Walgreens - 01.05.09

So I went on my first Walgreens run this morning. I was mainly looking for the Garnier Fructis (GF) stuff, but I got a couple of other things as well. I had to go to three different Walgreens before I found Puffs Tissue, but it was worth it because at each different Walgreens I found different GF stuff on sale.

Walgreens #1

GF Shampoo
GF Conditioning Cream
    2.99 each - 2.00 Walgreens coupon = .99 each
LOreal HIP Pure Pigment Stick
    2.59 (Clearance!) - 2.00 1/4 RP coupon = 0.59


Walgreens #2

GF Sampoo x3
GF Conditioner x4
GF Smooth Milk
GF Glistening Drops x2
    2.99 each - 2.00 Walgreens coupon = .99 each

Walgreens #3

GF Curl Construct Mousse x2
GF Conditioning Cream x2
GF Brilliantine Shine Glossing Spray x4
GF Conditioner x2
    2.99 each - 2.00 Walgreens coupon = .99 each
GF Play Style Liqui Spray Gel
    2.19 (Clearance!) - 2.00 Walgreens coupon = .19 each
Puffs 108-count Tissue x2
    .89 with Walgreens coupon
Blue Diamond Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Almonds x2
    2/$5 (sale) - 1.00 off each coupon (coupons.com, page six) = 1.50 each

Total Spent = 33.69

So, I realize some people would say I spent a lot. Several other people have been getting free shampoo, but unfortunately, the GF coupons were not in the paper I bought yesterday. =/ Still, this is a really good deal. It's the brand we use, and we usually pay about $4 for 26oz. This is $1/13oz, so that's half off. The shine spray, mousse and leave-in conditioner I usually buy at Wal-Mart for $3-3.50 each, so being able to get them at .99 is awesome! I've never tried the Glistening drops or spray gel, but they were also steals. So I'm happy.

I'm not sure how I'm going to calculate my savings, but the bottom of my receipts say I saved $89.78 today. That's pretty sweet!

And so it begins...

Sometime in mid-December, I was googling a recipe for my mother, and I came upon this blog: Mommy Stays Home. They weren't the muffins I was looking for, but the blog intrigued. I started reading it, and then I read several other blogs she linked. Most of the blogs belong to Stay At Home Moms (SAHMs) who combine coupons with sales to get items either very cheap or free. One mother even feeds four kids on $800 a year!
So, I started to wonder - can I do that? Can I cut back on our expenses as drastically as these women do? It might just be a harder task as the town I live in doesn't have a Kroger, Meijers, Aldi, or CVS - stores where many of these women find great deals. I'll try however.
And so this journey begins.