Not really sure I understand

With the economy the way it is, everyone is hard up for money, so when I am told, "I wasn't brought up to coupon... I don't see the sense in it.  You don't save money using them."  I about freaked out on the girl!  She's a single mom with 3 kids and just lost her job!  She just didn't get the savings!  She thought I was crazy for going to Publix to shop because, "Publix is the most expensive store."  While that part could be considered true, I disagree!  I can shop at Publix and get such great deals!  Yes, I still have to really shop around for meat, but once I get that, then I can figure out what I'm making based solely on my pantry due to my BOGO and Coupon sales!  I love that I have access to these wonderful bits of paper that my family calls, "Money".  It really does save me money, so I am taking a challenge.  I am challenging myself to start finding and posting deals to help all of you save a few more dollars a week.  A penny saved is a penny earned in my book! 

Publix Trip

This morning I headed out for a little small shopping trip.  I only had a total of $30 set aside to shop with and we only needed a few things.  So, I had worked it all out, but when I got to the store I realized that for some of my coupons, I couldn’t use them because they were for 10 oz or more in the cereal, but it was the 9 oz box that was for sale, so I didn’t do as well as I wanted to, but I did well either way.  Here’s the breakdown!

Brawny Pick a Size Single Roll Papertowels.  I bought 2 of them because they were on sale Buy One Get One Free!  They were just $1.99 for the TWO rolls. 

Lysol Cleaners—another that was on the BOGO sale.  I had 2 coupons for 25 cents off of each one, so I only paid 2.19 for BOTH!  They are regular priced at $2.69 EACH!

Aunt Jemima Pancakes—they were BOGO, so I took them up on that!  My kids LOVE these and although I didn’t have a coupon, I only spent 2.79 for BOTH packages. 

Hormel Chili with no beans was another BOGO but because I used a coupon for 55 cents off of two of them, I spent $2.74 for BOTH cans. 

International Baker Cookie Dough was on sale BOGO!  These are normally $3.29 per package, but I scored them at $2.29 for BOTH packages!  Woohoo!  Santa will love his cookies this year!

Bob Evans Side Dishes were on sale for 2 for $6.  I got one of them and had a coupon for $1 off of one.  So I paid $2 for the one.  Not bad.

Juicy Juice Fruitfuls was on sale for 1.99 and I had a coupon for $1 off!  I got this new juice for just 99 cents! 

Del Monte Tomatoes—I love these things!  We use tomatoes and tomato sauces all the time, so this is a great buy for me!  They were bogo and I used a 50 cents off of two, so got them for 69 cents for BOTH CANS!!!  So I paid 34 cents per can!!! 

International Delight Creamer (the big bottle) was on sale for 2/$5.  I bought one and used a coupon for $1 off one.  I got my creamer for $1.50.  

And lastly, the best!  Truvia Sweetner is normally $3.99 per box.  I got them BOGO, but had 2 coupons for 85 cents off of each one.  I paid a total of $2.29!  That’s just $1.15 each box!!! 

So, In all, my savings at Publix was $28.08.  I only paid out of pocket $19!!!  WooWoo!!!  That’s a total savings of 68%!!!

Walgreens Trip 12/3/12

This morning, I decided to go on a walgreens run at the last moment.  I stopped here after my Publix run, but will post the savings at walgreens first :) 

I had only $11 I could spend at this store including tax, and think I did fairly well considering I had NO coupons to use for the things I needed from here.  Here's the breakdown...

Xtra Detergent-- Regular price $2.99.  I paid $1.49
Dawn Dish Detergent-- Reg. Price-- $1.69  I paid $0.99
Puzzle Erasers-- Regular Price-- $2.69  I paid $0.99
Colorsilk Hair Color-- $3.99  I paid $3.00
Christmas Tree Icecicles-- $0.99 I paid $0.99
Cotton Swabs-- $2.49  I paid $2.49

In all, I spent $9.95.  I saved $4.49 without coupons!  Total percentage saved 31%