when i first started the simply organized blog more than a year ago, my main goals were to share my easy organizing tips and to help families get organized with coupons in order to save money. i'm a full time stay at home mom, so anytime i can save our family a little money here and there...i do it. i'm not an extreme couponer...i just stay organized (in a simple, easy way) with my coupon binder. that way when a deal comes my way, i'm ready to take part.
but i wondered...exactly how much money was i saving our family each year? i admit...i wondered if the time invested in keeping up with the binder and shopping was really time well spent. time invested that was saving us substantial money.
these are the savings i earned only by handing coupons over to a cashier, redeeming coupons or special points earned through reward programs, or entering a coupon code while shopping online. these savings do not include sale prices, reward card savings, or any savings that are available to shoppers without an actual coupon.
it's been a couple weeks since i shared my coupon savings. here are my savings from the last few week...
* toys r us = $110.26 ($10 coupon, $25 gift card earned from a previous purchase, along with various other online coupons printed from home)
* target = $50.45 (various coupons + redeemed a number of gift cards earned through previous purchases)
* target = $50.45 (various coupons + redeemed a number of gift cards earned through previous purchases)
* tommy bahama = $50.00 ($50 off a purchase of $100 coupon)
* market = $49.02 (lots of product coupons)
* market = $49.02 (lots of product coupons)
* hallmark = $48.90 ($3 reward certificate + 20% off my entire purchase coupon)
* pottery barn = $25.00 ($25 off a $50 purchase coupon)
* barnes & noble = $11.86 (25% off coupons - received several over the last few weeks)
* petsmart = $6.75 (cat food coupons)
* gas = $6.60
* gas = $6.60
* local bakery = $5.39 (free loaf of bread coupon)
* flowers = $5.25 (sent a Christmas arrangement to out of town family - used 15% off online code)
* walmart = $4.98 (free pie coupon)
* walgreens = $3.12
* starbucks = $2.86 (10% off card)
* starbucks = $2.86 (10% off card)
* red box = $1.40 (free movie code)
with all of the above calculated, i saved a total of $381.84 in the last few weeks!
and here is my final coupon savings result for 2012....
$3,181.93!!!!
this is one of the few times i'm going to pat myself on the back for a job well done. not sure about you, but for such little time invested....i would much rather spend that $3,182 amount on something else. like a great trip my little family is going on later this week!
i'd say couponing is very much worth the time invested! and you don't need to be a crazy couponer in order to see a real savings on your pocketbook!
looking forward to 2013, i'm going to decide in the next few weeks if i'll keep track again...maybe bump my goal up a little higher. ?? and i'm still putting thought into a coupons-only blog as a sister site to this blog. we'll revisit the topic in the new year!
i'm curious to know if over this year i inspired you to start couponing? please feel free to share your thoughts here with me!
Great job! I really wish I would have kept better track on how much I saved because I know it is quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteYou were 100% my coupon-motivator this year. I started couponing and began saving a ton of money this year thanks to you!! I will be keeping track of my savings in 2013 because I want to see what my savings looks like! Thanks for the inspiration!!!
ReplyDeleteAmazing. Like the reader above, I wish I had kept track. I know I saved 80.00 at J C Pennys over the holidays. Along with my coupons from the Sunday paper and rewards. I am thinking about taking the money I save and putting it away. Then, at the end of the year we can vacation somewhere too. I just might do that.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Samantha.
I can't wait to see what your blog has in store for us this year!!
Cathy
Where did you get all your coupons?
ReplyDeleteYou definitely inspired me to "organize" my coupons. Those little accordian file type coupon holders never worked for me no matter how cute they were! It took me a while to put it all together - I work about four times slower than the normal person - but it is finished and I have saved quite a bit so far. I don't stress over it, but it's nice to be prepared for a deal. Thank you so much for sharing such detailed information. That really helped me a lot!
ReplyDeleteYou definately inspired me! I've started showcasing my journey at my blog, www.the-faithful-home.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI already saved $10!!