Publix: super shopping trip – $83.67 worth of groceries for $19.52!

Publix is having a great sale this week!  They have the Viva Italian going on which has some great deals.  Lots of store coupons which you can stack with manufacturer coupons plus a coupon for $5 off when you purchase 20 participating products!  Many of the products are on BOGO or good sale this week too! 

AND if you were lucky enough to get the $5 off $30 purchase coupon you can use that too! 

I bought everything above in two transactions since I had two sets of 20 products and I wanted to use two of the $5/$30 as well.  Total before coupons: $83.67 minus $64.15 in coupons = I paid $19.52!

I used mostly printable coupons and Publix coupons.  The Pillsbury crescent rolls/pizza dough were $1.67 each - $0.50/2 printable coupon (doubled to $1.00) - $0.25 from the $5/20 products so only $0.97 each.  AND there were peelies on the crescent rolls – Buy 3 rolls get a FREE 4 stick pack of store brand butter!  The butter was $3.19 and I got 4 for FREE saving me $12 (and I was already planning on stocking up on crescent rolls so this was just savings on top of savings!)

You can get all the details and printable links for the sale this week over at Southern Savers.

Or Passionate Penny Pincher has a post detailing how you can get 26 items at Publix for $0.76!

Crazy Coupon Caper: Below budget in groceries and got overage of $5.01 in ECB’s this week!

I love mega events at Kroger but sometimes they can tend to blow my budget!  Not this time though!  There didn’t seem to be as many freebies or really cheap deals in this mega event so I only bought 20 items this week.  I do plan to do buy more next week because there will be super cheap cheese next week (read about that in a post in a little bit.)

Kroger

Sale price: $103.16

- $5/$45 purchase coupon (from Kroger mailer)

-$10 in mega event savings

-$61.95 in coupons

I paid: $26.21

The kitten chow and toothbrushes were free after coupon, the wipes were $0.19 each after coupon, and the batteries were free with an e-coupon from playing the Kroger summer of savings game and were part of the mega event!

Publix

Not much to get at Publix but I did stock up on a few of the really cheap items.

Sale price: $20.63

- $17 in coupons

I paid: $3.63

The razors gave me $0.25 overage, the Hershey’s syrups were $0.50 after coupon, the Lea Perrins Worcestshire sauce were $0.29 after coupon and the Kraft Mayo was FREE after coupon.

You can view all these deals and more with coupon matchups at Southern Savers.

So my total for the week for groceries was $29.84, $10 under my $40 budget!  But I will probably use that $10 next week to buy some more mega items since cheese will be cheaper next week, and make an extra trip to Aldi.

CVS

Transaction #1

Sale price: $20.31

Use $2.00 coupon on Complete

Used (2) $3.00 coupons on John Frieda

Paid with $10.98 ECB

Subtotal: $0.00!  (I will explain how to do this in my new series: CVS shopping tips)

I paid: $1.33 (in tax)

Got back $13.98 in ECB’s 

Profit of $3.00 in ECB’s!

Transaction #2

The John Frieda had to be purchased in separate transactions for the ECB to print.  So I broke up my transactions – 2 on one day and 1 on another.

Sales price: $22.76

Used (2) $3.00 coupon for John Frieda

Paid with $5.00 ECB

Subtotal: $–0.01

I paid: $0.76 in tax

Got back $6.00 in ECB’s

Profit of $1.00 in ECB’s

Transaction #3

I had a raincheck from the last time that CVS had Electrasol on sale with an ECB deal.  (Buy $20 worth of Electrasol – on sale for $4.50 each, get back $10.  So had to buy 5 to get to the $20 total.) But I was waiting until the $2.50 Electrasol coupons came out again.  (I will also explain how to effectively use CVS non-expiring rainchecks to your advantage in my new series: CVS shopping tips)

Sales price: $34.78

Used (5) $2.50 Electrasol coupons

Used (2) $3.00 John Frieda coupons

Paid with $13.99 in ECB’s

Subtotal: $0.01

I paid $2.29 in tax

Got back $15.00 in ECB’s

Profit of $1.01 in ECB’s

Crazy Coupon Capers: Publix trip

I got in the last part of the Viva Italian sale at Publix last week.  I was excited to stock up on some soup for some lunches for my husband and quick dinners for us.  They ended up being $0.25 a can and the yogurt smoothies packs were $0.25 each too!

