Couponing at Rite Aid

I didn't get out of the house till late afternoon with my husband and two kids. I was tired an hungry, the least ideal time to go to the store, especially when I want to be paying close attention to what I'm getting and the prices!

I found most of the items on my list. Some I had brought coupons for and planned to check the price since I could live without them if they were too much. Most were too expensive even with my $1 off coupon or whatever I had, so I skipped them. Toothbrushes were on sale for a great deal and I would get extra care bucks via my Wellness+ card, so I ended up getting 4 instead of 1. My husband kept the kids busy so I could concentrate, and I was soon ready to check out. My total came to $74.34!!! Holly Cow! How did that happen?!!!
I handed over my $3 off $15 purchase coupon, but he said I had to give him my Wellness+ card first. So after running that, the cost went down to $51.29. I handed over my coupons and it went down to $41.94. Yikes! My kids were acting up, as well as my anxiety! There was a line, and it was all basically stuff I needed, so I paid for it and left. Luckily I had just enough to cover the total with tax of $45.37.

I felt very disappointed after all the work I put in. But upon examining my receipt later, I did see that I saved $23.05 with my store card, $9.35 in coupons, and earned $8 in Extra Care Bucks to use on my next shopping trip. Plus I got another survey and so earned another $3 off my next $15 purchase. That's a grand total of $43.40 in savings! Which is not too shabby for a first timer!! So now I'm very proud of myself and imagining how much I can save with more coupons and more time to prepare!

I just need to figure out how to get a much closer pre-shopping estimate on my shopping list. Maybe a trip to the store before I'm ready to buy to write down the prices? Or at least shop when I'm fresher and not with kids distracting me so I can track prices. I'll need to come prepared with pen, paper, and calculator. Other stores, like Safeway, have all their items online, so maybe I can get all my prices that way if I'm headed to one of those stores. All in all, I'm proud of myself and think I can save a lot and get the hang of this with a little practice.