Ingles

Here in the South, you know we drink a lot of Tea. So when I find it on sale, I stock up.

This week (ending today) Ingles has Tetley tea on sale BOGO.

There were coupons in one of June inserts, which I don't have any (and didn't think to look for any to buy from the coupon sellers)(and anyway, I never did really learn how to use coupons at Ingles). So, I paid more for mine that I should have, but despite all that, I'm still happy with the deal I got.

Last year when I stocked up they were $1.98 a box, which worked out to 99¢ each after BOGO.
When I got my paper this week, it said "Save $2.38", making them $1.19 a box. Not a good as 99¢, but still better than $2.38 for one box, which is what I would have to pay if I ran out while they weren't on sale.

So I get to the store, and the sign reads "$1.98 BOGO". Woot!
I get 10 and my son gets 10 and we check out, but then my total came up to over $12.00 with tax.
My math skills suck bad, but even I knew it should have been less than $10.00 plus tax, which was only 36¢.

The receipt showed that I was charged $1.98 for the first box, but then it only took off 79¢ rather than 99¢ for the BOGO.
The Manager agreed it rang up wrong and gave us each (1) box free because of the right price guarantee, and then refunded the 20¢ per box we were overcharged.

I figured it up when I got home and the $1.98 - 79¢ made them cost $1.19 per box, same as the "Save $2.38" in the ad, but I don't think they can do that, advertise one price in the store, and charge another.

In the end, I paid about 83¢ each.

Starting Back

Or not.

After the 'Great Extreme Couponer Crash', I didn't think it was progressing me to continue trying to coupon shop.

First of all, the only "coupon" store we have here in my town is a small, old Rite Aid, with very little stock. I rarely had any luck trying to do my deals there.
Any of the next nearest towns with shopping is at least 25 miles away.

It used to work out, I could drive to the next town over, buy the "Metro Region" Sunday papers for $1.00 each, and be able to do my shopping while I was out. (The town I live in is one county outside the Metro area, and doesn't get as many or as good of coupons.)
Then, they quit selling the papers on the corner.
Then, the stores "cracked down" on coupons, changing the rules, placing limits.

It was just not worth the gas or my time to drive 50+ miles round trip, pay $2.00 for my papers, to be able to buy (1) item/deal.

I still drive to the next town over, but it's to shop at Aldi, where I can buy $1.99 milk, 99¢ large dozen eggs, 85¢ loafa bread, 69¢ 2ltr Cola, and cheap fruits and veggies.

Sugar, corn chips, tortilla chips, cereal, poptarts, refried beans and a few other things are also cheaper there.
Maybe not cheaper than using coupons, but by the time I pay $2.00 or $2.50 per paper and use the gas driving around to different stores, then it probably works out about the same.

I generally spend around $50 a week and get everything we need, including boneless/skinless chicken breast, except for beef or pork meats.  I try to get up early and hit Food Lion's Mark-down meats about once a month.

This week a local, hometown grocery had a 3-day sale, with Milk $1.99, and ground beef $1.79lb. I got my usual (4) gallons of milk, and stocked up on a lot of ground beef.
But the majority of their other prices liked to have caused me heart failure!

Then we went up the road to Walmart, and their prices are really only cents cheaper. It's just that everything has gotten so much more expensive since I last shopped like a regular person, pre-couponing.

I told my kid, I am going to have to get back to coupon shopping. This is crazy.

Other people still coupon shop and seem to do well. I figured if I just planned better, hit all the stores at once while I was out, only go one time a week, go early in the week before stock runs out...I won't be able to do like I used to, when I pretty much got paid to shop, but even if I save 50% or more, that's something.

So I sat down yesterday and visited all my old haunts and looking for deals. Granted, I didn't have any current newspaper coupons, but I figured I could make a pretty good start with Printables.

Other than the Food Lion toilet paper deal - and I didn't even really need TP at the moment, but I know I will later, and this is one of those really rare deals - every single thing I found was absolutely nothing I needed. In fact I'll end up donating/giving a good bit of it away.

Absolutely nothing I needed cost me $57.81 even after Rebates, and 1/4 tank of gas, which works out to be around $14.40 worth of gas.

I shoulda just stayed home.

Food Lion

Food Lion has been having a Big Deal I wished I'd paid attention to a lot earlier than two days before the sale ends!  It's like a Mega Sale, where you buy a certain number of items, and get an amount off:
Buy 10 items, get $5 off
Buy 20 items, get $10 off
Buy 30 items, get $15 off
(Limit $15 per order)

There's also a $5/$30 FLip coupon you may or may not be able to use to make the deal even sweeter. (If you can get them to scan the coupon before they scan your MVP card.)

Well, these (4) Roll Angel Soft toilet paper, and Sparkle and Brawny single roll paper towels are on sale for $1.00 per package. If you buy 10, 20, or 30, you get half off, making them 50¢ each.
I went with the intention of buying 2/3 toilet paper, but sadly, they only had (7) packages left in the store. JML.

