Note from Crystal: Just for fun, my sister (Gretchen) is going to start sharing some of her shopping trips here for you all, too. She’s a young mom on a tight budget and she loves to get great deals.
She’s also the one who coordinates and formats all the store deals for the store deals section of MoneySavingMom.com (check it out here, if you haven’t already!). So she often knows about the best deals before I do — and she finds lots of great unadvertised deals, too!
Since their family eats different things than our family does, I thought it would be fun for you to see what deals she finds. And don’t worry, I’ll still be sharing my shopping trips, too!
Dillon’s Shopping Trip
1 Colgate Toothpaste – on sale for $1, used $0.50/1 coupon from the 4/28 SmartSource insert (doubled) – Free after coupon
4 Clif Kid Zone bars – Manager’s special reduced to $0.25 each
12 Candy Bars (3 Musketeers, Dove Chocolate, M&M’s) – $0.89 each, on sale Buy 2 Get 1 Free, used 6 $0.50/2 printables – $0.09 each after coupons
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
1 Mission Tortillas – $1.50 (Our Aldi raised the price of their tortillas to $1.49 so I just buy them at Dillon’s now)
2 Broccoli Crowns – $0.98 total
5 Tomatoes – $1.06 total
1 Green Giant Veggie Chips – on sale for $1, used $0.50/1 printable AND $0.50/1 SavingStar.com rebate – Free plus overage after coupon and rebate
1 dozen Dillon’s Eggs – Manager’s special reduced to $0.89
1 Kroger Cheese – $1.67
1 Kroger Frozen Apple Juice – $1.39
2 Dillon’s half gallon Milk – Manager’s special reduced to $1 each
4 Totino’s Frozen Pizzas – on sale for $1.33 each, used 4 $0.40/1 printables, received $2 catalina for buying 4 – $0.03 each after coupons and catalina
1 Kroger Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (3 lbs) – $5.67 ($1.89/lb – a good price for frozen, boneless chicken breasts that we don’t see here too often)
1 Kroger Butter – $2.59
1 Pineapple – $0.99
1 Laura’s Lean Ground Beef (1 lb) – Manager’s special reduced to $4.39 (I know this is might seem expensive, but our family prefers this brand so it was a great price for me!)
1 Folgers Instant Coffee – $1.19, used $1.50/1 printable (deducted down to $1.19) – Free after coupon
Items from the P&G sale (Buy 4, Save $4 instantly):
1 Herbal Essence Hair Mousse – on sale for $1.79 after instant savings, used $1/1 coupon from recent mailer – $0.79 after coupon
4 Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner – on sale for $2.09 after instant savings, used $3/2 e-coupon and $3/2 coupon from the 4/28 P&G insert – $0.59 each after coupons
2 Old Spice Deodorant – on sale for $1.15 after instant savings, used $1/2 coupon from the 4/28 P&G insert – $0.65 each after coupons
2 Gillette Deodorant – on sale for $1.29 after instant savings, used $1/2 e-coupon – $0.79 each after coupons
3 Gillette Shave Gel – on sale for $1 after instant savings, used $0.55/1 coupon from the 4/7 SmartSource insert (doubled) – $0.67 each after coupon (I only had one coupon for these otherwise they would have been free)
Total before coupons and sales: $91. Total after coupons + tax: $39.96, used $7 catalinas from last week’s shopping trip
Paid $32.96 out of pocket, Received $2 catalina (for buying 4 Totino’s Pizzas)
Abby says
I was just thinking how refreshing it is to see the chocolate and the frozen pizzas. My family certainly doesn’t eat like that on a daily basis, but there are days when you just need a candy bar, or nights when my husband and I like to put the kids to bed and watch How I Met Your Mother reruns while eating a party pizza.
I think shopping trips that include some processed foods, along with healthier whole foods, are a more accurate representation of the average shopper, so I’m a fan of seeing Gretchen’s posts.
Chelsea says
I love seeing “realistic” coupon trips instead of “extreme.” And when did Aldi raise their tortilla prices?! I was just there on Saturday and they were 99 cents. We prefer Aldi tortillas, so I’m sure I’ll keep buying them there, I’m just really getting stressed by all of the increasing grocery prices.
Angie D says
I agree. I will be sad if Aldi did that. I will buy the flour tortillas from Dollar Tree. They aren’t quite as good, but we’ll still eat them. Way to go, Gretchen!
lizajane says
I couldn’t find the veggie chips at my Dillons. I spent quite awhile looking and then asked where there were. They pointed me to the organic food section, but I didn’t see them there either 🙁
Crystal says
I couldn’t find them at one of my stores either. 🙁
Chelsea says
Did you try by Chex Mix and Gardettos? That’s where ours were!
Jen says
My Fry’s (Kroger affiliate) in AZ still rounds any paper Q up to $1 if the face value is less than that, although there are a couple of cities in this state where they no longer do so. Fry’s won’t accept an e-Q stacked with a paper Q anymore, so I’m surprised your sis was able to do it with the Pantene. I miss those days! I miss them accepting competitor Qs, too, they did that off and on for awhile. Ah, well, at least all Qs are still worth at least $1!
Emily says
She bought 4 of the Pantene, and used 2 $3/2 coupons, so it wasn’t a stack. At my Kroger, the register beeps if I attempt to use a coupon that I’ve already used an e-coupon on (I sometimes forget what e-coupons I’ve loaded onto my card), and it tells the cashier something about a coupon already being applied to that item.
Emily says
I agree, $4.39 is a great price for a pound of Laura’s.
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving says
I did several of those same P&G deals, including the Old Spice deodorant. I also bought 4 packages of Safeguard Soap. I’m waiting for the chocolate to go on sale at our Kroger, as I have my coupons printed and waiting!
BRIDGET says
I like the addition of the candy. Even when times are tough a candy bar can go a long way to help morale. I also like the Lauren’s beef but ours is $7.49 a pound for ground.
Jessica @Proverbslady.com says
Kroger used to be my favorite place to shop but since they stopped doubling about a year and 1/2 ago their deals are not very good. Now I shop at mainly Target and Albertsons. Is Kroger/Dillions going to stop doubling everywhere?
Jessica says
I’m in Columbus OH and last week I had two $.75/1 coupons from almond milk that did not double. However, my friend stopped in at another store and they said that they are still doubling, so maybe it was just my coupons? They were printables from coupons.com.
Emily says
I shop at the Kroger on Cemetery Rd in Hilliard, and mine still doubles.
Lori says
I’m in Columbus, Ohio too and also shop at Kroger. Perhaps they were coded as “Do Not Double” coupons? At my store (Pataskala), it seems to depend on the cashier. Some will push the do not double coupons through; others just take them at face value. I believe all the central Ohio Kroger stores are still supposed to double coupons up to 99 cents. If it happens again, you might want to ask at the customer service desk.