Total: $94.11

-$70.10 in coupons

I paid: $24.01

I am way below my budget for the month and will post my February spending later.

My January coupon savings

I did not do a lot of shopping or coupon shopping in January due to trying to clean out my pantry and my body (doing the Master Cleanse) so my total will be lower than normal.

January 2010

Total shelf price  - $204.52

- $76.73 coupons used

I paid $127.79 (35 % savings)

My weekly average was $29.51!  (Yay! I am well on my way to getting this total back around $40 a week!)

How about you?  Have you started keeping track of your coupon usage and grocery spending in 2010?  Leave a comment letting us know how you did or link up your post on your blog.

Crazy Coupon Capers

I loved the Mega Sale at Kroger the past 2 weeks!  I was able to get some free and very cheap stuff and stock up on some things that don’t go on sale that often.  I now have about a 5 month supply of cheese (I will be freezing some for later since most of it will expire by the end of April) that I got for $0.50 each!!! 

Here’s the total for my mega trip this week:

Total - $100.62

- $30.00 Mega savings

- $37.60 coupons

I paid $34.58! 

Just for the cheese alone at a regular price of $1.49 – I would have paid $44.70!

Crazy Coupon Capers

Here's my shopping totals for the week - my Kroger and Publix trips are pictured above.

Publix

Total - $30.20

- $18.70 in coupons

(my stores accept the $5.00 Rite Aid coupon but will stop taking it on 12/1 - so I have one more week to use it! I cannot complain though, because I have saved literally hundreds of dollars over the last year or so using competitor $/$$ coupons at Publix. I will be sure to thank my stores next week when I am in.)

I paid - $11.50!

--------------------------

Kroger

Total $30.06

- $14.55 in coupons

(All of the McCormik grinders were FREE after coupon.)

I paid $15.51!

But my cans of Kroger pumpkin rang up $1.19 not $1.09 so I got one can free and $0.10 back for each can for a total of $1.77 back making my total $13.74.

So total paid for the week $27.01, total saved $33.25! I am under my weekly budget of $40.00, the week before thanksgiving, wow! That gives me a little extra to buy a ham next week or anything else I need.

How did you go this week? Link in and share your savings and deals this week.

Crazy Coupon Capers - record breaking week!

I had the best coupon/saving week ever! Kroger is having their 2nd week of Mega sales and Publix has some great baking deals this week. I also stopped by Aldi to pick up a few things.

Total for all trips combined: $253.77

- $50.00 in Mega Savings at Kroger

- $154.14 in coupons

I paid - $49.63!!!!

paying less than $50.00 for $250.00 of groceries = priceless :)

And let me say a few things:

1. Don't worry, I did not deplete the shelves - I left plenty for others. Fortunately my stores were very well stocked. I am finding "couponing" is becoming quite popular in our area and I think our stores normally do a pretty good job of stocking the shelves on the good deals. Plus we have 4 Kroger and 3 Publix stores within a 15 mile radius.
   
   
2. I will not use all the cans of evaporated milk, etc. but I am accumulating quite a large pile of food to donate to a family in need/food pantry for the holidays. I am so thankful for the things I am able to get for free or cheap that I can then pass on to others that need them.
   
   
3. My cat loves all the free cat treats I get - he is probably the best fed cat ever! :) Also collecting pet products to a donate to a animal shelter.
   


4. My weekly budget is $40.00 so I borrowed $10 from next week for this week to account for all the great sales this week. But after this week, I am find myself hoping the deals are slow next week and I can take a short break! :)
   
   
5. I do not post this to brag or discourage you. I hope to inspire and encourage you to see how much you can save! I have been "couponing" for almost 2 years now - so these savings did not happen overnight. Also, please realize - YES, you can save money with coupons! And you can save a LOT of money with coupons with some work! I will be sharing my year-to-date savings next week so stay tuned!
   

