Price Chopper: 06/04/2011

Really small but successful Price Chopper trip!


Retail Prices:

• 2 Boxes Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta: $1.99 each (Total: $3.98)
• 1 Box Curad Bandaids: $1.89 

Retail Cost: $5.87

My Prices:

• 2 Boxes Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta: $3.98 - $0.99Sale = $2.99 - $0.99Sale = $2.00 - $1Coupon = $1.00 - $1Coupon = $0.00
• 1 Box Curad Bandaids: $1.89 - $0.90Sale = $0.99 - $0.50Coupon(Bumped to $1.00) = -$0.01

My Cost: -$0.01

$5.87 - -$0.01 = Savings of -$5.88

I expected that I would pay tax on the bandaids, but for some reason the tax came to -$0.08 and was added to my subtotal of -$0.01 so I owed nothing and the cashier handed me $0.09!!

I have had free products and overages apply to other items in my transaction before...But never have I been handed money!  I know it was less than a dime, but still quite exciting to me! :)

Price Chopper: 05/28/2011

I could not find too many amazing deals for this week, so I only had one small Price Chopper trip today.  I did not get very much, but I think that I did well for what I did get.


Retail Prices:

• 2 Bottles of Kraft Dressing: $2.50 each: (Total: $5.00)
• 1 Box Price Chopper Brand Pasta: $1.00
• 1 Bottle Lawry's Marinade: $3.29
• 1 1Pound Bag Green Giant Baby Carrots: $1.99
• 1 Bag Oreida Sweet Potato Fries: $3.49

Retail SubTotal: $14.77

My Prices:

• 2 Bottles of Kraft Dressing: $5.00 - $1.00offSale = $4.00 - $0.55Coupon(Bumped to $1.00) = $3.00 - $0.55Coupon(Bumped to $1.00) = $2.00
• 1 Box Price Chopper Brand Pasta: $1.00 - $1.00Coupon(For buying the 2 Kraft Dressings) = $0.00
• 1 Bottle Lawry's Marinade: $3.29 - $1.80Coupon = $1.49 - $0.50Coupon(Doubled to $1.00) = $0.49
• 1 1Pound Bag Green Giant Baby Carrots: $1.99 - $1.11Coupon = $0.88
• 1 Bag Oreida Sweet Potato Fries: $3.49 - (I had a Coupon for whatever the cost of a bag up to $4.89 is to make it completely free) So $3.49 - $3.49 = $0.00

My SubTotal: $3.37

$14.77 - $3.37 = Savings of $11.40

Price Chopper: 05/21/2011

This was not a great weekend for couponing for me.  I had a list for Rite Aid, but when I got there they didn't have anything I planned on buying, so I walked out empty-handed.
Of course now I keep thinking about one item I was going to get and my husband talked me out of it, saying that it was an unnecessary item. But now I just keep thinking about what a great deal it was.  They had Air Wic Freshmatic Ultra Starter Kits for $12.99 BOGO.  And with all of the coupons I had, I would have got TWO kits for $0.99 total (before tax) instead of $25.98!  So that would have been a savings of $24.99.  Oh well.

As far as Price Chopper goes, in addition to their normal weekly sales, they had a special Moonlight Madness Sale yesterday.  It was actually the cause of some stress for me this week.  The main reason that it was so stressful was because it was supposed to be a mostly unadvertised sale that was only from 5pm to Midnight yesterday.  So all week I tried to get my coupon binder completely organized so that I could just bring every coupon with me to the store since I could not prepare for the trip.  Normally I have lists and math all done before I get to the store, but with the sales being unadvertised, I would not be able to prepare.

So by Thursday night I saw that my coupon binder was not going to be organized in time.  So I finally decided that since Price Chopper is not that far from my job or my house, I would just go straight from work to Price Chopper and take notes on what was on sale and then go home and grab the appropriate coupons and then go back.  It would not be a ton of extra driving, so it would not be a huge waste of gas money.

So I got to Price Chopper at about 5:10pm and it was already MOBBED!  I finally found a parking spot far away in the parking lot, and then had to practically push my way into the store.  And they were all out of carts already, so I just walked around aisle by aisle trying to find the "hidden deals".  I expected there to be some signs or something to point out which items were the "hidden deal".  I know I would have to search for the deals, but I expected that certain items on the shelf would have some kind of sign letting you know that you found the special super sale items.  But I could not find any signs.  I went through each aisle at least two or three times...Some aisles were a little more difficult than others, due to the crowds of people.

After I decided that I had walked around enough, I had seen sooooo many people with two or three carts each FULL to the top with items.  So I thought that I must have been missing something, because I could not find anything worth it.  So at this point I thought that either they knew something I didn't and I was missing out, OR that they don't know what real good sales are and they are just buying stuff at less than ideal prices.

It was too overwhelming and stressful to deal with any longer, so I left empty-handed and went home.  When I got home I checked a few couponing blogs to see if people mentioned any great deals that they found, because I would go back to the store if it was worth it.  But they all agreed that it was an over-hyped up sale that did not have anything worth it.  And they all said that anyone who was buying tons of stuff was because they did not know what good prices for items really were.  So they were kind of suckered into it, and I was smart enough to know not to buy anything.


