Getting Back To Couponing

I know I haven't posted in quite a while, and all I can say is what a wild few weeks!  Sometimes life just happens and you have to take a step back and deal with it.  I think the main thing was that I had taken on too many tutoring hours and that just made everything spiral out of hand.

My hours have calmed down now, and I am slowly but surely getting things back to normal around here (well, I was until my daughter got sent home with round 2 of headlice in 5 weeks time!  That caused a bit of extra laundry and time restraints!)

But, yes I am still around.  I am trying to refocus on my wise spending habits, as we had taken a detour through lack of menus and fast food drive throughs!  I've gotten all my coupons back in order, and for some reason that really helped me realize that there were really good deals to be had at the grocery stores this week!  (It's amazing what being familiar with your coupons will do!)

I was afraid I had completely forgotten how to use coupons it had been so long, but I think I did pretty well with an angry 3 year old in tow!

I went to two stores today:  Kroger and Albertsons.   I have been finding good milk markdowns when I go to Kroger, and today was no exception.   It wasn't necessarily a great "deal" today, as the mark down made the price the same as I would have paid at Aldi, but it saved me a trip to Aldi to get milk, so I was pleased.

Here is everything I got at Kroger:

I got 2 sets of mega items, plus a few other items we needed, and I spent $30.44 in all.   I thought that sounded a little high, but I was pleased still....until I just started looking over my receipt!  Those two jars of cheez whiz that you see marked for $0.35 each actually rang up for $4.29 each, so I was overcharged by nearly $8!  (I might have noticed had the angry three year old not been trying to grab candy!)  I will be going back down there to get my refund this afternoon!

After Kroger, I ran into Albertsons for a few of the frozen items they had on sale:

After coupons, I ended up paying just $5.89 for all of this.

I am stocked back up on fish sticks and chicken nuggets for a while, and I got them at below Aldi prices (that is my comparison these days).  I'm going to attempt to curb our late night pizza cravings with  frozen instead of Pizza Patron.  I've got some easy breakfast that will be a treat for the kids because we don't have them often and they are getting bored of the same old options.  I'm excited about my Silk because it's been soooo long since I've bought some, and I am ready for egg dying I do believe.

Did you get any good deals this week?

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Shopping Trip: Kroger And Albertsons

I *finally* made it out to the store and used some coupons again today!   It had been so long that I was afraid I had forgotten how, but everything went very well.  I even was able to get some Halloween markdowns!

Here's what I picked up at Kroger:

Shelf Price:  $52.18
Sale Price:   $28.20    (already 46% savings)
Price Paid After Coupons:  $21.20      59% Savings


Here's what I picked up at Albertsons:

Shelf Price:  $62.21
Sale Price:   $24.56  (Already  61 % Savings)
Price Paid After Coupons:  $16.66    73 % Savings



Altogether today, I spent $37.86 on $114.39 worth of groceries.  That's an average savings of  67%!

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Kroger Trip 9/11

After my CVS trip, I headed over to Kroger.  I had intended to also go to Aldi today, but decided that there were so few things I needed, I would just pick them up while I was at Kroger, and there honestly wasn't that much of a price difference anyway.

Here's what I picked up:

I got one set of Mega Sale items.  I was looking for Multigrain Pringles, but they were all sold out, so I opted for Capri Sun instead.  I didn't have coupons, but at $1.49 that beats the Aldi price by $0.40 and we will definitely use these in the lunchbox, so it wasn't a bad substitution.  I think I'm stocked up with drinks for the whole fall semester now.

I'm going to be doing some freezer cooking, but I was out of pans.  Well those aluminum foil pan 3 packs are what I was going to get, and they were on sale B2G1 FREE, so that was a nice surprise.   I was going to buy 2 anyways. ;)

Also, what they are sitting on is a 12 pack of kroger brand toilet tissue.   It was something that I planned on getting at Aldi, but a little coupon fairy had left a Kroger store coupon from a home mailer sitting right in front of them, so I grabbed it and saved $0.85! ;)

I was also nearly out of frozen veggies, so I grabbed a few while I was there.  $0.05 more than Aldi, but so worth it since the stores are in opposite directions from my house.

