Oh, but I DO love couponing!
$8.83 for all of this. Just makes my day!
Added perks to this afternoon’s shopping was a bonus peelie for $2 off meat when you buy 2 bags of Grande corn chips (these were on sale for $2, with a .75/1 Q, making them free). So, that’s where the steak in the front of the picture came from. Sell by today date, so I got it for $0.16 after the coupon.
Had to fit Farm Fresh in today, there were just too many good deals to skip it, even though I’m WAY busy. I got my list from TheCouponConsultant.com.
DollyDomestic.com is my personal blog. My purpose is to share with you ways to save money, save time, and live well. Any advice should be considered carefully before taking action; I make no claims as to the suitability of my ideas to anyone else’s situation.
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I find it great that you get a lot of products for such a good discount, but these are products I would never buy for my family. The preservatives and salt alone are not what I would choose. I’m always at a loss as to why coupon-savers think this is so wonderful!
I would sincerely be interested in your response. I know that I am lucky in that I raise our own beef, and make most of our meals “from scratch”. But even if I didn’t do this I would be happy to pay slightly more to buy fresh or local.
Doesn’t it take quite a bit of time to search for all these coupons? Why not take this time to actually bake or cook? or cultivate a small garden?
I realize couponing isn’t for everyone. And certainly in areas where they don’t multiply the value of the coupon the application of the entire concept is limited.
To set your mind at easy, I don’t feed my family mostly junk food. When I get stuff like the junk in the photos, its generally free or almost free, or it would never make it into my cart. We eat relatively normal food. We had tacos with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, beans, spanish rice, etc. for dinner tonight. Tomorrow it’s pot roast with homemade biscuits. Monday it’ll probably be baked chicken, baked potatoes and a tossed green salad. Variety.
I spend about 2 hours couponing on average (some weeks I do none, some weeks I’m quite busy). It’s a fun hobby for me (maybe even an obsession!). I also have a vegetable garden (my peas are about ready for the first harvest). I buy most of our clothing second-hand at garage sales and/or thrift shops. I used to make most of my own clothes but the cost of the fabric and notions compared with buying second-hand convinced me to re-think that. (I still make any really *nice* dresses I need.)
For people that don’t cook, getting the packaged goods free or nearly free is a major budget saver. I’m actually quite an accomplished cook and shunned packaged products for years. Why pay a dollar for an envelope of seasoning that is 90% salt? Getting it free… that’s another story altogether. Some products I’m picky about, other… no so much.
Coupon shopping is seasonal. This trip was right before Cinco de Mayo, so the corn chips, salsa and taco seasoning mix were all on sale and coupons had been released in the newspapers. The salsa accounted for about 80% of my total.
I actually make my own salsa in the summer when my garden is overflowing with tomatoes. I haven’t had any success canning tomato products in the past, but perhaps I should have another crack at it. Last year peeled my tomatoes, vacuum sealed them and froze them for making spaghetti sauce, etc. The change in texture isn’t noticeable if you’re cooking them anyway. I generally grow tomatoes, beans, peas, bell peppers, jalepeno and anaheim peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and asparagus (though the asparagus don’t seem to be doing well this year. Plus lots of fresh herbs. Plus I grow peaches, plums, apples & cherries.
As far as the tortilla chips and taco shells in the picture… I’m not going to be making them from scratch any time soon. I have a tortilla press and recently made corn tortillas, but with time, labor and materials I wouldn’t come out ahead. (the chips were free after the coupons and the taco shells were less than a quarter a box) I keep the corn flour on hand for making homemade tamales. (I’m not mexican, but was raised in California and love mexican food… in case you were wondering.)
Yes, I bought some totally unnecessary items. Do I really need 6 high-end chocolate bars. Nope. They’ll keep and last probably through the end of the year. One or two may find their way into a cookie recipe. I could easily live without most of it. When push comes to shove, I know how to make my own pasta, too. Probably the only items I would have purchased with no coupons at all were the pasta, the salsa (not as many tho!), the deodorant, the taco shells and the steak. The rest are convenience/luxury items. But… I spent less on all of it than someone going into the store just for the deodorant would have. I *could* have purchased just the necessary items, but I may have actually ended up spending more, as the overages on some items help pay for the others. (In fact today at another store I bought produce and other items that I didn’t have coupons for with my overages from the other items.)
I have enough stockpiled food to feed a small army. (Have to go through it and take more to the food pantry.) And I’m spending less than half of what I used to. Seriously. And I was frugal before. My average is about $250 a month, and that includes food, toiletries, cleaning products, paper goods, dog food, soft drinks, wine & beer.
Take a look at my more recent post from yesterday ( http://dollydomestic.com/bloom-triple-results-wow/ ) if you really want to shake your head at my food choices… more salsa!, lots of bbq sauce, major piles of snacks: donuts, cookies, desserts, convenience foods, etc… egads, that’s a lot of junk! I actually gave the 2 boxes of frozen waffles to my neighbor as soon as I took the picture, her kids will enjoy them. The nutty bars and the reese’s ended up being last minute grabs because when I went through the register the total for my last transaction was negative $4.62 and I had to find something nearby to bring me to the positive side (too many overages in one transaction). Lots of the stuff from that picture went straight into the donation box after I took the picture.
Here’s a challenge for you… look at the picture here ( http://dollydomestic.com/bloom-triple-results-wow/ ) and see if there is anything you would buy to use in your home. Sour cream, yogurt, pepper, garlic powder, canned fruit, household cleaners, etc. Then next time you’re at the store, check the prices on those items and report back… I’d like to compare straight retail prices with items purchased with “power couponing” methods.