We did it again: we saved money at the local grocery store. Actually, if you want to get technical, my daughter M.H. save a bunch of money. I simply came along for part of the ride.
So, here's how it went: I'd gone to Publix first thing in the morning. I figured if I had my friend Kevin, the cab driver, drive, I could get a case of cat food from the vets' office and a case of bottled water at Publix, then get home and have the rest of the day to work. Of course, it turned out Kev needed a few items, so the trip took a little longer than planned. No biggie.
I'd been home maybe 15 minutes when M.H. called. "I need to go shopping. Want to come along?"
Sure, why not. Hitting Publix, or almost any place M.H. plans to shop can turn into a small adventure.
Disclaimer: I am not, by nature, a shopper, at least not the way my daughter is. I lean towards the hit-and-run method. Yes, I'll use coupons and occasionally even come up with a list. I don't dare leave that list in Kev's cab, though. I made a stop once on the way to the store, leaving the list on the front seat and came back to read, "Lots and lots of RED MEAT, cake mix boxes (one each of chocolate, vanilla, and yellow cake), six cans of frosting mix, soda, hot dogs (10 packages),lots and lots RED MEAT." But, as far as shopping with M.H., it is definitely an adventure.
Last Sunday, Publix had a $10-off-$50-or-more coupon. At the store, M.H. told me that had to buy enough to ring up $50 at the cash register. (This doesn't include the BOGOs, which kick the cost of the freebie off before it all rings up.) After wandering through the store with coupons and shopping list in hand, we headed for check out. I'd put a box of Tazo Chi Tea into the cart and handed her the $3.99 for it; this tipped the amound to just over $50 without costing M.H. anything.
Then the coupons were handed over. I went to sit down and watched as the cashier scanned first the $10 coupon, then an entire fist-ful of the pieces of paper. M.H. had six boxes of cereal (it was one that she, her husband, and my granddaughter like, it was buy-one-get-one free, and she had six coupons for the stuff), several four-packs of yogurt, Kraft Mac and Cheese, coffee creamer...all stuff they use on a regular basis. After the coupons were scanned, the register read $17.33. However, she had a $10 Publix gift card that she had gotten for clipping three or four UPCs a month or so again and sending them in, along with the receipt. So a $51 shopping trip cost her $7.33 ($4 of which I paid for).
It gets better. Her husband B. pointed out that they were almost out of something-or-other (yes, that's the technical term!), so M.H. would have to go back out. Fortunately, someone else had given her a second coupon. That $58 trip cost her right around $7. So, because of couponing, BOGOs, shopping lists, and buying only things that they really use, they ended up with almost $110 worth of food for less than $15.
While B.H. may never be seen on Extreme Couponing, she does know how to save some serious money for what her family needs. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go check on some couponing sites. (Yes, I'll pass 'em along...eventually.)
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