I know it’s been awhile since I talked about shopping. Honestly, I really have not gone on many trips lately.
In my effort to save money, In my laziness, I’ve tried to stay out of the stores. Thankfully, we’ve had my stockpile to eat from.
Well, one look at my fridge this weekend, and I realized it was time to get my coupon folders out…
The freezer did not look a whole lot better…
Even though the current Publix sales flyer is not that great, I still picked up a few things…
I spent $18.58 for the above items, saving $47.87, for a grand savings of 72%.
I thought it would be an eye-opener to list each of my favorite deals, the final prices I paid, along with the regular prices in parentheses beside them. This will give you a good idea of how much money you can save by combining sales with coupons…
Mustard – $.45 each (regular $1.89)
Pasta – $.15 each (regular $1.29)
Boxed Potatoes – $.40 each (regular $1.79)
Salad Dressing – $.64 each (regular $3.27)
Tornados – $.50 each (regular $2.50)
Snuggle Fabric Softener – $2 each (regular $6.99)
Breyers Ice Cream – $1.15 each (regular $4.29)
Even though I didn’t have coupons on the red potatoes, salad, and cheese, those items were on sale as well.
I divided my groceries into two batches because I had two Family Dollar coupons ($5 off of $25 and $5 off of $20). My Publix will only allow customers to use one of these per transaction (no more stacking like the good old days).
So yes, I was the weird shopper who calculated everything as I shopped and used the toilet paper in my next transaction as the divider in my cart.
I’m so weird.
Here was round #2:
I spent $15.10, saved $35.82, for a grand savings of 70%.
Here are the deals, sales prices, and regular prices…just to compare…
Reynolds Wrap – $.90 each (regular $4.29)
Carvel Ice Cream Cake – $1.99 each (regular $9.99)
I did not have a coupon for the olive oil, but it was B1G1, and we go through worlds of this in my house, so I consider it a good deal. The toilet paper is my weekly purchase. Even though it rings up at $6.15, I had a $.25 coupon. Every little bit helps!
Today, I headed back out for more shopping after reading up on additional deals that were too good to pass up.
My free items of the week were these…
Publix has them B1G1, and there was a $1 coupon in the 6/27 SmartSource. Publix has a store coupon in its current yellow Advantage Buy paper for $1.
After matching one set per bottle, I actually MADE $2.01!!!!
So, I couldn’t let the overage go to waste. I picked up the cheapest ($2.45) bowl of watermelon I could find…
Grand total?
$.44.
Yep. Floridians do not pay taxes on essential grocery items, and all of these are considered non-junky.
I saved $5.99 on that one transaction, making for a 93% savings on those three items.
Next, I headed over to CVS.
The first thing I did was scan my ECB card at the price checker scanner located by the cashier.
The machine was overly generous today, spitting out a long length of paper with several coupons printed on it. At the very bottom was an ECB for $1.50!!
Remember that Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) are as good as money. You take the amount of your ECB off the total of your bill. Simple as that!
So, I was starting ahead of the game.
My first transaction was the following…
The deal was that you got a $1 ECB after buying the deodorant, which is on sale for $7.99 (after being marked down $2). Inside the box was a package of coupons, among which I found a $1/1 deodorant coupon.
Cha-Ching!
I paid $7.47 and got my ECB.
My second transaction included the following items…
I used another $1 coupon on the deodorant. I had $.25 coupons on the detergent, which is on sale for $.99 ($1 cheaper than the regular price).
The Pantene was on a clearance shelf for half off ($2.50). I had a $2 coupon, so I got it for $.50.
For this transaction, I used the $1.50 ECB I’d gotten when I walked in along with the $1 ECB that printed after my first purchase. After paying, I got another $1 ECB from buying the deodorant. I will probably use this during my next Publix trip.
Total paid was $7.12. I saved a little over $12. It wasn’t the greatest percentage of savings (almost 50%), but every little bit helps, and seeing as I am trying to get Chicky stocked up for college, I did what I could.
So, have you been shopping lately? Taken advantage of any good deals?
Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: couponing, grocery shopping, Saving Money | 3 Comments »
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