Saving Money While Stocking Up

Many blogs and other sites talk about stocking up your food storage and other emergency supplies slowly so you don't go into debt doing it.  They talk about waiting for items to go on sale and then stocking up.

This can be a daunting task for someone like me who wants to get prepared NOW, and not wait for items to go on sale.  It can also me daunting to try to figure out what a "rock bottom" price is for an item and if you have never really used coupons for items before either. 

However, I have decided to not stress out about this.  I decided to use the coupons that I have and not search too hard for other coupons on the internet and other places.  I DO have a life you know.  One can spend hours collecting and clipping coupons for one shopping trip.  This doesn't seem time efficient to me and if I spend a bit more money on an item because I didn't spend an extra hour getting that $0.25 coupon for it then it is worth the extra quarter to me.  In the end if I feel like I got a good deal on something even if it wasn't the rock bottom price then I have won.

This past weekend I glanced through the ads in the Sunday paper.  I noticed that CVS had a sale on paper products.  Buy $25 in paper products, get $10 back.  Then they also had a deal on cleaning supplies like bleach, 409, and Tilex.  This deal was spend $30 in product, get a $10 gift card for gas.

So here is what I bought:
First Transaction:
4 boxes of Puffs Plus tissue (sale price - saved $0.99 each)
1 16 double rolls of Charmin toilet tissue(sale price - saved $6.00)
1 12 rolls of Bounty paper towels(sale price - saved $5.00)
Total with tax $27.98
Got back $10 in Extra Bucks

Second Transaction:
2 bottles of 32 oz Formula 409 (sale price - saved $2.49 each)
2 bottles of 32 oz Clorox Cleanup (sale price - saved $2.29 each)
5 bottles of 10 oz Palmolive Dish Soap (sale price - saved $0.98 each)
2 bottles of 96 oz Clorox Bleach (sale price - saved 1.00 each)
3 Oral B toothbrushes (sale price - saved $0.38 each)
2 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios (sale price - saved $1.69 each)
2 jars of Planters Mixed Nuts (Buy one get one free - saved $5.79)

1 composition book (for daughter for school)

Used $2.25 in manufacturers coupons
Used $10 extra bucks from first transaction

Total spent with tax $27.57
Got $10 gas gift card back. 

In all I saved 50% off the total nonsale prices not including getting the gas for FREE!!!  The gas will go in my tank for my generator.

In the end, I can't worry about "rock bottom" prices, spending a zillion hours clipping coupons and I have to remember to take this prepping in baby steps.  But if I feel like I got a good deal in the end then I am happy.  I buy things on sale, clip coupons when I see them and use them when I remember to, and will keep my lists of items I need for food storage and emergency supplies.