Making Every Dollar Matter

Today was grocery shopping day in our household.

As usual, I went determined to get some good deals and save some money.

I like love the deals at CVS.

Pantene Shampoo $4.99 on sale for $3.49 - $1.50 coupon = $1.99

Pantene Shampoo $4.99 on sale for $3.48 - $1.00 coupon = $2.48

Nivea Body wash $4.99 on clearance for $2.49 - $3.00 coupon = FREE!

Nivea Body wash $4.99 on clearance for $2.49 - $3.00 coupon = FREE!

And I earned $2 in ExtraCare Bucks

Total Transaction was only $4.47!

Then I bought a 12 pack of Thomas English muffins $4.99 on sale for $1.99

Dinner napkins for $1.99

I used my $2 EC Bucks so my total was only $1.98!

Total regular price for all of these items was $26.94.  I paid $6.45!  I call that a deal!

Target had some good deals as usual!

I found 3 Thomas Rev N Go trains normally $3.99 each for $.98 each.  I put them away for O-Man's birthday.  We're taking him to A Day Out With Thomas for his birthday, so these will go along with his special day perfectly. and inexpensively.

Tag Jr. Books are usually $10.99 on sale for $9.89.  I found a $3 coupon online, so I only paid $6.89!  I put that away for O-Man's birthday, too, to go along with the Tag Jr. Reader and Tag Jr. book I bought a while back and set aside for his birthday.

I needed table cloths for a church gathering at our house this weekend.  I found some regularly priced for $2 each in the clearance for $.50 each!  They were graduation stock, so they are silver, but they will do just fine.  At that price, I picked up all 5 that they had left, only paying a total of $2.50!

Archer Farms has individual pound cakes they sell in a pack of 2.  These originally are $3.84 per pack.  Rather pricey dessert for 2 people, so I would never have purchased them.  However, today they had 3 boxes left on clearance for $.94 each!  I grabbed them all....just perfect for our family of 6.  At a total price of $2.82 (and a savings of $8.70!), I can serve a nice dessert just by adding some fruit and whipped topping.

Some other deals I found at Price Chopper were split chicken breasts, buy one package get one free, saving $5.44.

Oscar Mayer hot dogs buy one get one free, and I had a coupon for $1 off 2, so I got 4 packages and saved $10.38!

Grapes for only 98 cents a pound, giving me a total savings of $4.28.

Macintosh apples only 99 cents a pound.

Blueberries buy one pint get one free.  Yum!  We love blueberries! And I love saving $2.99!

Dole salad buy one get one free, a savings of $3.49.

I saved 44% off my bill at that store.

At one time, I gave up on shopping at several different stores, and gave up on couponing because I wondered if it were all worth my time and work.  But I didn't quit for long.  I go to several stores and clip coupons and print coupons online and scour sales fliers.  (I just wish we had stores here that would double coupons.)  But I would say the deals I found and the money I saved today were worth the time I spent. All part of the attempt to make every dollar matter.

What do you do to make each dollar matter?

How do you balance pursuing frugality and valuing your time?
Do share.