the chance and possibly the time to revamp my life and my role as a wife and mother.

My First Habit

On January 2nd I made a sporadic decision to start making my bed every morning. This was not a resolution but a decision that I thought would help me create a more organized and balanced homelife by starting the day will a small accomplishment. As simple as this act is, it is something that takes time and effort to do. As a mother of two boys (2 & 4) we have a hectic morning routine trying to get the boys to preschool on time, so adding another "to do" can easily demolish a perfected routine. As the first day turned into the next day, and the next day turned into the next week, and the next week turned into 21 days I realized I had not missed a single day of making my bed. Every time I walked in my room, I just felt this sense of accomplishment and it seemed to just start the day of right. Now making my bed is a part of my typical morning routine, just as I brush my teeth and hair every morning....it's a HABIT! I had officially created a habit.

This spawned the idea that once a month I could introduce one new action that could potentially be turned into a habit that will help create a less stressful, healthier and more balanced life.

Some questions I am looking to answer along the way:
What happens if I miss a day (or two or three) during the 21 day process? Will I get back on track or will it be the stumbling block that gets me off track and prevents the habit from forming? As I add more and more habits, will the previous habits fall to the wayside or will I be able to maintain them because they are "habits"? At the end of this year I want to evaluate what habits are actually long term and have enhanced my life and if any were diminished due to a break in the process or the addition of new habits.

So the journey begins.....