Hungry for lunch @ Publix, Wednesday 6/10/09

Jason called me and asked me to come and do our shop early today because he was really hungry. I was sitting in the Target parking lot contemplating getting out of the car with my coupons, baby and diaper bag in tow.......but when a man is hungry (which, as you know, is quite often) you must meet that need immediately. I proceeded to hang up the phone and then drove over to meet him at the Maryland Farms Publix.

We split up and I immediately noticed that the Playtex were higher here than at Old Hickory so we stopped our shop and put our charcoal and KC Masterpiece back on the shelves.

I told him that I wanted to get some free Snuggle while we were here so I threw in a couple of moneymakers and grabbed my snuggle and then mentioned that we could go and grab fast food somewhere. Jason just looked at me and smiled and told me that we would spend the same here if we just went to the deli and it would taste better than fast food. Good point Jason.

We have a chinese takeout at our Publix and they had an advertised special that I had never seen before (buy 1 plate for $6.99 and get one for $2.99). This put our deli balance at $10 (after taxes) so I couldn't resist pulling out my shiny new Food Lion $3/10 Deli purchase. I also remembered that I had a few Target $1/1 Driscol strawberry coupons. I asked Jason to go and check to see if they had Driscol strawberries as I knew that they were on sale for 2/$4.00. They had them!

All of a sudden it became a game to see if we could get our balance up to $50 so that we could use our $5/50 competitor coupon and then try to get our lunch for super cheap while getting our Snuggle, Planters and strawberries for free.

No problem.

Here's the deal:

6 Sundown $2.99-3.29 ea ($6/2 Publix Q and $1/1 Q = FREE+)

1 Revlon $1.89 ea ($2/1 Publix Q = FREE+)

2 Planters $1.79 ea ($2/1 Food Lion Q = FREE+)

2 Planters $2.09 ea ($2/1 Food Lion Q = .09 ea)

2 Driscol strawberries $2.00 ea ($1/1 Target Q = $1.00 ea)

2 Snuggle $2.99 ea (.50/1 = $1.99 ea)

2 Chinese entrees $8.98 ($3/10 Food Lion Q = $5.98)

1 Serrano $.09 (no coupon)

1 Habanero $.20 (no coupon)

1 Jalapeno $.08 (no coupon)

$5/50 competitor coupon

TOTAL: $55.38

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $4.40

SAVINGS: 91%

NOTE: I'm pretty sure that the gal at the deli charged us wrong for the chinese food. It should have been $9.98. I'm not sure what happened but I didn't notice it until we got home. We bought one dinner at $6.99 and then got another one for $2.99. Somehow it rang up at $8.98. Hmmm. This picture above displays what was left after we both ate our lunch. These leftovers will feed Savannah and I for a few days for lunch!

NOTE 2: Chinese takeout is way better than McDonalds.

NOTE 3: This is not our usual Wednesday shop. I will be going to Publix tomorrow to do our regular shop. Keep an eye out for my post as I spotted a super fun deal today which involves more FREE produce!

Publix, Monday 6/8/09

I met up with some of my friends last night at Ladies Night out and we had a wonderful time together talking about what the Lord is doing in our lives. My new friend Faith Glade came out to join us. If you haven't met her then you are in for a real treat. She is a very discerning believer and she is a real joy to be around. I had taken the time to secretly plan a shop for her because I wanted her to see how easy it was to save money at Publix. Vicki Woods decided to come along too and we all headed to Publix after we drank our coffee. It was such a fun night!

We roamed the store together and I spent some time talking to them about how to throw items into their cart that provide overage so that they could buy what they wanted. I told them that they could take the items that we shopped for home with them and that it should only cost us a few dollars for everything. We decided to do a charcoal/meat deal so I let them pick out some meat so that they could see how the deal worked. I was expecting a balance of around $5.00 (according to my calculations) so you can imagine how shocked and surprised I was when the cashier turned to me and gave me .15 cents out of the register as my final balance. I was literally shocked as I had not planned to go into the negative. The customer service manager that approved my last few coupons (as I had not counted my coupons vs. items correctly) congratulated me and she turned to the cashier and said, "yep, give her the .15 cents."

