Sure, not everyone has the time, inclination, or buying habits that make extreme coupon-shopping worthwhile. But everyone can benefit from learning some of the proud secrets of the coupon ninjas, such as coupon sources for products you probably already use, and combining sales, rebates, and coupons.

Master coupon ninja Tara Kuczykowski bought $91.97 worth of items at CVS for $15, and received a $10 coupon for her next CVS purchase—effectively bringing the cost of her trip down to $5.

Here’s her haul, and methods:

(3) Tide Stain Release Liquid at $4 ea. (reg. $4.49)
(3) Tide Stain Release Gel Packs at $4 ea. (reg. $4.49)
(1) Dawn Dishwashing Liquid at $1 (reg. $1.99)
(3) Mom’s Best Oatmeal at $1 ea.
(2) CVS AA Batteries at $2.99 (BOGO)
(6) Chunky Soup at $3.19 (BOGO)
(4) Cheerios Single Serve Bowls at $1 ea.
(2) Fruitopia Shampoo at $1.99 ea. (reg. $3.99)
(2) Fruitopia Conditioner at $1.99 ea. (reg. $3.99)
(2) Viologie Shampoo at $1.99 ea. (reg. $3.99)
(2) Viologie Conditioner at $1.99 ea. (reg. $3.99)

And here’s how I did it:

(1) $5/$25 CVS purchase coupon
(1) FREE Tide Stain Release coupon (from BlogHer)
(3) $1.50/1 Tide Stain Release (from various magazines)
(2) $1/1 Tide Stain Release (from in-store machine)
(1) $0.25/1 Dawn, exp. 10-31-09 (P&G 9/27/09)
(3) $0.75/1 Mom’s Best Naturals printable
(3) FREE Chunky Soup coupon (can’t recall where came from)
(4) $1/1 Cheerios printable
(4) $2/1 Fruitopia coupons (Reinventing Beauty Magazine)
(4) $2/1 Viologie coupons (Reinventing Beauty Magazine)

What would really be amazing is if those items were the exact things she happened to need at the store.

My Fantastic $15 CVS Shopping Trip [Deal Seeking Mom]
Five EXTREME Savings: How I got $91.97 worth of stuff for $5! And other great coupon deals [WalletPop]

RELATED:
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Save Money On Groceries, Save The World …Er, Wallet
If The Coupon Doesn’t Apply, You Must Not Buy
Amazing Coupon Queen Saves 97% On Grocery Bill

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