This week has been a little crazy! Several of you have asked to see the news clips (which is so very sweet of you.) The Wednesday appearance is available to watch here or you can check out the Thursday spot here.
I usually get up verrrrry early (as in, the middle of the night for most people) to get as much done as possible before the girls wake up, so my regular schedule was definitely off this week. Luckily I have the BEST husband in the whole world who does a fantastic job taking over the hectic morning routine when mommy’s not around. {Thanks honey!}
I will be on WINK again on Wednesday, October 26th at 7:20am to talk about planning Thanksgiving Dinner on a budget, and on Wednesday, November 23rd at 7:20am to talk about Black Friday coupon deals.
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But now on to shopping….I had a rare moment of shopping impulsivity yesterday when I decided to get both a spaghetti squash and a butternut squash. They just sounded so fall-ish and yummy. They were both on sale for $0.99 a pound, but man, those suckers are heavy! I also needed milk and because I was in a hurry and couldn’t find the CVS list I had so carefully prepared on Sunday (but then not used due to our boating adventure), I decided to just get it at Publix.
The combination of the squash and milk definitely brought my savings percentage way down, which is a good lesson if you are wondering why you’re not saving more at the grocery store. I normally pick out the very best deals & most rock bottom prices each week, and then stick to ONLY what is on my list. Just a few impulse buys or non-sale items will really make a difference in your bottom line.
That said, I certainly don’t feel even a little bit bad for buying squash and milk. We still have to eat and (say it with me) ANY savings is better than none!
Here is what I got:
At Publix I spent $33.89 for $93.92 worth of groceries, a savings of 64%
Grocery Breakdown
$5.00/$25.00 Purchase Save-A-Lot Competitor Coupon Ragu Pasta Sauce, 16-24oz, BOGO @ – $2.67 $1.50/2 Ragu Pasta Sauce Printable (NLA) Final price: $0.58 each Pace Chunky Salsa, 16oz, BOGO @ – $2.79 $0.75/2 Pace Product, exp. 11/30/11 (SS 08/28/11) Final price: $1.02 each Fruit 20 Purified Water Beverage, 6 pack 16oz bottles, BOGO @ – $3.09 $0.55/1 Fruit 20 Six-Pack Printable Final price: $0.99 each Aunt Jemima Frozen Pancakes or French Toast, BOGO @ – $2.77 $1/2 Aunt Jemima Pancakes or Waffles, exp. 9-30 (SS 08/14/11 R) Final price: $0.88 each Bob Evans Refrigerated Side Dish – $2.99 B1G1 Bob Evans Refrigerated Side Dish printable $1/1 Bob Evans Refrigerated Side Dish printable Final price: $0.99 each Totino’s Crisp Crust Party Pizza – $1.25 $1/2 Totino’s Party Pizza printable Final price: $0.75 each 50% off Sara Lee Frozen Desserts, Starting @ $3.79 $1/1 Sara Lee Sweet Goods Product, exp. 10/31/11 (RP 08/07/11 R) Final price: $0.89 each Quilted Northern Double Roll Bath Tissue, 12 ct – $6.49 $1 off Quilted Northern Double Roll Bath Tissue Target printable $1.00/1 Quilted Northern 12 ct or more (Peelie!) Final price: $4.49 ($0.37 per double roll–awesome price!) Spaghetti Squash @ $0.99 a pound Final price: $3.38 Butternut Squash @ $0.99 a pound Final price: $2.76 Bartlett Pears @ $0.88 a pound Final price: $1.25 2% Milk, 1 Gallon-$3.79 * * *And now it’s your turn! Seeing others’ examples is one of the best ways to learn new couponing strategies, hints, and hot deals. If you have a blog, please link up your coupon savings here. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to share your shopping experiences in a comment below.
Shopping list prepared at:
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Pounds4Pennies September 30, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Ok did I miss the linky?
Ruth September 30, 2011 at 7:15 pm
No sorry, I updated a link and accidentally deleted the code. It’s back now!
Pounds4Pennies September 30, 2011 at 9:32 pm
I do that all the time too!
NettyDnDayton September 30, 2011 at 7:13 pm
Hi Ruth
Great job on the Thursday spot you had on TV.
Ruth September 30, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Thank you!
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving October 1, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Indeed. Any savings is better than none! We all have our weeks where our savings aren’t as high as we like, but compared to many people, our savings are constantly amazing!
TONI October 2, 2011 at 1:20 am
Can I stack a buy one Get one free manufacturer coupon with another manufacturer coupon for a dollar amount off ?Thanks
Claire October 2, 2011 at 6:44 am
You can use one B1G1 MQ and 1 MQ for every two items – the B1G1 applies to the first item and the other MQ applies to the second (or vice versa – either way you have two items and can generally use two coupons). Hope that helps!
PS – if the item you are buying also happens to be BOGO (this is what we like to call “coupon Nirvana”
then you can still use both coupons – the store BOGO sale means you are paying for only one, the B1G1 MQ means you are now getting two FREE and the MQ is an MM (MoneyMaker). Now, if you also had two store coupons to stack with a BOGO AND B1G1 MQ (I am not sure I have ever hit that trifecta yet) it would indeed be a moment worth capturing on video!!
Ruth October 2, 2011 at 10:37 am
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
TONI October 2, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Thanks that helps alot
Ruth October 2, 2011 at 10:38 am
Yes! (Read Claire’s perfect answer for the explanation.)
heather October 2, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Ohh!! Hope you share your recipe for the spaghetti and butternut squash!! Those fall yummies are much too labor intensive for me!!
Mary October 2, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Hi Ruth,
Quick question… my Walgreens store stopped taking internet printed coupons saying that they’ve been getting some that the manufacturer won’t accept. Is this a new Walgreens policy and if it itsn’t, is my store allowed to make up their own coupon rules? Do you think there’s anything I can do?
Thanks for your help!
Amanda P October 3, 2011 at 8:48 am
I was wondering about the save alot coupon, Having trouble printing it, saying that there is a error and application ha expired. help?????
Ruth October 4, 2011 at 10:21 am
I think that promotion is now over. Mine expired on 10-2.
Amanda P October 4, 2011 at 11:41 am
Thanks
Pounds4Pennies October 4, 2011 at 7:30 pm
I usually get around 60% or more. I buy milk, eggs and bread at Kroger. This throws off the percentages a bit. But this is food I need.