Coupons- Lessons learned

Hey All!
How are y'all doing? It sure has been a while. Sorry about that, but school has not given me much time for anything extra lately.  Now on to the topic of choice for today... Coupons

I have be following a blog (www.hip2save.com) and my friends in their coupon adventures, and thought today is the day. I will be brave. I ventured to CVS and thought I will sign up for their rewards and just get a few things I need right?  Well $60.00 later, I felt like I had wasted hard earned money.  So I wanted to take the opportunity to tell about the lessons I learned.

1.  Try not to take your kids. - They are a little distracting. Also I feel like I have to rush when I have Audrey which leads me to hasten my purchase decisions.
2. HAVE A PLAN- There are many website that tell you some scenarios for getting the most for your buck. I didn't have one and well look at the damage.
3. DOUBLE CHECK PRICES- I though I was buying products for $7 but I wasn't.
4. Coupons- Know which ones you want to use and have then ready before you go into the store.
5. Multiple Transactions- Don't be afraid to make multiple transactions.

These were just some of the mistakes I made today. I thought about returning things but I think I would have lost my reward bucks (like free money), so I didn't. I thought I will just remember how it hurt and not do it again.

Any way moving on, I have my last test in my last nursing class today. Shopping was kind of a break from studying too (again maybe not the best idea).  I wish I could say things slow down after today but they don't. Next week is NCLEX (board exam) review everyday. Then on Friday my big get out of nursing school test. I think things will slow down a little bit after that! Maybe I will have better luck at CVS after that.

Happy Reading!
Cara