grocery shopping | AuburnChick's Adventures

Pasta, Anyone?

Posted on March 3, 2010 by auburnchick

I had another successful day at the grocery store, coming home with the following…

Almost everything else on the table was on sale B1G1, and I had pretty hefty coupons on the items.

The cookies were completely free, thanks to an coupon made available through Facebook. The Naked Juice was free because of my oatmeal purchase. The cheese from the deli department was also free because I purchased a pound of Boar’s Head chicken (which I had a coupon on as well).

Grand total? Look for yourself!

Yep. $22.50 after sales and coupons. I’m going to be getting another $3 back when I run back with coupons I did not have with me.

Hooya!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: couponing, grocery shopping, Saving Money | 3 Comments »

Still Using Coupons

Posted on March 2, 2010 by auburnchick

I figured I better post a shopping picture lest you think I’ve won the lottery and don’t need to use coupons anymore.

It’s taken me a couple of weeks to get back on track after the whirlwind ending to Chicky’s high school soccer season and the Olympics. But, I trudged on, determined that I would get caught up.

I stayed up until 12am the night of the Olympic Closing Ceremonies, cut out coupons, and filed them away.

The next day, I raced through the Publix sales on Southern Savers, quickly making a list and pulling coupons. There were quite a few I could not locate thanks (or should I say NO thanks) to Podunk Paper which refused to put ANY inserts in last week’s newsstand copies.

:::AuburnChick slaps her hand…bad girl…:::

Anyhoo…

I got my stuff together, figuring it wouldn’t be that great of a trip.

Doggone it, but I was in that store for two hours! Obviously, I was rusty.

I was, however, rewarded at the register. I won’t spill the beans quite yet, though.

First, look what I came home with…

Please take a moment to appreciate my skill at getting everything to stay put, balanced precariously on top of each other. Yeah, I made quite a few houses out of cards when the kids were little.

Intermission is over. Getting back on topic now…

I bought 20 cans of corn (they are somewhat hidden in the next picture)…

I won’t have to buy corn for a year! LOL

I also picked up 12 cans of soup, also somewhat hidden…

Among the other items were eight bags of frozen veggies, six bags of pasta sides, and three whole chickens…

Getting my stuff from the grocery aisles to my buggy is not as easy as plop, plop, plop. Much planning, re-doing, and thinking (the most difficult part) go into each trip.

Here’s what a typical grocery list looks like when I get home with it…messy notes and all…

My receipt was LONG…

All that mattered in the end was that final number…

Yep. My jaw dropped at the register, and my smile was HUGE as the savings added up. Over $142 saved. Out-of-pocket (oop) was only $33.10.

And this was after a quick list-making session.

Folks, I HIGHLY encourage you to take the time to do it. If you live in a bigger city with better (cough) newspapers, DO IT! It only takes a little bit of effort to reap HUGE rewards!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: couponing, grocery shopping, Saving Money | 3 Comments »

Back to Shopping!

Posted on January 17, 2010 by auburnchick

I know I haven’t been blogging about my shopping excursions. Quite honestly, I haven’t been shopping that often since Christmas. We’ve been so busy that, although I’m still keeping up with my couponing sites, I haven’t been doing a lot of big grocery trips.

Today I actually purchased four bags of goodies though.

Wanna see what I got for $39.98?

Oh yeah, Baby!

The chips and salsa were my favorite deal of the day. I got both bags and jars for $3.19, the price of one jar of salsa! I combined several coupons to maximize the BOGO sale on the dip and the 2 for $6 chip deal.

The frozen dinners were also a great deal. I wound up, after coupons, paying $.67 per box! Woo Hoo!

I couldn’t have done it without the help of my friend, Susan, who read my coupon rant and offered to send me the coupons from her paper. I am still trying to compare what she gets in her paper versus what I get in mine, but she did have a coupon on Crackerfuls (which I used and which Rooster is most thankful for) that didn’t exist in my paper. Thanks, Susan! You’re one of those friends who always goes the extra mile without ever being asked.