So how did you do? Link in and share your trip!

Crazy Coupon Capers

Here's how I did on my shopping this week. Be sure to link in below to share your shopping deals for this week!

Kroger trip #1

Total - $68.00
- $52.00 in coupons
I paid - $16.00

( I forgot I had already put my refrigerated stuff away so I also bought 1 gallon of milk, 2 1/2 gallons of Kroger orange juice, and spreadable cream cheese that is not included in the picture above.)

I was so excited to find the strawberries marked down to $.77/package and I was able to buy 9 packages for a total of $6.93. I washed and cut the tops off immediately and here they are ready for the freezer.

Mmmmm, I can't wait for strawberry pies (maybe for Mother's Day!) strawberry ice cream, strawberry sauce for waffles, and smoothies!

Kroger trip #2

I made another trip later in the week since they were out of the free toilet paper and Suave deodorant and I had another $5/$45 purchase coupon to use before it expired. I loaded my buggy with mostly free after coupon items and needed something that I could buy to use the $5 from my $ off transaction coupon. Then I remembered the Unilever deal for the free ham and decided I could get about $5 off the price of the ham and still get the full price back from the rebate. Well the register I went to had horrible problems and every coupon I used required an override - needless to say in all the confusion, a few coupons were missed and I paid about $4 more than I should have if all of my coupons had gotten scanned. But I can't complain since after I get my check back from Unilever everything in this transaction will have been free and I will earn about $1.00 total.

Total - $ 62.84
-$47.30 in coupons
I paid - $15.54
I will get a check from Unilever for $16.55 (the price of the ham).

My grocery budget $40.00
I spent $31.54
but will will receive back $16.55 from Unilever making my total spent this week $16.00. So I have some extra for next week to stock up on meat or fresh veggies if I need.

CVS trip

I did make a few other CVS trips since they were out of some things and I realized the limit increased for the Tressemme but here is transaction #1 of the week.

Total 52.10
- $10/50 purchase
- $5/15 Tressemme purchase
- $25.99 in other coupons
I paid - $9.99 in ECB's and $1.75 on my GC
I earned $19.00 in ECB's making this a profit of $7.26 in ECB's

So how did you do this week?

Link in and share your shopping deals of the week!

Crazy Coupon Capers

Once again I don't have full shopping trips to share with you this week just because there wasn't the greatest deals at the stores and we really are just making doing on our stockpile quite fine. So why spend money when there is no need? That is one of the benefits of stockpiling items when they are super cheap. But here is some of the things I did get...

What I got at Publix: (this sale goes through Tuesday so you still have opportunity to take advantage of their sale - see my post here.)

Total - $16.67
minus coupons - $4.98 (Publix bleach was the penny item!)
I paid - $11.69

The Pam were 1.00 after coupon but I realized later in the week that there was a Publix coupon in the yellow advantage buy flyer that I could have used too along with my manf. coupon reducing my cost for each to $.45!! So I might have to get a few more on my trip on Tuesday.


What I got at CVS:

Total 17.22
minus coupons 8.75
I paid 7.96 in ECB's and .79 on CVS GC
I received back 8.98 in ECB's making this a profit of $.23


Deal alert!!! - look for clearance Huggies wipes at your store - this pack of wipes was 50% off -orginal 6.49 but on clearance for $3.25. I also had a $3.00 manf. coupon and a CVS CRT for $2.00 off making these wipes better than free!!


What about you? Did you get any good deals with your coupons or have any interesting experiences? Link in or leave a comment and let me know!

Crazy Coupon Capers

Since I've been so sick, I haven't felt up to any shopping trips. I'd love to see how everybody else did, though! Please link in or leave a comment and show us the great deals you got with your coupons this week!

