Weekly Totals: 49% Grocery Savings & $20 Earned in Free Gift Cards!

This is a weekly series where I show you how much I save on my grocery and household needs, including as many natural and organic items as possible.

This week there was some very specific strategy involved in my shopping trip at Publix.  Reading that aloud, I realize it sounds ridiculous to the average person, but there’s nothing ridiculous about getting $20 worth of gift cards for free in addition to my almost-50% grocery savings.  Publix’s last ad had a coupon for a free $10 Publix gift card wyb (when you buy) $100 or more in groceries.  The total only had to be $100 before coupons, so I easily spent much less and still earned a $10 gift card.

I also had a Publix coupon booklet called “Start Your Year Out with Big Savings” that offered a $10 Publix gift card (rebate by mail) wyb $35 or more of participating Kimberly-Clark products.  Originally I didn’t plan to utilize that rebate but we needed several items that were participating products, and again, the total only had to be $35 before coupons.  There were store and manufacturer coupons for almost all of the items, so I got a pretty good deal and will get another $10 gift card after I mail in the rebate form.

I don’t often break my shopping trip into more than one transaction, but I did this week.  Everything is pictured together below, but I’m including extra information about the transactions below, to help you see a better breakdown of the savings.

Here’s what I bought this week at Publix (sorry it’s hard to see everything!):

1st transaction:

• 1 Angel Soft 9 double rolls toilet paper
• 2 Nature’s Path organic waffles
• 1 Sabra hummus 4-pack
• 1 Oikos organic Greek yogurt 4-pack
• 4 HappyBaby/HappyTot organic fruit/veggie puree pouches
• 1 box Sunmaid raisins
• 1 package Publix mini-boxes of raisins
• 1 pint blueberries
• 2 YoBaby organic yogurt 4-packs
• 1 GogoSqueez 4-pack applesauce pouches
• 2 Publix organic blue corn tortilla chips
• 1 Eatsmart veggie sticks
• 1 box Truvia
• 2 Sargento slice cheese
• 2 Sargento shredded cheese
• 2 bags sundried tomatoes
• 1 half-gallon Publix 1% milk
• 2 half-gallons Silk Almond milk
• 1 Salmon fillet (approx 1 lb)
• 1 Publix-brand face cleanser
• 1 Organic Valley organic half and half
• 1 liter Publix club soda
• 3.32 lbs bananas
• 2 Sominex (free + money maker)
• 6 Beech Nut applesauce (free + money maker)
• 1 Earth Balance buttery spread
• 1 Beech Nut toddler graham snacks

Total before sales and coupons: $131.74

Savings break-down:
Store and competitor coupons used: $30.50
Manufacturer’s coupons used: $19.58
Savings from sale prices: $17.76

Total after sales and coupons: $63.90

Percentage saved: 51%

2nd transaction:

• 1 box Huggies diapers (not pictured)
• 4 Scott paper towels
• 2 Scott wipes
• 1 Huggies wipes

Total before sales and coupons: $38.02

Savings break-down:
Store and competitor coupons used: $12.00
Manufacturer’s coupons used: $3.00
Savings from sale prices: $0

Total after sales and coupons: $23.02

Percentage saved: 39%

TRANSACTION TOTALS COMBINED

Total before sales and coupons: $169.76

Savings break-down:
Store and competitor coupons used: $42.50
Manufacturer’s coupons used: $22.58
Savings from sale prices: $17.76

Total after sales and coupons: $86.92

Percentage saved: 49%

Plus, I earned two $10 Publix gift cards!  :)

Recap:

I wanted to earn the free $10 gift card wyb $100 or more in groceries, but wanted to spend as little out of pocket as possible.  Here are some strategies I used; maybe you will learn a little something new.  ;)

1. Utilize coupons for free products at a time that most benefits you.  When I have a coupon for a free product, I use it before it expires, but at a time that will get me the best deal.  If it’s for an item that goes on sale BOGO then I wait to use it when the item is BOGO and then I get two items free instead of just one.  If it’s not an item that goes on sale BOGO then I use it on a week where I need to reach a certain purchase minimum, like this week.  I had free product coupons for the Earth Balance buttery spread ($4.09) and Beech Nut graham snacks ($2.09) that put me $6.18 closer to a $100 total (before coupons), without actually adding any cost to my total oop (out of pocket).
2. Utilize moneymaker items for overage.  Little Bug doesn’t eat baby food anymore but the Beech Nut baby food jars added $1.65 to my total while making me a profit of $.35 after coupons.  The Sominex added $6.38 to my total while making me a profit of $.62.  I’ll give the baby food to a friend and will donate the Sominex to a nursing home or someone that will use them.
3. Utilize multiple coupons for $ off your total purchase.  I had a $5/30 Publix coupon that came in the mail recently, as well as one of these $5/30 Winn-Dixie coupons (that deal is no longer available but I’ll try to post if/when I see it again) that I use almost every week.  Since I was spending more than $60 before coupons on the first transaction, I was able to use both coupons to take $10 off my total before any of my other coupons.  I don’t often break my shopping trip into multiple purchases, but by doing a second transaction that totaled more than $30 before coupons, I was able to use another $5/30 WD coupon and save $5 more off my total.

Those are just a few tips for maximizing your efforts with couponing.  If you have questions to fill in any gaps for how I use coupons, please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below.  Have a great week!

-Cilla