Yep, you read that right! I saved $150 on groceries! Actually, $150.91 if you want to be picky about it!
First, I went to Publix because it is my favorite place to shop. The people are so friendly and it is such a nicely laid out store. I used $25 in coupons, a $5 coupon from Winn-Dixie, and took advantage of $47.50 in buy-one-get-one-free deals. All totaled, that comes to $77.50 in savings! In the end, I paid $20.00 before taxes.
One thing I’d like to point out here is to check with your local grocery stores as to whether or not they take competitor coupons. Winn-Dixie sent me a coupon for $5 off a $30 order and Publix takes competitor coupons. They do not, however, match advertised prices so I couldn’t use the Winn-Dixie price on brats with the Publix coupon to get a great deal. For just a little bit of work, I saved nearly 80% on my groceries!
Next, I went to winn-Dixie. My total bill before any sales or deals was $106.12. Then, I had the cashier scan my Winn-Dixie Rewards card and the total went down to $69.60. I also had a Winn-Dixie coupon for $10 off a $50 order, so that brought the total to $59.53. Finally, I gave the cashier my stack of coupons and took that total all the way down to $32.33! Hurray! Once again, all totaled, it comes to a savings of $73.41 or nearly 70% on the grocery bill.
The lesson here is to register for the grocery store clubs. Most of the deals I found would not have been possible if I didn’t have that card which entitled me to certain advertised sales. I also sign up for baby clubs at all the grocery stores – they send you coupons for baby items and other grocery items. Both of my Winn-Dixie “total order” coupons were from their baby club mailing.
What would have cost me $203.62 before any sales or coupons only took $52.33 out of my pocket! Cutting coupons takes a little bit of time. Watching the sales takes a little bit of planning. Saving 74% on your groceries is so worth it!
Another thing I’d like to point out is the deal that I missed because of an expired coupon. Sara Lee issued a coupon to get free eggs, up to $2.59, when you buy two loaves of their white bread. Because eggs are very very cheap right now, the flats of 30 eggs are $2.44 at WalMart. With the coupon, those eggs are free – and I had two coupons! So, that’s 60 eggs for free which equals lots of meals for my family. The loaves of bread are about $0.20 more than what I normally spend on the store brand of bread. $0.20 times four loaves of bread is $0.80 more that I would have spent in order to get 60 eggs. That’s a great deal! EXCEPT THAT THE COUPON EXPIRED TWO DAYS EARLIER!!!!! Boy, was I bummed!! I asked at the checkout anyway just in case they would have mercy on me. The computers keep track of the expiration dates, so even if the cashier wanted to help me out and let the coupon through, she couldn’t have. 
So, if you are going to spend the time buying the newspaper, cutting out coupons, and watching the sales, make sure your coupons are organized. There are many different methods to organize coupons from a very small coupon holder that you can buy at any store to a binder with holder inserts. Try a few different methods until you find one that works for you. Then, you will never miss a deal like the one I missed!
As of two nights ago, I have moved from the binder style to the Money Saving Mom style of coupon organization. It’s cheaper and I hope it will help me stay more organized.
I hope you are inspired by my success (and failure) to get out there and save some money on your groceries! You CAN do it!
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Great post and the blog is looking great!
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