Monday, November 16, 2009

Breakdown

Several of you have asked how I was able to get $120 of groceries for $26. I will attempt to break it down here so you can see that this actually does work!! However, you should note: this does take TIME- and lots of it. I spend an hour clipping coupons on Sundays, and 2-3 hours getting my grocery lists ready, and then at least an hour at the grocery store each week. If I was working full time, this probably would not be worth it to me. But, for now it is a HUGE blessing!

OK, here is how I scored the sweet deals.

I am going to show you my Safeway deals because those were the best ones I got last week. I choose between Albertsons, Safeway, or Kings Soopers depending on which one has the best deals for that week. Sometimes I will go to 2 stores, if they are both having stellar deals and I have time (you still need to remember that I am about the cheapest woman in America so a great deal really gets me excited). Target and Wal-Mart are not good places to grocery shop with coupons because:
1. They don't double coupons- that adds up to tons of missed savings! (make sure wherever you go they will double your coupons- the chain grocers will typically double them up to 1.00)
2. They don't have the "mega events"- promotions like if you buy 10 participating items you get 5.00 off your order and things like that. Again, it leaves a lot of savings still in their pocket- not yours!

My shopping trip:
2 C&H Brown Sugar (2 lb bags)- on sale for 1.69 each. I had a coupons for .65 off of two, so I bought 2 for 3.38 and got a dollar off (the coupon doubled to 1.00) so I paid 2.28 for two things of 2 lb. brown sugar

2 C&H Powdered Sugar (2 lb. bags)- same deal as above

Gold Medal 5 lb. bag of flour- on sale for 2.00. No coupons, but a good price.

Nature Valley Nut Cluster- On sale for 2.99. I had an e-coupon for 1.00 off and a manufacturer's coupon for 1.00 off so the total cost came to .99.

Betty Crocker cookie mix- on sale for 1.69, had a coupon for .40 off, doubled to .80 off- total cost .89

Betty crocker frosting- on sale for 1.50, coupon for .50 off, doubled to 1.oo off- total cost .50

Green Giant canned veggies- on sale for .39. No coupons, but a great price- got 6 for 2.34

Sugar- 2.00 for 5 lb bag- no coupons, good price, got 4 bags for 8.00

Salt- needed it so I got it for .49

Progresso Soup- on sale for 1.00 a can. I had a ton of coupons which all doubled so I got 9 cans for 4.70

Ritz Crackers- regularly 3.99 each, on sale for buy one get one free. Plus, I had 2 1.00 off coupons, so I got two boxes of Ritz crackers for 2.00

Oregano- on sale for 2.02, had a coupon for .50, doubled to 1.00 total cost 1.02

Argo Corn starch- on sale for 1.49, had coupon for .50, total cost- .49

Pillsbury cookie dough- on sale for 2.50, had coupon for .50, total cost 1.50

Scrubbing Bubbles Bath Cleaner- regularly 3.99 each. On sale for buy one get one free PLUS if you bought 3 or more the price dropped to 1.99 each. I got 4 cans. Two were free because of the BOGO deal. The other two cans were 1.99 each, for a total of 4 dollars. I had two coupons for 2 dollars off two cans. Because I bought 4 cans, I got to use both coupons, so I got them all for FREE!!!

Then, Safeway is currently doing a deal where if you buy 25 dollars in participating baking items you get a 5 dollar coupon off your next purchase. I had a coupon from last week for doing that, so I got an extra 5 dollars off my order, plus I earned another 5 dollars off my next order (hence all the baking goods I bought).

Have I confused you yet???

You will notice this is all "fluff" foods- no meal foods or produce. I went to King Soopers for that and spent 33 dollars for an entire weeks worth of real food groceries. All of this food went right into food storage- where it will be used in the future! So, I basically went to Safeway just to take advantage of their great deals and stock up.

I hope this shows you that it is a lot of work, BUT- it really does work!!!! Find websites for your area that break the deals down for you- I found one in Utah called www.utahdealdiva.com and I already posted one for here and for Seattle. Ask around- surely someone you know is doing this if you want to get in on this! And, feel free to ask questions- you CAN do this! I was such a skeptic, and now I am amazed that even I am able to get $120 worth of groceries for $26!

8 comments:

  1. I know a lot of people who do this too - and you're right, it takes too much time for me to do. If I h ave extra time, I usually like to sit down. Or shower. But, since I have you here, there is no doubt you save a lot of $$ this way. I was wondering, though, how would it compare if instead of the brand name + coupon, if you did generics all the time. Certainly, still you would save $$ on the bill as a whole, but maybe it wouldn't be as dramatic? See, that's my strategy, we buy generic of many things - I hope it's working.

