Brag of the Week

I won't lie to you; it took me about an hour to put this deal together, which is usually the total amount of time that I spend on my couponing for the entire week, but those darn $10 gift card for a $50 purchase coupons at Target are just way too tempting, so I planned this shopping trip carefully.  So here it is, the result of today's Target shopping trip split into two ring-ups.

I rang up a total of $100.21, and spent $30.97 out of pocket (all sans tax).  I received $30 in Target gift cards, so my total expenditure for $100 worth of stuff from Target was $0.97.

How did I do it?

• First, the $30 in gift card deals.  I broke this shopping trip up into two ring-ups so that I could cash in on two of the buy-$50-get-$10 gift card deals.
• Then, Target is offering a $5 gift card if you buy two L'Oreal hair colors for $8.49 each. Because of the L'Oreal Gold Rewards program, I had a coupon for one free L'Oreal hair color and a $1 Target coupon and and $2 manufacturer's coupon for the other. $8.49 is a ridiculously high price for Preference by L'Oreal (I can usually get it on sale at Walmart for around $5-$6), and I would have never bought it at this price if not for the gift card deal and the free coupon.
• Target was also running an identical deal on Bounce dryer bars:  buy 2 dryer bars for $8.49 each and get a $5 gift card.  Once again, I had a free coupon because the free bar that I received from Vocalpoint broke apart in my dryer, so I called P&G and they very kindly replaced it. I also had a $2 Vocalpoint coupon for the other bar. (Update:  I just discovered this $5 mail-in rebate on Bounce dryer bars, which officially makes this shopping trip a money-maker.)
• The Denver Target allows for overages, so I was able to use the full value of the two $3/1 Panko breadcrumbs coupon here, even though the product only cost $1.97.  Same thing for the Maybelline lip gloss that I bought:  the product cost $2.99, but the cashier allowed me to use two $2 coupons.  Same thing with the Arrowhead sparkling water: I had a $1 coupon but the product cost $0.69.  So in effect, I made a little money off of these coupons.
• I had free product coupons for two Suave deodorants, the Twix bar, and the Pacific soup, and high value coupons for most of the other items, including four $2 Kashi coupons that I redeemed on Recyclebank.  I would have liked to take advantage of the Fresca deal that I mentioned here, but I only had one Target B4G1 coupon, so I just bought six for $2.  

All in all, one of my better shopping trips.  It took me over an hour to shop and I was tired, so I didn't want to go for a third round, but I might go back tomorrow for one more go at the $10/$50 gift card, since I've got a bunch of MyCokeReward coupons for free Diet Coke that will help me get to $50.

Besides the fact that I am proud of my frugality (hence the "brag"), I share the details of these shopping trips because I want you to realize that by following DailyCheapskate, you can put together the same deals and do just as well.  The only thing I love as much as saving money is knowing that I've helped you save money too.  It's an ego thing.

Got brag?  Send me a picture of your shopping trip or a scan of the receipt and I'll be happy to share it here.