Coupon high!!

I am on a coupon high right now and wanted to post my grocery victory. Maybe nobody cares but me, but I am pretty excited about it!! I have been trying to use coupons in conjuction w/ sales at Publix now for 2 weeks, and today I spent $101.66, and saved $125.80!! Saved more than I spent!! How fun is that?? And all stuff I'll use...not random weird stuff! The deal of the day: free Tylenol! Actually I made a penny on the Tylenol, to be exact. It was on sale for $3.99, there was a $3 off Publix coupon, and I had a $1 off manufacturer's coupon. Nice! I've been using www.southernsavers.com to map my shopping plan, if any of you want to try it. It's kind of addicting!

Grocery deals of the week

I think I may start posting my grocery deals and steals, and maybe you can copy me if you use comp ads and coupons. Maybe this will save some people a little bit of time. Or maybe I will inspire you to start using them yourself! :) Anyway, here are today's deals:

1) Piggly Wiggly ad - strawberries for $1.99/pk ($3.99 at Wal-mart), Ronco pasta 2/88 cents (89 cents/pk at Wal-mart)

2) Bruno's - french baugettes for 99 cents ($1.33 at Wal-mart)

3) Target - All liquid laundry detergent (32 load or Small & Mighty) for $4 ($8.22 at Wal-mart) - got 2 of these!

4) Western - 93% lean ground beef for $2.49/lb ($3.68 at Wal-mart), Simply Orange juice for 2/$6 ($3.38 at Wal-mart) - got 4 lbs!

5) Winn Dixie - Gwaltney 40% less fat bacon for 2/$4 ($2 something at Wal-mart)

I also used $3.50 in coupons, so my total coupon/comp ad savings for this week was approx. $20.80. Not bad!!

Groceries: The Final Analysis

Okay, so I have finally done the tally for the Publix vs. Wal-mart matchup. Now, to review, I have been doing a comparison of which is cheaper - using coupons and shopping sales at Publix vs. general shopping at Wal-mart. Other things I have included were Costco, coupon usage, comparison ads, and Super Suppers. As for those things, here is what I have decided:

1) Costco - It's definitely cheaper to buy some things there. I have been buying ground beef, frozen chicken, diapers, wipes, bottled water, and milk there every month. Occasionally I will buy other things there when we need them and/or when they have a coupon, like toilet paper, dish detergent, etc. Then there are always some miscellaneous deals there as well. But in regards to the Publix vs. Wal-mart competition, Costco shall not be factored in, since I bought basically the exact same items there during both my Publix months and my Wal-mart months. I recommend joining Costco or Sam's, b/c the savings far outweighs your membership fees.

2) Super Suppers - You can definitely make meals yourself cheaper, depending on the meal, so as a general savings tactic this is not the way to go. But for smaller families that can split the entrees in half and get 12 meals for $130 instead of 6, it is awfully convenient. And the meals are very tasty. I would recommend using them for times when you know things will be busy and you won't have as much time to cook, like right after having a baby or during the holidays. The nice thing is, you freeze all the meals, so they'll last as long as you need!

3) Coupon usage - It is never a bad thing, no matter where you shop, to get an extra amount off of their price. It can be a bit of work, but really, it takes me about 5-10 minutes on Sunday afternoon to cut the coupons out of the paper, and then another 5-10 minutes to look over the coupons right b/f I shop to see which ones I can use. Of course, I saved a lot more w/ coupons at Publix, b/c they do double coupons every day up to $1, and a lot of times it's cheaper there to use the coupon on a name brand than it is to buy their store brand. At Wal-mart, I still can use a few coupons each trip, but they don't double them and most times their store brand is cheaper. But there are always certain items that you don't want to use the off-brand on, so I try to find coupons for those things. I definitely recommend using coupons if you shop any place other than Wal-mart.

4) Comparison ads - This only applies to shopping at Wal-mart, as they are the only ones who honor them. I have found that there are usually around 3-6 items I can get for a pretty good savings using the ads. It is a little work also, although it only takes me about 5-10 minutes to go through all the ads and see if anything stands out. You also have to have a decent knowledge of what things cost to begin with. I am still learning this. I would recommend trying it if you shop at Wal-mart. Start w/ things you know the prices of, so you know just by looking at the ad if you are getting a deal or not, then try to learn the price of a new item or two each time you go shopping. Or you could keep a receipt or two around for reference, if you preferred.

Okay, so for the big question: which place is cheaper? After averaging what I spent at each place over several months, Wal-mart is still cheaper. I spent an average of $136.64 per trip there (I go grocery shopping twice a month, plus there are the things from Costco, if that amount sounds low to you.), and an average of $146.27 at Publix. So that means I save about an extra $10 per trip, or $20 a month by shopping at Wal-mart. However, I will say that there are perks to shopping at Publix that Wal-mart does not have. They have baggers that will load your car for you; it's smaller, cleaner, less busy, and generally more pleasant; they have free cookies for the kiddos (ok, maybe half for the kiddo and half for mom!); they are very helpful; they have great BOGO sales; and they do double coupons. And the Publix near my house is closer and easier to get to than Wal-mart, which makes the whole trip faster.