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  2. That's what I used to do, buy generic- and yes, it is definitely cheaper then full price name brand! (also buying what is on sale by looking at the ad before you go out and basing your meals for the week on the sales helps a little) But, I remember when I told my friend that I buy generic, she turned to me and said, "I get name brand for free." It is definitely saving me way more money to coupon- but Jenny, I know that it takes a ton of time and is a PAIN in the neck- you are way too busy! Honestly, I think this would not be worth it for any working mom, and you are that times 10. Don't feel guilty that coupon-ing isn't on your radar right now!!! For me, it feels good to be helping out with the family income by saving money instead of making money, even if I only "make" about 11 dollars an hour doing it. I have always thought that saving money was part of my job as a SAHM. If I was working, though, I would not be doing this- WAY too much work!

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  3. I love that you now share the same enthusiasm about the world of savings and coupons as i do!! :) it's so great to always have a "stockpile". i love always having meat in my freezer to plan meals around. i love it too that i always get WAY more when i shop the sales with coupons, and it really is unbelievable all things I get for free.

    Super Target does have awesome deals though. That's usually where I get name brand diapers, Pampers for $5 a pack when I have coupons and there is a sale. I even have a stockpile of Pampers diapers in my closet! Also, their 10 lb potato bag is on sale for 99 cents this week and last week I bought a 4 lb. bag of sugar for $1.67. no coupon there too! Awesome deals!

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  4. http://www.organicgrocerydeals.com/forums/view.php?pg=coupon_generator

    that is the link I use for printing target store coupons. they can always be "stacked" with manufacturer coupons. that is their target coupon policy. You can print them from this site. ALso, they have the ocean spray cranberry juice that is on sale for 1.98 this week and with the target coupon $1/1 it makes it only 98 cents a bottle! The coupon expires tomorrow though, so I'll have to go then! Oh, and you can get a 72 ct. tub of up and up baby wipes for 29 cents with the target $1/1 coupon! I already bought a dozen:), and that coupon does not expire till December 5th!! Target issues new coupons every couple of weeks! They go with their sales!!! And remember last week I was able to get 2 duncan hinze cake mixes for 39 cents! I know they do not double coupons, but some of their deals are definitely worth the savings and extra trip!!!!

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  5. Good point, Jen- Target is worth the trip for things besides groceries! Thanks for the tip on the wipes, too- I will go get some tomorrow!!!!

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  6. I would like to throw in my $.02 here: 1)I have discovered that the way to buy spices is bulk. Last time I needed to fill up my cumin jar it cost me $.29 - no coupon can beat that - and that's regular price. Nuts are also much cheaper if you buy them bulk (slivered almonds, etc). Rice can be sometimes, flour not usually.
    2) I hear that flour is like $6 for 25lbs at Costco. The urban city-dweller that I am, though, I cannot store 25lbs of flour. I usually buy store-brand in 10lb containers, though, and it is always about $4 - not on sale.

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  7. Dani- Where are you getting spices for .29? That's freakin awesome!!! Are you needing to buy a huge container of the spice, or you are able to buy it in a little baggy and pay buy the ounce??? Does anybody know of a store here that does that- Sunflower Market, perhaps? That's fantastic- definitely a WAY better deal!!!
    I have thought about getting a Costco card- that may be my next step. I haven't seen those 10 lb. containers- I will have to look for them. We go through a TON of flour, and I am at a point where I am going to start grinding my own wheat because wheat flour is so expensive, and cheaper flour would be wonderful!

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  8. I pretty much shop exclusively at Trader Joe's and Fred Meyer. Trader Joe's has lots of more interesting foods for cheaper (and usually their dairy products are cheaper), I buy their cheerios, for example, which I just like better.
    As for spices and 10lb flour bags, that's fred meyer. They have a pretty large bulk food aisle that sells everything from organic nuts and trail mix to spices that you can buy by the pound, I think - so buying an ounce or two is why it's so cheap. They sell them in the little baggies and you just buy what you need - and seriously, yah, cumin cost me $.29. They have lots of stuff from like cinnamon to even dried kelp and brewer's yeast. I realized I will never buy spices in the spice aisle again because even on sale they are a rip off. You can refill your existing containers or they sell little glass ones for like $1.50 or so - it's a one-time expense. So if you don't have a Freddy's, I'd look for something comparable, or some place that sells lots of organic stuff.
    Costco is hit or miss in terms of deals. I have actually found that Trader Joe's is comparable in price to Costco, and you don't have to buy bulk - which is hard for us in our aforementioned apartment. At costco I buy cheese sometimes, frozen meats, BUTTER IS AN AWESOME DEAL AT COSTCO, vanilla extract, canned beans, broth, canned tomatoes, raisins (which we literally go through pounds of in our house), that sort of thing. They usually have great deals on produce - berries when in season, apples, etc. Diapers are not any cheaper at costco. Wipes are a great deal, though. It's also a good place to buy water bottles if you keep those in your food storage. They also have excellent deals on kids' clothing like PJs. It's basically a good place to shop if you know how much things cost at regular stores. I luck out with my card, my parents have a business membership and get lots of extra ones free so I've never paid for mine, I'm not sure how much they cost.

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