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November 30, 2009

Publix Take

I went shopping last night for the first time in two weeks. I spent $49.00 and saved $97.00.

I got 6 bottles of Sundown Vitamin B6 for FREE because Publix had a store coupon to save $6.00 on 2 bottles of vitamins. I also had manufacturer coupons to save $1.00 on one bottle. The vitamins were $3.49, so they were free.

I got 3 nail clippers. My husband said that I have a fetish for clippers because I buy so many. Silly man! I had to explain to him that the clippers cost $1.50 and I have this awesome store coupon that saves $2.50 off any 1 Revlon Beauty Tool. I earn $1.00 for each package of clippers that I purchase. That extra money goes towards the final balance of my grocery bill, making my final cost lower. This is why I buy the clippers. They won't go bad. I can give them away in gift packages or to the local homeless shelter.

I got 2 packs of Contact Cold and Cough medicine for FREE. I had this amazing coupon to save $7.00 when I bought 2 products of any kind from that manufacturer. I also had store coupons to save $2.00 of one box of Contac. Combined, the savings totaled $11.00. The Contact was priced at $5.39, so I actually came out with a little extra to apply to the final cost.

With that same $7.00 coupon, I got 2 boxes of Sominex. These were priced at $3.19, so again I had a bit left over.

I got 2 packs of Sudafed Cough and Cold medicine for FREE. The Sudafed was priced at $3.99. I had a store coupon to save $2.00 off one box and a manufacturer coupon to save $2.00.

I got 5 packs of Fisher's Trail Mix for free. They were on sale with the Buy 1 Get 1 Free, so they were priced under $1.00. I had 5 coupons to save $1.00 on any Fisher product.

As usual, there were many things I purchased without coupons or with minimal savings because I had to have them. I'm also in the habit of treating my husband to something sweet and there is rarely a coupon for that.

I'll be going to Kroger one day this week, but I'm not sure when.

November 6, 2009

My Kroger Event

I went to Kroger on Tuesday of this week with the express purpose of having myself a bit of robbery fun. Here is what I purchased.

I purchased 10 cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk. These were on sale for $0.49 if you bought 10 of the participating items. I had 5 coupons that would give me a $0.50 savings on 2 cans of this milk. The coupon doubled to give me a $1.00 savings. The milk was all completely FREE.

I purchased 2 pouches of Starkist Tuna at $0.99. I had 2 coupons that would give me $0.50 off any pouch of Starkist Tuna. The coupon doubled to give me a $1.00 savings. The tuna was FREE.

I purchased one can of Armour Vienna Sausage at $0.45. I had a coupon to save $0.25 on one Vienna Sausage product. The can was FREE.

I purchased 2 bottles of Herbal Essence Shampoo at $2.99 per bottle. I had 2 special coupons to get this shampoo for free. The shampoo was FREE.

I purchased 1 bottle of Country Bob's sauce at $3.29. I had a special coupon to get this for free. The sauce was FREE.

Even with all these FREE products, I still had to pay taxes. Fortunately there was coupon overages that covered a portion of my tax responsibility.

My total out of pocket expense for this trip:

THIRTEEN CENTS!!!

November 2, 2009

Double Coupons

I spoke to the manager at my local Publix store last week. We had a great discussion about getting products for free through the use of coupons and sales. I learned something, too. I used to think that doubled coupons were just something that stores would do to make themselves more inviting. I used to think that when the stores doubled those coupons, they lost money on that.



I was wrong. 

It turns out that when a store doubles the value of the coupon, the manufacturer reimburses the store for the costs of that extra value right along with the face value of the coupon.

How awesome is that?

Learning this also helped me understand why some coupons are clearly marked with "DO NOT DOUBLE" on them. I had wondered for some time why manufacturers would be concerned with whether the stores doubled the value of the coupon or not. Now I know.