Looking to save money on groceries, I’ve been clipping coupons and purchasing items on sale. Last night, I ran to the grocery store to catch up on my weekly shopping. My local grocery store is currently under construction, so many of their items are deeply discounted to encourage shoppers to remain loyal during their rearranging of aisles. I purchased a total of 60 grocery items for an average of $1.15 per item, and it wasn’t just packets of Kool-Aid!
I started out with coupons totaling $17.00 in savings; I had a pile of Gatorade coupons, a dollar off Jennie-O ground turkey coupon, and a dollar off any cereal coupon. I also had a $10 off grocery store coupon if I spent more than $25.00 (more incentives to keep shopping during their construction phase). Because I made a point to only purchase items that were on sale, many of the items I purchased were reduced in price by 30% or more. My grocery list is always pretty consistent:
- cereal
- oranges
- Gatorade
- bread
- Jennie-O ground turkey
- Easy Mac
- applesauce
- Pepperidge Farms Goldfish crackers
- beer
- canned spaghetti-o’s and ravioli
- chili
- pudding cups
- diet soda
Okay, so I’m not a model for healthy eating (not like those on a slow carb diet), but these items aren’t too bad if you don’t count the carbs! During checkout, I noticed my bill shrinking dollar by dollar. Reviewing my receipt showed I saved a total of $62.00, that’s almost the amount I ended up spending. My grocery items cover a week of breakfast, lunches, and a few dinners using the ground turkey.
My coupon organizer has also been helpful during shopping. As I check off my grocery list, I quickly look through my categories to see if I have a coupon for a similar item. If I do, I move it to the front of the pouch so I don’t forget to give it to the cashier during the checkout process. This has helped me use those soon to expire coupons. I find I’m not throwing away expired coupons as often. If I can continue saving money on groceries, I will find more money for savings! Now if only I could save money on my utilities I’d be golden.
4 Comments
That’s some kick-ass savings! I love when my grocery store offers $5 off a $50 order ($10 for $100), but those coupons are few and far between. I try my best to match my shopping to the sales and coupons.
.-= RainyDaySaver´s last blog ..Things You Should Never Pay For =-.
@RainyDaySaver
I know, it was great that they mailed us 3 of those $10 off coupons. Again, they’re incentives to continue shopping during their construction, but I don’t have any problems with making the grocery store nicer!
@George@MoneyLounge.net
Thanks for reminding me. My husband usually catches those coupons!
@Mark
Now I’m on a mission to get my items for a dollar or less. Thanks for visiting!