Shel's Savings Saga

So, with the PS3 Challenge being done - I don't have the drive to keep posting my trips.  Organizing for trips is long and tedious - just ask my husband who agrees to go with and totally regrets it after the waiting forever for the coupons to be cut, organized, printed, gathered, etc.

It's basically a part-time job for me now - I'd guess I spend anywhere from 5-15 hours a week couponing (preparing and the actual trip - which I include because it does take longer to shop with coupons and find the correct items - or rethink if they're out of stock).

I've been keeping a spreadsheet of all purchases from Walgreens and Target for the past year.  I am missing some receipts from spring/early summer of last year since I originally started it in October, then dug through all my receipts to go back further.  Walgreens I believe I'm at 75% savings and Target at 55%.  I know why the difference is there - included in that is clothes, DVDs, video games, etc bought at Target - which if they are on sale it's usually 5-10%.  Also, we only buy a specific type of toilet paper that you can't get cheap.  Example - yesterday's purchase is basically the best deal I get on it - 2 packs on sale ($1.30 off) $10.49 each and get a $5 GC - plus I had 2 $1 MQs and 2 $1 TQs.  $23.58 for $16.98 and a $5 GC - only 28% savings because the GC is counted as savings on the NEXT purchase in mind.

So, I sometimes feel like I'm failing as my Target % isn't higher - but at the end of my shopping trip yesterday at Target (normally would have taken 15-20 minutes, but searching for coupon stuff and things being out of stock ends up being 45 minutes) my total was $26 something, which normally I never go over $20 so that right there was a downer.  Yes, I saved over $37, but I'm trying to tighten up trips to under $20.  While I was thanking the cashier and leaving feeling defeat, the lady behind me says, "I really need a coupon clipper like you in my house!" which made me realize I wasn't defeated - I still "won."