Coupons and Saving, part two

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.)

Coupons, or How We Saved a Bundle

My daughter, M.H., moved here a year ago with her husband and daughter. It's definitely nice having them around, although I don't see nearly enough of my son-in-law or granddaughter. Such is life.

One of the things I've really learned to appreciate about M.H. (among other things) is the way she can save money, and not just a little. She's been into saving as much money as possible; between couponing, looking at the deals in the local stores, and rebates, she's been able to save a bundle. She's also been after me to follow her example. I'm beginning to see how she does it. Granted, I doubt she'll end up on an episode of Extreme Couponing, but she does do a great job of saving.

When M.H., B., and G. still lived in Rhode Island, M.H. would periodically call to tell me about her saving exploits. There was the time when she called to let me know I'd be receiving a rebate check. How so? I wondered. Turns out she had made out her shopping list, then checked the local grocery store's website, as well as Wal-Mart and Target's sites. She worked at one of the box stores at the time, and had an employee discount card. She and B. started where she worked. Between the buy-one-get-one-free offers (BOGOs), her employee discount, and her coupons, as well as only buying what she'd put on her list for that particular store, she ended up with around $150 worth of stuff and paid all of $5. (Yes, you read that right.) Sure, she ended up with enough disposable razors to last several months, as well as laundry and dish detergent, but those were all on sale, they have a longer shelf life than, say, a gallon of milk, and they're stuff that they honestly needed. Ever try doing a load of laundry or a sinkful of dishes without detergent? Exactly. On top of that, she also qualified for a rebate check of almost $9. End result? $150 worth of stuff the family needed, and she ended up almost $4 ahead of the game. Phew!

M.H.'s shopping seldom went that well, but as she's told me numerous times since moving here, "I hate paying full price for that!", as she pointed to detergent, coffee creamers, and the like.

Two weeks ago, I had M.H. drive me to the nearest Publix. I'm sure there are people who don't like Publix, but it's where I do most of my shopping. (And no, I'm not getting paid or rewarded in any way for writing that.) I picked up a few items, while M.H. picked up stuff for her family. At the end, between the BOGOs and her coupons, she ended up with around $67 worth of groceries and parted with a little over $22 in cash. That's roughly a 66-percent savings!

Yesterday, M.H. came by. As her first load of laundry went through the washer, she drove me to one of the local drugstore chains (where she happens to work). They had laundry detergent on sale, as well as toilet paper and 12-packs of soda. We do occasionally drink soda, though not nearly as much as we used to. (I can get by with maybe a glass or can of it every couple of weeks.) Had I bought the detergent (the brand I usually buy) at Publix, it would have run between $4.99 and $5.79. It's presently on sale, but M.H. could do better than an 80-cent savings. The stuff was on sale for between $2 and $3 a bottle; between the sale price, her employee discount, her savings card, and the nine $1-off coupons, we loaded up. Then we threw in a 12-pack of toilet paper and three 12-packs of soda, which will hold us for quite a while. The nine bottles of detergent would have run $45 plus tax at the grocery store; between the sale prices of everything, the discount cards, and the coupons, we shelled out $20.73! I can live with that.

At least I won't have to buy t.p., detergent, or soda for a while...