Shaw's 7-3 + Classic Good Deal 101

Well it's been awhile since I've posted! We've been pretty busy and I haven't been doing quite as much coupon shopping as normal since we found out our 4th baby is on the way and I've been pretty sick.

Here's a recent visit to Shaws - and this is a classic example why everyone can and should coupon, regardless of what kind of products you buy.

I bought:

*18 pounds of ground beef
*2 beef Ballpark hotdogs
*2 lbs of fresh cherries
*1 Cains relish
*68 pkgs of M&M's (not a typo!)

Total Out of Pocket: $18.13
Total Savings: $124.24
Percentage Saved: 85%

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First off, you're probably asking yourself, why on earth does she have 68 packages of M&M's?!

The answer: Buying those M&Ms with coupons allowed me to get money back which I used towards the ground beef & fruit that we did need.

I'll break it down for you:

I had 34 coupons for .75/2 (75 cents off two) M&M's, which I had ordered ahead of time in anticipation of a deal like this. I bought 68 M&M's. The M&Ms were on sale for .49 cents each. The coupons doubled, so the coupons gave me $1.50 for every 2 M&Ms I bought. This gave me overage (money back) of .26 per package of M&M's.

Now tell me you wouldn't like to be paid 26 cents to get some candy!!!?!

This is where the "overage" allowed me to get the ground beef for cheaper, around $1 a pound, plus as you can see, I got a few other things like hotdogs & cherries.

Now bear with me - I could have bought anything to use that overage towards - including organic fruits & vegetables, organic all natural, meats, etc.

I have so many people tell me "Well fine for you to get good deals with coupons, but I only buy organic things so I can't get good deals like you."

WRONG!

I run into deals like this all the time! Now this was a particularly good deal, but nevertheless, they are out there. You just have to get a little coupon savy and you too can be saving big money on your all natural foods.

You know, I got some all natural "green" laundry detergent for free last month? Yep, I didn't pay a penny!

As for me, I tried switching to some more organic foods about 2 months ago, but I've since dropped off. I like & prefer organic, but my grocery bill so quickly doubled that it just wasn't worth it. I'd rather my kids eat as much fruits & vegetables as they want, versus telling them no because a single organic apple is $1 or a peach $1.50! I do still buy some organic/more natural things, just not as much.

And all that candy? I think we'll have some pretty happy neighborhood kids come Halloween this year!

FAQ #1: "But I Don't Usually Buy That!"

I'm surprised that so many people have viewed this blog so far! Thank you for checking out my little "corner."

You may have looked at some of my recent posts and thought "I would never use all that" or "My family doesn't eat that particular product" or "Well that's all great for you, but since I'm not going to buy that stuff, that kind of savings doesn't apply to me."

I get that a lot. And I used to think that myself.

There is no way, my family would consume the 50+ containers of frosting I've picked up in the last 2 weeks. (If we did, there would be other issues!) Sure, we'll use some - they're great to have on hand for spur-of-the-moment get-together's and quick recipe planning, but I will donate the majority of them.

What if you could get paid to buy stuff? Or essentially bring a bunch of things home for free and then get a little extra incentive thrown in that you could use towards things your family uses, like produce and meats, things that you don't usually see a lot of coupon savings towards. Would you do it?

I'm sure most of you would. That's the kind of savings I am able to get. That is why I bring home 50 cans of frosting. Last week, I made a profit off buying that frosting, along with numerous other items. So along with getting free frosting, I earned money that I can apply to the other grocery products that my family needs and that you don't frequently see coupons for - meats, produce, etc. Not to mention it's a great feeling to donate things to others, to your local food bank, church, etc. You won't always have opportunities to get money back, but free is excellent too!

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My average weekly grocery bill to feed my family of 5, including "Target/Walmart" things, such as cleaning supplies, paper products, diapers, medicine, personal hygiene items, etc. is $50-$60. A big portion of that is for fruits & vegetables because my family eats a lot of produce.

On an occasion, I'll spend extra for stocking up. For example: in early January, I spent around $100 at Shaws in one week, something I never do. But I came home with 25 large bottles of Tide, 40+ boxes of Tampax tampons, over 60 Crest toothpaste, 30+ Dawn, 10 Cascade, 30+ bottles of Pantene shampoo, conditioner, stylers, not to mention cleaning supplies, like Mr Clean Erasers, and more. Was it worth it? I think so.

I shop in bulk; when something goes on sale - and it has to be within a range I will pay, usually free or extremely cheap, depending on the item - I stock up. I have well over 50 boxes of cereal in my barn (where we store everything.) I keep them stocked by their expiration dates and we use them up that way. That also helps me to donate things; if I know we won't use something up before it "expires," I can donate it.

With this method of shopping & planning ahead, I really only need to buy perishable items on any given week; bread, milk, produce, lunch meats, etc. because I already have everything else. It takes some planning & organization and it really is a completely different way of grocery shopping, but it works.

My husband thought it was hilarious the other day when I mentioned that I wouldn't pay 25 cents for toothpaste. It's too expensive. I never pay for toothpaste. Ever. If I see a sale at CVS where you pay $3 for a toothpaste and get $2 back and I have a 75 cents off coupon (so it would cost a quarter), that is too expensive for me and I won't do it. I get free toothpaste & mouthwash & floss from Walgreens, CVS, and Shaw's all the time. Many times, I get money back. Those are just a few items I get for free, there are many, many more - body wash, deodorant, razors, lotion, medicine, etc.

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All that being said, there's the potential to do a lot more than I do. I know of some people who donate hundreds of bags to food banks and send weekly boxes to troops overseas with all the free stuff they get. Isn't that amazing? I would love to do that one day, but for now, I'm doing all I can.

On the other hand, I know it's overwhelming to think about all this if you're new to couponing. You don't have to coupon on the scale that I do. I didn't get here overnight. I've been couponing for 6+ years now and have learned gradually. Give yourself a break and start out small. I'll post some basic tips soon - check those out when you can.

Thanks again for checking my little site out! Come back soon!

~Erika