So today I went back to Price Chopper for their normal weekly sale that was ending today.
I didn't get all that much, but here is what I got:


Retail Prices:

• 2 Boboli 8" Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts, 2-Pack: $4.89 each (Total: $9.78)
• 4 Bags of Dole Lettuce: $3.99 each (Total: $15.96)
• 2 Bags of Texas Toast Croutons: $1.99 each (Total: $3.98)
• 1 Container Philadelphia Cooking Creme: $2.99
• 1 Package Budding Turkey: $4.39 
• 1 Bag Green Giants Baby Carrots, 1pound: $1.99

Retail SubTotal: $39.09

My Prices:

• 2 Boboli 8" Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts, 2-Pack: $9.78 - $1.89Sale = $7.89 - $1.89Sale = $6.00 
• 4 Bags of Dole Lettuce: $15.96 - $2.00Sale = $13.96 - $2.00Sale = $11.96 - $2.00Sale = $9.96 - $2.00Sale = $7.96
• 2 Bags of Texas Toast Croutons: $3.98 - $1.00Sale = $2.98 - $1.00Sale = $1.98 - $1.00coupon = $0.98
• 1 Container Philadelphia Cooking Creme: $2.99 - $1.50 Coupon = $1.49
• 1 Package Budding Turkey: $4.39 - $0.89Sale = $3.50 - $1.00 Coupon = $2.50
• 1 Bag Green Giants Baby Carrots, 1pound: $1.99 - $0.49Sale = $1.50

My SubTotal: $20.43 

$39.09 - $20.43 = Savings of $18.66

So, not the best trip ever...But not the worst either.  

The photo is actually missing the second package of Boboli Crusts, because we were hungry and ate them for dinner right after we got home...So we put all of the groceries away and ate dinner...And then I took them back out after dinner to take the picture.  LOL  

Price Chopper: 05/14/2011

I didn't take photos of or blog about two other Price Chopper trips I made last week.

On Monday, May 9, 2011 I bought 2 pints of grape tomatoes, 2 pints of sliced white mushrooms, and 3 cucumbers.  I don't know what their normal prices are.  But there were BOGO sales on the tomatoes and mushrooms.  So just based on the prices they were listed at, my Retail SubTotal would be $13.54...And then because of the BOGOs it only cost $7.76.  So that's a savings of $5.78...And possibly more, if those were also sale prices.

On Tuesday, May 10, 2011 I had a coupon for 2 free fresh shrimp skewers for Tuesday only.  Long story short, Price Chopper did not really know what was going on...But half an hour later, I finally got my free shrimp.  I don't know their everyday cost, but they were on sale for $1 per skewer.  Either way, my cost was FREE!  So at the very least I saved $2.00 on 2oz of shrimp.


Now that brings me to my small trip yesterday:


Retail Cost:

• 2 Pints of Grape Tomatoes: $2.99 Each (Total: $5.98)
• 2 Pints Sliced White Mushrooms: $2.79 each (Total: $5.58)
• 2 Boxes Jolly Time 100Calorie Microwaved Popcorn: $2.50 each (Total: $5.00)
• 3 Cucumbers: $0.66 each (Total: $1.98)
• 2 Vidalia Onions: 0.99 per pound (Total: $1.24)
• 8 Pound Bag Navel Oranges: $6.99
• 1 Carton Silk Soymilk - Original Light: $3.49
• 1 Carton Silk Soymilk - Chocolate Light: $3.49

Retail SubTotal: $33.75

My Cost:

• 2 Pints of Grape Tomatoes: $5.98 - $2.99BOGO = $2.99
• 2 Pints Sliced White Mushrooms: $5.58 - $2.79BOGO = $2.79
• 2 Boxes Jolly Time 100Calorie Microwaved Popcorn: $5.00 - $2.50BOGO = $2.50 - $1 Coupon = $1.50
• 3 Cucumbers: $1.98
• 2 Vidalia Onions: $1.24
• 8 Pound Bag Navel Oranges: $6.99
• 1 Carton Silk Soymilk - Original Light: $3.49 - $0.50Sale = $2.99 - $1.25 Coupon = $1.74
• 1 Carton Silk Soymilk - Chocolate Light: $3.49 - $0.50Sale = $2.99 - $1.25 Coupon = $1.74

My SubTotal: $20.97

$33.75 - $20.97 = Total Savings: $12.78

Not my highest amount of savings ever...But I know that the onions and cucumbers were on sale, but I don't know their everyday cost.  Same goes for the tomatoes and mushrooms.  So my savings were probably slightly higher, since I only compared those items against their sale prices.

If you add all 3 trips together, then $13.58 + $2.00 + $33.75 = $49.29

$7.76 + $0.00 + $20.97 = $20.56

49.29-28.73 = Savings for the week: $20.56

This picture is only of yesterday's trip...Minus the oranges because I forgot to include them in the picture! :)

Price Chopper: 05/07/2011

My Price Chopper trip on Saturday:

Retail Cost:

• 2 Boxes of Cheerios: $3.19 each (Total: $6.38)
• 2 Boxes of Trix: $4.19 each (Total: $8.38)
• 2 Kiwis: $1.00
• 1 Can Price Chopper Black Beans: $0.99
• 1 Box Top Care "Tylenol": $4.00
• 1 Box Top Care "Mucinex": $4.00
• 2 Packages Ball Park Franks: $4.99 each (Total: $9.98)
• 2 Boxes Philly Steaks: $10.69 each (Total: $21.38)
• 4 Bags of Dole Salad: $3.99 each (Total: $15.96)
• 2 Bags Perdue Frozen Chicken Nuggets: $8.99 each (Total: $17.98)
• 2 Bags Pede Frozen Cheese Ravioli: $2.79 each (Total: $5.58)
• 1 Carton Lactaid Milk: $4.39
• 1.3 Pound Shady Brook 93% Lean Ground Turkey: $3.99
• 1 Package Chi Chi's Tortillas: $2.59

