Tip of the day.....Plan ahead!

Todays tip is about planning ahead. I cannot stress how important it is to plan your shopping trips ahead. By doing this, I mean making a list, knowing what coupons you are going to use, pulling those coupons and placing them in the order you want to hand to the cashier and the exact amount you are going to pay.

I do this everytime I shop. Especially at CVS and Walgreens where I do multiple transactions. Because I plan ahead and am organized my totals are almost always less than $1 and my transactions are quick and easy.

It does take time to get the hang of it, but one of the first things you should be doing is practicing planning ahead.

The cashiers appreciate it, the customers behind you in line appreciate it and you will appreciate the time it saves.

Here is a quick look at my shopping list for CVS from Saturday night:

Order #1
Green Bag Tag

Accucheck $14.99 x 1 = $14.99 - $10 coupon, Receive $10 ECB ($5 from raincheck)
Powerbar Gel Blast $1.50 x 1 = $1.50 -$1 coupon, Receive $1.50 ECB
Schick Quattro  $8.99 x 2 = 17.98 - $8 coupon - $8.99 (B1G1 raincheck), Receive $3 ECB
Total = $25.48
tax $2.03
Total $27.51
Manu Coupon -$19
ECB -$5
X/XX, CVS Q -$3 off $15
total OOP = $0.51
Receive $14.50 ECBs

Order #2
Febreeze Notice $6.49 x 2 = $12.98 - $8 coupons, Rceive $5 ECB (Raincheck)
Nivea Lip $2.99 x 1 = $2.99 - $0.50, Receive $2.99 ECB
Excedrin express $2.50 x  2 = $5 -$2 coupon - $3 CVS Coupon
GE Candy $0.88 x 4 = $3.50 - $2 CVS Coupon
Stayfree $3.99 x 2 $7.98 - $3.99 B1G1 Coupon, Receive $4 ECB

Total $32.49
tax $2.59
Total $35.08
Manu Coupon -$16.49
ECB -$10
X/XX, CVS Q -$8
Total OOP = $0.59
Receive $11.99 in ECBs plus $4.50 ECBs left from last transaction = $16.49 ECBs

I did 5 more transactions before I was done.

The way that I like to do my shopping is by printing a shopping list and pulling the coupons I am going to use and placing them inside the folded shopping list in the order I am going to hand them to the cashier.

There are often times when an item may be out of stock and you will have to adjust your scenerio and having a calculator and pen handy is a big help when this happens!

Remember, plan ahead, make a shopping list, pull your coupons and be ready before you shop! :)