Crazy Coupon Capers

I didn't do much shopping this week. (I feel like I say that every week!) It's hard to get out since we only have one vehicle right now, but it's probably good for me. I love shopping, so I'd probably be at it too much if I had the opportunity! I did run into Walgreens one day when we were out and I got the granola bars for free that I told you about here. I love granola bars, and I love free, so I was a happy camper!

What about you? Did you get any good deals with your coupons or have any interesting experiences? Link in or leave a comment and let me know! And although it's not required, I'd love it if you'd leave a link back to this post so others can come join in on the fun too!

Crazy Coupon Capers

Last week I didn't have a picture to show you because I hadn't done my shopping yet. I told you I was going to Rite Aid to get some diapers. Here's how the trip turned out:

2 packs Huggies diapers - $24.98 (one got conscripted for use as soon as I walked in the door - that's how badly I needed them!)

1 tub Huggies wipes -$2.50

1 Huggies baby wash - $2.50

1 Maybelline mascara - on clearance for $1.69

2 L'Oreal foundation - on clearance for $1.98 each

Total = $35.63

Used $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon

(2) $1.50 diaper coupons

(1) $.75 wipes coupon

(1) $1 baby wash coupon

(1) $1 mascara coupon

(2) $3 foundation coupons

New total = $18.88 plus tax

My total with tax was over $20, so the cashier let me use my $20 gift of savings certificate. She actually owed me $.04 at the end of the transaction.

So I left the store 4 cents richer, and I will get back $6 in rebates and a $10 gift card for the Huggies products.

How did you do? Did you get any great deals with your coupons or have any interesting experiences? Link in or leave a comment and let me know!

Crazy Coupon Capers

I thought I was going to actually have a shopping trip to share with you this week, but I still haven't made it to the store! I'm probably out shopping as you're reading this. I plan to stop at Harris Teeter for my groceries and I'll be picking up some diapers at Rite Aid since I really need them and I have a $20 Rite Aid gift certificate. I'd rather spend a gift certificate than cash, and if I spend $25 on Huggies products, I'll get a $10 gift card back. Throw a $5/$25 coupon into the mix, and I should end up with $25 worth of Huggies for $10, none of which will be actual cash.

So how did you do this week? Did you find any great deals or have any interesting coupon experiences? Link in or leave a comment and let us know!

Crazy Coupon Capers

Since I'm still out of the country, I don't have any coupon stories to share with you again this week! But I still want to see how everybody else did! Did you get any good deals with your coupons or have any interesting experiences? Link in or leave a comment and share how you did this week! I'll try not to get too jealous that I didn't get to use a single coupon for 2 weeks!

Crazy Coupon Capers

Since I'm not in the country, I didn't do any shopping this week! But I still want to see how everybody else did! Did you get any good deals with your coupons or have any interesting experiences? Link in or leave a comment and share how you did this week!

Crazy Coupon Capers

Okay, I told you I'd tell what happened later on at Walgreens. After last week's trip, I was bound and determined I was going to spend those 2 $5 Register Rewards.

My husband and I were out Saturday night, so I asked if we could stop by Walgreens and do a little shopping. I really did intend to just find a gift for someone or find something else I needed, but I just couldn't find anything I wanted to get. So, I decided that since I was in the store, I might as well make the most of it. I did 2 more moneymaking transactions and came out with 2 more $5 Register Rewards! I am a glutton for punishment! (If I can truly call making money punishment.)

I was then stuck with $20 in Register Rewards. Two were due to expire on the 20th, and 2 on the 27th. What was I going to do with those Register Rewards?!! Fortunately, I was planning on doing my shopping on Thursday the 18th. Unfortunately, there was not much good in the ad this week, and I could not find $20 worth of stuff worth buying.

I finally came up with an agreeable solution. Harris Teeter accepts competitor coupons, and I was planning to get some groceries there, so I thought "Aha! I will spend my Register Rewards on groceries!" But when I got to the register, I felt bad using $2o worth of competitor coupons since I know they will not get reimbursed for them. So I only used the 2 that were due to expire on the 20th. In the meantime, I still have $10 in Register Rewards that I need to use up by the 27th. Hopefully I will make it to the store before then.

