Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? For next year, that is. If you are an avid couponer, you may have ventured out this morning and begun your shopping for Christmas 2012, like I did. I don't always do so, but with TEN $3 off Axe holiday gift set coupons set to expire on January 7th, I knew I needed to get to our small Walmart early to use them. I hit the Christmas aisle at 9:30 this morning with my coupon binder in hand. Sure enough, there was the sale sign; the $9.99 gift sets were marked down to $5.
Ten sets went in my cart. $20 for $100 worth of gift sets means an amazing 80% savings. These will be set aside in a large tote on my attic steps and either seperated to fill baskets next Christmas for my sons, or given as a gift set. I went through the rest of the Christmas aisles, picking up other items I had coupons for. Heidi Klum perfume, half-price at $4.97, and I had $5 off coupons. There were only four on the shelves, and they, too, went in my cart. Very nice Olay gift sets in a basket with a body wash, body puff, bar of expensive lavendar soap and a lavendar Febreeze candle were on sale for half off, at $7.50, and other Olay gift sets that included a razor, body puff, shaving cream and body wash were marked down to $5.00. I had $2.00 off coupons (from last year's clearance gift sets, and the coupons expire the end of this month), along with coupons good for $4.00 towards the expensive Olay bar soaps that retailed for $4.47, so I added those to my cart as well. Old Spice deodorant sets for $2.50, minus a $1 coupon. I picked up a few Christmas gift tag packages and some Christmas paper plates in the same aisle, and then searched the store for some other good deals. Duck packaging tape was $1 a roll, and I had some $1 coupons, so those were free. The Centrum Specialist Energy vitamins were marked down to $7 from $19, and I had three $3 coupons so I picked up those for David. My total was $230 before coupons, and less than $100 after coupons. Nearly $15 of that was tax. (gift tags, paper plates and a 2-pack of cinnamon candles which were the ONLY items I did not have coupons for, are not pictured)
I opened up the razor gift sets and put those items in my own depleted cabinet. I also removed the seven booklets of coupons from each Olay gift set, that included a magazine offer I hope to cash in as a $10 refund instead of a magazine subscription. There are seven codes for magazine offers so I will have to go online and see if I can get seven checks or if there is a limit of one per household. The coupons don't expire until the end of 2012, so plenty of time to use them. I filled three totes with gift items for next Christmas. My gift baskets are one of my adult children's favorite gifts. One year I filled new travel totes for each of my oldest four. Other years I've used a plastic tote or laundry basket. This year I used woven baskets for my two daughters and plastic laundry baskets for the boys. I picked up inexpensive throws and lined the baskets, then filled them with soap, shampoo, deodorant, candles, Glade sprays, razors, body washes and a nice Bath & Body Works puff. Then I gathered the ends of the throw and tied the tops shut with a nice ribbon.
I spent more than I'd planned on spending the day after Christmas but will save money next December when I am shopping for my adult children. I'm already half-way there to a few filled baskets, and it isn't even 2012 yet!
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