Retail SubTotal: $106.60

My Cost:

• 2 Boxes of Cheerios: $6.38 - $0.69 Sale = $5.69 - $0.69 Sale = $5.00 - $2.00 Coupon = $3.00 - $0.55 Coupon bumped up to $1.00 = $2.00 - $0.55 Coupon bumped up to $1.00 = $1.00
• 2 Boxes of Trix: $8.38 - $2.00 Coupon = $6.38 - $0.55 Coupon bumped up to $1.00 = $5.38 - $0.55 Coupon bumped up to $1.00 = $4.38 
• 2 Kiwis: $1.00 - $0.50 Coupon = $0.50 - $0.50 Coupon = $0.00
• 1 Can Price Chopper Black Beans: $0.99 - $0.50 Coupon = $0.49
• 1 Box Top Care "Tylenol": $4.00 - $4.00 Coupon = $0.00
• 1 Box Top Care "Mucinex": $4.00 - $4.00 Coupon = $0.00
• 2 Packages Ball Park Franks: $9.98 - $4.99BOGO = $4.99 - $0.55 Coupon bumped up to $1.00 = $3.99 - $0.55 Coupon bumped up to $1.00 = $2.99
• 2 Boxes Philly Steaks: $21.38 - $10.69BOGO = $10.69
• 4 Bags of Dole Salad: $15.96 - $3.99BOGO = $11.97 - $3.99BOGO = $7.98
• 2 Bags Perdue Frozen Chicken Nuggets: Total: $17.98 - $8.99BOGO = $8.99 - $1.00 Coupon = $7.99 - $1.00 Coupon = $6.99
• 2 Bags Pede Frozen Cheese Ravioli: Total: $5.58 - $2.79BOGO = $2.79
• 1 Carton Lactaid Milk: $4.39 - $1.00 Coupon = $3.39 
• 1.3 Pound Shady Brook 93% Lean Ground Turkey: $3.99 - $0.49Sale = $3.50 - $1.00 Coupon = $2.50
• 1 Package Chi Chi's Tortillas: $2.59 - $0.20Sale = $2.39 - $1.00 Coupon = $1.39 - $0.55 Coupon bumped up to $1.00 = $0.39 

My SubTotal: $43.59

Since the two boxes of medication would have added tax, but were free...I am guessing that is why I did not get charged any sales tax.

So my final Total was: $43.59

$106.60 - $43.59 = Savings of $63.01

Price Chopper: 04/30/2011

I just learned last week that Price Chopper has a Coupon Policy that I was unaware of.  They say that they double any Manufacturer Coupon under $1.00 on a daily basis.  I thought that they only doubled or tripled on special announced days.  So I was excited to learn about this daily Coupon Policy.

So I went to my local Price Chopper to learn their exact policy at this particular branch.  What I learned was that they double them up to $1.  For example, if I use a $0.55 Manufacturer's Coupon or a $0.75 Manufacturer's Coupon, they will bump them up to $1.00  They don't pass the $1.00, so my $0.55 coupon doesn't go to $1.10, and my $0.75 coupon doesn't go to $1.50...They both go to $1.00  Which is still awesome, because I was unaware of this.  I had been looking at $.50 off coupons thinking they were just that...Now I know that Price Chopper will bump that to $1.00 off!

So now I have to compare store prices.  For example, if WalMart has something for $1.00 and I use a $.50 coupon I will pay $0.50...But if Price Chopper has it for $1.25 and I use a $0.50 coupon that bumps to $1.00, I'll only pay $0.25!  So now I have more to think about when deciding what stores to shop at.  I have to see the prices each store sells each item for, and see which place it comes out to cheaper based on the coupons.  Just something else I am learning as I go along in this couponing experience.

Armed with my new knowledge,  I had a small Price Chopper trip yesterday.  I mostly only got items that were free.  And anything I got that wasn't free was on sale and I of course used a coupon.


Retail Prices:

• 2 Boxes of Cheerios: $3.19 Each (Total: $6.38)
• 1 Box of Cocoa Puffs: $3.99
• 1 Box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch: $3.69
• 10 Weight Watchers Yogurts: $0.69 each (Total: $6.90)
• 2 Boxes of Weight Watchers Ice Cream Bars: $5.39 each (Total: $10.78)
• 1 Mio Liquid Water Enhancer: $3.99
• 1 Container of Almond Breeze Milk: $3.49
• 2 Pouches of Starkist Chunk Light Tuna in Water: $1.69 each (Total: $3.38)
• 1 Kiwi: $0.50

Total: $43.10


My Prices:

2 Boxes of Cheerios:  $6.38 + 

1 Box of Cocoa Puffs: $3.99 + 

1 Box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch: $3.69 = $14.06 

{These 4 Boxes of Cereal were On Sale for a total of $6.00} So 

$14.06

 - $8.06 = $6.00 - $1.00 Coupon = $5.00 - $1.00 Coupon = $4.00 

10 Weight Watchers Yogurts:  $6.90 - {On Sale for '10 for $6.00'} So $6.90 - $0.90 = $6.00 - $1.00 Coupon = $5.00 - $1.00 Coupon = $4.00 

