Things I have learned so far....

....that it is work, but is super manageable. If you read the blogs of some of the moms who have done the research daily and learn to read the forums on sites such as slickdeals or A Full Cup, where they somehow get their hands on sale ads weeks in advance, you can learn how to obtain large amounts of coupons for the things that are on sale and stock pile without a whole lot of work. Oh and one other thing, you can't be brand loyal!

Here are a few things that I have been successful in obtaining quite cheaply!

1. I purchased 20 coupons on ebay for $2 off 2 Ritz Crackers, Wheat Thins, or Triscuits for $4. Now CVS ran a special for the smaller boxes 5 for $5 which included Ritz Crackers and Wheat Thins. So I ended up with a variety of 20 boxes of Ritz Crackers and Wheat Thins for only $4. I love Wheat Thins and so does PMcK. I use the Ritz Crackers to top some of my yummy casseroles. It is a win win!

2. I purchased 20 coupons on Ebay for $1 off any Garnier Fructise style products for $2.75. Walgreens had these on sale for $2.99 one week. Along with the Walgreens Easy Saver Coupon for the month of March ($2 off any Garnier Fructise shampoo, conditioner, or styler), I was able to score a lot of shampoo, mousse, and hair spray free! (At Walgreens you can use a manufacture coupon with the Easy Saver Coupon (considered a Walgreens store coupon) together...shampoo cost $2.99 - $2 ESC - $1 Manufacture Coupon = Free!).

3. At Kroger (my favorite grocery store) they double coupons up to $0.55 value every day! They also have the four roll (single not double) Cottonelle toliet paper for $0.99 everyday. So every month I go and print fromt he Cottonelle website $0.50 off one roll coupons and use to get my free high quality soft toliet paper. ($0.99 - $1 (double coupon) = FREE!) Note the coupon resets each month. I usually go on the first of the month, print off one coupon, hit the back button and print one more. Usually you are only allowed to print two. Also look for these coupons on the coupon links to the right or in the Sunday newspaper.

4. At CVS they had a deal that if you purchased Colgate Toothpaste for $2.49 then you received $2.49 in Extra Care Bucks to use on your next CVS purchase (these can be used just like a gift card would be). Well I had a $0.75 coupon for Colgate...so I made $0.75 on the deal (toothpaste $2.49 - $0.75 coupon = $1.76 out of pocket then received Extra Care Buck for $2.49 to use on next visit).

Here are a few other pointers I have learned:
- Target has their own grocery coupons that can be 'stacked' with a manufacture coupon. For instance, one week they had Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice (64 oz bottles) for $1.99. That week Target had a coupon for $1 off. I went to the Ocean Spray Cranberry website and printed off a $1 off manufacture coupon. I was able to score 6 bottles of juice for Free! Last week they had Silk Soy Milk on sale for $2.49/half gallon. They also had a target coupon for $0.50 off. By using the coupon I scored name brand soy milk for $2 a half gallon (which any mom with a kid who is a soy drinker knows that is a good deal).

- Kroger - You can load e-coupons onto your card and stack these with 'paper' coupons. I have been able to score some cheap pull-ups this way (less than $6 a pack). You need to register your Kroger card on the Kroger website. Also check out shortcuts.com and cellfire.com to obtain your e-coupons.

Meat and Diary - I have learned that stores are required to review their meat and dairy daily for expired items. I have also learned it is Kroger's policy to mark down anything within 4 days of expiration. Most stores do this around the same time every day. My local store does this around 10 a.m. on Saturdays....so that is when I try to shop to stock up on some cheap meat. I have had a discussion with the butcher and he said there is nothing wrong with the meat they just don't want to take a chance of spoilage...they would much rather sell it cheaper and get some money opposed to not getting anything at all. He said that as long as I use the meat by the expiration or freeze it by the expiration date then I was fine. He said it was good for about 6 months frozen. I have scored PMcK some yummy yogurt drinks for $0.25 a six pack because they were expiring in 5 days....so guess what PMcK drank for the next 5 days! It was just as good for him as milk and he loves it...so I saved some money that week on my dairy purchases.

I suggest you read up on your grocery store's coupon and price mistake policy is. Kroger has a policy that if the item rings up the wrong price, you point it out, and the item cost less than $5 you get it for free! I have scored some free biscuits this way!

If you are interested in learning how the Walgreens and CVS deals work then I highly suggest you check out MoneySavingMom or The Centisble Sawyer for easy to understand tutorials on how it is done.

I highly suggest you set-up another email account to use to register on these sites to get coupons to avoid cluttering up your personal email. It also makes it easier keeping up with emails strictly related to clipping coupons and sales.

I have come to realize that I can purchase name brand foods cheaper than the store brands, I can feed my family tasty and healthy meals, all without having to break the bank. I have also been able to stockpile enough of some items that I have passed on some to those who I know may need a little help.

So join me on my journey. In the future I will post pics of my great deal and post the breakdown of how I did it. Tomorrow I am going to Walgreens to score me some free Excedrin!