gift for kid

As you know from my recent post, I am really enjoying couponing and the money it is already saving my family.  On Sunday night I headed out for my grocery shopping trip and I felt like it was a big success.  Prior to shopping I had scanned the local ad, organized my coupons and also searched for coupons online.  I basically purchased what was on sale and what I had coupons for.  I planned meals and snacks for the week around this and off I went. 

I have been going after the kids are settled down for the night and going solo makes my trips much easier and, dare I say, kind of fun!  It is sort of empowering to work on saving for my family.  When I got to the checkout I was more than a little excited to see my $184 bill whittle down to $86.  In that $86 I had not only all my food for the week (except for milk which we go through at a staggering pace!) but extras to squirrel away for later.  I am not sure I like the term stockpile but I am definitely working on a little stash.  My hope is, by stashing away extras, I can eliminate one whole shopping trip per week.  More money saved!  Here is a little bit of what I picked up on my shopping trip...

2 boxes of Raisin Bran- .59 each!! (on sale plus used coupons)
2 boxes of Frosted Flakes-.99 each!! (on sale plus used coupons)
4 boxes Ronzoni Garden Pasta- FREE (on sale plus used coupons)
2 boxes of Ritz Crackers-FREE (on sale plus used coupons)
2 boxes of blueberries-$4.99 (buy one get one free)
2 loaves of bread-$3.89 (buy one get one free)
2 1/2 gallons of Swiss Iced Tea-.29 each (on sale plus coupons)

Buy 4 of Edys, Skinny Cow, Haagen Das or Nestle Ice Cream get $4 off your next order!  I did this one twice!!  I had a ton of coupons for these brands and Edy's was buy one get one free so I could not pass up this deal.  When all was said and done I had 3 cartons of ice cream and 5 boxes of ice cream novelties for just under $20 plus I got $8 off my next trip!  So, in a nutshell, this was $12 for enough ice cream to last us the better part of the summer.


My grocery store also had a Kraft deal going on that gave me an automatic $5 off when I spent $20 in Kraft purchases.  I was easily able to meet the $20 here with things I normally buy plus I had coupons for the items.

I think you can see where I am going with this!  My family will easily go through those things in the next month or so and by the time I run out, these items (or similar ones) will be on sale.  A little extra time really pays off. 

Some tips that have worked for me?  I shop at Shaws which doubles coupons...this really pays off when you use coupons and definitely makes them the cheapest shopping in my area.  I also shop solo which helps me to concentrate on the deals and eliminate at least some impulse buys.  USE COUPONS!

Here are a few gems I found this week that paid off for me.  I hope you can use them too!

Like Ronzoni on Facebook for a $1 off coupon
Sign up for the Kellogs Newsletter (this is where I got my great cereal deals!!) for montly printable coupons 
Like Nestle Drumsticks on Facebook for a $1 off coupon
Like Aunt Jemima on Facebook for a printable coupon

There are many, many more and I will share with you what I find when time allows.  For me it is all about shopping the sales and matching up the coupons.  I am really enjoying your tips as well so please keep them coming too!  Also, if you have any questions about exactly how I am matching up for deals etc...please ask away.

Stay tuned for my CVS trek later this week...