Financial Fridays- Coupon Haul and Tips

Hey guys! As you may know ( or maybe you don't know), I love gettings deals and saving money. I try to get as many free birthday deals coupons (updated birthday list coming soon!), I like to use coupons, buy things on sale, check all the clearance end caps, and more. I'm addicted to savings. So today for Financial Fridays (possible Saturday, depending on when I actually post this) i'm going to share my most recent couponing haul and some tips about couponing. So here it goes:

Not pictured-1 more box of cereal, 1 Schar wafer, and 2 chocolate Easter egg candies

Here's my deals breakdown:
-Bath and Body Work-
  Travel size lotion -$5, used coupon for free travel sized item = Free!
-Walmart-(2) Shar wafers- $1.67 ea. (1) Bag of dog food - $10.22, used (2) $3/1 Schar coupon and $2/1 dog food = $2.63
-Kroger- 1st Transaction: (3) Kellogg's Brand cereals- sale 3/$6 + free gal. of milk. Used $1/3 coupon = $5, recieved $2 Catalina coupon for buying Kellogg's products to use on my next purchase.
2nd Transaction: (3) Boxes of General Mills cereals- sale 3/$6 + free gal. of milk. Used $1/3 coupon (coupon listed cereals, I could only find one that matched up with the coupon and the sale, may be different =in other areas) and used $2 off next purchase = $3
-Walgreens-1st Transaction: (2) Almay make-up removers - $5.99 ea, (2) Almay eye shadows- $4.99 ea- sale Buy one get one 50%off. Used (2) $5/2 coupon + (2) $2/1 Walgreens coupon= Free, just had to pay the tax $0.99
2nd Transaction: (1) Colgate Optic White Toothpaste- sale $3. Used (1) $1.50/1 coupon= $1.68 , recieved $2 register rewards coupon for my next purchase.
3rd Transaction: (1) Colgate Optic White Toothpaste - $3, (2) Chocolate Easter Candies- sale $0.50 ea. Used (1) $1.50 coupon and $2 register rewards coupon= $0.68, received another $2 off coupon.
4th Transaction: (1) Colgate Optic White Toothpaste- $3, (1) 2L Dr Pepper- sale $1.00. Used $1.50/1 coupon and $2 coupon= $0.68+ deposit (which I'm not counting in this), received another $2 off coupon.
5th Transaction: (2) Snickers Bite size Bags- sale $3/7. Used $3/2 coupon, $1/2 walgreens coupon, and $2 coupon = $1.
    Total paid- $14.67
   Total Retail- $84.15
   Total Saved- $69.48, 82.6% savings!

     There's my detailed haul. I think I did pretty good for my first time semi extreme couponing! A side note, with the $2 off coupon from the Kroger deal and the Walgreens deal, you can use these on anything you want, I just chose to do it this way. On the Walgreens deal, I find it funny, I paid $4.04 for all of it, that's less than the cost of one toothpaste at regular price of $4.49!
Here's my tips for starting about couponing that I learned on this trip-

1.) Plan ahead- I spent a lot of time looking up coupons, printing and cutting them, and looking up deals. I found most of my deals at TheKrazyLady . I gathered my coupons for the deals together and organized them. I also made a list of all the deals I wanted to get and an estimate of what I was going to pay. When time came to shop, I was set and it made shopping a lot easier (except at Walgreens finding fillers for the $2 coupons).

2.) You don't have to get every deal- If you don't have to budget for it, don't do it. Just because it makes for a good deal, it may not be a product you need. One example for me was at Target, I was going to do a deal for (3) Mio or Crystal lite drink mixes, using (3) $1/1 coupons, and getting a $5 gift card. I could find room in my budget to pay $7.47 for drink mixes I didn't really need. I still might refigure things out to see if I can, because it's a good deal. Then I would use the $5 gift card towards DiGiorno's pizzas- (2) $4.99 each, using (2) $2/2 manufacturer coupon, (2) $2/2 Target coupon, and 5% off Cartwheel and $5 gift card and pay only $0.60....... hmmm that deal is really good. $8.07 for 3 drink mixes and 2 pizzas.. I may have to get that. Or there is also a deal with Old Spice- buy 4 at $3.99, get a $5.00 gift card. Use (2) buy one old spice deodorant, get body spray free coupon from the sunday paper, and pay $8. Thinking, do the drink mix deal, use the $5 on the old spice deal, and then the $5 on the pizzas and pay- $11.05 for $36.41 worth of products. Not to bad either. I may or may not do those. The pizza deal is good enough on it's own though, for $5.60 for 2 pizzas. Ok, i'll stop deal calculating (I told you it was addicting). To prove this point- i'm not a guy, I don't necessarily need guys deodorant, unless for relatives or donating it, so instead of getting that deal, save the money for a better deal you may actually need.

