Last night I spent some time planning today's trip to the grocery store. I wanted to stock up on some chicken, but I also wanted to take advantage of some coupons that were expiring on 4/30. By carefully planning, I quickly got through the 3 stores I visited. I stuck to my list and didn't spend time looking for other deals...although I did stumble upon a great deal on turkey bacon while I was in the Albertson's meat department ;-)
- I matched my coupons with the sales in the store circulars
- I checked my favorite coupon sites for deals I might have missed
- I made a list for each store
- I placed the coupons in envelopes for each store
- I got to the store early
Here are the results:
Kroger:
4 packs MentosGum - Free
2 pkg Goldfish Grahams - Free
10 Tony's Crispy Crust Pizzas - .50 each
2 bags Kroger tortilla chips $1.00 each
Total out of Pocket: $7.88 (72% savings)
Albertsons:
2 Archway Cookies .99 each (my plan for stacking coupons failed)
3 Puffs Tissues .63 each
2 Homelife double roll 6 roll $1.99 each
3 New York Texas Toast Croutons .75 each
2 pkg Allen Frozen Peas .33 each
2 Cool Whip $1.25 each
1 Pantene Shampoo $1.33
3 Whole Fryer Chickens .49 per pound
1 pkg Chicken thighs .88 per pound
5 pkg Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon $1.00 each
4 Mangos $2.00
5 limes $1.00
2 jalepeno peppers .15
1 bunch cilantro .25
3 bags Fresh Express Salad .99 each
Total Out of Pocket $36.73 (Total savings $52.51)
Aldi
2 loaves of wheat bread .99 each
2 gallons of milk $1.69 each
1 bag of sweet onions $1.29
Total out of pocket: $6.65 (total savings approx. $3-$4)
Grand Total Out of Pocket: $51.26
I would not call this extreme couponing, but I'm very happy with the results. I can't believe I used to buy all of this stuff without coupons! Actually, I would have never bought Pantene Shampoo, 5 pounds of bacon, or 10 pizzas at one time because these would have busted the weekly grocery budget. Couponing allows us to buy higher quality products and stock up on items we used to buy every week!!!
Aldi
2 loaves of wheat bread .99 each
2 gallons of milk $1.69 each
1 bag of sweet onions $1.29
Total out of pocket: $6.65 (total savings approx. $3-$4)
Grand Total Out of Pocket: $51.26
I would not call this extreme couponing, but I'm very happy with the results. I can't believe I used to buy all of this stuff without coupons! Actually, I would have never bought Pantene Shampoo, 5 pounds of bacon, or 10 pizzas at one time because these would have busted the weekly grocery budget. Couponing allows us to buy higher quality products and stock up on items we used to buy every week!!!
I just found your site as a link from the KCL and I love your blog! People always complain that teachers never make enough money, but I found that by taking the time to use coupons, it's much better than a second job! We also get off at our school at 3:30pm so I can hit the stores on the way home! We saved $400 last Sunday and left with only paying $216....and I think my husband summed it up nicely...."It's like working minimum wage for 50 hours! Or tutoring for 10 hours!" And we did it all in 4 hours as a family and with only $10 extra in newspapers! We have also felt like we are now able to not only save, but to be able to buy a better quality of items. Keep sharing your tips, I appreciate what you do!
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Fern-Smith.Blogspot.com
Wow! Thanks for the nice comment Fern! I too consider this a part time job. I have done afterschool tutoring - which I enjoy until about this time of year ;-). I have also considered being a Pampered Chef consultant but the weekday evening parties and time involved didn't appeal to me. Just like you, after I began couponing my husband pointed out that spending the time couponing is much more cost effective than having another job! Thanks for articulating it so well! Be sure to share some of your good "finds" with us!
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