The importance of keeping track

When you first start saving lots of money, it's easy to forget to keep track of your savings and spending.  The adrenaline is rushing and you get focused on the thrill of the deal.  It can be easy to actually overspend when you first start couponing.  Some people rush to build a stockpile, and others go after every deal even if they don't need/want the item. Keeping track of your money helps you avoid the overspending, hopefully before it becomes a major problem.

With the start of a new year, I began keeping track of our spending and saving in a spreadsheet.  There is no need for anything fancy; a simple spreadsheet in Excel (or a free alternative) will do just fine. I'm also keeping all the receipts just in case.

So far, it's going pretty well. A couple of receipts have accidentally gotten thrown away, but I don't expect that to be a common occurrence. Keeping track also helped point out problem areas where we still need to cut back and helped curb some of the impulse shopping. It's also nice to show the naysayers how much you can save with just a few "scraps of paper".

Keeping track is also a great confidence booster; we've already saved over 90% just in the first 9 days of the year.  Without the spreadsheet, I would have guessed it would be more like 60%. I think we're well on our way to saving over 50% on our purchases this year!

If you're not already keeping track, please consider doing so. You never know what you'll find out!

Walgreens ---- saved 67%

Went back to Walgreens today before the new ad begins. A lot of deals were gone; no Chips Ahoy or Neosporin Lip Health. Filler items were scarce too.

As you can see, I'm still working on the stockpile while I have lots of Register Rewards.  Most of it was on sale and had coupons. I was even able to earn an additional $14RR!

I did 5 transactions in order to best use my RR and earn more RR. I didn't do as well as I hoped because so much was out of stock, but still quite good.

*My favorite deal was the Reach toothbrushes; I got them with the folders for just .94! Regular price is $3.99/each.*

Total saved: $81.96
Total RR used: $37
Total out of pocket: $41.26
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saved 67% ---- I now have a total of $32RR left to spend

Walgreens ----- saved 92% again!

Earlier this week, I took coupons to multiple Walgreens around town (we have over 20 close by).  I used coupons to get 12 Bayer meters FREE and receive $78 in Register Rewards. I donated all the meters to the Salvation Army. See IHeartWags for more on this deal.

I've been working on a stockpile for awhile now. I used part of the RR to help do this.

I didn't have coupons for everything, but I did my best. I wrote Ban a few months ago and they said a coupon will be available in March. I used the Hunt's to make my RR/coupons equal with my amount of items. It helped that it was also on sale for .39 this week.

RR used: $53
Coupons used: $7.75 (+4.28 from ad)
Total savings: $65.03
Total out of pocket: $5.60
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saved 92% ----- most oop was tax, items cost really only came to about $1.30. I also got $2RR from the Head&Shoulders.

Staples -- next week sneak peek

Staples is going to have some awesome deals and savings starting 1/10. The ad can be seen here.

I really like the coupons that make items $1 and the coupon for a FREE PC tuneup.

My faves are:
Bankers Box lettersize boxes 6pack $9.99 100% back in Staples Rewards

Double savings of 20% and $6 for used HP laser toner this week

Magnetic dry erase board for $1 with coupon

BIC Great Erase dry erase markers 4pack $1 with coupon

Staples stapler value pack $1 with coupon

Great deal on Brita Water Pitchers!

Some Lowes apparently have Brita Water Pitchers for only $8.  Even better, you can get a $5 coupon by making a FilterForGood pledge here. That's a pitcher for just $3! I've never seen one that low even on clearance. 

*Check with your Lowes for availability and coupon policy before going*

(Thanks, Deal Fanatic!)

I've only got two hands!

I like to make my shopping lists and organize my coupons plenty of time before going to the store(s). This preparation cuts down on time wastage and frustration. I try to keep everything organized while shopping, but I'm having some problems.

I don't carry a purse (usually just a softsided reusable bag) and everything I carry, like calculator and coupons, seems to get all jumbled up.  I've also tried just keeping everything in my hands, but then I start dropping stuff. It gets even worse when I have problems finding items or I have to improvise a deal because something is out of stock.

I've been working on a coupon binder I can carry with me. I'm thinking with enough pockets and inserts, I'll be able to keep everything organized and myself sane. Hopefully, I'll have some progress photos up in the next few days.

How do you keep everything together?

Win $25,000 from Lane Bryant!

Just text LBWIN to 50799 to enter. Texting charges may apply, but you can also enter by mail if that is an issue. Go here to see rules/restrictions and how to enter by mail. Ends January 30.