3.) Don't go too crazy- Don't let couponing consume you. Set aside a time to coupon and when the times up, stop and go at it another day. You don't want to neglect time spent with family (unless you do coupon with family), or time spent on other activities such as house work, hobbies, or whatnot. Also don't go crazy in stores, respect the couponing policies, don't make a mess of the stores, and try not to leave a shelf empty.

4.) Do some research- TheKrazyCouponLady has a youtube channel too, watch some their videos- they have great tips for starting out couponing. They also share deals, how to coupon, what not to do, and a lot more. I'll have a playlist of their video on my youtube channel for things I think are good for beginners. Watching TLC's Extreme Couponing may not be ideal in all circumstances, but it is good to watch and cool to see how they do it and what they save. I get excited to see people save money!

5.) Try not to be too disappointed- Sometimes you store prices or sales may not be the same as some couponing sites show, or there may be different coupons that you don't get. Also they stores may be out of products. Some examples I have is I check out the Sunday Coupon preview last Saturday. I was expecting my paper to have some coupons that I really wanted, but it didn't. I was kinda disappointed, but some coupons are regional meaning some places may not get the same coupons. Also at Target I was hoping to get some free shampoo and conditioner using coupons and they were sold out :( I was bummed, but happy they offered rainchecks. Hopefully they will be stocked back in soon! This happened at Walgreens too. I went to one location planning to do the toothpaste deal with the Almay deal to not pay as much and they were out of the toothpaste, so I had to get the Almay there. I went to the other Walgreens near buy and was able to score 3 toothpaste. So it worked out and luckily I live close to 2 Walgreens.

6.) Be adaptable- You may need to change your couponing deals a tad when in store when they are out of products, or only certain products for the coupons are part of a sale. Have a plan but adapt to changing it a bit if needed. That's why it's good to have paper on hand to write out deals, atleast I like writing out all the deals so I can see if they work and have an idea of what to do.

7.) And finally Have fun- Saving money and couponing takes time and some work, but it's worth it and having fun makes it so much better. Having a bad attitude if something doesn't work out the way you planned will make things worse. Being happy and in a good mood despite obstacles will make things so much better for you and your cashier. Always be polite, friendly, and kind to the cashiers. Couponing for them may not be as fun, but it will be a more pleasant experience if you are nice.
Saving money is a ton of fun and totally worth it. I hope this helps you out a little, I will definitely have more tips about couponing and saving money in future post.
Until then- have fun, save money, and go get started couponing! If you already coupon or love saving money, what's your best or favorite deal so far? Share in the comments I would like to hear and if you have a haul you would like to feature on here email me the detail and if you want to have a picture send it to sobrilliantlifeblog@gmail.com!
Thanks for reading and have a great day! -Jen

New Design and Financial Friday Tip

Hey there! I'm just up late working on a new blog design. Which means, i'm keeping up with this one (and only)! I think it would be best, plus i've been this far with it! My goal is to have a fresh new look by Sunday evening. I'm so exciting designing it, I really can't wait to try it out. And since it is Friday, I want to keep up with Financial -Fridays feature. I didn't plan out anything, but I do have a tip: Start an Emergency fund. You should have saved up 3-6 months living expenses, an extra $1,000, and whatever else you want to put in there. It's good to have money set aside just in case something does happen from an unexpected job loss to a household repair to car repairs. This is probably one of the first things you start saving up for and building. Well, that's all I have for tonight. Look for a new blog design soon and more financial tips. And I promise to have a more in dept better blog post for this feature in the future :)
See ya later!
-Jen

