Weekly Grocery Trip: 77% Savings

Retail Price: $123.03
My Bottom Line: $28.84
Savings: 77%

Savings Breakdown:
Coupons Tendered: $32.15
Double Coupons Tendered: $14.38
Catalina Savings: $7
Advertised Sale Savings/Markdowns: $30.66
Rebate Savings: $10 Kelloggs Rebate

You wouldn't know it by this picture that I was moving in 2 weeks! Although I've been trying to buy just basics lately-partly because we're moving and partly because the sales have been terrible-I had such a hard time turning down the sales this week! There was a great sale at Copps on Kelloggs Products which allowed me not only to take advantage of the $10 Kelloggs Mail-in-Rebate, but when I matched this offer up with coupons I had from the Sunday newspaper inserts and special Kelloggs coupon booklets I found at the store and Copps/PickNSave "Double Dayz" double coupons I was able to get $41.97 worth of groceries for just $1.20!

We should have no problem eating up our perishable items before we move, and we are planning on just bringing all the extra boxes of cereal and everything else I've managed to stockpile this summer back to Utah with us. One of the things I hate about moving is after several weeks of cleaning, packing, a long drive is to show up to your new place with weeks of unpacking and organizing and no food. In the past I would inevitably end up making a huge (and expensive) shopping trip within the first couple days to fill our cupboards. Although it might not make sense to many other people to move boxes of cereal, pasta, salad dressing, and tons of other non-perishables across the country it is SO much cheaper to do this when I can get all that food at 70-80% off the full price.

Are you curious how I manage to do this? In the weekly posts I give you the readers digest version of my grocery trips, which are mostly meant to inspire you that consistently having enormous savings by using coupons and sticking to a budget can be done! I also do it to hold myself somewhat accountable to our family budget (sometimes it's easy to get carried away with the deals). This week though I am going to do a full breakdown, step-by-step, of how exactly I combined my coupons to sales and hopefully enlighten new couponers to how you can do it too! Look for that post shortly!

$1/2 Ragu Coupon with some GREAT Scenarios

Currently, there is no print limit on the following coupon:
$1.00/2 (IE) - Ragu - (bricks.coupons.com)
$1.00/2 (FF) - Ragu - (bricks.coupons.com)
(just use your back browser, or click the link again, once it has printed)

Note: coupons are in Spanish, but I've used these before with no problem.



If you live near an Albertsons you could take advantage of this deal put together by the Krazy Coupon Lady:

{BUY 18} Ragu Pasta Sauce 13.5-26oz $1.67
Use 9:
$1.00/2 (IE) - Ragu - (bricks.coupons.com)
$1.00/2 (FF) - Ragu - (bricks.coupons.com)
Use 3 Doublers
Final Price OOP: $18.00
Receive the $15 Catalina
Final Price When factoring in Catalina: $3.00 or $.17 each


Or If you live near a Copps/PickNSave/Rainbow Foods you could use this deal on Wednesday Double Dayz:

• Ragu Pasta sauce on sale for $2 with free Roundy's 12-16 oz. Pasta (wyb 2)

Buy: 10 Ragu Pasta Sauce 16-26 oz.
5 Roundy's 12-16oz. Pasta
$5 of filler items to bring your total up to $25 (in order to double coupons)

Use 5 ragu coupons:
$1.00/2 (IE) - Ragu - (bricks.coupons.com)
$1.00/2 (FF) - Ragu - (bricks.coupons.com)
(Coupons will be automatically doubled at the register when you use your Store loyalty card)
Final Price OOP: $15.00 (or less if you have coupons to match up with your filler items)
Receive the $7 Catalina
Final Price When factoring in Catalina: $8.00 (or less) for 10 Ragu Sauces, 5 boxes of Pasta and filler items!

K-Mart Super Double Coupons This week!

It's Super Double Coupon Week at K-Mart again this week (July 5-11, 2009). As usual, not all stores are participating. To check and see if your store is participating, click here and type in your zip code. If the cover of your weekly ad has a bright red box with $2 doubles on it, your store is participating.

Here are the important things you need to know:

• Coupons up to $2 will be doubled. No overage will apply.

• You can only double up to 4 like coupons per transaction.

