Off to a good start

One thing I learned from Extreme Couponing is, to be successful, one must research and plan prior to any shopping trip.   This involves comparing coupons to the weekly saving flyers of each grocery store, and carefully calculating out how much of what to buy to make the best savings.

Last night I searched the online versions of the weekly flyers for my two local grocery stores, Hannaford and Shaws.   I finished searching the Hannaford flyers with a feeling of disappointment, not finding anything to match my current batch of coupons.   As I neared the end of the Shaws flyer, I felt a similar letdown.   That is, until I reached the last page.

There it was, an opportunity to earn $10 off my next trip to the store.   Could I do it?

To qualify for the $10 off coupon, I would need to purchase $25 worth of products from the specific list on that page.  And there were specific requirements, such as a certain number of an item would need to be purchased (for example, 10 cans of Green Giant Vegetables for $10, or 2 cans of Progresso soup for $3).   Fortunately, there was quite a bit on this list that I would actually use.

Even better, I was able to search online and find coupons for almost all of what I would be getting!

Then began the planning steps.   First, I had specific quantities I would need to buy in order to qualify for the savings.   Then, because the $25 minimum needed was after coupons were added in,  I had to determine how much the coupons would take off the total.   Shaws also doubles coupons up to 99 cents, so I had to add all that in as well.

I headed off to Shaws with my list and coupons in hand.   As I reached the vegetable aisle, I saw that many had been there before me!   Fortunately I was still able to find 10 cans that applied to the special offer.   I continued through the store, finding items on my list, making one change when I couldn't find a product. 

As I emptied my cart at the checkout, I worried that something would not work.   I think I had a minor version of that feeling of panic that some of our Extreme Couponing participants feel as they hope their planning worked.  

So, did it work???

Yes!!!

My total before my Rewards Card and coupons were entered in: $57.52

After my Rewards Card savings and coupons added in: $34.22

Total Savings:  $23.40

That's a 41% savings, better than I have ever done.  And, I got a $10 coupon towards my next shopping trip.  

So, what did I get?

10 cans of Green Giant vegetables

10 boxes of Totino Pizza rolls (I know, not the healthiest choice, but a fun occasional snack)

1 box of Betty Crocker Instant Garlic Mashed Potatoes

4 Cans of Progresso Soup

2 Bags of Chex Mix

1 container of orange juice (not on sale and not part of the special savings, but I needed it)

Also, many of these items are part of the Boxtops for Education program, so there's an added bonus!  

Today was a 41% savings.   My goal for the next trip will be 50%.   My $10 off coupon (which, by the way, has no minimum purchase requirement) is good until 10/29, so I'll be doing some big planning to put that to good use. 

A good start for the Aspiring Extreme Couponer.