Divine Multiplication

John 6:12 says, "When they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost."

One practical application for this verse is to be good financial stewards of whatever God has graciously entrusted you. In my marriage, Adam is the primary financial provider, and I try to make what he brings in stretch as far as possible.

One of my hobbies that I have acquired is couponing! When you strategically and creatively match up sales with coupons, the savings can be exponential! I love my local CVS. It is only a mile from our house and always has amazing deal scenarios. I thought I would update you guys from time to time to show you just how much you can really save.

Today, I found myself in the epicenter of an awesome convergence when everything seemed to line up exquisitely in my favor!

I went into the store with a $5 CVS gift card I earned using SwagBucks. When I entered the store, I scanned my CVS card at the big red machine in the front of the store, and a CVS coupon printed off for a $5 off any $15 beauty purchase. Here's what I did:

First Transaction:

(1) CoverGirl blush @ $4.49
(1) CoverGirl eyeliner @ $5.49
(1) CoverGirl eyeliner @ $5.99

The total for these items would have been $15.97 before tax. I used my $5 off $15 beauty purchase store coupon which broughtthe total down to $10.97.

Then I used a $3 off 2 CoveGirl products coupon and a $1 off any CoverGirl product coupon found in the 7/1 Procter and Gamble insert of the newspaper. This brought my total down to $6.97. Then, I used my $5 CVS gift card I earned using SwagBucks. This lowered my total to only $1.97! With tax, I paid only $2.45! Then $5 in ECB's (extra care bucks) printed off since I purchased a minimum of $15 in CoverGirl cosmetics (a promotion running from July 15-July 21 at CVS). A coupon for extra care bucks acts like a CVS coupon that you can use on any CVS purchase with some limited exclusions. The great thing about ECB's is you can turn around and use them immediately on your next transaction!

Second Transaction:

(6) Bumble Bee Tuna Fish Cans (retail $1.87) SALE @ $0.88 a can
(1) Zest Bar Soap, 8-pack @ $3.99
(1) Wet & Wild lip liner (retail $0.99) SALE @ $0.69

The total for these items would have been $9.96. I used my $5 extra care buck coupon that printed in the previous transaction, that $4.96. I had a $0.50 off zest bar soap coupon 7/8 smartsource which I stacked with a $1 CVS coupon that I had for any bar soap/body wash. I had three $1/2 Bumble Bee product coupons that brought my total down to $0.46. With tax, I paid only $1.26!

So basically, without the sale, the retail value for both transactions would have cost $32.17. With sale prices only, the total lowers to $25.93. When you pair manufacturer coupons, store coupons, and gift cards, the total for all items before tax comes to only $2.43! Or with tax, out of pocket, $3.71!!! This is a retail savings of 92%! It definitely pays to plan ahead 15 minutes before you go shop :)

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