I also found this fresh organic mint marked down.  I've never actually used fresh mint, but for that price I figured it would be a nice thing to try.   I'm totally open to suggestions!


Total Shelf Price:  $55.64

Total Sale Price:   $40.45

Price Paid After Coupons:  $35.24  (not many coupons today)  37% Savings



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Shopping Trip 8/20: Kroger & Albertsons

This morning I went to two stores.   I had not been shopping with coupons in a LONG time, and I had both girls with me so I thought that it very well could end up being a bust, but we actually had a pretty calm and successful outing.

Our first stop was Kroger.  I had a few things on my list that I wanted to get at Kroger, and also I just really enjoy hitting Kroger in the mornings because you never know what sorts of markdowns you are going to find!

I got one set of mega sale items, several SunnyD (and used this coupon), and some markdown items.

Total Shelf Price:  At *least*  $66.19  (I don't actually know the original prices of all the marked down items)
Total Sale Price:   $38.42
Price Paid After Coupons:  $30.54    At *least* 54% Savings


Then we went to Albertsons, and I got all of this:

Total Shelf Price:  $57.44
Total Sale Price:   $25.75
Price Paid After Coupons:  $15.31   73% savings


So altogether today I spent $45.85 on over $125 worth of groceries.   That's an average savings of over 63%.

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Kroger Trip 7/9: Freezer Bags and $0.19 Milk

After my large Albertsons trip this afternoon, I made a quick run into Kroger, which is just down the street.   They had a stock up price on Hefty freezer bags, and if you do any freezer cooking, you need freezer bags.  I had ran out and had been buying one pack at a time at Aldi as the need arose.   I would often not realize I was down to my last few bags, and I just don't like to live that way!

I grabbed some of those, and picked up a few things that I had free coupons for from Purex and BzzAgent promotions.  I also picked up a gallon of milk while I was there.  It was on sale for $2.19, which is the same price at Aldi.  


Here's what I bought:

Everything except for the milk:


Shelf Price:  $50.21


Sale Price:  $27.99  Already 44% Savings


Price Paid After Coupons:  $6.26   88% Savings


Plus I got back a $2 off my next order coupon.


Because I knew I would be getting this back, and I haven't been going to Kroger very regularly (since they stopped doubling coupons....), I chose to pay for my milk in a separate transaction, and use this coupon to pay for it, so it only cost me $0.19!

Altogether today at Kroger, I paid $6.45 for $53.20 worth!

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Kroger Deals 4/11-4/17

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Kroger this week:


Meat:


Boneless Top Sirloin Steak  $2.99/lb

Kroger Value Drumsticks Or Thighs  $0.99/lb

Assorted Pork Loin Chops   $1.69/lb


Produce:


Avocados or Mangoes   $1 each

Blackberries  6oz.   $1.25 each

Fuji Apples, Anjou or Bosc Pears  $1.00/lb

Corn  6 for $2

Broccoli Crowns or Green Beans   $1.25/lb


Other:


Half Gallon Kroger Milk   $1  (Get 2!  That's $2 for 1 Gallon!)

Kraft Or Sargento Cheese 5-8oz. BOGO FREE

V8 or V8 Fusion   $1.99

Mission Fajita Grande  10 ct.   $1.00

Kroger American Cheese slices 12ct.  $1.00

Kettle Baked Chips

• Use $1/1 from 3/18  RP

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Kroger Deals 4/4-4/10

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Kroger this week:


Produce:


Sweet Potatoes  $0.57/lb

Corn  6 for $2

Green Beans or Brussels Sprouts  4lbs. for $5

Strawberries  3 for $5


Other:

Kroger Butter   $1.99 each



Seriously, there's not much going on at Kroger.  Nothing I'd waste a coupon on for sure. =(

Holiday weeks are usually slow for sales though, so I'm expecting something big starting next week!

