Do you keep track of your yearly savings? Every year I say I am going to, and every year I forget about it. I did keep track many years ago when my ex-husband was anti-couponing. The numbers were there to show him how much I saved, and how much my couponing and rebating stretched our food dollars (it resembled silly-putty at times!) The year I did over $10,000 in rebates and stuff (tvs, vcrs, leather jackets, a Cuisinart (that I still use), etc) without counting my coupon savings was the year he finally saw the light (this was about 20 years ago). After that, I pretty much stopped keeping track.
My hubby has always been on aboard with my couponing and rebating. You may remember that is why we met. I always say he’s the best deal I ever got! Since he likes the savings, I slack with keeping track as I don’t need to prove to him this is a worthwhile endeavor, he already knows it is!
Did any of you keep track this year? If so, how did you do? Was it your first year couponing? Your seventh? Lost track? I’d love for you to share the details if you have them!
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I just started in October and I didn’t keep track, mostly because I’m in the learning curve. I do plan on keeping some sort of record this year though…maybe not super detailed, but just a record of how much I spend. I use to spend at least $100 every week at the grocery store. I haven’t spent that much since October so this is really working well!
I did not keep track, but I am curious how much I saved/made. I am trying to come up with a rough estimate.
I confess….I am a super nerd!
I have kept track of my spending/saving on the sidebar of my blog this year, posting each month and the year to date totals.
Unless I go to the store in the next 3 days, my grand totals for 2010 will be…
Value of items bought…$18,574.70
OOP Spent(after rebates/Qs/sales)..$2,277.98
Cash saved for the year….$16,296.72
% Saved of…87.74%
This is for a family of 4-5-nobody younger than 14, so all big eaters!(includes any additional mouths I fed too)and 2-3 dogs(we had a doggy pass mid-year). This was for all food, toiletries and pet supplies I bought in 2010. I averaged $189.83 per month or $43.80 per week for all.
wow Denise. I am impressed how organized you are!
Well this past Black Friday marked my 1st yr. anniversary couponing.
I have not kept track spreadsheets per say. But, just like you Ann, my hubby is totally on board w/ the whole deal.
We have managed in the one yr. to cut our grocery bill by at least 60%. We have purchased a brand new 17.9 CF standup freezer w/ the monies used from rebates. Also, beginning of this month we also purchased a 42″ Plasma HD tv (probably saying it wrong, lol), again w/ the monies used from rebates. I keep a separate account as the rebates roll in, I place the checks in that account… that is our “WANT FUND”!!
We have also been able to splurge on wants such as name brand stuff for our children, and just simple stuff like new lighted garlands for our staircases and mantel…
But most of all, I’ve been able to bless others in my journey thruout the year!! I’ve shown my younger kids (and the older ones are learning as well), that w/ diligence, preservance and patience you can get the things you “want” and still have extras to either put away or bless others as well…
I can’t thank your blog, you Ann, and my friend KimH who introduced me to this wonderful, wonderful world!!
I just wanted to add after asking dh the numbers.
Since we haven’t kept a spreadsheet he can go by our checkbook.
Before couponing we would pay $600.00 – $800.00 a month for groc. for a family of 5. Pls. keep in mind I do have 5 children and the two visit thruout the yr. along w/ numerous friends, lol!!
We now pay less than $300 a month and have double if not triple what we used to have. Some months dh says we have dipped just above the $300 month, but not many… so that’s about what? 70% of savings just on groceries???
Wow!!!!!!!!
Sounds like a great New Years resolution in the making! I haven’t kept track, just started in the beginning of Sept…made it to 20% at RA so I must have spent a decent amt of money!
I will have to look at my receipts…I don’t even know if reg prices are on them. Just so used to looking at the final price of a few dollars. (O:
Thanks as always Ann!
This was the first year I kept track of my couponing, discounts, rebates.
My total purchases (food, gifts, household shopping, etc) was $12,866.28 before coupons, discounts, and rebates. My total savings was $5,502.19 for a 42.76% savings.
My goal in 2011 is 50%. This is for a family of 5 (kids ages 5-9).
Ann,
I love how you met your husband and he must be a great support!
I have to chime in, since you were so kind to share your story of how you were dubbed the coupon goddess
My son became very annoyed with my couponing when I really started using all your tips and printing my own coupons from the web. Being a teenager who wants to get out of the store, he was bothered by all my trips to customer service and the extra time it may take if I wanted to go to another store to get Catalinas or just buy some killer loss leaders. One of the stores I frequent has a tally on the bottom of the reciept for the year including both money you saved on buying on sale items and also your coupons ( stacked together.) Well when I told him this year we saved over 6 thousand dollars, just at the one store, and I do shop usually this one and one other, well it hit home to him. I explained that ever since Dad was laid off and Mom isnt working we do what we have to, so he can go to his private high school. If it were not for all I have learned here, he would not be one year away from graduation, he would be homeschooled again. And he doesnt want to be stuck home with mom so I have not heard one complaint about couponing since! Thanks Ann!
For the year 2010…
I used $3,638.55 in coupons. (This includes manufacture coupons, store coupons, RR, ECB’s and Up rewards)
Total Rebates Recieved was $805.12.
I only spent $552.16 to get the $805.12.
Thank YOU Didi for finding Ann & her blog
Im glad I came to check it out! ♥
As for my total total.. I dont have it.. but I did keep 99% of my receipts for the year (at least until mid Nov) so sometime or another I’ll see if I can find a free day and tally them up..
I do have my tally on what has been saved from Giant Eagle but it doesnt say how much I actually spent..
For the last 12 months I’ve saved $4,242.38 including $2,387.72 from coupons and $1789.54 from sales..