It was a magical night....

We headed out to our cars and I realized that I forgot to buy the ice cream so we went back in and bought our Whole Foods Sorbet and our Klondikes. We did these deals in two transactions because we forgot the ice cream.

Here's the deal:

2 Planters Cocktail Peanuts $1.79 ea ($2/1 Food Lion Q = FREE+)

2 Planters Sunflower Seeds $1.69 ea ($2/1 Food Lion Q = FREE+)

8 Sundown vitamins $2.99-$3.29 ea ($6/2 Publix Q & $1/1 Q = FREE+)

1 Pork chop $3.62 ($6/1 pork wyb charcoal = FREE+)

1 Pork chop $3.33 ($6/1 pork wyb charcoal = FREE+)
1 Pork chop $3.29 ($6/1 pork wyb charcoal = FREE+)

3 KC Masterpiece $1.99 ea (FREE WYB Charcoal = FREE)

8 Revlon $1.49-$1.69 ea ($2/1 = FREE+)

V8 Splash $1.84 ea (penny item = .01)

1 Chicken $2.37 ($2/1 Food Lion Q = .37 ea)
1 Chicken $2.40 ($2/1 Food Lion Q = .40 ea)

5 Whole Foods Sorbet $1.45 ea. (.75/1 = .70 ea)

2 Kondike bars $1.80 ea ($1/1 Food Lion Q = .80 ea)

2 Sargento Cheese $3.19 ea ($2/1 WYB Charcoal = $1.19 ea)

1 Chicken $3.04 ($2/1 Food Lion Q = $1.04 ea)

3 Kingsford $9.79 ea ($3/1 Q and $3/1 Food Lion Q = $3.79 ea)

$5/50 Competitor coupon

TOTAL: $132.80

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $3.89

SAVINGS: 97%

NOTE: I bought some Sundown coupons off of EBAY that expire 7/20/09. I also bought the Whole Foods Q's off of EBAY as our region did not get that coupon. My friend Brandy gave me the $1/1 Klondike Food Lion Q's. You won't find these online; they were given to her by a fellow couponer and they were color coupons. Thanks Brandy!

NOTE: The following items were purchased but are not displayed in the photos: 6 Sundown vitamins, 2 Revlon nail clippers, 3 charcoal, 1 Sorbet and 1 Sargento cheese. Vicki and Faith supplied the above pictures which they took when they got home (thank you ladies for a great evening)!

NOTE: I just realized that I used the Food Lion Q for the wrong kind of chicken. The coupon is actually for breasts, tenders, or snack wings.

The New and Improved Charcoal/Meat Deal

Well, the charcoal deal has morphed again. Here is the latest version:

This is what you buy:
1 bag of charcoal @ $9.31-$9.79
1 KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce

Some pork

Some chicken

Here's the coupons you use:
-$6 off Pork wyb any Kingsford 13.5 Lbs.+ (1) product printable

-$3 off Kingsford Charcoal “Summer is Here” Booklet at Publix
- FREE KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce when you buy charcoal RP 5/10

- $3 off Kingsford or Matchlight (13.5lbs or larger) Food Lion printable

- $2 off chicken breasts, tenders or snack wings Food Lion printable

Other coupons you can use if you have them:

- Publix .55/1 specialty burgers (from mag. that comes to your home)

- FREE Pam Cooking Spray wyb charcoal (hangtag on Pam Spray)

- $2 off ribs WYB 2 KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce (tearpad at Food Lion)
- $5/$50 competitor coupon

You will receive one bag of charcoal, 1 BBQ sauce, and some pork and chicken worth about $1.21-$9.76 depending on which coupons you use above. You can also throw in some moneymaker items to get even more meat for free (this month the Sundown Vitamins and the Revlon tools are both moneymakers). Don't forget that you can sell that charcoal afterwards which means that this deal is a moneymaker just with the $6/1 pork coupon, the $3/1 Food Lion charcoal printable and the $2/1 Food Lion chicken printable (all of which are available online)!

