2009 Year in Review (CVS)

I am skipping CVS this weekend (no great deals, just P&G coupons in the paper) so I'm going to write my year in review post now!

This year, I spent $78.95 out of pocket. That averages out to about $6.60 per month.

Of that, $36.98 was sales tax.

I got necessities like antibiotic ointment, bandages, contact lens solution, deodorant, teething tablets, toothpaste, maxi pads, toilet paper, paper towels, razors, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, laundry detergent, and more. I got treats like candy and soda. I got the newspaper nearly every week. I got school supplies. I got food. I got little things we needed some weeks that didn't pay back but that I didn't spend anything on either.

Sure I also got extras of some of the above and I got things I didn't really need (the diabetes monitors spring to mind). These have or will be donated or given to family and friends, or simply stockpiled for future use.

Sometimes people comment things like "That seems time consuming" or "What do you do with everything" or "I don't use XYZ so this wouldn't be worth doing." First, I say, to each his/her own. You don't want to do it? Don't! Everyone has a different idea of what's interesting or worthwhile.

But I feel that if I'm already shopping at a store, I might as well take advantage of any savings programs they offer. I'm surprised when people don't use a store card at all - at CVS, for example, even if you're just buying necessities, you'll get back a small percentage of your spending every quarter. Then you can use that off more necessities - easy! And then I find that CVS sometimes wants to pay me to take things out of the store - and I'll do that. In the end I spent less over the entire 2009 on both things I do and don't use than I would've spent if I had just bought only the barest minimum of things I do use with cash. And I got name brands - and many times they were my preferred brands. I don't think I spent a lot of time doing any of this - but it also is a fun hobby for me, so I may have spent extra time by choice on some of the planning. But most weeks I made a single trip, early in the morning on a Sunday, while my husband and daughter were sleeping. No big deal.

I wish you all a happy New Year!

[Edited: My daughter got sick on 12/25, so I sent my husband out with $4.98 in ECBs and he spent $2 OOP on supplies for her. I'm down to $6 in ECBs or something and now am considering spending them as well on essentials and then starting fresh - possibly with a brand new card - in 2010. Stay tuned!]