2 Boxes of Weight Watchers Ice Cream Bars: $10.78 {On Sale for $3.99 each, Total: $7.98} So $10.78 - $2.80 = $7.98 -1.00 Coupon = $6.98 - $1.00 Coupon = $5.98

1 Mio Liquid Water Enhancer: $3.99 - $3.99 Coupon = $0.00

1 Container of Almond Breeze Milk: $3.49 - $0.49 Sale = $3.00 - $1.00 Coupon = $2.00 - $0.55 Coupon = $1.45

2 Pouches of Starkist Chunk Light Tuna in Water: $3.38 - {On Sale for $1.00 Each, Total $2.00} So $3.38 - $1.38 = $2.00 - $0.55 Coupon Bumped to $1.00 = $1.00 - $0.55 Coupon Bumped to $1.00 = $0.00

1 Kiwi: $0.50 - $0.50 Coupon = $0.00

My Total: $15.43

So $43.10 - $15.43 = Savings of $27.67 

I sadly only had 2 cereal coupons for the 4 boxes I bought, I really wish I had 4 coupons because I would have saved $2 more dollars.  Which would have made each box $.50 each, instead of the $1.00 each I got it for.  But the deal I got was still too good to pass up.

The other thing I wonder if I did wrong was that I had a coupon for $1 off of 1 Mio Liquid Water Enhancer that I did not use.  At the time all I thought of was how my Price Chopper coupon would make it free, so I didn't think I needed to use a $1 off coupon on something I was already getting for free.  But in retrospect, I'm wondering if I should have tried to stack that $1 off Manufacturer's Coupon with the Price Chopper coupon, and then an extra $1 might have just come off of my total purchase.  At the time I was just thinking of how the $1 would come off of the single item when it was already going to be free...I didn't think of the possibility that the $1 would just come off of my total.  Oh well.  Live and learn.


Later in the day I was near a different Price Chopper and made a tiny purchase:


Retail Prices:

• 1 Mio Liquid Water Enhancer: $3.99
• 3 Kiwis: $0.50 each (Total: $1.50)

Total: $5.49

My Prices:

• 1 Mio Liquid Water Enhancer: $3.99 - = $0.00
• 3 Kiwis: $1.50 - $0.50 Coupon = $1.00 - $0.50 Coupon = $0.50 - $0.50 Coupon = $0.00

My Total: $0.00

So $5.49 - $0.00 = Savings of $5.49

If you combine that with my other Price Chopper trip, $43.10 + $5.49 = $48.59  And $15.43 + $0.00 = $15.43  

So $48.59 - $15.43 = TOTAL SAVINGS OF $33.16

I'm pretty impressed that I got almost $50 worth of groceries for only about $15.00!  :)

~*~*FREE Kiwi @ Price Chopper*~*~

Price Chopper has been advertising a FREE kiwi!  All you have to do is go to a Price Chopper that has a pharmacy in it, grab a coupon and a kiwi, head to the register and check-out with your free kiwi.

Unfortunately, my Price Chopper location does not have a pharmacy in it, so I have been unable to get the free kiwi coupon.  And I didn't really think a free kiwi was worth it to drive all the way to another location that does have a pharmacy in it...Unless I happened to be in the area.

This morning as I was leaving my doctor's appointment, I realized I was right across the street from a different Price Chopper.  So I decided to stop in quick and see if it had a pharmacy.   And it did!  So I ran in quickly to grab a few free kiwi coupons.  I started to leave, when I began to wonder if my pharmacy-less Price Chopper might not honor the coupon.  I would assume that any Price Chopper, pharmacy or not, should honor the coupon...But I do not know that for sure.

There was a stand of kiwis conveniently located right near the coupons.  The sign said that the kiwis were two for $1...But I think that you can only use one coupon per transaction.  So I just grabbed one kiwi and ran to the register without any other items.  And I got my one free kiwi.
I  have a few more coupons that I might try to bring to my location and see if they'll honor it or not.  If not, then at least I got my one free kiwi! :)

And that made my day!  Haha


Today's Price Chopper Trip:

• 1 Kiwi - $0.50 

Total: $0.50


My Cost: $0.00

Savings: $0.50

I LOVE WHEN MY TOTAL IS FREE! :)

^^My FREE Kiwi^^

Price Chopper: 04/16/2011

I think I still have a lot to learn.  I have only been doing this really for a week.  But I know I have a lot to learn still.  Especially because I have now been making multiple grocery trips.  We used to only go once a week, and the occasional during the week for emergency items.  But now I seem to make a couple "couponing trips" and then another trip for whatever other items we need for the week that weren't part of my coupon/sale items.  I need to absolutely figure out how to incorporate that all into one trip.  I need to sit down and make a list of everything we need and try to find coupons for those items.  Like I said, I still have a lot to learn...


I had my Price Chopper trip for today all mapped out. (Which was good, because the cashier didn't ring up one of my $1off coupons, and I might not have noticed it if I hadn't already done the math and saw that the total was $1 more than it should have been.  By coincidence a manager was walking by, told him he didn't ring up a coupon, he insisted he did, but then I insisted he didn't because I knew what the total was supposed to be.  So then he took the $1 off.)
Originally there were two sale items that I was excited about going to buy.  But then as I saw what else I needed to buy, my total grew larger than I wanted it to, so I nixed those two things.  One was that Price Chopper had Marzetti Salad Dressings BOGO.  So at $3.99 each it would normally cost $7.98 for two, but would just be $3.99 for two and I had a $1 off coupon.  So it would have only been $2.99 for two...But since I usually make my own salad dressing, I decided against getting them to save money.

