Saving and Sharing

I've been meaning to share this email a friend forwarded to me the other day. It's what Dave started to do. And I can't tell you how much we've been saving, but what I can tell you is our cupboards, pantry and fridge are WAY fuller (I know it's not a word, but I like it!) than they've ever been. He's amazing!! Not only is he the world's best husband to me, but he's a super saver at the grocery store!! Today we went to Publix and here's what we got for $8.39:

3 boxes of Scotties w/ Lotion,
Hungary Jack Mashed Potatoes,
6 Martha White Muffin Mixes,
2 Pilbury Deluxe Brownie Mixes,
Nesquick Strawberry Syrup, and
Pet Evaporated Milk!

Aren't you amazed? I was!! If you're not familiar with Publix they're not really known for their great low prices. So this was a quite a savings, $13.87 actually between store price cuts and coupons! You know you're doing some economical shopping when you're saving more than you're spending! Yay, Dave!

So in case you're interested in how he does it, here's the email with the details:

Saving $ at the Grocery Store
In the spirit of saving money this Christmas season, I thought I would post this. I have been saving big bucks at the grocery store over the past few weeks and thought I would share. Just to give you an example of my savings this week, I spent $45 at Publix and saved $96. The week before last I saved over $125.

Mostly I only shop at Publix for groceries because:
1. They have the best customer service of any grocery store in my area.
2. I feel they run the best sales, especially their Buy One Get One Free sales.
3. They accept any competitor's coupon.
4. They double all coupon's up to $ 0.50.

Most people think coupons only save you $4 or $5 on a shopping trip, but that is a major myth. When used strategically, they can save you tons!

Let me give you just one example of a deal I got this week: Arnold Bread is currently B1G1 (Buy One Get One Free). I had a printable coupon for $ 0.50 off one loaf. So here is how it played out:
Arnold Bread normally $3.59/loaf B1G1 makes it approx. $1.80/loaf.Since Publix doubles coupons, I got an additional $1 off. That made the final cost of my bread $ 0.80/loaf. I had 6 coupons, so I bought 6 loaves! Wow! Pretty good deal, huh? That is just one example. I had several, several other deals that played out the same way.

A few tips for Publix:
1. If an items is B1G1, you do not have to buy 2 items to get the deal. If you only buy 1 item, it will ring up as half off.
2. Publix's policy is to allow you to use a maximum of 1 manufacturer's coupon and 1 store coupon for each item. This enables "coupon stacking" which can get you some incredible deals.
3. If you have them, use two coupons for each BOGO deal (one with the "buy one" item, and one with the "get one" item).
4. If an item is priced at "2 for $4", "3 for $10", etc, you only need to buy 1 item in order to receive the sale price.
5. Always ask for a Raincheck if your store is out of a BOGO/Sale item you wanted, and come back later with your coupons.
6. Publix accepts both online printable coupons and coupons from other sources such as newspaper inserts, magazines, etc.

I typically buy 4 Sunday papers every week to have a good supply of coupons. Walgreen's currently sells Sunday papers for $1 and Kroger sells them on Monday and Tuesday for $1/each.

I know this info can seem overwhelming. I had a friend teach a little class and explain all this to me. It is actually super easy once you do it. I'll be doing a class or two come January so stay tuned.

In the meantime, you can check out these blogs for more info:
http://www.faithfulprovisions.com
http://www.fiddledeedeeblog.blogspot.com
http://www.southernsavers.com