Conclusion: I love hate love hate love hate Walgreens!!! There is a lot of money to be made there, but I am compelled to set foot in their store more often than I care to admit!

All right, now it's your turn! I want to know all about your couponing week. Did you get any great deals or have any interesting experiences? Link in or leave a comment and let me know!

Crazy Coupon Capers

I had a fun (although brain-wearying) time at Walgreens this week! My mom and I both were trying to use up our Register Rewards so we wouldn't have to worry about them expiring, but when we made our purchases, our totals were over $25 again, so we got another $5 Register Reward! So I guess we'll just have to make another trip to Walgreens. (Their strategy is only semi-working, though; they want people to come back, but they actually want people to pay them, not vice versa, as I try to make a habit of when I go!) You can check out all the details of that trip here.

So what about you? Did you have any adventures or find any great deals with your coupons this week? Be sure to link in or leave a comment and share how you did!

Crazy Coupon Capers

Sorry I didn't get to take any pictures this week. We were having company the same day that I did my grocery shopping, so I had to hurry and put everything away and get dinner made.

Here's how I did:

CVS: I picked up a couple of the monthly deals along with some clearance Propel. I ended up spending $1 ECB and $.04 cash for 3 ProMax bars and 7 bottles of Propel.

Walgreens: Almost everything was out of stock, but I found 2 of the Reach toothbrushes. I paid $3 (on a giftcard), and got back $6 in Register Rewards. I then used the Register Rewards to purchase some Vicks for my sick little boy.

Rite Aid: By utilizing the Gift of Savings promotion, and by scoring some great clearance finds, I was able to purchase 4 Christmas gifts and 2 birthday gifts for free!

Harris Teeter: I was disappointed when I got to the register only to find out that my store will no longer accept $/$$ before the other coupons. They also will now only allow 1 coupon on B1G1 items. I ended up spending $10 more than I expected to. I still was able to get $105 worth of groceries for $35.03.

So how did you do? I'd love to see some pictures since I didn't get to take any this week. Leave a comment or link and and share the deals you got with your coupons!

Crazy Coupon Capers

My shopping day was unexpectedly long this week. The last thing I wanted to do when I got home was take pictures of everything. I wanted everything put away and out of my sight! I love having pictures to show you, though, and since it wasn't exactly practical for me to get everything back out, I thought I'd show you just the things I got for free with my coupons this week.

Walmart: 6 boxes of Life cereal. Thanks goes to Jenny who gave me the heads up that Wal-Mart has these on sale for $1.00 right now. I had a whole bunch of $1.00 coupons that I had printed off a long time ago, making all six boxes free.

Food Lion: Gerber Graduates baby food. These were on sale for $1.00 each, and there is a $1.00 Food Lion printable here. (You can only print once per computer, but we have 2 computers, so I used two. You have two buy them in separate transactions, though, or the coupon won't go through.)

Harris Teeter: 2 Dole Fruit Naturals, 1 6-pack of Yoplait kids yogurt, 1 pack of Trident gum, and 2 trial size bottles of Clean and Clear. I should have gotten $1 overage on each bottle of Clean and Clear, but the manager wouldn't let me; she adjusted the coupons down. I have heard rumors that Harris Teeter is no longer going to be giving overage anymore, so I checked my receipt to see if the coupons that had doubled gave me overage or if they only doubled up to the regular price. I am thoroughly confused now, because some items gave overage and some didn't. (Regular priced items never give overage, but even some sale items didn't give overage.) I would love to clear up this mystery, so if anyone has anymore input to add, please leave a comment.

For any of you non-couponers, this was a pretty typical week for me as far as the amount of things I get free with coupons. That doesn't count the other items that I paid just a few cents for. Hopefully this will be enough encouragement for you to start using those coupons! And for the benefit of those of you just getting started, don't be discouraged if you're not getting this much stuff free every week. As your coupon stash grows, so will the amount of great deals you can get!

What's your story? Did you get any great deals with your coupons this week? Link up or leave a comment sharing how you did! If you link up, it would be lovely if you could link back to this post as well.