The other item I was originally excited about getting was Land O'Lakes Margarine.  It is normally $2.49 a pack but Price Chopper was doing a BOGO on that and I had a $1 off coupon.  So instead of $4.98 for two boxes I would have gotten two boxes for $1.49.  But I talked myself out of that deal too.


So here is what I did get:



Actual Prices:

• 2 Bags of Dole Lettuce: $3.99 each (Total: $7.98)
• 2 Boxes of Ronzoni Quick Cook Pasta: $1.49 each (Total: $2.98)
• 2 Boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta: $1.59 each (Total: $3.18)
• 2 Packages of Texas Toast Croutons: $1.99 each (Total: $3.98)
• 2 Packages of Marzetti Croutons: $1.99 each (Total: $3.98)
• 4 Cans of Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes: $1.99 each (Total: $7.96)
• 1 Container of Almond Breeze Milk: $3.49
• 3 Cans of Price Chopper Brand Diced Beets: $0.69 each (Total $2.07) 

Total: $35.62

My Prices:

• 2 Bags of Dole Lettuce: $7.98 - BOGO($3.99) = $3.99
• 2 Boxes of Ronzoni Quick Cook Pasta: $2.98 - BOGO($1.49) = $1.49 - $1 Coupon = $0.49
• 2 Boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta: $3.18 - BOGO($1.59) = $1.59 - $1 Coupon = $0.59
• 2 Packages of Texas Toast Croutons: $3.98 - BOGO($1.99) = $1.99
• 2 Packages of Marzetti Croutons: $3.98 - BOGO($1.99) = $1.99
• 4 Cans of Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes: $7.96 - BOGO($1.99) = $5.97 - BOGO(1.99) = $3.98 - $1 Coupon = $2.98
• 1 Container of Almond Breeze Milk: $3.49 - $0.49 Sale = $3.00 - $0.55 Coupon = $2.45
• 3 Cans of Price Chopper Brand Diced Beets: $2.07 - $0.50 Coupon = $1.57

My Total: $16.05

So I was kind of mad at myself...Because spending almost $20 just doesn't seem like I did something right.  Especially when everything was either on sale, or Buy One Get One Free, or I had a coupon.

But when you look at the fact that I DID save $19.57, I guess that's not too bad.

Oh, but one thing that sucks...When I got home I found a $1 off coupon for the Almond Breeze Milk that I could have stacked with the $0.55 coupon.  So my milk could have cost me $1.45 instead of $2.45.  Kinda pissed about it, but what can you do about it now?  

Unfortunately, I am sure that for the next few hours I will be repeating to myself that I could have spent only $15.05 and saved $20.57...

Price Chopper: 04/15/2011

Today's Price Chopper Trip:


Actual Prices:

• 3 6.4oz Tubes of Colgate Toothpaste: $3.29 each (Total: $9.87)
• 2 Boxes of Ronzoni Quick Cook Pasta: $1.49 each (Total: $2.98)
• 2 Boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta: $1.59 each (Total: $3.18)
• 2 Packages of Ball Park Franks: $3.99 each (Total: $7.98)
• 1 Package of Hillshire Farms CheddarWurst: $3.99 
• 1 24oz Price Chopper Brand Ketchup: $1.59

SUBTOTAL: $29.59

My Prices: 

• 3 6.4oz Tubes of Colgate Toothpaste: $9.87 - BOG2($6.58)  = $3.29 - $1 Coupon = $2.29
• 2 Boxes of Ronzoni Quick Cook Pasta: $2.98 - BOGO($1.49) = $1.49 - $1 Coupon = $0.49
• 2 Boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta: $3.18 - BOGO($1.59) = $1.59 - $1 Coupon = $0.59
• 2 Packages of Ball Park Franks: $7.98 - BOGO(3.99) = $3.99 - $1 Coupon = $2.99 - $1 Coupon = $1.99
• 1 Package of Hillshire Farms CheddarWurst: $3.99 - $2 Coupon = $1.99
• 1 24oz Price Chopper Brand Ketchup: $1.59 - $0.59off Sale = $1 - $0.50 Coupon = $0.50

SUBTOTAL: $7.85

But for some reason my receipt shows that I gave another $1 off coupon...Which I have no recollection of having...Or even any other items that it could have been taken off of.  But hey, that works out in my favor for all of the other times Price Chopper screwed me over.  And I was so busy making sure that all of the BOGOs and coupons worked correctly, that I HONESTLY didn't realize the extra dollar off until later.

So my actual SubTotal came to: $6.85


Plus 8.750% Sales Tax of $0.29 = GRAND TOTAL: $7.14






$29.59 - $6.85 = A Savings of $22.74

I put a lot of time, thought, and of course MATH into this trip.  So I am pleased overall.  

Always Double-Check!

