gift for kid

Last night I headed out to Shaws for my big shopping and I was very happy with my trip.  I got my $141.00 trip whittled down to just $53.17.  Not too shabby!  Here are some of the things I snagged....

5 boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
3 boxes of Chicken Helper
4 Boxes of General Mills Cereals-print coupons here
6 Totino's Frozen Pizzas
3 Boxes of Mrs. T Pierogi's
2 Containers of Ice Cream (free w/ the above Mrs. T Purchase!)
2 Luna Bars 2 Boxes Nature Valley Granola Bars
Freeze Pops (remember these are free/ the rebate!!)
2 Pounds of Ground Beef (used coupon found at Shaws in a coupon handout)
5 Boxes of Near East Rice

5 Packs of Kool-Aid (like them on FB for a printable $.50 off coupon to be doubled for an almost free purchase).
2 Boxes of Betty Crocker Cake Mix
2 Containers Betty Crocker Frosting
2 Packages of Keebler Cookies (these are on sale plus have a $1 off "peelie" coupon on them so keep your eyes peeled!)

I really wanted to pick up the Suddenly Salad Mixes but my Shaws was out so they issue me a rain check with a price of just $1!!!  This is lower than the advertised price because they are supplementing for the loss of being able to use it in the "Box Top" promotion they have going on.  This worked out fine for me because I have Suddenly Salad coupons for $.50 which they will later double making them free!

This is only a portion of what I purchased for just $53!!  On top of all this I also purchased milk, bread and produce for the week.  How did I do it?  I used my printable coupons (which you can often find links to on my site within posts and also in my "freebies" tab) plus coupons found in the paper (there are tons from the June 5th paper that are for Betty Crocker items as well as Totino's and Hamburger Helper).  I simply check out the sShaws ad and then look through my coupon stash. I buy what is on sale and what I have coupons for.  At this trip I also used my $20 credit from my gift card purchase.  My purchases also qualified me for two $5 credits because I purchased 20 items in the "Box Tops" promotion as well as a $6 credit because I purchased 4 boxes of General Mills cereal. 

The bottom line?  This is all stuff we all can do with very little effort.  I don't go into the grocery store looking to spend $0 (although this would be a rush I am sure!).  I know that I will always have to pay for produce and milk and these are obviously things I need.    I am also not going to go into the store and buy 472 boxes of asprin only because it is free.  I do have a shelf that i dedicate to my "stash" which is full of items I will use (snacks, cereal, pasta etc...) but don't necessarily want my kids to eat all at once.  Using coupons has already allowed me to save so much money and I am actually enjoying the process.  Who would have thought grocery shopping could be so fun...and cheap???