Ramblings-n-Writings

Archive for May 18th, 2009

I love it when the Farmer suggests a trip to Krogers. Of course, he usually has an ulterior motive like buying a tray of sushi or some Diet Cokes for $1. This week, it was the Diet Coke that motivated him. (For those who don’t live near a Krogers, affiliate stores with similar sales are Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith’s, King Soopers, Fry’s, QFC, City Market, Hilander, Owen’s, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker’s, Gerbes, Scott’s Food & Pharmacy.)

When we got up this morning and the Farmer suggested a trip, I threw together a quick list, scrambled to cut yesterday’s coupons, and headed out the door. Even with a lack of pre-planning, we did pretty good.

Before coupons, our total came to $100.75.

After coupons, our total was $68.31 or a savings of 43%.

We bought 61 items for an average of $1.11 per item. However, quite a few items when combined with coupons were almost free.

Here’s some of the deals… (By the way, I don’t keep track of what newspaper inserts the coupons came from, but all of my coupons are newspaper, not printables, except for a couple of Krogers’ coupons.)

Diet Coke 2 liter – 5/$5
Since the Farmer drinks this by the gallon, we purchased 10 and used a Kroger coupon for $1.50 off 10 soft drinks.
Final price – 85 cents each (definitely beats the Wal-Mart price of $1.38 each!)

Ritz crackers – $2.50
Buy 1 Ritz cracker, get 1 Wheat Thins free (up to $3.49 value – even though Wheat Thins were on sale for $2, the full value was taken at the register giving me some overage)
Final price – $1.25 Ritz, $1.25 Wheat Thins

Wheat Thins Family Size box – $4.69
Free box of Wheat Thins up to 15 oz.
Final price – Free!

Hillshire Farm Keilbasa links – B1G1 free (store sale)
Final price – $2.24/each (regular price $4.49)

Kraft Salad Dressing – $1.67
$1.50 off coupon
Final price – 17 cents

Kraft BBQ sauce – $1.00
75 cents off coupon (some areas rec’d a $1 coupon making the BBQ sauce free)
Final price – 25 cents

California Pizza – $5
$1 off coupon
Final price – $4 (Purchasing a California pizza also prompts a catalina coupon (a deal that prints out with your receipt))

Hot Pockets – $2.50
50 cents off coupon, doubles
Final price – $1.50

A1 Steak Marinade – $2.50
$2 off coupon
Final price – 50 cents

French’s Honey Mustard – $1.49
50 cents off coupon, doubles
Final price – 49 cents

Dove candy bar – 75 cents
B1G1 free coupon
Final price – 37 cents

Gatorade 32 oz – $1
$1 off 5 coupon
Final price for 5 – 80 cents each

Pringles (large canister) – $1.65
50 cents off 1 coupon (doubles), $1 off 2 coupon
50 cents off e-saver coupon (I totally forgot this was on my Krogers card!)
Final price for 3 – 82 cents each

DiGiorno Flatbread Pizza – $5
50 cents off coupon (doubles)
Final price -$4

Jell-O refrigerated snacks – $2.75
50 cents off coupon (doubles)
Final price – $1.75

Now that the weather is nicer, I purchase convenience foods for those days when we’re outside most of the day or when I’m inside writing and hubby comes in wanting a snack. Lest you think we buy all snack foods, we also got cucumbers (61 cents each), slicing tomatoes (98 cents/lb), cantaloupe ($1.50), Wonder white bread ($1/loaf), cool whip ($1), Campbell’s chicken broth ($1), Starkist Tuna (94 cents), Van Camp baked beans ($1.39), and Quaker Granola Bars ($2).

What deals did you score this week at the grocery store?

Today I’m blogging over at Garden Vines about the differences in potting soil brands.

If you enjoy gardening, whether veggie, flowers, or both, come join Jendi and me at Garden Vines. We offer glimpses of our gardens and share what we’ve learned through research and trial and error.

P.S. – Don’t forget that today is the last chance to sign up to win a copy of Mary Byers’ book “Making Work at Home Work.” Just leave a comment HERE.