Clippin Coupons

The recession has made me even more aware than usual of how much I spend on every-day items like groceries, make-up, and toiletries. There's no way around having to buy a new mascara or pick up cereal for the week. But with the help of coupons and member cards, I can at least save a few dollars here and there.

Last night I picked up new mascara and eyeliner, both of which I had run out of, at CVS with the help of my Extra Care card. This baby gives you free money back when they scan it at the register. I get all of my prescriptions at CVS, and tend to get makeup there too, so every so often, my rewards stack up enough to give me a coupon like I used last night - $7.50 Free Bucks! That means my eyeliner was free, hoorah!

The Kroger Card is one of my other favorites - I love seeing the deductions at the end of checkout where it takes off all of the discounts I get with my card. It's like my own little contest, to see how much I can save.

So imagine that PLUS deductions from coupons that I got out of the newspaper or online. That, my friends, has become a new little joy for me in spending what extra money I have. I subscribe to the Weekend Edition of the AJC, so I get papers Thurs, Fri, and Sunday - when they have all the special coupon inserts. A few minutes of clipping out coupons has meant up to $15 or $20 savings on my bills at the grocery store. Some stores double the coupons, meaning a $1 off coupon all of a sudden becomes $2.

Coupons have become almost fashionable again, believe it or not - and if you can save just $4, I think it's worth it since that means an extra Grande Nonfat Chai for me :)