Holy coupons Batman!

I am totally a believer now! I went to the 918moms coupon queen coupon class. I was fortunate enough to be at the first coupon party. I have been following her (I feel like a stalker) on myspace, Facebook, and Twitter. I check the forum's on 918moms.com as often as possible. Here is what I accomplished today at Homeland...

6 boxes of Jello

2 bottles of Suave conditioner

2 bottles of Suave shampoo

1 box of Premium saltine crackers

4 packages of Deli Creations lunch sandwiches

2 bottles of Kraft BBQ sauce

4 packages of Kraft singles cheese

4 packages of Oscar Meyer sliced Virginia Ham

4 packages of Oscar Meyer bologna

1 box of Honey Maid graham crackers

4 packages of Lunchables

4 packages of Kraft natural shredded cheese

1 bag of Ritz toasted chips

4 packages of Knorr pasta sides

2 boxes of Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats

1 box of Kellogg's Raisin Bran

2 boxes of Kellogg's Special K

1 box of Kellogg's Rice Krispies

1 box of Kellogg's Fruit Loops

Before I went shopping I did some research. I follow the 918 coupon queen Sarah Roe on Twitter(http://twitter.com/918couponqueen). She posted a tweet yesterday about printing Kraft and Kellogg's coupons. I followed the link posted on her blog (http://www.918couponqueenblog.com/) and printed off two of each coupon. Each coupon was for $1.00 of the specified amount. I went to the 918moms.com forum and looked at the posting they had for Homeland matchups(http://www.918moms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=718). I only used two copies of two coupons out of the Sunday Tulsa World and honestly cannot tell you which paper it was or which circular I got them out of. They were for the Knorr pasta sides and the Suave hair products.

I have a 3 ring binder that is full of baseball card sleeves. I put the coupons (when I take the time) in order of item type. Meaning, I try to put all the lunch snacks together, all the freezer items together, all of the deodorant items...etc...I also carry a spiral notebook, a pen, and a pair of scissors in the book. If I have copies of the store ads I keep them in the pockets of the binder. I make sure that I have plenty of time (most of the time).

I had certain items I was looking for. I only paid attention to those items. I have to admit, that the 10 for $10 sales did catch my attention. That is where I got the pasta sides and hair products. I try to write down the regular price and the price of the item that day. I learned from Sarah's class that stores change prices almost weekly and if you track the price you can find when it is the cheapest and then buy in bulk and use your coupons. I learned from the 918moms website that Homeland doubles coupons every day. That is how I chose Homeland.

Before the coupons were deducted my total was $145.79. After the coupons were deducted and doubled my total was $64.27!!! I went to the store on 31st & Harvard. The lady that checked me out was very friendly and helpful. Her name tag said 'lil bug'.I explained to her that I had never used coupons at Homeland and that I needed help to make sure I was doing it correctly. She looked through all of my coupons. She separated the duplicates and told me that in order for them to be doubled to the full amount I would have to separate the transactions. She signed me up for the savings card. She rang up every item slowly, made sure I knew the total before the coupons, explained to me what the difference was between the transaction for the manufacturers coupon and the double on their part. She also let me ring up both transactions in a row and showed me where I had saved $80!!! It was a very slow process, but oh so beneficial. I bagged all of the groceries myself in order to ease her work load a little bit. I did not mind one little bit since she was so helpful.