I'm Cheap, and I'm Proud

My love of coupon cutting has been well-documented on this blog. Today was one of those days where I actually took the time to research deals and cut coupons in an effort to save a few pennies. But I saved more than just a few pennies. I'll tell you how much I saved in a minute. First you have to read how I saved them.
On Sunday (while I was sleepwalking- I have almost no memory of going to the store. Its an odd dream.), I bought the 2 pack Sunday paper. (In Utah they sell both of the local major papers in a set on Sunday so you can get "double the deals.") This gave me 2 sets of all local coupons. I cut out all the coupons that were applicable to me.
Next, I reviewed all of the circulars for the local stores to see who had the best deals- Albertsons, Smiths, and Target. My research told me that Albertsons had the best deal on produce, but Target had a lot of non-food items on sale (cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc.). Smiths Marketplace (which is like a Super Walmart or Super Target), however, had a lot of items on sale, including flip flops, gardening gloves, garden supplies, and frozen foods.
More importantly though was that I got my Smiths coupons in the mail. Smiths rewards members get coupons in the mail, specifically targeted for them, every great once in a while. My pack of coupons included $3 off produce (if $15 or more was spent), and several BOGO items. And I do love a good BOGO.
I checked my coupon items against items for sale at the various stores. I found that Smiths had provided me with a coupon for Tysons chicken, and I had coupons from the newspaper for Tysons, and on top of that, Tysons chicken was on sale at Smiths. Needless to say, I bought a lot of chicken. My freezer is packed!
My other favorite coupon I found was for Clear Care contact lens cleaner. It should come as no surprise to you that in addition to being allergic to all things that grow in Utah, wheat, corn, and air, I'm also allergic to most contact lens cleaners. The only kind I can use is Clear Care. The problem with this is that at some stores (and not all carry it) it can run as much as $12/bottle. (The generic brands are as cheap as $2! This is a great injustice I tell you!) So when I found a coupon for $3 (and actually had 2 coupons, since I had 2 sets), and that it was on sale at Target for $3 off, you had better believe I was happy. $6 off!!! YEAH!!!
I was a little irritated that I had a couple of coupons for items I couldn't find at either store. Some brand called "White Cloud" toilet paper and paper towels was not to be found anywhere.
I should also mention I did buy a few items without coupons, but were still on sale.
In other words, I didn't pay full price for one thing I bought today.

So how much did I save?

I'm going to let you guess. Below is how much I spent, and what I bought. Assume the quantity is 1, unless otherwise specified.

At Target I spent $50.55.
2 bottles Clear Care contact solution
Quaker Instant Oatmeal
Activia yogurt
garbage bags
DanActive
St Ives lotion
2 packs Dixie Ultra plates
body wash
ziploc bags
magic erase "sponges"
disposable razors
hair ties

At Smiths I spent $128.
Produce- apples, peppers, lettuce, nectarines, avocados, and tomatoes
toilet paper
paper towels
2 pairs flip flops
hand trowel
hand spade
weed puller thingy
2 pairs gardening gloves
3 boxes deli meats
3 things of cheeses
5 frozen dinners
6 Tyson chicken things
2 bistro dinners
12 pack Diet Dr Pepper
2 loaves bread
bag of salad
pie tin
shampoo and conditioner
cake mix and frosting
bagelfuls (I so do not recommend becoming addicted to these things!)
outdoor camp chair

(If you follow me on Twitter you are excluded from winning!)

But wait! There's a prize! I still have several more good coupons. I will mail the person who gets the closest answer more of my coupons.

Oh and bonus! Smiths Marketplace also has a gas station. The more you shop there the more you stock up on gas savings as well. So as I left the store I had more gas savings to redeem. I got 15 cents off per gallon, plus another $5 off. Bringing my full gas tank fill up to $11!

And then as I was leaving Smiths I saw on Twitter where a friend mentioned that Arbys was giving away free burgers today if you bought a drink. So I also managed to get a decent dinner for a mere $1.98.

So all in all I spent $180 roughly. Can you guess how much I saved just in coupons??