• You can only double 10 total coupons per trip.

• Internet coupons are accepted.

• Your total before coupons must be at least $25 in order for the computer to double your coupons.

• Sales tax will apply to your pre-coupon total.

Due to the new rules imposed, the way to make the most of the Double Coupon event would be to plan to make multiple smaller shopping trips each totaling just over $25 before coupons and only using 10 doubled coupons total. It will take a little bit more strategy, but the deals are so plentiful, it shouldn't be too hard to pull off.

FREEBIES WITH PRINTABLE COUPONS

Buy 4 General Mills Cereals or Fruit Snacks in One Transaction and Get Them for $1.50 Each
There are coupons here, here, here, here, and here for a variety of these cereals.

*Best Deal*
Buy 4 boxes of Cheerios and/or Total cereals
Use $1/1 or $0.75/1 coupons here, here, or at the links listed above
Get 4 boxes of cereal for free after this promotion and the Double Coupon Event!

Aveeno Body lotion (2.5 oz.)--$3.15
Use $2/1 printable coupon
Free after doubled coupon

Visine A (0.5 oz.)--$3.99
Use $2/1 printable coupon
Free after doubled coupon

Del Monte fruit Chillers Cups--$1.99
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Free after doubled coupon

Dry Idea Roll on Deodorant--$3.99
Use $2/1 printable coupon
Free after doubled coupon

Kotex Liners (18 count)--$1.29
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Free after doubled coupon

Dove Ultimate Deodorant---$3.99
Use $2/1 coupon here
Free after doubled coupon

Post Trail Mix Crunch Cereal--$3.99
Use $2/1 coupon from here
Free after doubled coupon

OTHER FREEBIES

Pantene--$3.33 each
Use $2/1 coupon from the 7/5 inserts
Free after doubled coupon

Edge shaving gel--$1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/17 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Skintimate shaving cream--$1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 4/26 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Bayer Chewable Low Dose 81mg Aspirin (36 tablets)--$1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/31 RedPlum insert
Free after doubled coupon

Bayer Low Dose Aspirin 81mg (32 tablets)--$1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/31 RedPlum insert
Free after doubled coupon

Lipton Tea Bags (16 count)--$1.06
Use $0.60/1 coupon from the 6/28 RedPlum insert
Free after doubled coupon

St. Ives Apricot Scrub (6 oz.)--$2.79
Use $1.50/1 coupon from the 5/10 SmartSource insert (expires 7/10)
Free after doubled coupon

A1 Steak Sauce---$3.29
Use $2/1 coupon from the 5/10 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Trident Gum--$1.29
Use $0.75/1 coupon from the 5/9 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Reach Toothbrush--$2.00
Use $1/1 coupon from the 3/15 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Act Total Care--$3.99
Use $2/1 coupon from the 5/31 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

LA Looks--$1.49
Use $1/1 coupon from the 6/7 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Bayer Aspirin--$1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/31 RedPlum insert
Free after doubled coupon

Reach Floss--$1.49
Use $1/1 coupon from the 6/14 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Kraft BBQ Sauce--$1.29
Use $0.75/1 coupon from the 6/14 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Smart Water--$1
Buy 1 and use $1/2 coupon from the 6/27 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Wishbone Salad Dressing--$1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 6/28 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Johnson's Safety Swabs--$1.49
Use $1/1 from the 4/26 RedPlum insert
Free after doubled coupon

Purell (20 oz.)--$1.49
Use $1/1 from the 4/26 RedPlum insert
Free after doubled coupon

Right Guard Deodorant--$2
Use $1/1 from the 4/19 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Oust--$3.00
Use $2/1 coupon from the 5/10 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Playtex Gloves--$1.59
Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/3 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Renuzit Spray Mist--$1.79
Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/17 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Knorr Side Dishes--$1
Use $0.50/1 coupon from the 6/28 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Bumble Bee Tuna Pouches (3 oz.)--$1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 6/14 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Wishbone Salad Dressing--$1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 6/28 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Starbucks Frappaccino or Double Shot--$2 (single serve)
Use $1/1 coupon from the 6/21 SmartSource insert
Free after doubled coupon