I got total (30) packages of toilet paper and paper towels, and was able to use my $5/$30 coupon.
Final Total $10.00 + 2.10 Tax = $12.10 (or about 40¢ each. Ohhhh how I wish that was all toilet paper!!!)

I had my son with me to also get toilet paper, but since they didn't have any, I didn't really want to spend another $10 (or $15) on more paper towels.
They have Old El Paso Taco, Burrito, and Fajita seasoning packages on sale for 79¢ (dang, I should have scouted out to see if they had any chili seasoning. Didn't think about it.)
After the Big Deal, they're 29¢ which is a great price for Taco seasoning.

By the time we got (30) packages of Taco seasoning, we were at $23.70 (before Big Deal sale). I figured we're "that close" to $30.00, might as well get $6.30 more of something and get $5 of it free with the coupon. So I got a 5lb bag of potatoes on sale for $2.99, and a package of Mark-down boneless pork chops for $3.68.

Dummy, Jr...er, I mean my son, didn't even give his cashier the coupon! He said he forgot, he was still stuck on us not being to use it because they were out of toilet paper...or some such thing. Sigh.

Final Total $15.37 + 46¢ Tax = $15.83

Staples

Staples is having another big Back-to-School sale this week. There's a $5 off $30 Printable Coupon that you can use to make sweet deals even better.

Last week I didn't go 'til Thursday and they were out of several of the things I was looking for to make my total $30 or more, so this week I made sure to get there early.

This week (7/22 - 7/28) deals I got (there were more I didn't need/want):
$4.00 Zebra Mechanical Pencils 10, limit 1
-4.00 Easy Rebate (in store only)
Free after Rebate

$4.00 Pentel Ballpoint 5 pk. limit 1
-4.00 Easy Rebate (in store only)
Free after rebate

1¢ Staples Pink Cap Erasers 12 pk. limit 2
With $5 purchase

1¢ Staples 3x5" White Index Cards, limit 2
With $5 purchase

50¢ Sharpie Accent Highlighters 5 pk limit 4

25¢ Staples Stickies Flags 125 pk limit 4

$6.99 Staples Multi-purpose Paper, limit 2
-5.99 Easy Rebate
$1.00 after Rebate

$9.99 Everyday Photo Paper 50 pk 8.5x11" limit 4
-8.99 Easy Rebate
$1.00 after Rebate

Total $35.01 - $5/$30 coupon = $30.01 + $2.10 Tax = $32.11
-28.97 Easy Rebates
$3.14 Final Cost inc'l Tax

Last week (7/15 - 7/21):

Order #1:
$14.04 + 42¢ Tax = $14.46
-13.38 Easy Rebate for the Paper
Final Total 98¢ inc'l Tax

Order #2:
$29.53: I was keeping an estimated running total in my head (L.O.L.), and of course was off in the end.
I told my kid to grab a candy bar, not knowing they charge $1.19!!!! for regular candy bars!
Total $30.72 - $5/$30 coupon = $25.72 + $1.24 Tax = $26.96
-22.47 Easy Rebates
$4.49 Final Cost inc'l Tax

Kroger, CVS, Walgreens

Kroger was our first stop. The Mott's for Tots 64oz. juices are priced $2.29.
Use $1.00/1 Printable Coupon to make them $1.29 each.
(I'm going to use mine to make Moonshine, lol)

The double newspaper was $3.99 + tax. OUCH!!

Kroger total $6.99 inc'l Tax

Next we went to CVS (where I was obviously suffering from a bad case of the Brain Farts, ugh.) For some reason I had the idea to roll the $3.00 ECB from the Starbucks refreshers to newspapers, because I didn't want to have ECBs left over until I decide if I'm going to get back more into Couponing.
The papers cost about 51¢ more each buying them separated, and for some reason I was thinking they were $2.99, rather than $2.50. I should have just bought another double stack at Kroger :(

I went ahead and paid for one of the papers and kept the ECB, but for the other deal I grabbed a bottle of VO-5 conditioner price cut to 79¢ (I want to try making DIY Fabric Softener).

2/$3.00 Starbucks Refreshers or AMP Energy drinks, Get $3.00 ECB limit 1
(There are Starbucks tearpad coupons out there, I didn't have any)
Free after ECB

$2.00 Stayfree Maxi-pads
-2.00 MQ 7/22 SS
Free w/ coupon

2/$1.00 Mars candy
-$1.00/2 Q from the Big Red Machine
Free/2

I had $6.01 left on a CVS Bucks gift card from some deal a while back, so that cut down on my OOP a good bit.

CVS total $6.72

Then we went to Walgreens. Just for the Stayfree. Right.

$1.99 Stayfree
-2.00 or 1.99 MQ 7/22 SS
Free
(Coupon didn't beep in the first order where I had other items, had to be marked down and entered when buying them alone.)

50¢ Arizona Teas

20¢ Spiral or Composition notebooks w/ in-ad IVC

I had IP coupons for Post Shredded Wheat Cereal and the Right Guard Total Defense 5 Clear Stick, but neither seemed to be included in the sales.

Wags total $7.56