January 2012 Deals n’ Steals Tally

Wow! My first month of couponing and freebies has come to an end. I have to admit, I concentrated a little more on freebies this month… though I did get a $2 off Tide coupon that I am super happy about!  I started keeping a weekly list of what I sign up for, and at the end of the month I will print it out and check off items as they arrive. There is a collapsible  fabric bag by the door to collect freebies as they come in, but I have not figured out what to do with them at the end of each month. This is what arrived this month, at zero cost to me.

This was all 100% FREE

What I signed up for this Month:

$380.10 in full size freebies (like the normal product you buy in the store)

$55.40 in sample sized freebies (value average of 10 cents each)

$282 in magazine subscriptions(most full 1 year subscriptions by mail, a few digital or 1 time only issues)

$45 in free e-books (a novel, a craft book, a few recipe books and a family organizational book)

I also entered 20 contests! Most of which were photo contests. I entered a picture of my family in their PJs on a holiday trip from a few years ago, and won first prize in a pajama contest! The prize is a pair of footie pajama pants and matching shirt, in plum purple, for an adult woman. They are a little loose in the ankle area but otherwise pretty nice. You would have expected the fabric to be thicker, as these are not the warmest pajama pants I own…but they are cute, comfy and keep my toes clean while I dance around the house.  They are a $40 value.

$810.50 IN ONE MONTH!

Amount that went into bank account so far? $0.00. 

I know it sounds like a silly thing to be proud of, but this is all without the use of a single coupon. This is with minimal work on my end, just filling out some forms. Its money I do not have to pay out of our hard earned paychecks. no embarassing coupon BS at the store,either.
11 more months like this one (God willing) and we are talking $9,600 dollars SAVED in one year, with minimal time investment.
YAY FREE!!