The last of my “I-think-baby-might-need-this” purchases are complete and my “I-no-longer-think-baby-needs-this” items have all been returned. Of course, this required one last trip to the store. I popped into Toys-R-Us late in the evening to return two boxes of baby bottles.
(By the way if anyone has suggestions on just how many and what size bottles a nursing mom might need please leave a comment below. God willing I hope to nurse as much as possible, but I would like to introduce a bottle at least a few times a week when the baby hits the four or five week mark.)
After returning the items I had to walk all the way to the back of the store to use the restroom. (That happens a lot to me now that I have less than three weeks until my expected due date.) On the way back I passed by a display of Hasbro games that were deeply discounted.
I like to keep our beach house fully stocked with board games that guests can play in the event of bad weather. While I know kids have a whole host of electronic devices to keep them entertained I don’t think anything beats a night of board games with the family. Unfortunately, the games often lose their pieces or go missing after the summer season, so I am constantly on the lookout for new bargains.
I printed and clipped a bunch of coupons for Hasbro board games a week or so ago and placed them inside my coupon binder even though I never thought I’d get around to using them. I almost always carry my coupons in the car with me when I’m out shopping and tonight’s sale validated my decision to do so.
The Game of Life was marked down by $10.00. Scrabble and Sorry were discounted by $8.00 and Candyland was reduced in price another $4.00. So right off the bat I would’ve spent $30 less just by purchasing the games today, but lucky for me the savings didn’t stop there.
I was able to dig out four coupons, (one for each game), which saved me another $15! Best of all for spending $30 on games, (before coupons), I earned a $10 saving bonus. When all was said and done I walked out of the store with four games for $7.96! That’s less than $2.00 per game (not including tax).
When I checked out the cashier said, “wow! wow! wow! do you realize you just saved $40.00.” She even pointed to the number on the receipt because she was so amazed.
It was a good thing I had the coupon binder with me. It turns out that the coupons were all expiring today and Toys-R-Us is not around the corner, so I certainly wouldn’t have gone all the way home to retrieve them.
I know a lot of people don’t clip coupons in advance, but I find I save a lot more money by clipping coupons and carrying them along with me. How about you? How often do you bring your coupons along for the ride and how often do you use them?
So proud of you! I always take my binder with me too. Not always inside, but it's always in the car and I can easily walk to the car to get it if I need to (and it's more exercise).
So excited for you and the little one on the way.
I almost ALWAYS carry my coupons with me for this exact reason. GO YOU!
Congratulations on your amazingly big savings! I also use coupons but i have not done as much savings as you did in one shopping. How I wish!
@spaghetti0625 – Sometimes I drag coupons into the store, but more often than not I keep them in the trunk too. Thanks for your your kind words about the little one. I can't believe the baby is less than 3 weeks away!
@Newlyweds on a Budget – I figure if I don't carry the I won't use them. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one!
@Cherleen – The key to spending less is keeping your eyes peeled for deals. I seem to find the best sales when I'm not looking for them 🙂
Great shopping. I try to always carry them with me. I was too frustrated using the clip and go system. I knew I had a coupon for something and it was a good deal I would have to pass up because I didn't have them with me. I carry them all the time now. It really helps.
That is an amazing saving. Makes you feel good when you get some big savings. Well worth carrying coupons with you. I forget mine so many times and kick myself later.