Financial (Early) Friday- Black Friday Addition

Hey guys, what's up? It's only days away... Black Friday! And you know what that means, crazy awesome sales and for the retail working people- craziness in general. I know it's alittle early for Financial Friday, but since I do work retail and will be working that day I probably won't have too much time to blog about it. So early is ok. I'm not going to give you hints about where to shop, what the best deals are, etc. There are lots of other sites that may have the ads early, so i'll leave it at that. Also you can probably check out the Krazy Coupon Lady  for good deals and what not.
Here's my tips for a successful, fun, and money saving black friday:
1.) Plan it out- Check out the ads ahead of time, make lists, and get a game play for the big day. Scheduling can make a big difference. But if you get off your schedule, don't worry just reroute, re-plan, and relax and have fun!
2.) Buddy System- Don't go shopping alone. Having someone with you makes it fun and you can help each other out in getting the items you want.
3.) Eat- Eat before hand, or take a snack with you. Also take a lunch, (or breakfast) break.
4.) Be Nice- Don't leave you're morals and kindness at the door. It's a busy day for everyone, so be nice to the employees, be kind to others around you, and have understanding, patience, and selflessness.
5.) Be Thankful... Always- Despite the circumstance of the day, good or bad, be thankful. Coming off of a holiday of thankfulness, remember the true reasons why you are out there- whether for fun, to get gifts for a lot cheaper, or get something for yourself for a great deal- be thankful for what you do have, for the deal you did get, and the fun you have. If it isn't fun, there is still so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving isn't the only day for thankfulness, everyday is!
6.) Think Safety- Unfortunately we live in a world where people aren't nice. Keep your purse on you at all times, never ever leave it unattended in a cart. I highly recommend a cross body style. Also look out for others. People shouldn't get physically hurt shopping. I know a lot of stores have improve the way things run, but still no need to overly rush and knock down people or cut people off or whatnot. Be nice. (Also this applies to driving too, it's going to be busy, be careful driving.)
7.) Budget- Plan how much you want to spend and fit it into your current budget. Don't just spend money to spend, stick with a plan. No need to go into debt over a t.v. that is ridiculously cheap.
8.) Stick with a List- Just because it's a good deal doesn't mean you need it. Many times i've bought things that were super cheap, but I didn't need it, or didn't eat it, or didn't even want it. Stick to your list and don't stray from it. It doesn't mean however you can't get want you may want that isn't listed. Use good judgement. And worse case, most places have pretty good return policies, just keep your receipts.
9.) Dress- Wear comfortable and warm clothes. Layers are good too. Chances are you will be standing outside quite a bit, so bring gloves and a scarf. And a hot beverage wouldn't hurt either.
And
10.) Take Heart- Don't be disappointed if the item you want is sold out, or you  didn't get too much on your list. There are a lot of other sales and coupons and Meijer will probably have their Santa Bucks soon. Plus you are brilliant and smart- you will totally find something even better, maybe even a better sale. And there is cyber monday! I actually don't know too much about cyber monday, nor have participated, but there is probably websites for those deals as well, and you can stay in your warm house in your pjs or comfy clothes  for that!

So that's my list of what I think are good tips for Black Friday! Stay safe, have fun, save money, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
-Jen

Saving!

Hey guys and gals! So guess what!?! I think i've mentioned that I want to try extreme couponing, well I haven't done extreme, but just regular couponing and i've so far saved $21! And I am planning to further my saving for a house, put all my coupon and savings into my savings account. Saving money is really so much fun. I know this is kind a late (or early) financial friday post. I was so excited about the savings. Here's a few tips. 1.) If you have a Meijer store near you, (check out www.meijer.com) get mperks. and 2.) check out www.couponraeanne.com! It's a great resource for couponing and it's where I learned the most. It's simple and she post deals every day. Some of these are more local to the mid Michigan area, but there are a few other couponing sites like the krazy coupon lady site and more. Just remember everything saved, even cents are good! I love saving money!
Happy Saving!
-Jen