So for the bottom line: I will continue to shop at Wal-mart b/c it's cheaper, but I will not feel guilty for shopping at Publix if I want to for convenience sake. Particularly when baby boy is born and I am getting used to grocery shopping w/ two kids. :)

Update on the Great Grocery Experiment

So, I'm sure you all have been dying to know how my grocery experiment is going along. To review, I have been shopping at Publix using coupons for the past few months, as well as buying certain items at Costco. I have also done Super Suppers twice now. I want to make sure I am being fair to Wal-mart, so I am giving it a try for another few months and using coupons and the comp ads. I am thinking that in the end, it will still be the best bet for the budget, but it sure is nice to have your groceries loaded into your cart and then taken out and loaded into your car at Publix. I also like the free cookie there too. :) I am also always on the search for good budget-friendly meals. If I find any new ones, I'll be sure to pass them along. That is definitely a key to keeping the grocery budget low.

Speaking of groceries, this pregnant lady is getting hungry. I think I'll go rustle up a snack. :)

The Grocery Experiment I: Coupons

So, for those of you who don't know, I am trying out a new grocery shopping regimen. My neighbor Erin spends about $200 less per month than what we do, so I am copying everything she does for a couple of months to see if her system works for us. They have a little boy about 3 months younger than the Bean, so we should be spending about the same amount. (Disclaimer: she is still nursing and therefore does not have the $40/month formula cost that we do.) So here's her routine: she does her "big" grocery trip at Publix and uses coupons from the Sunday paper. She takes advantage of their buy one get one free sales and plans her menus around that and their sale items. She also shops at Costco for several items. Lastly she uses Super Suppers, or at least she has for the past 2-3 months. I have been shopping at Costco for just a couple of items, and using Wal-mart for my "big" grocery trip with no coupons. I grocery shop every two weeks. I'll post on coupons, Costco, Super Suppers, and at the end, whether or not my new routine saves me money.

So, onto the topic at hand: are grocery coupons worth it? Well, I decided to get an 8 week subscription to the Sunday paper to find out. The subscription cost me $10, or $1.25 per week. The first trip to Publix I saved $7.55 in coupons, and another $22.57 in BOGO sales for a total savings of $31.12. The second trip to Publix I saved $13.23 in coupons and another $9.32 in BOGO sales for a total savings of $22.55. The biggest bargain so far has been using a 75 cent coupon on a BOGO Nature Valley granola bars, so I got two boxes of granola bars for only 67 cents. (Publix doubles your coupons every day up to $1. I.e. if you have a 50 cent coupon, they'll double it to $1, but if you have a 55 cent coupon you only get 55 cents off.) Obviously, the paper easily pays for itself. So no matter where I shop, I am now a believer in coupons. Even at Wal-mart it would've saved a few dollars.

So far, so good. Next I am going to try out Super Suppers. Erin and I are signed up for next week. I'll keep ya posted.

Grocery Organization

Last week I went on my big shopping day, which made me think some of you might like to see my grocery system. Yes, I am a big nerd who has an organized way of shopping for groceries. Go ahead and make fun, but the system works!! First, I have a grocery list typed up (similar to this one) that I have posted on my fridge at all times. When I use the last of something, I just highlight it on the list. I also have a section for write-ins...items that you randomly need that week, like artichokes or edamame or something. (Yeah right, like my husband would eat anything with the aforementioned ingredients!!! Strictly meat and potatoes, my man.) There is also a section for the meal plan for the week, or two weeks, since that's how often I do my main shopping trip. That way I know what meals I am planning on making and can make sure I have the ingredients written down on my list. Lastly, I have a small section for meals for other and/or parties. I was always forgetting to write down ingredients for something I needed to bring somewhere, so now I have a section that reminds me to look at my calendar and see if I have any event coming up that I need to bring food to. My list is organized by aisles at my local Wal-Mart, so that way I don't miss anything. When I get done shopping, I save the list and fold it up so the meal plans are showing and stick it on the fridge...that way I can look and see what my options are the day before and lay out meat to thaw or ask my husband what he'd like for dinner the next night.

Using this method is great b/c I rarely forget to write anything down, I rarely miss anything at the store and have to backtrack, and I know what's on the menu for that week at a glance. And just in case anyone wants to know, I didn't come up with this idea. I stole it from someone else. :) Use the list I linked to or type up your own and customize it to suit your needs. Maybe there are other grocery nerds out there like me who will like the system. And happy grocery shopping!!