November Extreme Coupon Trip(s)

Hey folks: I'm pretty excited about my most recent coupon trip. It was pretty awesome for my 1st time not focusing on Kroger (I did go there, but it wasn't the focus) and for using the "Stock-Up" plan of action. I'm trying to change my thinking about shopping since I generally dislike it, but couponing has me more interested in it. It's a puzzle of how I can save the most money on the things we need. This is a journey so come on & see what my ride looked like last night.

So I spent hours this week planning my trip because I needed to get up to $50 of stuff, which rarely happens even before I began couponing. That planning time was well worth it though, because our counter was full & our pantry is overflowing after last night's trip. I spent $35.45 at Target & $24.53 at Kroger; I spent a total of $59.98. Let's go through what it would have cost me.

Target Transaction:

Coffee Mate Creamer - 3 @ $1.50 ea
Betty Crocker Boxed Potatoes - 6 @ $0.99 ea
Del Monte Canned Veggies - 4 @ $0.65 ea
Campbell's Condensed Soup  - 4 @ $0.65 ea
French's French Fried Onions - 1 @ $2.99 ea
Chex Cereal - 1 @ $2.00 & 1 @ $2.50
Yoplait Yogurt - 6 @ $0.50 ea
SweetTarts Candy Canes - 2 @ $2.00 ea
Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauce - 1 @ $2.59
Heinz Gravy - 5 @ $0.59 ea
Hunt's Tomatoes - 4 @ $0.85 ea
Cool Whip - 2 @ $0.99 ea
Jell-O Gelatin - 2 @ $0.59 ea
Market Pantry Apple Juice - 2 @ $1.89 ea
Swanson Broth - 5 @ $0.59 ea
Carnation Evaporated Milk - 2 @ $0.94 ea
Eagle Brand Condensed Milk - 2 @ $1.99 ea
Welch's Essential Juice - 1 @ $2.00
Barilla Pasta - 2 @ $1.29 ea
Barilla Pasta Sauce - 2 @ $1.99 ea
Quaker Warm & Crunchy Granola Hot Cereal - 1 @ $2.50
Biscoff Spread - 1 @ $3.41
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce - 2 @ $1.89 ea
Suave Kid's Body Wash - 1 @ $1.79

Totaling to $74.86. I only paid $35.45, which is a 47% savings. Ssswwweeeeeeettttt!!!

Kroger Transaction:

Kroger Tub Lunch meat - 1 @ $3.00
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks - 2 @ $2.50 ea
Chex Mix Muddy Buddies - 2 @ $2.50 ea
Aquafina Flavorsplash - 1 @ $1.00
Dole Smoothie - 1 @ $1.99
Stacy's Bake Shop - 1 @ $2.99
Milk - 2 @ $2.50 ea
Kroger Cheese - 3 @ $1.67 ea
Dole Canned Fruit - 3 @ $1.00 ea
Cheerios (Multi Grain) - 2 @ $3.29
Fiber One Bars - 2 @ $2.50
Nature Valley Bars - 2 @ $2.50

Totaling to $48.57. I only paid $24.53, which is a 51 % savings. Yeeaahhh Buddy! I received quite a bit of free stuff because of the Free Friday Downloads & coupons & store sales. The only problem here is that I paid about $4 more than I should have not paying attention to the signs. My Cheerios should have been only $2.50 and I should have NOT paid for any milk. Blah! Reading is fundamental people! It's cool though cause I still saved lots and we're good on milk through Thanksgiving. We go through LOTS of milk around these parts so I try to participate in all of the FREE milk deals.

No pictures this time around cause I don't have a dedicated "take pics of deals" area just yet. I will soon though. I will soon.

Alright folks. That's all for now. I'll try to write up how it felt to do this soon. I've never actually handed anyone a stake of coupons and pretty much held up the line before - it was interesting & a bit embarrassing at the same time. I thought I was going during a non-peak time AND it was raining. Oh well, until next post ...