Hope that helps. Keep in mind that the Food Lion coupons and the $5/50 coupons are all competitor coupons (just tell your cashier that they are competitor coupons so that they can be deducted by hand; i.e. they will not scan; they have to be entered manually). Publix takes grocery store competitor coupons.

Put some shrimp on the barbie.....

How many bags of charcoal does one need?

Well, in my household the answer to that question is none.

O my Kingsford charcoal

You have served me well

I buy you quite routinely

And then I have to sell

Publix, Wednesday 6/3/09

There are some great deals this week at Publix. I was especially excited to stock up on light bulbs (I love having a supply of household items in my home)! I also decided to try a new paper towel called Sparkle.

I love couponing because you get to try items that you would have never bought in the past. My spending habits have changed considerably since I started using coupons. I have tried so many new products over the last year and it has been fun to move away from my old brands and fall in love with new brands. For example, I used to buy Costco's toilet paper and now I use Cottonelle (which I love)! I can't wait to get the chance to try every brand of paper towels and toilet paper available. I'm bound to pick a new favorite from each category.

Jason and I checked out in different transactions so that we could use two $5/50 competitor coupons.

Ok, here's the deal:

8 Sundown Vitamins $2.99-$3.29 ea ($6/2 Publix Q and $1/1 = FREE+)

2 Revlon $1.49 ea ($2/1 = FREE+)

6 Buddy Bars $1.09 ea ($3/2 = FREE+)

5 Grill Mates packets $1.00 ea ($.50/1 = FREE)

4 Dole Tropical Fruit $1.09 ea ($.50/1 = .09 ea)

2 Ziploc $1.99 (.40/1 and B1G1 Q and $1/1 Target Q = .10 ea)

10 Ronzoni Smart Taste $1.25 ea ($1/1 = .25 ea)

21 GE Reveal 4-pack Light Bulbs $1.25 ea ($1/1 = .25 ea)

6 Hunts Ketchup $.70 ea (.20/1 = .30 ea)

10 Nestle Ultimates $1.38 ea ($1/1 = .38 ea)

5 Guldens Mustard $1.29 ea (no coupons = $1.29 ea)

4 Sparkle 2-pack paper towels $2.50 ($.50/1 = $1.50 ea)

Two $5/50 competitor coupons

TOTAL: $172.01

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS AND REBATES: $4.88

SAVINGS: 97%

NOTE: There is a rebate at Publix for the Hunt's Ketchup and the Guldens Mustard. They are a part of the buy $50 in groceries and spend $10 on Con Agra products. We will get back a $10 gift card for these items.

NOTE2: Also, please note that the price of the GE light bulbs varies greatly from store to store in our area. Maryland Farms had the lightbulbs for $3.59 a pack B1G1 and Nipper's Corner had them for $2.59 a pack B1G1. Big difference in price. You can call ahead and ask your store how much they cost. I would have paid .75 a pack after coupon at Maryland Farms but I ended up paying .25 a pack at Nipper's Corner.

NOTE3: The pasta is only at this price until Saturday 6/5/09. It is on Advantage Buy this month.

Kroger Triple Coupon Week, Tuesday, 6/209

Many of you know that I no longer shop at Harris Teeter for triple coupon week. Their staff is extremely non-customer service oriented and Jason and I have both decided that it is not worth it to go anymore.

However, Kroger is now matching Harris Teeter when they do their triple coupon week. So far, the Kroger at Nipper's Corner is the only store that I know of that is matching Harris Teeter during their sale (probably because Harris Teeter is their direct competitor in this area).

All that to say, Jason and I left at 7:30am this morning to hit Kroger on the last day of triple coupon week. Their prices are so low already that we found some really good deals on items that we don't usually get for free with coupons. Many of the items that we purchase produced Catalinas so we turned around and went back into the store and used those to buy whatever we wanted. It was so fun! The stuff that coupon dreams are made of....

