I'm beginning to slowly understand how CVS coupons can work to my advantage if I only use them on sale items and never buy anything I would not have bought without coupons anyway. I went yesterday and got:

Brawny Paper Towels
24 Pack CVS Premium Toilet Paper
Dulcolax

I got the Dulcolax just because it was $9.99 with card and I got $9.99 in care bucks for buying it, so I figured it kind of canceled itself out. Altogether I paid $20.04 and got $9.99 back in ECB. Today, my hubby ran out Mt. Dew (a world-shattering tragedy =P) and I directed him to CVS to take advantage of the 3 for $10 plus free bag of Doritos or Tostitos deal. I handed him my ECB and directions to get the milk that granted $1 in ECB and sent him off. He spent $3.xx total and got $1 ECB after buying the stuff, so it's about the same as using Wal-Mart without the hassle of going in and spending forever but with the hassle of using coupons and keeping up with ECB.

This week I plan to hit up the Dawn dishwashing liquid for $.97, the Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheet packs for $5.99 offering $3.99 ECB, and the Crest Complete Rinse for $3.49 offering $2.50 in ECB. Total should be $14.33 - $1.00 Purex coupon - $1.00 ECB = $12.33 out of pocket and $6.49 in ECB. I am very loyal to Dawn, as it's the only dishwashing liquid I've found that I can trust to take the grease off my pans the first time, so that deal is awesome for me =].

I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for coupons now! And thanks to all of you ladies for the welcomes to the community!

Hey everybody! By way of introduction, I'd just like to give a big hello and tell a bit about myself.

I'm 21 years old and will be 22 next February. I've been married to my husband for 3 years and we live with my younger sister in a 2 bdrm/1 bath apartment in a small town in South Georgia. We literally just moved in a week or so ago and I'm still getting used to what it's like to really be out on my own. When my husband's relatives hiked their price on the rooms they were renting us, we decided to take the dive and try some independent apartment living.

It's scary! I have a job for the first time in years doing writing work for an online company. This is what enabled us to move out and get an apartment. As you might imagine, my husband's Wal-Mart job doesn't pay him very much =P. Not like my job really does either.

Basically, I make about $1k per month after taxes. He makes anywhere from $800-900. Our apartment and bills cost anywhere from $700-800 each month. I'm starting school again in a few days (my last semester I hope!) and then we'll see how much of that $1k per month (that was working 40 hrs per week) I can continue to bring in. Regardless, I'm excited! For the first time in pretty much ever, we're making more than we spend just to live. I've got $20k in student loan debts that have accrued over 4 years of college that I need to start saving money to pay back.

To get started with my "spending less" initiative, I'm going to begin keeping up with CVS and its extra care bucks program. I've always hated coupons and free samples and such before because I hate hassle. I above all other things hate having to call people and play nice when I want something done (welcome to the world of customer service today x_x). That extra minute of conversing with an I-don't-give-a-shit-attitude cashier made it totally worth it to me never to use coupons or price matches. I'm starting slow -- I'll begin using my extra care card at the CVS down the road from me, and start seeing what I can get with coupons. The more I save, the less interest I have to pay on student loans; let's see how much I can learn to save =].