savings to date question

[janne]

How does everyone calculate your savings? Do you add up your savings based on what you would have paid for an item regular price/sale price? or do you add up the coupons value for savings? For example say Royale was on for 3.99$ (regular $6.99) and you had $1 coupon, did you save $1 or $4.00 (sale price difference + coupon)? and if it is B1G1 am I saving $3.99 + $1.00 + $3.00 (sale price difference) I'm just curious as to how I should track my savings. I haven't been keeping track but am interested in starting to . Would love ideas or other suggestions.
Thanks, Janne

[MercuryBlue]

I calculate my savings based on regular retail price vs. what I paid. I like to know a)how much I saved by shopping sales, b)how much I saved with coupons and c)how much I saved altogether. Sometimes it's hard to know how much you actually saved because not all stores list the regular retail price. I try to keep track of regular prices at local stores (for things I buy all the time) so that I know when I'm getting a good deal.

[kimzcouponz]

I calculate my savings based on regular retail price vs. what I paid. I like to know a)how much I saved by shopping sales, b)how much I saved with coupons and c)how much I saved altogether. Sometimes it's hard to know how much you actually saved because not all stores list the regular retail price. I try to keep track of regular prices at local stores (for things I buy all the time) so that I know when I'm getting a good deal.

I use the same method. I track them out on an excel spreadsheet

[blueeyetea]

For example say Royale was on for 3.99$ (regular $6.99) and you had $1 coupon, did you save $1 or $4.00 (sale price difference + coupon)? and if it is B1G1 am I saving $3.99 + $1.00 + $3.00 (sale price difference) I'm just curious as to how I should track my savings. . Would love ideas or other suggestions.
Thanks, Janne

I calculate my savings between the regular price (i.e. $6.99) minus what I actually paid. My rationale is that if I was stuck, I'd pay the $6.99 because I wouldn't bother to go out of my way to save a couple of dollars.

With my savings, I also go a step further and take out the money I saved out of my grocery budget for the week. My system is similar to the envelope system where you'd separate your weekly budget into separate envelopes like groceries, gas, car payment, entertainment, hydro, etc. So if I saved $20 this week, I take the $20 out of my groceries envelope and put it in the bank.

[oddduck]

I do flat out coupon use. Even prior to coupons I shopped the sales. I just wanted to know what additionally I was saving. I found it easier to just count face value of coupons.

[Chantel]

I don't really track it, but I basically go by retail price, not on sale vs what I actually spent. I include sale prices in my savings because I wait for those, they're part of my saving strategy. In the Royale scenario, I would say I saved four dollars.

When I BOGO, I tend to never say "I paid full price for this one, but got this one free". I split the difference. So if I paid $3 for 2 objects, I'd say each cost me $1.50. I think I just don't want to admit that I paid "full" price on any item, ever.