I could not have done the chips deal without coupons from my favorite magazine, All You…

I can’t speak highly enough about this magazine. The number of coupons (they’re listed on one of the first pages) is amazing, and the articles are clean (hence AuburnChick-approved) and relevant for everyday women.

I have a subscription, but I did walk into Walmart and purchase a second copy of the January issue because coupons vary slightly between newsstand and subscription issues (not fair, in my not-so-humble opinion, but that’s life). My Walmart rings up the magazines at a cheaper price than what’s on the cover (an unexpected surprise the first time!). This magazine pays for itself…that’s how good the coupons are!

One other tip that I just had to share (maybe I’ve shared this before, but I can’t remember).

If you ever want to see if there’s a coupon available for a product you want to buy, check out this site. It’s got a lot of neat tools, but one of my favorites is the coupon database. I use it almost daily…that’s how good it is…and no, I’m not getting paid to promote anything that I’ve written about today. It’s just friendly little me sharing what’s I’ve found useful. 😉

So now, let me ask…have any of you been couponing lately? What are some sites you’ve discovered lately?

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: all you, couponing, grocery shopping, hot coupon world, Saving Money | Leave a comment »

This Week’s Grocery Trip

Posted on November 7, 2009 by auburnchick

I have a renewed appreciation for those who work full-time and still manage to keep their homes clean and refrigerators full.

After a busy week of settling into my new subbing assignment and attending two soccer games and a football game, I’ve scarcely had time to wiggle, much less look at my coupons.

Thank goodness for weekends! I finally had a couple of spare hours to get organized and run to the grocery store. I was able to pick up several free items! I’ve posted my favorite deals. If you live near a Publix, maybe these are deals you can take advantage of too! Make sure you visit Southern Savers and Frugal Coupon Living before you head out. These are wonderful web sites that post links to the coupons I used for my deals.

Dove Deodorant
2/$4.00

Used: $2 mfr AND $1/2 Unilever Products Publix coupon from the Green Advantage Buy Flyer
Paid: NOTHING!! This was a MONEYMAKER of $1 per stick!!

Cover Girl Lip Gloss
$1.79 ($1.50 off – Advantage Buy)

Used: $2.50/2 mfr AND 2 $1 competitor coupons
Paid: NOTHING!! This was a MONEYMAKER of $.92 per stick!!

Tylenol
$3.99

Used: $2 mfr and $3 Publix coupon
Paid: NOTHING!! This was a MONEYMAKER of $1.01 per box!!

Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner
$2.43 (not on sale)

Used: 2 B1G1 mfr coupons. One coupon I received in the mail after signing up for it through Facebook. The other coupon was in an insert.
Paid: NOTHING!!

Publix Reusable Shopping Bag
$.99

Used: Coupon for a Free Bag wyb two General Mills products (see purchase below)
Paid: NOTHING!!

Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Cookie Dough
B1G1 @ $3.19

Used: $1/1 mfr
Paid: $.60 each

Cheerios
B1G1 @ $3.59

Used: $.55/1 AND $1 competitor coupon (one set for each box)
Paid: $.25 per box

Ragu Spaghetti Sauce
B1G1 @ 2.59

Used: $1/2 mfr
Paid: $.80 per jar

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Morsels
B1G1 @ $2.50

Used: $.50/1 mfr
Paid: $.75 per bag

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: couponing, frugal coupon living, grocery shopping, publix, Saving Money, Southern Savers | 2 Comments »

Favorite Deals of the Week

Posted on October 31, 2009 by auburnchick

I went grocery shopping yesterday and took advantage of a few good deals. I thought I would share my favorites.

