Free Groceries!

I recently started clipping coupons seriously.  And since we started getting the daily newspaper again - I get to check out sales ads right away.  Being a stay at home mom has some pretty great advantages.
1. Shopping on days when no one else is out.
2. Hitting the sales early!
and the list can go on and on.
Last week I scored a coupon for Campbell's cream of Mushroom soup $0.69/can.  Reg price $2.19
I went to use the coupon and couldn't find it. I had cut it out of the paper, brought the paper with me to the store and forgot the ad. Whoops!
Then I discovered it was not at home sitting neatly on the counter-top (where I am sure I left it), it was nowhere to be found.  After complaining to my mom on the phone; she suggested going thru my garbage...ew ew ew. But I was desperate for a great deal so I donned some plastic gloves and went searching.  Sure enough I found it! =)  I took off for the grocery store, cleaned out their shelf and went to buy my goods. The coupon wouldn't scan.  What??? I was at self checkout so one of the young men working came over to help me. He couldn't get it to scan either but told me he would adjust my total.  I ended up saving $15 on 10 cans of soup. I probably won't have to buy that soup again for a year now!
Back at home I happened to check the dates on the rest of the coupons and found out why mine wouldn't scan.  The coupon wasn't good until the next day.
So maybe I need a bit more practice on this couponing thing....
Today~ By shopping this weeks sales ad and scouting online for manufacturer's coupons check out
my awesome pile of FREE, yes I said FREE, groceries!

Want to know how I did it?
It takes a little time and effort but shopping sales and couponing can really pay off. Some of these items were outright free, while others were free by how much I saved off the regular price.

Here goes:

Buy 3 Kelloggs cereals Get 1 gallon of milk FREE
---cereal Reg 5.19-5.49 Sale 2.99
---Manufacturers coupon for $1 off 2 boxes - final price ea 2.65
---price of milk $4
Buy 1 Nature Made vitamin Get 1 FREE
Buy 5 Hillshire Farms products Get $5 off instantly
--- Turkey Polska Keilbasa Reg 5.79 Sale 3.99
--- bought 5 packages got $5 off - final price ea - 2.99
Pop-Tarts Reg 2.99 Sale 1.99
---Manufacturers coupon for $1 off 3 boxes - final price ea 1.65
Dole Pineapple Reg 2.19 Sale .77
---Bought 7 cans Saved $10 and got another coupon with purchase for $1 off 5 more cans
Golden Oreos Reg 4.19 Sale 2.99
---Manufacturers coupon for $1 off when you buy milk and cookies
---final price 1.99 but I count it free b/c of the $4 saved on milk
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
---Reg 3.59 Sale $2
---.41 shy of a BOGO free deal

A $1 off coupon may not seem like much but when you add it to a sales price, buy in bulk and/or use as many as possible in one trip; the savings really adds up! I ended up spending $10 less than my total savings (Ex. Spend 20 save 30). To me it was a great shopping trip. But I also want to lower that total spending even more.

Happy Couponing Friends!

MadCounty Mama