Publix Trip 2/24/2011- 53% Savings

This was an interesting week as I had to buy a lot of items that weren't on sale. I was going to make a birthday cake for my youngest son's birthday and I ran out of a lot of the ingredients so that bumped up my totals a bit. I was able to get two packages of dental floss, a bag of rice (food donation), a can of Manwich and a pack of pudding for free thanks to coupons. I also had my first "You paid how little/saved that much/how do you do it?" reaction from a stranger which was really cool. :)

I was able to add to my frozen foods stockpile- with Lent coming up the Gorton's deal was especially welcome. I was pleased that freezer bags went on sale, I got the big savings by stacking those coupons. The buy one Doritos get Pepsi Max free coupon really came in handy thanks to the Publix BOGO on Doritos, I was able to get both items for $.77. Now that my oldest son has decided that school lunches aren't as awesome as he thought he is taking his lunch to school a lot more and Doritos are his favorite chip. The husband is an obsessive Diet Coke drinker (as evidenced by the three packs of Diet Coke in the back) but I am more than happy to try the Pepsi Max. I am super excited and the fruits and veggies are starting to get cheaper, the strawberry deal alone was like heaven as we LOVE our strawberries. Publix produce will have to tide us over until the farmer's market by our house opens at the end of May so every little bit helps.

Weekly Breakdown

64 items

Pre-coupon cost: $184.71

Manufacturer coupons: 24.25

Store coupons: 6.65

Special price savings: 58.13

Total Savings: 89.03 or 53%

Free Items: 5

Final Price: $87.65

Coupons and Shopping

I am one of those women you see at the grocery store who has the list and the binder full of coupons; the lady who you don't want to be behind at the checkout counter as I have a stack of coupons. I am the lady who can buy $200 worth of food for $80. Yes, I am a coupon warrior. Don't get me confused with the people on the documentaries, I don't clear shelves or have a grocery store in my garage and we do actually eat normal food. I just like the thrill of saving a ton of money by combining little pieces of paper with store sales. I look at coupons like little slips of cash and I know I wouldn't turn down a person who was offering me .50 cents here or $1 there. Believe me, the savings are worth the weird looks.

I usually do my shopping on Thursday at Publix because that is the day the store offers the 1 penny item and I like to have groceries for the weekend. I enjoy cooking and we don't eat out much in our family so I have to shop weekly. I'll occasionally hit Kroger if they are having a particularly great sale and CVS is an amazing place to save money some weeks but my heart beats the most for Publix. I don't have the time or the patience to scour the circulars other than to give a brief once over so I use some really great sites, I love these ladies as they save me a ton of money:

http://www.blogger.com/www.couponmom.com
http://www.southernsavers.com/
http://www.iheartpublix.com/

Every time I shop I'll post a picture of my purchases, savings and any special deals that led to the savings (free products, coupon stacking, etc.). I am passionate about saving money and I want you to feel the same way!