Uncle Ben’s Rice
B1G1 @ $1.49

Used: $1/2 mfr
Paid: $.25 per box

Near East Rice
B1G1 @ $2.19

Used: $1/2 mfr
Paid: $.60 per box

Mueller’s Pasta
B1G1 @ $1.49

Used: $.55/1 mfr and $1/2
Paid: $.20 per box w/first coupon above and $.25 per box w/second coupon

Green Giant Frozen Vegetables
B1G1 @ $3.49

Used: 1 $.60/three mfr AND 1 $.40/1 mfr AND $4/4 Publix coupon off of four General Mills Products
Paid: $.50 per item

Pillsbury Ready to Bake Cookies
$2 each

Used: $1.25 mfr AND $4/4 Publix coupon off of four General Mills Products
Paid: NOTHING!! This was a MONEYMAKER of $1

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: couponing, General Mills, Green Giant, grocery shopping, Pillsbury, publix, Saving Money, Uncle Ben's | Leave a comment »

Free Tuna and Other Finds

Posted on October 26, 2009 by auburnchick

If you’re like me, Mondays are usually not good days. We’ll just say that my alarm and I don’t get along very well.

That’s one reason why I find it refreshing to have Mondays off…just to make the adjustment easier.

Today, though, I woke up knowing I would be making a visit to my local auto repair shop.

Joy, joy (said sarcastically, of course). I feared the worst, thinking that my car needed either a new starter or alternator…pricey parts.

Fortunately, all the car needed was a new battery. Woo Hoo! So, that news started off my day well. I even managed to get in an hour of knitting while I waited. Woo Hoo!

Oh, and if you’ve ever had problems starting your car, you know the sweet joy that comes over you when it purrs as you turn the key.

From Sears, I drove to Hobby Lobby, where I used a 40% coupon to pick up a skein of yarn for my newest project. I’ll post pictures when I’m done, but no hints before that!

From Hobby Lobby, I went to Publix where I picked up three bottles of spices for $.49 each (saving $1.50 per bottle)!!

As I was leaving the parking lot, I got a call asking me to run by a restaurant to pick up money for an ad for Chicky’s high school soccer team’s program. We are allowed to sell advertisements to help offset the player fees. What an unexpected surprise!!

It was turning out to be a good morning, but the fun was only beginning.

I went to Target next, picking up the following goodies…

The soap was on sale for $7.29 each (ouch), but I had $1 mfr coupons. The great thing about this purchase was that I got a $5 Target gift card, which I used to purchase the dog food. Of course, I had $3 mfr coupons on the dog food, so they were only $1.26 each, leaving a little money on the card.

Next, I ran to Walmart, where I picked up the following…

Now, I know what you’re thinking. I have dogs, not cats. Why would I purchase cat treats?

Well, my friends, it’s because I cannot turn down a free deal.

One of the recent inserts had coupons for FREE cat treats.

Yep…totally free.

You know what I’m gonna do with them?

Feed them to Molly, who thinks she’s a cat anyhow.

No, seriously…I’m going to donate them.

The Green Works dish detergent was $2.98, and I had a $2 coupon. How often do you find a large bottle of detergent for under a dollar?

After leaving Walmart, I went home to eat lunch with Chicky.

Now, I’ve gotta tell you something. The longer you do the couponing thing, the more observant you become while you’re in stores.

You notice everything that’s on sale, making mental notes of prices because your mind vaguely remembers seeing coupons somewhere for those items.

That’s what happened today during my first (yes, I’m saying FIRST) trip to Target.

I had noticed Clean & Clear products on sale, and my heart dropped.

On Sunday, Chicky had purchased the facial oil wipes. Before she left, I discovered that by registering at Clean & Clear’s web site, I could download a $2 coupon (of course, I printed two coupons by hitting my browser’s back button). She had only used one of them.

Target had them marked on sale for $3.23!! I just knew Chicky had paid more. I couldn’t wait to get home and see.

Sure enough, she paid $4.99!

Ugh.

Here’s what I did.

I registered the other three members of my family and printed out six more coupons. So, I had a total of seven because of the one that wasn’t used yesterday. When I went to Target, I bought eight (one without a coupon) and turned around and returned the extra (since Chicky had already opened the package she bought yesterday) to Publix, getting my full-price back.

I don’t think Chicky will need to go shopping for this item any time soon!