On Sunday my Husband and I were shopping for a few groceries that I did not have coupons for and thus did not buy on my Friday and Saturday trips.  Among the necessary non-sale/non-coupon items was toothpaste.  Our tube of toothpaste was just about empty, so it was something we needed no matter what.  My Husband is very particular about the kind of Colgate he likes.  So imagine our surprise when we went to the Colgate section of Walmart we found that someone (who I have affectionately named the "Coupon Gods") had left us TWO coupons for $1 off any Colgate.  It was the kind you cut out of the newspaper inserts...A.K.A. the kind of coupon I do not have since I only have the Print-For-Free-From-The-Internet-Kind.  So I was really excited that there was randomly a coupon, that I did not have, for a product we needed right that second!  My Husband took one for the one box of toothpaste we were buying, and left the other coupon.  Greedy me decided to take both coupons.  Yes, I should have been nice and left the second coupon for the next person who might need it.  But the fact is, I have become coupon crazy.  Thus I took it.

Now fast-forward to Wednesday when I was searching the on-sale items at Price Chopper, with items I could find coupons for.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Price Chopper is doing a Buy One Colgate Get TWO of the same kinds of Colgate for FREE!  Now mix that with my other $1 off 1 Colgate...And you got yourself 3 Colgates for less than the price of one!  Needless to say, I was ecstatic!  I know it's extremely sad, but one of the only things I have been able to think about since Wednesday is what a great deal I am going to get on not just any toothpaste, but in fact the exact one my husband loves!

Yesterday when I was on my 'check the every day price of items trip', Colgate was one of the items I checked.  I saw that the kind my husband likes came in two sizes: 7.8oz for $4.29 and 6oz for $3.99.  I know that bigger isn't always the cheaper option.  And in this case you would be paying $0.30 more for 1.8oz more.  But since you would be getting 3 tubes, I decided that at $0.10 more each, the bigger size seemed worth it.  While I was in the Colgate section, I noticed that only some of the types of Colgate had a "BOG2" sign next to them.  I didn't notice any restrictions on kinds in the circular, so I went to Customer Service and asked if there were any restrictions on the BOG2 toothpastes.  The guy's answer: "I think so, but I don't know what." He then fumbled through the circular and said "Oh I guess there aren't any restrictions."  So I took that to mean I could get the big size on the particular kind, despite there not being a "BOG2" in front of it.

Again, it is sad to admit, but all I thought about all last night and today was getting that toothpaste, and how upset I will be if I can't get the discount on the particular kind.  So when I went to Price Chopper today, I got out the circular again to double-check that I wasn't missing any restrictions.  And THAT'S when I noticed, the add said the BOG2's were only on any 6.4oz size.  Now for some strange reason, the particular Colgate my husband prefers just doesn't come in 6.4oz.  And the closer I looked in the aisle, I noticed that the only kinds that did have a "BOG2" signs in front of them were the kinds that came in 6.4oz.  So I could have grabbed the 6oz and would have most likely had an issue at the register, and would have had to call a manager over and then would have tried to argue my way into getting it.  Or I could have just said "forget it" and not get any toothpaste at all.  And then kept my $1 off coupon in the hopes that I can find a store with a sale on that particular toothpaste by next week when the coupon expires.  I decided that my chances of that were rather slim.  So I called up my husband to ask him what other kinds of Colgates he likes...He didn't know.  And I couldn't remember a time we used any other kind, so I didn't know either.  So I just picked out a different type of Colgate that is hopefully fine, and that was 6.4oz @ 3.29, got 2 more identical ones (you had to get 3 of the same) and used my $1 off coupon.

So instead of paying $9.87 for 3 tubes of toothpaste, I got all 3 for just $2.29!  I think that is a pretty good deal.  I am still a little angry that the preferred kind didn't come in 6.4oz, or that Price Chopper only allowed you to get the 6.4oz kind.  But all in all, saving $7.58 on toothpaste...And having it come to actually like $0.76 a tube...Seemed like a pretty good deal.  And now we're set on toothpaste for a while.  So hopefully I'll find another great deal by the time we're almost out! I think if you want to be thrifty, you can't be too particular on your brands and such.  At least in this case it was still Colgate, just a different kind.

In conclusion, this just goes to prove

Quickie Trip: 04/14/2011

Yesterday I decided to search through the Price Chopper circular specifically for any items that were BOGO (Buy One, Get One Free).  I then searched for coupons for only those items.  It also occurred to me, that maybe I should go to Price Chopper every day for the sole purpose of getting my Daily Random Free Coupon Print-Outs at the store...Since they are good for a week.  I don't know if that is worth it to drive there just for coupons, but it is absolutely tempting.

So today I decided that I would run to the store on my lunch break and price out everything I was thinking of buying tomorrow or Saturday...Everything that was on the list I made of BOGO items with coupons.  I figured I would write down all of the every day costs of each of the items, then figure out the math later to see how much I would save.  This way I would know before I started my shopping trip exactly how much everything would cost me, and what might not even be worth buying.  I thought this might make it a little bit easier than all the math I was doing on the fly on last week's trips.

While there, I would also get my Daily Coupon Print-Outs.  

I eat a salad every day for lunch, and while I was finishing up my salad today before I ran to the store, it reminded me that I am out of salad for tomorrow's lunch.  I checked on Price Chopper's site, and they had a printable coupon for $0.99 off of a 12oz bag of Fresh Dole Classic Iceberg Salad (normally $1.99).  So I printed that out and headed to the store.

When I got there I found a few more BOGO signs than what was advertised on their website.  They had all 12oz Fresh Blend bags of salad for BOGO.  They are normally $3.99 each, so for $3.99 you'd get two bags.  Not a great deal, but decent.  Especially considering I go through 4-5 bags of salad  a week.  And even if I wasn't out for tomorrow, I would need to be buying some this weekend anyway.  And that's the kind I always buy, with or without a coupon or a sale.