Temptations Treats Pet Food--$1.89
Use $1/1 coupon from the 4/26 RedPlum insert
Free after doubled coupon

Goodlife for Cats--$2
Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/3 RedPlum insert
Free after doubled coupon

Other extensive double coupon lists for K-Mart:

My Frugal Adventures

Common Sense With Money

Coupon Clippin' Momma

Comparison Shopping Trip

Before my days of clipping coupons, looking at weekly store ads and watching sales I used to do the bulk of my shopping at Wal-Mart (and a little bit at Costco). Although I still shop at both of these stores on occasion, I have discovered that what often seem to be the most expensive stores are usually the cheapest ones to shop at as opposed to these stores which opt for "everyday low prices" instead of weekly sales and promotions.
What I used to think of as "expensive stores" were really only expensive to the non-bargain savvy. I didn't know how to judge a good sale, and utilize coupons to their full potential. I also would occasionally scan the ads and get frustrated by what seemed to be pages full of terribly-priced items. I just thought it was cheaper, less time consuming and certainly easier to just go to Wal-Mart for my main shpping trips. It certainly was easier, but now that I have some experience under my belt I see that it definitely was NOT less expensive.

To prove my point I thought it would be interesting to do some comparison shopping. I chose to use my grocery trip from this past Wednesday (I shopped at Copps/PickNSave, Festival Foods & Piggly Wiggly) to compare, simply because it was the freshest in my mind.
I didn't think that the sales this week were that great (compared to previous weeks) so I also thought this would maybe sway the vote in Wal-Marts favor, home of "Always Low Prices."


First I went to Wal-Mart and collected all the pricing info for the products I bought.
Here's the run-down of how the stores lined up:


I should point out, as I stated in my previous blog post the original total price (price before sales & promotions) at Copps/Festival Foods/Piggly Wiggly was about $138. As you can see by the above chart the total Wal-Mart price for the same items is only $104.45. Wal-Mart obviously wins the "everyday" price comparison. But, as I said above now I watch the sales and plan my shopping trips and meals around sales instead of my shopping trip around what I feel like eating for the week. You can see that the total price after sales/promos for Copps/FF/PW is only $88.24. Even before coupons are factored in I am already saving about $16!

By carefully scanning each stores ad, and using my Price Point sheets I am able to determine what items in the add were actually a good deal, or "loss leaders" (items that the retailers sell at a loss in order to lead you into the store) as opposed to the prices in the ads that were rubbish.

Perhaps though you still aren't convinced. A $16 price difference might not be enough to persuade a busy person to take the time to look through ads, compare prices and make multiple stops at various grocery stores instead of one stop at a SuperCenter.

Here's where the real money saving comes into play:
I maximized my savings by then matching up those items I planned to purchase to manufacturers coupons. I was also able to take advantage of a couple "FREE item" coupons (one for a free box of Always Inifinity, and one for a free tube of Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste) for even more savings. Copps had 2 promotions running this week which required various minimum purchases in order to get the best price, and these "free item" coupons allowed me to reach those minimum limits without spending more money out of pocket (See this post for more information on how to use coupons for free items in the best way).

Also Copps has weekly "Double Daze" in which they double 5 manufacturers coupons, up to $1, with a minimum $25 purchase (before coupons). I was able to combine the double daze discount with each promotion (I did two separate transactions, one about $26 before coupons and the other about $39 before coupons, so I could double 10 coupons). This is what I like to call "double dipping," when I can get two (or more) different (non-coupon) discounts applied towards the same product.

Because of the various promotions I could take advantage of at Copps which aren't available at Wal-Mart, I increased the value of my coupon savings there. Below I have complied the list of all the coupons I used, and outlined which I would have been able to use at Wal-Mart had I purchased the same items there, and which I was able to use at my Copps/FF/PW grocery trip. (You'll have to double-click on the image to enlarge it)


As you can see I used almost $30 of actual coupons (it varied because the two "Free item" coupons would have deducted a different amount at each store depending on the item's purchase price). At Wal-Mart my coupons would have been scanned at face value, and that's all. My $104 total would have been brought down to $75.69 after using coupons, which is a savings of about 28%. Not bad.

