Creative Couponing

I've been working on my own personal Happiness Project, thanks to the bestselling book by Gretchen Rubin. One of my many happiness resolutions has been to get more creative with coupons. I've always been amazed by moms who can get products ridiculously cheap or even free! There's a learning curve with it, but I think I'm finally beginning to master it.

For example, I bought everything in this photo for just $8.57!

The regular price for all of this would have been $30.13, meaning I saved $21.56!

Here's how I did it:

Target:
Purex Crystals: $2.99 (reg.) - $2 mfr. coupon - $1 Target coupon = FREE
Soft Scrub: $2.49 (sale) - $0.50 mfr. coupon - $1 Target coupon = $0.99
Shampoo: $2.84 (sale) - BOGO FREE mfr. coupon - $1 Target coupon =  $0.92/each
One-A-Day Vitamins: $6 (sale) - $2 mfr. coupon - $1 Target coupon = $3
Pacifiers: $4.80 (sale) - $1.50 mfr. coupon - $1 Target coupon = $2.30

CVS:
Shave Gel: $0.99 (sale) - $0.55 mfr. coupon = $0.44

Basically, the gist of getting these great deals is by "stacking" your coupons. Target allows you to combine their store coupons with manufacturer's coupons to get great deals. I clipped coupons from our Sunday paper as well as online (Target.com, RedPlum.com, SmartSource.com, Coupons.com). The idea is to only use the coupons for items that are on sale. I scoured the ads for sales and planned out my shopping trip accordingly.

I'm also learning that the best deals are not always at the commissary. The commissary charges you a 5 percent surcharge before coupons are deducted to pay for things like staff and maintenance. It's like paying a 5 percent tax on groceries!

Anyway, part of my happiness project is not only to shop smarter using coupons, but also to put the savings generated from those coupons into a special account. After a few months, I'll assess how much I've saved and put that money into some new investments for our family, whether it's retirement savings or college savings for Paige. I'm proud to say Geoff and I have started up quite a retirement nest egg over the past few years, so it only makes sense to supplement that good work, especially now that we have a daughter in the mix!

Clipping coupons is time-consuming, but I'm beginning to learn that it's more than worth it. It's also fun, now that I've discovered that I can get products needed for the family for cheap or even free. It really does feel like you're robbing the bank :)

So, does couponing bring happiness? You bet!