I tried to just get the Iceberg for $1.99 with the $0.99 off coupon, and bag of Dole for $3.99 for the BOGO.  But that didn't work, and I had to get another $3.99 Dole bag to complete the BOGO.  I was tempted to forget the BOGO altogether and just get the one bag for $1, but I figured since I would need to be buying it anyway, I might as well get one for free.  I was a little angry, but maybe it's because I am sick of Iceberg and try to go with Romaine nowadays.  So I could have skipped the Iceberg altogether, but it just seemed like a good deal, so I got all 3.


So in addition to spotting a few other BOGO items, getting a print out of coupons (undetermined at this point if I will be using them), and getting a listing of all of the prices I wanted, I also got the following:

• 1 Bag of Dole Classic Iceberg Lettuce - $1.99 
• 1 Bag of Dole Baby Spinach - $3.99
• 1 Bag of Dole Very Veggie - $3.99

Why yes, I did take a picture of my lettuce at work just so I could upload it to my blog.  ;)

Subtotal: $9.97

My Price: $4.99

TOTAL SAVINGS: $4.98

Not the best, but still better than paying full price, right?

Two More Trips: 04/09/2011

As I said in my last post, I had every intention of going back to the same Price Chopper again the following day. But as I was planning my day, I realized I had to go to the mall for a few things.  With that addition to my trip, I decided I might as well go to the Price Chopper that was across from the mall too.  The Price Chopper I usually go to is only about 6 minutes from my house.  The other one is more like 15 minutes.  I wasn't going to go to the further one, but figured since I was going to the mall and I would be right there anyway, I might as well take advantage of those awesome coupons.  There actually were other Price Choppers in that radius that I could have hit up, but I didn't bother.

Now, I could have planned my two Price Chopper trips for that the day as buying the exact same items as the prior day to total about $0.30 for everything.  But I decided that I should buy more items that we needed.  For example, with those sales and great coupons, we figured we should stock up on more boxes of pasta.   I knew this would mean that the totals would be more than a dime, but it would also be worth it.  It would also mean that I would have to make sure to only stick to 10 items total.

When planning my trip, I had called my Mother to see if she wanted me to show her how well I am doing at this couponing thing and I would print her some of those awesome coupons and have her take a trip with me.  She said she was too busy running errands but would come along on one of these trips with me another day.

So I set off for my day at about 11am. I had so much to do.  I had to go to the Post Office, a ton of stores to buy various things and return other things, and then my day would end with my two Price Chopper trips.  (I didn't get home until after 7pm, but it was all worth it).

While walking around at the Price Chopper that was not my usual location, I learned what I think is a valuable lesson for couponing.  I discovered that their normal price of Price Chopper brand pasta at this store was $1.09 (my location has them at $1.19).  AND I learned that the types of pasta that were on sale for $1 at this location is NOT the same as the types of pasta that were on sale for $1 at my location.

Also, my only good coupon from my Daily Rewards print-out that day was for $.50 off a Price Chopper brand Orange Juice...I decided I would use this as one of my 10 items, because we usually buy the store brand of Orange Juice at whatever store we happened to be shopping at that week.  I didn't luck out again with a coupon off of canned vegetables.
However, as luck would have it, as I was walking around the store trying to figure out what else to buy, and I ran into my Mother!  She had her sheet of Daily Rewards print out coupons, and said she wasn't going to use any of them, so she gave them to me.  And she had the canned vegetable coupon as well as a frozen vegetable coupon.  Which I thought was awesome, because I had already had some frozen vegetables in my cart.

So what I ended up with on that trip was the following:

• 1 Price Chopper Brand Box of Cereal - $2.00
• 1 Box of Price Chopper Brand Pasta - $1.00
• 2 Boxes of Price Chopper Brand Pasta - $1.09 each (Yes, as careful as I was, I STILL managed to get two boxes that weren't on sale!  I was very mad at myself for the rest of the night.)
• 3 Cans of Price Chopper Brand Vegetables - $0.59 each
• 1 Package of Price Chopper Brand Frozen Vegetables - $1.19 
• 1 Package of Price Chopper Brand Frozen Vegetables - $1.99 (on sale for $1.59)
• 1 Package of Price Chopper Brand Frozen Vegetables - $1.99 (on sale for ($1.69)

SubTotal: $12.21 (The one box of pasta that was $1, rang up as $1.09 so I complained and they gave me a dime...So they gave me a penny too much back.)  

So $12.21 - $0.70 On Sale Rewards = $11.51 - $8.25 in coupons = $3.26 - $0.10 (the dime they handed me) = TOTAL SAVINGS: $8.95

My Grand Total: $3.16

                                                                                                                                                                 

My second Price Chopper trip of the day was to include Orange Juice and some shredded cheddar cheese that we needed...And some more pasta.  So I knew that this trip would be pricer than the others. 

This trip included:  

• 7 Boxes of Price Chopper Brand Pasta - $1.00 each (Yes I got every kind that was on sale for $1)
• 1 8oz package of Price Chopper brand cheddar cheese - $2.99 (On sale for $2.00)
• 1 Box of Price Chopper Brand Cereal - $2.00
• 1 Carton of Price Chopper Brand Orange Juice - $2.99 
• 1 Yoplait Yogurt - $0.69 (I had a coupon for a free Yoplait Yogurt!)