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Kroger Deals 3/21-3/27

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Kroger this week:

Meat:


Boneless Top Sirloin   $2.99/lb

Split Chicken Breasts or Drumsticks   $0.99/lb


Produce:


Texas Sweet Onions  $0.48/lb

Asparagus  $1.77/lb


Other:


Powerade 32. oz   $0.59

Ragu Pasta Sauce  $0.99

V8 Or V8 Fusion  $1.99

• V8 printables

Mega Event:  *Buy 10 Save $5*


Dannon Yogurt  $1.49 each *

Sunny D  $0.99 each*

Country Crock 15 oz.  $0.99 each *

Bumble Bee Tuna  $0.79 each *

Kettle Chips  $2.49 each*

• Use $1/1 from 2/26 SS or 3/18 RP

Fuze  $0.79 each *

Kraft Fresh Take  $1.99 each*

• Use $1/1 from 2/26 SS

Philadelphia Cooking Creme  $1.99 each*

• Use $0.55/1 from 2/26 SS

Hormel Pepperoni  $2.49 each*

Skintimate or Edge Shave Gel  $1.49 each*

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Kroger Deals 3/7-3/13

Here are the best prices I see at Kroger this week:



Meat:




Pork Spareribs   $1.99/lb


Produce:




Broccoli  $1.00/lb

Green Beans, Zucchini, Yellow Squash   $1.25/lb


Other:


Kettle Brand Chips  $2.29

• Use $1/1 from 1/8 or 1/29 RP =  $1.29

Silk almond Coconut or Soy   $2.79

• $0.55 off one Silk Soymilk or Almondmilk
• $1.00 off one Silk Pure Coconut

Yoplait  $1.99

• Use various coupons in 2/5 GM or 1/22 SS

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Kroger Deals 2/29-3/6

I'll be honest, there isn't a whole that I find exciting at Kroger this week.  They are having their big "Cartbuster Savings event", but I find the prices to be just "ok".  Perhaps that's because they will no longer double coupons, so nothing is quite as inexpensive there as it once was.


Here are the very few things I see that might be worth a trip to Kroger:

Kroger Value Chicken leg Quarters  $0.59/lb

Kroger Cheese     6-8 oz.    3 for $5

Michelina's Frozen Entrees   $0.88

Silk Half Gallon (Almond, Coconut Or Soy)  $2.79

• Use:
• 

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Kroger Deals 2/22-2/28

Here are the best deals I see advertised at Kroger this week.  The Mega Sale from last week is still going on, so many of the prices are the same.

Mega-Sale  (Buy 10 Items, Save $3 Now, AND Get $2 OYNOCoupon):
* denotes prices when buying 10 participating items


Kraft BBQ Sauce    $0.69*

Totino's Party Pizza   $0.95*

• Coupons in 1/8 GM and 1/29 SS
• $1/5 Printable

Grand's Biscuits 8ct.  $0.99*

• Coupons in 12/4 SS, 12/11 SS, 1/8 GM, 2/5 GM

Hot Pockets   $1.69*

GG Valley Fresh Steamers  $1.69*

Dannon Yogurt (many varieties)  $1.99*

• 1/29 SS

Country Crock   $2.49*

• $1/1 Printable = $1.49

Dove/Degree Deodorant   $1.69*

Sauve Men/Kids Shampoo   $1.55*

Other:


Kroger Cheeses 6-8oz.  3 for $5


50% Off Sale  (all items half price, prices will be marked on shelf)


Kellogg's Cereal
Keebler Cookies
Brawny Paper Towels
Orville Reddenbacher
Pillsbury Brownie Mix
Zatarain's Rice Or Pasta
Close Up Toothpaste
Nature Made Vitamins or Supplements (printables available)
L'eggs Hosiery & Tights

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Kroger Trip: Saved 77%

After looking over the new sale ads this morning, and doing a few coupon match-ups, I realized that some coupons I had been wanting to use to stock back up (I was down to 2 packs), expired today!  They happened to be on sale at Kroger, and I happened to be heading to the library just down the street from Kroger, so I grabbed my coupons before we left.  I had also won a couple of items in the Kroger instant win game that is going on now (mac n cheese and gatorade), and had a couple free item coupons from a Kroger home mailer (dressing and toothpaste).

Here is what I came with, and my budding young photographer:

Total Shelf Price:  $26.78
Total Sale Price:   $21.71
Total OOP After Coupons:  $6.03    $0.46 of which was tax.   That's a savings of 77%

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Kroger Deals 2/15-2/21

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Kroger this week:


Meat:


Kroger Value Split Chicken Breasts, Drumsticks, or Thighs   $0.99/lb.