Are you exhausted yet?

Yeah, so was I, but I wasn’t done shopping!

I went BACK to Publix one more time, returned the above-mentioned facial wipes, and then got these…

I had $1 mfr coupons, and these were priced at $.99.

So I got them for free.

There’s almost nothing better than getting something for free. It’s like finding hidden treasure. It’s there if you just look for it.

Then, it was time to go home, where I opened one of the packages of tuna and treated myself to some tuna salad.

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: couponing, grocery shopping, Saving Money | 1 Comment »

Teaching the Teacher

Posted on October 10, 2009 by auburnchick

Saturday was jam-packed with activities…mostly shopping-related.

The day started off with a phone call to Rooster’s 9th grade English teacher. I’ve had the privilege of subbing for her quite a few times. Her students are well-behaved, and I know it’s due, in great part, to her leadership.

I stopped by her classroom last week to chat, and during the conversation, the topic of couponing came up.

Well, you know me…all I need is an invitation, and I throw open the door.

I gave her a brief overview of what I do, and she casually said, “I want to go shopping with you.”

“Really?” I said.

“I’m serious,” she said.

So, we made arrangements to get together today. I called this morning and invited her over to look over my shoulder at the prep work I do on the computer.

She did better than that by bringing her laptop.

Perfect! She was the model student, bookmarking my favorite shopping sites and quickly getting sucked into my world. She was amazed at the sales listings.

I showed her my coupon binder and folders for my inserts and also gave her tips for using Google Reader to keep up with postings.

And then it was time to shop! She could hardly contain her excitement!

We headed to our local Publix, and I began our hands-on learning experience by explaining that she needed to check the front for circulars and coupon booklets. This was a new concept for her, and she got excited when she found a coupon for two free reusable shopping bags with the purchase of Energizer batteries. Too bad she didn’t have a coupon on the batteries (I’ll pull one from my stash and have her go back and get her money for it).

And then the real fun began.

Up and down each aisle we went. I had my shopping list in hand (did you know that you can now print shopping lists directly from Southern Saver’s website? Tres cool!). I pointed out several blinkie machines and instructed her to save the coupons for later. We actually found a better deal using a blinkie coupon we found on Hunts tomatoes ($1/4) which beat the coupons I had planned to use.

I shared a few of my own coupons with her…enabling her to get free yogurt and almost-free Au Gratin potatoes.

Watching her in the store was like watching a child in a toy shop. She usually shops at Walmart, so she had never seen some of the items at Publix. She was giddy with joy.

When we got in line to check out, she mentioned to the checker that her friend (me) was teaching her how to shop with coupons. I beamed.

I let her have her groceries rung up first because she had the fewest items. She eagerly watched the register’s screen and uttered shock when she saved more than she spent. She had never done that before.

She turned around, saw a checker she knew, and announced the grand news that she had saved more than she spent.

It was endearing.

Meanwhile, my groceries were being run up. I saved over $60 and spent $49.49. It wasn’t my best day for savings, but that was only because there was a lack of competitor coupons to stack with my manufacturer coupons. Considering that I still had coupons on nearly every item I purchased, I did well, saving 55%. I’m used to saving a minimum of 60-70%, but I consoled myself with the fact that without the savings, I would have spent $110.

Here’s what I got…

The only items I did not have coupons for were the bread products, fruit, and meat.

As we parted, I spied my friend happily walking away, new shopping bags slung over her shoulder.

It was a grand feeling to know that I had taught the teacher…opening up a whole new world for her in much the same way she does for her own students.

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: grocery shopping, publix, Saving Money | 1 Comment »

AuburnChick Pays a Quarter for Shampoo

Posted on October 10, 2009 by auburnchick

Does your store have shelves with clearance items? Target typically uses the endcaps on the inside ends of the aisles to display their “must-get-rid-of’s.” My Publix has a small, four-sided shelving unit near the registers for these types of items, and I look at it every time I go to the store. I’ve gotten things for great prices this way.