They kept messing up with the pasta, despite that the manager even knew it was on sale.  Finally she had to ring one of the boxes up as a "General Merchandise" item for $1.00 just so that the pasta wouldn't should up as $1.19...However, that caused the register to charge me sales tax of $0.09 since it didn't know that the 'general merchandise' was food....Which made me actually pay $1.09 for the pasta that should have only been $1.00.  I didn't end up complaining about that because they had an issue with my Yoplait yogurt coupon and ended up having to just hand me the $0.69...So since they had to get a manager over to override the price of the pasta that was on sale, I didn't know how to complain about the sales tax issue.  

Subtotal: $15.67 + $0.09(for the stupid sales tax) = $15.76 - $0.99 On Sale Rewards = $14.77 - $7.50 worth of coupons = $7.27 - $0.69 (they handed me since my coupon didn't work) = $6.58

TOTAL SAVINGS: $9.18

So my grand total should have been $6.49 but because of the stupid tax that should have never been charged, MY GRAND TOTAL: $6.58

This picture is of the two trips combined: 

So combined my two trips would have cost $27.88 but I paid only $9.74 for a savings of $18.14.

And if you combine those two trips with my trip from the day before, it would have cost $35.48, but I only paid $9.84...For a savings of: $25.64.

I know I probably made some mistakes that veteran Extreme Couponers would frown upon...But for my first weekend of Extreme Couponing, I'd say I did pretty well.  Again, keeping in mind that these were all items we need and will absolutely use.

And it makes me wonder how many other times in my life the stores have ripped me off because of on-sale items not ringing up on sale, or because coupons didn't actually come off, or because they charge you tax when they shouldn't. 

My First Extreme Couponing Trip! 04/08/2011

I discovered that a lot of people sign up for some paid coupon clipping services...Or get coupon books from various sources.  Most of those sources include your weekend newspaper that we all know contains your grocery store's weekly circulars and TONS OF COUPONS!  However, we do not sign up for any of those things, so I rely all of my coupon gathering on just any free printable coupons I can find online.

Last week I decided that I had done enough research and gathered enough coupons to try out my first Extreme Couponing Trip.  I think that I picked a heck of week to try this out!  In my research I found that last week Price Chopper had a coupon for $5 off when you buy 10 Price Chopper brand items.  So as long as you stick to items that are around $.50 each,  you will end up with them for free or for dirt cheap.  There was also a coupon for a free Price Chopper brand box of cereal valued at $2.  With those two coupons in hand I went to the store.

When I got there, I scanned my Rewards Card into the coupon machine.  Every day (I have checked, you can only do it once a day no matter how many different Price Chopper locations you go to that day) that you go in to Price Chopper, you scan your Rewards Card and it prints you a random sheet of coupons.  In the past I always check the coupons but it has rarely been for anything I was going in to the store for.  This time happened to be my lucky day!  Out printed a coupon for $.50 off of 3 Price Chopper brand canned vegetables...Which I had already planned on buying at least 3 cans of Price Chopper brand vegetables to complete my 10 items.  So now with the additional unexpected $.50 coupon, I was able to buy 11 items and did not need to count the box of cereal as one of my 10 items. I walked up and down the aisles with my phone's calculator, a pen, and a piece of paper.  I guarantee that I was talking out-loud to myself and other customers probably thought I was insane.

The math I had done had assured me that my purchase was going to be so dirt cheap that I actually kind of wanted an audience.  But after walking around the store for over an hour, I did not want to wait in the long check-out lines.  So I went to one of the self-check-outs since there was no line.

FYI, Earlier in the week before I found those coupons, I planned on going in to the store with the intention of ONLY buying 1 box of Price Chopper brand pasta that was on sale for $1, to make for dinner that night.
What I walked out of the store was with the following:

• 1 Box Price Chopper Brand Cereal - $2.00
• 2 Cans of Price Chopper Brand canned Vegetables - $0.49 each
• 2 Cans of Price Chopper Brand canned Vegetables - $0.59 each
• 5 Price Chopper Brand Yogurts - $0.45 each
• 1 Box of Price Chopper Brand Pasta - $1.19 (Yes I messed up and accidentally got the one that wasn't on sale for $1)

Subtotal: $7.60 

My Price after $7.50 worth of coupons came off: $0.10

Had I realized I grabbed the wrong box of pasta, my total would have either been free or they would have owed me 9cents.  I am not sure if they actually pay you or not. 

Either way, I was so ecstatic about all of those groceries only costing me a dime that I didn't even notice my pasta mistake until later that night.  I found myself standing at the check-out counter grinning like an idiot, kind of looking around to see if anyone happened to see my wonderful purchase.  No one had.  Oh well, I had and I couldn't wait to tell the world about it!

I think one of the best things about the trip was that we needed all of those items.  None of them were going to be wasted.  Those were pretty much all items we would have been buying anyway.

I also found that I was on a bit of a 'high' from the excitement.  It lasted my car ride home, the whole time cooking dinner, to probably a few hours into the night.  I even told my husband I wanted to frame the receipt!  (Don't worry, I'm not really going to do that...But I haven't thrown it out yet either...)

I was so impressed with my purchase that I decided I had to go back to Price Chopper again the following day, because the Free Box of Cereal Coupon and the $5/10 PC items Coupons were going to expire the following day...And I just couldn't let them go to waste.

I was now begging to understand the 'rush' that all of those people on "Extreme Couponers" felt.