Dillon’s Shopping Trip
18 candy bars — $0.50 each, used 9 $0.50/2 coupons = free after coupons {Don’t freak out — I promise we won’t be eating all of those this week and I promise we’ll be sharing them with others!
I just bought that many because I had 9 coupons and they were free. I’m also thinking I might freeze some of the candy bars to use chopped up in chocolate chip cookies.}
5 Silk single-serve milks — $1 each, used 2 $2/2 coupons and 2 $1/1 coupons = free after coupons
2 KC Masterpiece barbecue sauces — $1 each, used $0.75/2 coupon (“Doubled” to $1 off) = $0.50 each after coupons
14.3 pounds of red-taped bananas at $0.39/lb. =2.84 + 2.74
1 bottle of Old Orchard Juice — used free Old Orchard Juice coupon
Total with tax: $7.06
This shopping trip was a great example of how hanging onto a coupon and waiting for a really good sale can pay off. I had pick up a number of candy bar coupons a few months back from a display at Dillon’s. The coupons were for $0.50/2. I knew that these candy bars occasionally go on sale for $0.50 each and that would make them free after the coupons doubled.
I waited and waited and waited — and finally the sale happened this week!
Health Food Store
4 lbs. of pears — on sale for $0.99/lb.
1 dozen farm-fresh eggs from a local farm — marked down to $1.99 (my brother’s hens aren’t laying much right now so we’ve been buying eggs from the health food store instead. Once you get hooked on farm-fresh eggs it’s pretty near impossible to use non-farm-fresh eggs!)
Total with tax: $6.38
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{ 25 comments... read them below or add one }
If any of those candy bars have the “win movie tickets for a year” promotion on them, be sure to go to the website and enter the codes. Those frequently are winners of a $3 movie certificate, which can be used toward snacks or tickets. The odds are really decent.
I’m totally your student. It’s times like these that I can reassure myself that it is in fact possible. Normally, I’m excited when we spend $50 on our weekly groceries just to make our meals, but this is something I’m following you along on to learn some new and budget friendly techniques.
I did, however, manage to snag a few things here and there from my shopping trip today (you can see them on my blog) that I think I did a pretty good job saving. Keep up the awesome posts and keep on teaching!
I’m sitting here chuckling with amusement at the combination of all of those candy bars in the same post with a trip to the health food store.
I was thinking the same thing! LOL!
Can you freeze candy bars? I love seeing the deals you find. Dillions is the one store I wish we had here in MN. And I’m a little envious of the health food store. But God is good and I’m still able to be under budget shopping the stores we have. I still enjoy reading about your finds though.
You can freeze candy bars, yes!
I would not hold it against you if your family wanted to eat all those candy bars (over time). We love chocolate!
Maybe you could use them to make homemade McFlurry’s or use them as a topping on desserts. 
Great idea to use the candy in cookies, or as someone else mentioned, as an ice cream topping.
Ah yes, my thought verbatim!
I make Candy Bar Cookie Squares whenever I can get my hands of free candy bars. Milky Way and Snickers work really well. Mix one box of yellow cake mix, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 2 eggs. Stir in 3 chopped candy bars. Spread into an ungreased 13×9 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Cut into squares. Super simple and super yummy! My kids and co-workers ask me to make this recipe all the time.
I was going to suggest this recipe as well, honestly is a winner!
I’m sad that you even feel like you have to justify and explain why you bought that many candybars. I would probably eat them all in a week. I ain’t judging.:)
LOL!!! I think it’s sad she has to justify anything to her readers. It’s crazy the things people say in the comments section though isn’t it??
What are you going to do with all those bananas before they go bad? Lots of banana bread?
Bananas can be frozen and used for bread (or other recipes) and smoothies later.
Or you can make banana nut bread and freeze it too! =)
We ate some of them this weekend and the rest I’m freezing for smoothies.
That’s a great lesson in hanging onto coupons you know will eventually net you a great deal! ITA with the ladies wondering WHY you, as a spending-savvy adult, would need to justify any purchase, for any reason, or promise to give some away. With all you share about your life and how busy and well-managed you, your home and your children are, and how much you get done blogging, goal-wise and on your writing, I find your humility endearing and sweet, but honestly, I think you’re TOO hard on yourself and hold yourself up to a level of austerity not many people could manage with so much cheerfulness. Have a candy bar, or two, and take a bubble bath. You deserve it.
Another way to use the Snickers bars is to chop and mix one bar with one chopped apple and 1/3 container of whipped cream (or equivalent amount of homemade whipped cream). This recipe is easily doubled or tripled and makes a fun side dish with dinner or to bring for a potluck. We have this a couple of times per year and my children LOVE it!
This is such a yummy recipe. Someone brought it to our work pot luck one time & we were all hooked!
Chrystal, I so agree with you regarding the farm fresh eggs.
I’ve been buying mine thru our CSA (Amish raised organics) for $3.25 a dozen, but last week, I went to an Amish Produce Auction and got 3 doz for $1.75 each. Its worth it. The taste of fresh farm eggs compares to none.
Freeze the bananas (in peeled chunks!), blend with a wee bit of milk, and throw in chopped chocolate bars for ‘ice cream’ or a ‘milkshake’. It’s healthier than it tastes, and a good way to make one bar into two or three servings.
Question: if you see a free pad of coupons in a store (say for candy bars); how many should you take and squirrel away, as the representative of a single household? Same question for the in-store electronic coupon dispensers….
You could make this salad with the snickers……It has apples in it so it is healthy right?!
oops, Forgot to put the link. sorry.
http://www.food.com/recipe/apple-snickers-salad-74168