Produce:


Broccoli Crowns  $1.00/lb


Other:


Eggs   $0.88  (limit 3 with $10 purchase)

Stayfree Pads  $2.49

• Use BOGO from 1/8 SS  (EXPIRES 2/15!!)  

Gillette/Satin Care Shave Gel   $1.79

Colgate Toothpaste/Toothbrush   $1.00

• Coupons in 1/29 SS for brush and paste  (expires 2/18)

Mega-Sale  (Buy 10 Items, Save $3 Now, AND Get $2 OYNO Coupon):
* denotes prices when buying 10 participating items




Kraft BBQ Sauce    $0.69*

Totino's Party Pizza   $0.95*

• Coupons in 1/8 GM and 1/29 SS
• $1/5 Printable

Grand's Biscuits 8ct.  $0.99*

• Coupons in 12/4 SS, 12/11 SS, 1/8 GM, 2/5 GM

Hot Pockets   $1.69*

GG Valley Fresh Steamers  $1.69*

Dannon Yogurt (many varieties)  $1.99*

• 1/29 SS

Country Crock   $2.49*

Dove/Degree Deodorant   $1.69*

Sauve Men/Kids Shampoo   $1.55*

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Kroger Deals 2/8-2/14

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Kroger this week:


Meat:


Ribeye Steak   $4.99/lb

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Tenders, Thighs   $1.99/lb


Produce:


Asparagus   $0.99/lb

Red Seedless grapes   $1.29/lb

Pears  $1.00/lb


Other:


Milk  $2.38/gallon

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Shopping Trip 1/31: Albertsons And Kroger

Not only was today the last day of the sale ads here, its also the last day of the month, so that meant many of my coupons were expiring.   I spent most of the evening last night combing through my inserts and clipping out some that expired today or next week that I thought might make for good deals, and also putting together lists to shop at the remaining two stores I wanted to go to.

My first stop was Albertsons.  I like when Albertsons does Mega Sales, but I'm not sure if it's just my store or what, but they NEVER have the mega sale prices marked on the items.  There are no Mega Sale signs anywhere.  Its very frustrating.  I always fear that things won't ring up right, and usually have to scamper back to the front of the store and grab an ad.  But, I've never had trouble with a price ringing wrong!

Here's what I got today at Albertsons:

Total Shelf Price:  $55.81
Total Sale Price:   $30.11  Already 46% Savings!

Price Paid After Coupons:  $16.80    70% Savings!






From there I went on to Kroger (still grumbling about them no longer doubling--in fact I think this may have been the second time I've shopped there since they stopped, but it was a good sale!)  I had planned on getting 4 sets of their Mega Sale items, and I did end up getting 4 sets, but I have to change my plans around a bit in store.

You see, my Kroger doesn't have a very large organic food section, so a  few of the items I planned to purchase, my store did not even seem to carry, and they were out of a couple other items.  I *always* bring along back up coupons to Mega Sales because you never know when you will run into a stock problem.   In fact, this time I still was three items short, so I grabbed a few $0.48 mac and cheese cups as cheap filler items.

Here is everything I ended up getting at Kroger:

Total Shelf Price:     $ 93.44
Total Sale Price:      $ 58.32   Already 38% Savings

Price Paid After Coupons:  $32.96     65% Savings



Altogether today I spent $49.76 on  $149.25 worth of groceries, so I saved 67%, nearly $100!  Woohoo!


Since I have all my meals prepared in the freezer this week, I focused my grocery money on rebuilding a small stock of some items that had dwindled.  I think I'm all set on juice and diced tomatoes for a while! ;)

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Kroger Deals 1/25-1/31

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Kroger this week:


Armour Lunchmakers   $0.88

Wolfgang Puck Organic Iced Coffee  $1.00

• Use $1.00/1 = FREE

Mega Sale   Buy 10 Participating items Save $5

Hunts Tomatoes or Paste    $0.48

• Coupon in 1/22 SS  (varies)

