Check out the reduced shelf at your grocery store as well - a reduced price combined with a coupon is extra extra savings!
I will list today's shopping list. It was not purchased at a markdown/dent/bulk store. Around here, Shaws is one of the more costly stores.
1 stir-fry pan $21.23 **
1 Tex muffin pan $7.43 **
1 regular muffin pan $7.43 **
1.69 lbs red peppers $2.18 **
1.55 lbs bananas .76 **
1.98 lbs tomatoes 2.56 **
6 (7oz) Kraft mozzarella shredded cheese $19.74 **
1 (8oz) storebrand montery jack shredded cheese $2.69 **
6 International Delight liquid creamer $27.54 **
4 Cracker Barrel cheddar blocks $14.76 **
4 Del Monte diced peaches 4pks $13.80 **
2 Prince rotini primivera $2.70 **
2 Prince bowtie pasta $2.70 **
6 Kellogs blueberry muffin mini wheats $22.14 **
3 Cheerios cinnamon burst $11.07 **
4 JollyTime microwave popcorn $8.76 **
5 Aah Bistro chicken gravy granules $22.95 **
1 storebrand childrens vitamins $6.49 **
1 malt vinegar $4.87 **
4 Classico spagetti sauce $11.96
6 Zataran rice $11.94
1 Old El Paso enchilada sauce $1.19 **
1 storebrand hard candies $1.50 **
1 Osem mini croutons $6.50 **
3 Aah Bistro beef gravy granules $14.07 **
1 AngelSoft 12pk toilet paper $7.99 **
1 storebrand carmel popcorn cakes $2.49 **
2 Cambell's healthy select soup $5.58
2 Perdue chicken breasts 5pks $19.98 **
1.69 lbs ground pork $3.02
.97 lb steak $4.54
2 McCormick bearnaise sauce mix $2.38 **
11 McCormick cheesy taco mix $9.79 **
13 McCormick chili mix $11.57 **
4 McCormick one-dish mix $7.80 **
1 organic maple syrup $7.69 **
note: In Massachusetts, we do not pay tax on food (or clothes). The prices for the pans include the tax. ** indicates items at full sticker prices.
So, that's a pretty big list - $331.79 in total.
I did NOT pay that much, not even close! My out of pocket expenses was under $96.00.
Imposable? Not really. I had coupons for almost everything on that list, combined with a sale or clearance price, I was able to save around $235.00 today.
Some examples: I had a coupon for $1 off 3 boxes of Kellogs cereal - the mini wheats were on clearance for $1.50 a box making them $1.17 each instead of the normal price of $3.69. Another big helper was the coffee creamers, shredded cheeses, block cheeses and diced peaches were marked down to $1 each. The McCormicks taco and chili mixes were marked down to .25 each.
That is not ALL the mark-downs and sales, but it goes to show you that it CAN be done... if you take the extra time.