During my visit to the grocery store this morning, I noticed Gillette Shampoo on the clearance shelves…marked down to $1.75.

If you read my previous post about my Target savings, you’ll remember that I found great deals on Gillette products, using coupons from a recent Proctor & Gamble insert. I remembered this as well and couldn’t help but wonder if I had coupons on the shampoo.

When I got home, I took a peek, and sure enough, I found two $1 mfr coupons. In addition, I wanted to buy popcorn that was on sale.

So, I headed back out to the store, coupons in hand.

Here’s what I bought…

The popcorn is B1G1 for $3.09, and I had two $1.50 mfrs when you purchase two larger bags of M&M’s. Not factoring the price of the M&M’s, which I returned after paying for the groceries (I didn’t need them…not for $4+ per bag), I only paid $.09 for both boxes of popcorn. I saved 99% on the popcorn.

AMAZING!

After using the coupons on the shampoo, I found myself paying $.75 per bottle. Not bad, I thought.

I went home, took a picture of my loot, and started straightening up my coupons.

That’s when I came across $.50 Publix coupons…on the Gillette Shampoo!!

Now, remember that you can stack store coupons with mfr coupons on the same item. Had I seen this coupon 30 minutes before, I could have saved another $1 on both bottles.

In addition, Coupon Queen reminded me, via our post-shopping conversation (we like to talk about our deals and compare notes) that I could have gotten two more free shopping bags with the purchase of four items I got during my first trip to the store.

Oy! My brain hurts from trying to remember too many things. Well, really it was my fault for not paying attention to the list on Southern Savers, which clearly stated that my purchase would entitle me to the free bags.

Armed with four coupons, I headed back out to the store…for the third time today. It’s really a good thing that I only live about a mile from the store.

I approached the customer service desk, explained my boo-boo at not having my coupons with me, and they refunded me the $1 and allowed me to get two bags (I paid $.12 tax on those).

My additional savings means that I only paid a quarter for each bottle of shampoo. They are regularly $3.99, so I saved 94% on this purchase.

Total out-of-pocket for the above items? $.80.

I love couponing!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: couponing, Gillette Shampoo, grocery shopping, publix, Saving Money | Leave a comment »

My Week in Pictures

Posted on October 2, 2009 by auburnchick

This is lip gloss…a free sample I received in the mail! You untwist the top to reveal the roller that contains the lip balm!

Rooster's English project...based on the book To Kill a Mockingbird

I love receiving free samples in the mail!

Getting ready to shop!

Chicky's fancy shoes that nearly gave me heart failure this week!

Three dozen brownies for the Tailgate Party before the Homecoming Game

A coupon for free yogurt! Now, I'll just wait until it's on sale B1G1, and I'll get two for free!

Honoring our country before the game

The football team entering the field before the start of the game...very exciting with the colored smoke!

One booga bag almost complete. All I need to do is make the i-cord.

More Noro! I'm going to make another booga bag for a friend to give as a gift.

Filed under: children, Knitting, Saving Money | Tagged: black sheep booga bag, couponing, grocery shopping, homecoming, Knitting, noro kureyon, teenagers | 4 Comments »

It Pays to Listen

Posted on October 1, 2009 by auburnchick

The last couple of days have been filled with quite a few shopping excursions. Let me tell you…I got some GREAT deals!!

Yesterday, I hit Publix and came home with this…

I spent $33.32 and saved $65.80 (66% off my bill). Basically, I got $99.12 worth of groceries for a fraction of the cost.

I had a ton of coupons…of course. I was able to get seven reusable Publix bags for free because of a special promotion the store is running on Pillsbury items (for every two Pillsbury items you purchase, you get one bag free). And, of course, Pillsbury items are on sale this week, so I made out like a bandit!

The ground beef in the picture was almost free, as were two of my biscuits. I only paid $1 per box of cereal and $1 for each pitcher of orange juice.

Today, I reorganized my coupon binder, adding more categories and re-alphabetizing everything. Yeah, I’m a little anal about stuff like this. It has to be just so to make me happy.