Kraft Easy mac/Velveeta cups  $0.48

Goldfish   $0.99

Sunny D  $0.99

Kraft Salad Dressing  $1.79  

• use $0.75/2 from 1/22 SS

Mom's Best Naturals Cereal/Oatmeal  $0.99

Skintimate/Edge Shave Gel  $1.49

• Use $0.55/1 from 1/15 SS  (both varieties have a coupon)

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Kroger Deals 1/18-1/24

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Kroger this week:


Meat:


Kroger Value Split Chicken Breast  $1.79/lb


Produce:


Bell Peppers (not green) or English Cucumbers   $1.00 each

Large Avocados   $1.00 each

Broccoli  $1.00/lb

Nappa Cabbage or Bok Choy    $1.00/lb

1lb. Baby Carrots   $1.00


10 for $10 Sale  ($1 each--no need to buy 10)


Hamburger, etc. Helpers   $1.00

• $1.00/5 from 1/8 GM

Angel Soft 4 Roll

Brawny Single Roll

• $1.00/1 Printable  = FREE

Kroger Tortilla Chips

Mi Casa Tortillas 10ct.

Banquet Brown N Serve Sausage or Frozen Entrees

Kroger Saltines

Progresso Vegetable Classics

• Use $1.00/4 from 12/11 SS

Del Monte Fruit Naturals

Lunchables

Kroger Frozen Vegetables

Hunts Snack Pack

• Use $0.45/3 from 1/1 SS  (regional)

Campbells Soup

• 1/8 SS (variable)

Manwich

Rice/Pasta Roni

Barilla Pasta

• 1/8 SS (varies)  if Whole Grain is included

Other:


Milk   $2.38

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Kroger Deal 1/11-1/17

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Kroger this week:



Meat:


Kroger Value Chicken Drumsticks/Thighs  $0.99/lb.

Seasoned Chicken Leg Quarters  $0.79/lb

Eckrich Smoked Sausage  42 oz  $5.99


Produce:


Blueberries  Pint  $2.50

Cantaloupe  $1.00


Other:

Ken's Salad Dressing  16oz.  50% Off   $1.84 Each

• Use $1/1 from 1/8 SS  =  $0.84 each

Sargento Cheese  Shredded 5-8oz.  50% Off  $1.79 Each

Libby's Canned Vegetables  50% Off  $0.62 Each

• Use $1/4 from 11/13 RP  = $0.37 each wyb 4

Classico Pasta Sauce 50% Off  $1.49 each

Bush's Best Beans 50% Off  $0.54-$0.59 Each

Birds Eye Voila Skillet Meals  50% Off  $2.69 Each

Thomas English Muffins  50% Off  $1.99 Each

Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn  50% Off  $1.59 Each

Swiss Miss  50% Off  $1.14 Each

• Use $0.50/2 from 12/11 SS

Silk Almond/coconut Milk  $2.79

•  Use $0.75/1 from 1/8 SS

Many other items are also Half Off this week!

There is a P&G Mega Event going on again this week.

You can load extra savings to your kroger card here.

Don't forget about the Cellfire and SavingStar Coupons also!

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Hormel Natural Choice Lunch Meat Coupon= $2.50 (or less) at Kroger

Here is a great new lunch meat coupon.

       $0.50 off HORMEL NATURAL CHOICE Deli meat

These are currently on sale at Kroger (Through Tuesday) for $3.  Texas Kroger does not double anymore, so you can use this coupon and pay $2.50.  If your Kroger still doubles, you will pay $2.

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Kroger Deals 1/4-1/10

Here are the best deals I see advertised at Kroger this week:

Meat:


Kroger Value Chicken Breasts, Tenders, or Thighs   $1.99/lb

Kroger Value Chicken Leg Quarters  $0.59/lb

Pork Spare Ribs  $1.49/lb


Produce:

Cherries  $2.99/lb

Roma Tomatoes  $1/lb

Hass Avocados Large  $1 each

Tangerines (3 lb bag)  $2.50

Kiku Apples  (I have never heard of these)  $1.77/lb



Other:


Dannon Yogurt   $2 each



My friend over at Mama's Money Tree has the rest of the Kroger match up's, including details about a kellogg's promotion involving free milk, and a P&G mega sale wyb 4 participating items.

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