Here's the deal:

4 Lady Speed Stick $1.00 ea (.75/1 = FREE)

1 Santa Cruz Organic Juice $1.50 ea (.75/1 = FREE)

4 Mahatma Saffron Rice $.85 ea (.75/2 = FREE)

2 Knorr Pasta Sides $1.00 ea (.75/2 = FREE)

1 Angel Soft $1.00 ea (.50/1 = FREE)

1 Kids Scissors $.99 ea (.50/1 catalina = FREE)

1 Blue Cheese $3.99 ea (wrang up wrong = FREE)

1 Scotch 3M Putty $1.43 ea (.75/1 from Publix flyer = FREE)

1 Scotch Tape $2.09 ea (.75/1 from Publix flyer = FREE)

1 Scotch 3M Squares $1.89 ea (.75/1 from Publix flyer = FREE)

1 Scotch Gift Tape $2.39 ea (.75/1 from Publix flyer = .14 ea)

2 Ortega $.95 and $1.49 (.75/2 = .19 for both)

1 Aquafresh $2.56 ea (.75/1 = .31 ea)

6 Sara Lee Bread $1.99 (.55/1 = .34 ea)

6 Dole Tropical fruit $1.89 ea (.50/1 printable = .39 ea)

4 Land O Lakes Butter $1.99 ea (.50/1 = .49 ea)

2 Huggies Wipes $2.79 (.75/1 = .54 ea)

1 Scotch Mounting Tape $2.85 ea (.75/1 from Publix flyer = .60 ea)

6 Viva paper towels $2.49 ea (.60/1 = .69 ea)

1 pair of baby clippers $2.19 ea (.50 catalina = .69 ea)

1 Ocean Spray $2.50 ea (.55/1 = .85 ea)

1 Las Palmas Enchilada Sauce $2.59 ea (.50/1 = $1.09 ea)

1 play phone $5.99 ea (.75 catalina = $3.74 ea)

TOTAL: $112.27

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS & CATALINAS: $22.24

SAVINGS: 80%

Sunday, 5/31/09

Jason and I split up last night and I went to Kroger for triple coupon week and he went to Publix. We scored at Kroger since Melissa gave us the tip about the .75 cent coupon for the Santa Cruz lemonades (we got 17 free organic lemonades....all different flavors). Thanks for the tip Melissa. We also purchased several loaves of Sara Lee bread, hamburger buns and hot dog buns so that we would have plenty of bread to go with all of our meat!

I ran into Dixie and Melissa at Kroger and then Jason ran into them at Publix. Melissa snapped our photo on her cell phone (see photo in header). We all had a great time shopping. Dixie and Melissa were workin' the deals.

Ok, here's the Publix deal:

4 bags beneful dog food $2.75 ea ($3.50/1 = FREE+)

4 Pork Loin $1.84-$2.40 ea ($6/1 wyb charcoal = FREE+)

4 KC Masterpiece $1.57 ea (FREE BBQ when you buy charcoal = FREE)

1 Hunt's ketchup $1.75 ea (FREE coupon from mailer = FREE)

1 serrano pepper $.06 ea (no coupons = .06 ea)

2 Vitamin Waters $1.25 ea ($1/1 coupon and B1G1 Q = .13 ea)
4 Chuck Patties $2.24-2.27 ea ($2.00 on beef wyb sargento = .24-.27 ea)

1 banana $.24 (no coupon = .24 ea)

4 bags of Sargento cheese $2.00 ea (no coupon = $2.00 ea)

4 Kingsford Charcoal $6.99 ea RAINCHECK ($3/1 = $3.99 ea)

$5/50 competitor coupon

TOTAL: $107.52

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $7.12

SAVINGS: 93%

NOTE: We will sell the charcoal for $13.33 which leaves our final balance at -$6.21