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Using the Sales to Create a Grocery List

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Last week I shared how I saved 81% on vegetables and Mentos at Publix. This scenario was possible because I knew where to find the grocery store ad, the coupons, and the prices. Now I will share my secrets on how I create my grocery list. For this example, I chose to make out a PUBLIX list. I probably start where you start by:

  • Scanning the sales flyer from the Tuesday and Sunday newspapers. Sometimes these flyers have store or manufacturer coupons within.
  • Visiting www.southernsavers.com. I love Jenny Martin’s website. If you live in the southeast, Jenny covers all the major grocery and drugstore deals. She posts each deal and lists the coupons available with those deals.
    • When I go to her home page, I hover over “Publix” under the grocery store deals bar.
    • Then a drop-down list shows “Weekly Ad.”
    • I double-click on that post title.
    • Then click on the top post title – Weekly Ad.
    • Now the entire sales flyer loads in a list-format.
    • To the left side of each item is a box. If I am considering purchasing that item, then I click the box. If not, then I proceed to the next item until I reach the end of the list.
    • At the end of the post, I can click “Create list.” I also choose to show coupon matchups. The list is then created in another document.
    • You can also add items to your list. Then print your list.
  • With my list in hand, I then begin looking through my coupon files for any matchups. I rarely find all the coupons Jenny lists on her site, but I find many of them.
  • I then make the decision of how many I need to purchase of each item. I write these numbers next to the items on my grocery list.
  • All my coupons are then placed in an envelope with PUBLIX written on the outside. Now I have my grocery list and all coupons to be used in one place. I find that shopping with this system keeps me organized and makes checking out very simple.
  • Then I go shopping.

This list covers the basics of how I create my shopping lists based on what the store has on sale for the week. I will continue to share how I save while keeping my family fed.

My Savings on Vegetables and Mentos

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After sharing last week about Knowing your Grocery Store’s Sales Dates, I followed my usual pattern and hit the stores on Tuesday morning. In my area, our sales run from Wednesday to Tuesday, so I was shopping on the last day of the sale. The following deals are no longer available in my area, but I want to share how I scored lots of vegetables for my family without breaking the bank.

Yesterday when I went shopping, here is what I had in my PUBLIX envelope:

  • GROCERY LIST:
    • 8 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables 11-12oz. at $2.39 on sale Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF), so $1.19 each.
    • 3 Mentos at 50₵
    • 1 Huggies Diapers, 48-96ct. at $19.99
  • COUPONS:
    • 4 printable – 50₵ off 2 bags of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables
    • 3 – 50₵ off any one Mentos products from the Smart Source insert in the 2/6/11 newspaper
    • 1 – $3.00 off Huggies diapers (Publix coupon from weekly ad)
    • 1 – $3.50 off Huggies manufacturer coupon

*NOTE ABOUT COUPONS: At Publix, you can use one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon per item. Also, Publix doubles coupons up to 50₵.

At the store with my children, I stopped by the bakery for the kids’ free cookies. (They like the treat, and I enjoy some quiet while they’re eating them.) Then I discovered that our Publix was out of Huggies diapers. Not a big deal, I made a note on my grocery list. Then to the frozen foods section where I chose 4 bags of corn, 2 bags of broccoli, and 2 bags of snow peas. Then up to the checkout lanes to find the Mentos. After procuring my items, I checked out with my coupons.

  • 4 bags of vegetables – $1.20 each
  • 4 bags of vegetables – $1.19 each
  • 3 Mentos – 50₵ each

SUBTOTAL: 11.06

  • Minus 4 – 50₵ vegetable coupons that doubled = $4.00
  • Minus 3 – 50₵ Mentos coupons that doubled = $3.00 (Yeah, I made $1.50 by purchasing these items with coupons.)

TOTAL: $4.06

After paying my $4.06, I went to customer service where I received a rain check for the Huggies diapers. So, to recap, I spent $4.06 and saved $17.39 with sales prices and coupons resulting in a savings of 81%.

There are so many deals to be had. One of the keys to saving big is knowing how to match coupons with store sales. It took me some time to distinguish a good sale from a great store sale. During the great store sale, I try to stock up and use all the coupons I have for that product. It takes time and lots of trial and error. Even in my mistakes, I always know I am saving money. I’m here to keep on saving with you!