In the process, I found a few coupons for items that are on sale, so after consulting my shopping websites, I headed back out to the store…

Spent $8.05 and saved $22.06

Now, I really hit the jackpot here.

The bacon is B1G1 ($4.09), and I had a $3 coupon, making each package $.55. That’s ridiculous! I put it away in the freezer.

The granola bars (quite delish, if you’ve never tried this brand) are B1G1 @ $3.99, and I had two $1 mfr coupons, making them $1 per box. Rooster will be thrilled!

The Chex Mix is 3/$5 ($1.67 each), and I had $.50/1 mfr coupons, which I paired with $1/1 Target coupons for a total output of $.17 per bag.

The Windex is 2/$4, and I had $1 mfr on each bottle. In addition, and pay close attention to this, there is a $5 rebate when you purchase three SC Johnson products. Since I bought two Scrubbing Bubbles yesterday (B1G1 @ $3.09 and I had $1 mfr on each making them cost $.55 each), I will be able to use one of the items from today’s receipt and send in my rebate.

The icing on the cake? You can send in this rebate three times!! That’s rare in the world of rebating.

If you’ve never done a rebate and think it’s too much work, I’d ask you to reconsider. It’s totally worth the little bit of effort. I just received a $10 Kellogg’s rebate, which I paired with another check I received in the mail and was able to pay Chicky’s club dues at school.

After my trip to Publix, I ran to Target.

Oy, I was dreading it.

A couple of days ago, I had purchased two Ziploc products, fully unaware of the rebate offer. Ziploc products are on sale this week at Target.

I had already planned to head back to purchase four more boxes (in pairs of two) because I had really good coupons; however, I now faced a dilemma.

I needed that receipt split so that I could have one Ziploc product on a separate receipt, which I would pair with two from today’s purchases to total the three I needed for the rebate.

I’ve had some trouble exchanging things recently at Target, so I was hesitant.

God had mercy and gave me an easy-going customer service representative who simply returned one of my items and re-rang it. No money was exchanged.

I was able to do two separate transactions, using two B1G1 mfr coupons (one per transactions) to get my bags (total OOP was $5.32, saving $7.30)…

After my trip to Target, I called Coupon Queen and told her about my savings. She reminded me that there were more granola bar coupons in a new booklet she recently found, so I went home to find it. In the process, I found more Chex coupons. I also printed more from here and here, and I headed back out to Publix.

Yeah, I know, I’m sad, eh? But I just couldn’t let a deal like this get away!

I purchased 12 more bags of the mix and two more boxes of granola bars (spent $3.99 and saved $35.03)…

As my bagger was putting everything in my handy-dandy new reusable bag, I overheard her telling the cashier about another great deal the store was having this week.

The 2-liter Dr. Pepper bottles are on sale for $1 each, and there’s a coupon in a store flyer for $2 off when you buy three bottles.

Do you know how much this makes them? $1 for three bottles! That’s $.33 each! That’s unheard of (short of free).

Guess what I did?

Yep…I profusely thanked my bagger and wheeled my buggy back around and bought myself a round…

Total out-of-pocket: $1.18

Even though we don’t do caffeine, I thought it would be good to put these in the pantry for when the kids need to take something for a class party.

What a great week of shopping!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: couponing, grocery shopping, publix | 1 Comment »

« Previous Page — Next Page »

AuburnChick's Adventures

Email Subscription

“Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers” — Isaac Asimov

Recent Posts

Pages

Categories

Archives

Blog Stats

Pasta, Anyone?

Still Using Coupons

Back to Shopping!

This Week’s Grocery Trip

Favorite Deals of the Week

Free Tuna and Other Finds

Teaching the Teacher

AuburnChick Pays a Quarter for Shampoo

My Week in Pictures

It Pays to Listen

Currently Reading

Books I’ve Read

Email Subscription

“Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers” — Isaac Asimov

Recent Posts

Pages

Categories

Archives

Blog Stats

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Currently Reading

Books I’ve Read