Shaw's!

One of the things I haven't really hit on a lot during my posts is that 2 toddlers are with me during 99% of my grocery shopping trips.  I know shopping with 2 toddlers is hard.  Grocery shopping with 2 toddlers and using coupons is even harder.  Furthermore, grocery shopping with 2 toddlers and trying to shop by using a coupon for practically every single item you intend to purchase is almost impossible.  Screw-ups are bound to happen - and I seem to screw up.  A lot.  

My friend Lori told me this morning that she got 2 $10 OYNP coupons because she bought 20 items listed (she only shops with 1 toddler so she can do these things without screwing up!).  Score!  I'd do a big trip tonight!  So I get all my stuff, get to the register and I thought I'd have $30 OYNP coupons printed (I did the ConAgra deal too) - but only $20 printed.  I only paid $17 OOP and just chalked it up to bad karma and thinking one of the SKUs of the items wasn't inputted properly.  After getting home, I realized that it wasn't bad karma but me being a dummy and only buying 19 items on the deal - with a stray little Chex Mix coupon in my bag.  Duh!

Total Before Savings:  $92.48

Total Coupons Used:  $19.80

Total OYNP Coupons Used:  $15

Cash OOP:  $17.79

OYNP Coupons Earned:  $20

ConAgra Deal

10 Healthy Choice Soups - $1 ea (3 $1/3 MFC Peelies there) $7

Gave me $10 OYNP

Buy 10 Deal (tried to 2X it - but I obviously can't add)

2 Betty Crocker Cake Mixes - $1.25 ea (No MFCs - gearing up for birthday season)

2 B.C. Frostings - $1.67 ea ($1/2 MFC)

3 Warm Delights - $1.67 ea (3 .55/1 MFC DOUBLES) .57 ea!

1 Chex Mix (should have grabbed 2) - $2 (.60/1 MFC DOUBLES) - .80 ea!

1 Cheerios Mix - $2 (.60/1 MFC DOUBLES) - .80 ea!

2 Cookie Crisp - $2.50 ea (2 .75/1 MFC DOUBLES) - $1 ea!

4 Grands Biscuits - $1.25 ea (2 .50/2 MFC DOUBLES) - .75 ea!

4 Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake Cookies - $2.50 (2 .75/2 MFC DOUBLES) $1.75 ea!

1 Mentos Gum - .75 (.55/1 MFC DOUBLES!) Money Maker of .35 cents!

Things I have learned from this trip:

- I thankfully checked the expiration date on the Pillsbury Ready-To-Bake Cookies!  The chocolate chip ones all expired Dec. 8, 2008!  Gross!  Make sure you check the dates!  The ones I got all expire the end of April 2009.  These can be frozen too!

- Basic addition is a good skill to possess while couponing.

-There is still one more day of this sale!  For whatever reason, if you buy 10 Healthy Choice Soups, you get a $10 OYNP.  They are on sale for $1 ea this week!  A lot of stores have the peelie machine right in front of them that have $1/3 MFCs.  Grab 3 of them.  Grab 10 cans of soup.  Pay $7 OOP and get $10 OYNP!!!  Is that simple or what?  

-  If you're really into couponing or aspire to be, it's good to think of it as a game of sorts.  A part of me is mad at myself for not grabbing just one more item in the sale, but really, what can I do?  I screwed up but I still got a great deal.  It wasn't that long ago that I thought spending $1 on a can of soup was a great deal.  It wasn't all that long ago that I would drop $100 on a trip to the grocery store and now, I can barely ever break $50.  So yeah, Shaw's might have won this hand, but I'll be back for my revenge!!!  

-  Maybe my store and cashiers are not the "norm" - but it seems as if I'm the only person around my area that works these catalina deals.  Why?  For starters, my Shaw's is still overly stocked with everything in both the ConAgra and "Buy 10, Get $10" Catalina deals.  I'll see crazy people just buy 3 or 4 cans of Healthy Choice soup and I want to shake them and say "Lady!  Buy 6 more, grab those coupons that are BLINKING right in front of you and you will MAKE MONEY on this purchase!"  I refrain myself from doing this though.  And lastly, every time an OYNP coupon pops out at the end of my transaction, the cashiers are always "Oh wow!  You got some coupons!" as if they have never seen them pop out of their handy dandy little machine before.  But again, it's probably just my store.