Adding the totals up from my checkbook of what I actually payed GE.. I payed them $1250.17…so thats 70something % I think.
Not too shabby for my first complete year.. Im not complaining
I started couponing sometime last year in the early summer..By Sept ’09 I’d been at it for at least 3 months..
I was bored one evening while online and I read an article and saw a video of a gal in Ohio who has a popular coupon blog.
I went to her site and started reading and I was hooked .
I started the year keeping track, but my computer crashed in May and I lost my spreadsheet. The bottom of my most recent CVS receipt said I had saved over $700 there alone, not counting the other stores sales, coupons, rebates, etc.
This is my 2nd year of couponing. I more or less took a break this past month, but I intend to start again at the beginning of the new year.
New Year’s resolution is to keep track for 2011. Why…………because sometimes couponing for me is hard work. But I am very motivated by saving $’s and I’m a number person. So, I figure this will motivate me when I want to throw in the towel and quit!
What I do keep track is my grocery spending for this year and last year. I have a family of three and two pets who are on specialty cat food which is mostly in the grocery bills for this year, but not last year. Even with the increase in cat costs, our monthly average went from $466 down to $404 and that is with about two months off from couponing, as I broke my toe and couldn’t shop much. I am nowhere near an extreme couponer, as we are brand specific and it wasn’t really out of financial need, as it was to try new things without spending much, and to save on what we normally buy. IE one could spend a lot less than we do, if they didn’t have a preferred peanut butter, preferred pasta sauce, etc.
I don’t keep track of coupons and savings, although the Tops receipt does tally savings on the bottom.
I do, however, keep track of my rebates –mostly so I can check them in when they are received and call about them when they are not. Year to date, I have received $2,046.17 and I have another $250 outstanding.
I have not kept track. But I can tell you that for a family of 6 we are managing to stay on budget. There’s NO WAY we would be able to afford that things we do with out couponing. Christmas was mostly gifts from RA through MM deals so that goes to show you right there that we did pretty well
I’m curious, for those that have kept track of totals and savings.
When you track your percentages you obviously need to know the orignally cost and then the sale cost after you have used coupons.
1. Do you track the non sale price, buy it on sale, and use a coupon, so you see the total %difference from the most expensive to your price?
For example…Airwick are normally 13.99 each at RA. This week they are BOGO. My coupons are (2) $4 MC. Would you enter it as an original price of $28 for the two, or 13.99 for the 2 and then with MC I paid $6?
2. Do you count your +UP rewards as coupons in your tracking? If so, is it a separate column or in with your MC?
Jennifer what do YOU want to track? Regular retail, sale price, amount paid? Since you are new to this, I think that would be beneficial on some level – you will be able to see what the lowest sale price and at what price point you are willing to “buy”.
If you are not keeping a price book, this may be your second best option.
Ann
I have found that, since I would never pay full price, tracking my savings compared to full price is not really useful to me. I track based on my buy price verses what I actually paid out of pocket. So my savings that I actually track is more like 10%. So, it depends on how you want to use the information. What do you want to track?
That’s just it…I don’t know! LOL
I like the idea of tracking my savings. I want to know at the end of the year I bought $10K worth of stuff and only paid $5K for it, or whatever. I just don’t want that $10K to be unrealistic.
My gut feeling is, a RA sale price is a realistic “normal” price. I think they are way overpriced with their regular prices and I would NEVER pay that anywhere. But their sale prices tend to be consistent with a price at say, Wegmans or Tops. (Is that an inaccurate statement? Maybe I am just cheap!)
So the more I sit here and think out loud, it seems a more realistic percent savings would be to compare what I actually spend to a RA sale price and include UP rewards as part of my coupons used. Maybe the grocery stores I would track with their regular prices.
I haven’t created a price book yet although the more I shop RA the less and less I am willing to pay for something. I like FREE! (O:
What do others price books look like? Do you track say a range of “regular” prices, a good price if I am in need, and then a stockpile for a year price? Just curious. I guess it would be something I would keep in my purse at all times?
I have finally gotten pretty decent at the couponing process. This will certainly be a new step for me!
Jennifer I’m with you!!! I sorta wanted (was thinking about) starting a track book, but honestly, I don’t know where to begin and how to track. Does that sound weird? Yup, that would be me!!!
I was thinking of doing “deals of the week only” for like grocery, but honestly I mostly shop @ Tops, occ. Wegans, rarely @ Aldi’s (will be hitting thier produce on Saturday’s as soon as they open from the produce prices I’m seeing as of late), and then last but not least… *gulp* Superwalmart.
So now what????
Let me do a post on this on Tuesday. There may be more input on what people find most helpful.
Ann
I think that’d be a good idea Ann.. Thanks ahead of time.
I dont keep a price book but I usually keep most prices in my head..
The only downside to that is that Im not able to follow the cycles. I do know that I get certain products at certain times of the year.. that much I do remember, but I would really like to start keeping a good useful pricebook… and how the deals were done.
Paying $0.00 oop when I used a $5/$25 coupon at RA isnt exactly the same as paying .80 cents anywhere else.. I’ve gotten loads of stuff free using a deal scenerio.. its a total different story.
I also want to try to attempt to keep track this year of my spending & savings.
Im gonna have to get my daughter over here to create a spreadsheet for me.. Im soooo clueless…
thecouponproject.com
here is a savings tracker that I use, and it does have you put in shelf cost which include discounts other then just coupons, but I love this one
Thanks Suzie.. I found that yesterday or the day before on another blog! I appreciate you sharing it here! I d/led the google version.. it was pretty easy to understand imo~