But, by shopping the sales, and combining my coupons to promotions and doubling some, when possible I was able to increase the value of my coupons to $56.55! This brought my total from $88.24 down to a low $31.69! Now my savings has become about 64% off the sale price!

Sales + coupons + catalina promotions + double coupons =$31.69
"Everyday low price" + coupons = $75.69

Is that now worth your time? Just something to think about.

K-Mart Double Coupon Deals

Most (if not all) K-Mart locations across the country should be participating in Double Coupons next week. Go here for a list of deals you can get next week (Thanks Common Sense With Money). There are many things that will be free or almost free! I'm so sad that the nearest K-Mart is 30 miles away, so I can't take advantage of it this time.


K-mart Double Coupons Explained:

• They double all week, Sunday through Saturday, and they will double any manufacturer coupon up to $2 in Value.
  
• All you need to do, is bring your coupons in, and their registers will automatically take off the $2 (or matching value).
  
• They do automatically adjust the "double" down so that you don't get overage (i.e. if the price of the product is $1.50 and you have a $1 coupon it'll take $1 off and then only 50 cents as the "double" to make the item free rather than taking another $1 and giving you an overage of 50 cents).
  
• Their computers are not perfect and sometimes won't take off the right amount, or the double, just watch closely as they scan your coupons to make sure it gets doubled.
  
• K-mart is limiting each customer to 10 coupons per customer, per day.

K-Mart Double Coupons

Many KMart locations next week will be doubling manufacturers coupons, up to $2. Just enter your zipcode in here to see next weeks ad. If your store is doubling coupons then if will have something like this on the front page:

These are the rules for doubling coupons at K-Mart:
-Manufacturer Coupons up to $2
-Does not include Kmart Store Coupons
-Does not include Kmart Pharmacy Store Coupons
-Does not include copies of manufacturer coupons
-Limit 10 total coupons per customer per day
-Doubled up to current retail price of a single item

While K-Mart's prices are normally quite high and out of my price points, in the past I've found many things there free or almost free after double coupons.

Weekly Shopping Trip

Well this week was a little higher than usual (I try to only spend $50-60 each week for groceries). Part of the reason why is because I found Pampers diapers on clearance at Target, which when I matched up a target coupon and a manufacturers coupon I had made them a really good deal. It was 116 size 5 Pampers Baby Dry, it cost just over $17 which works out to less than 15 cents/diaper (which is a really good price); and although I don't need diapers right now these along with my others should last almost the rest of the way through the summer!

Another good find was the Mug RootBeer & Sierra Mist (both Pepsi products) for $1. I have a rebate for $5 when you buy 4 Pepsi Brand 2-L, so I made $1 buying those 4. You can find these rebate forms at Walgreens stores, and my Walmart had these for $1 this week if you're interested.

We also got a ridiculous amount of cream cheese, and I'm definitely seeing some tasty cheesecake in our near future! I also stocked up on tortillas because I've discovered a serious lack of mexicans out here in Wisconsin and hence a serious lack of mexican food (and the stuff they do have at the store is way more expensive than it was in Utah).

I'm still struggling to find a good and inexpensive source for produce (I miss Sunflower Farmers market!!), so right now I'm paying about twice what I did in Provo...but I try to use that stuff as fillers in my double coupon sales. There is also a local farmers market opening up in a few weeks out here, which I can't wait for!

Anyways, here's my grocery haul:

Before Sales, Coupons & Rebate: Over $245

My total out of pocket: $96 (61% savings)

So Many Sidekicks

Here's another weekly grocery post.

I was going to do one last Wednesday too (my grocery shopping day) because I got a lot of really great deals last week, but after I spent so much time arranging my food on my table for a picture, my camera batteries died.

Anyways, this week isn't as glorious as last, but there were still good deals to be had; like Lipton Sidekicks for about 15 cents each (they aren't called "sidekicks" in the states, but they are in Canada, and I think it's a cooler name).

Anyways, here's my groceries for the day:

I did my shopping in two trips, hence two pictures.
So although I now have more pasta, Ragu, yogurt, and sidekicks that I know what to do with, it was pretty cheap.

The grand total was $24.42
(Before sales and coupons was $147.78)
Savings of 85%