2013 Grocery Challenge

[dancinmama]

Oct 8, 2013 5:52:01 GMT -5 marvholly said:

Dancin said
Yes, it was. OMG, that job was (2) temp jobs ago. That's how companies are hiring around here these days - all temp work. DH has been with his current company for over (3) months now and REALLY LOVES the job. He is hoping to get hired on permanently, but some of the other workers are still temps after being there for A YEAR!! The good news is that after only (3) weeks, they moved him to receiving which only has about (6) workers in the dept. and is a coveted department to work in, so he thought that was a good sign. We're really hoping that they put him on permanent status before the end of the year, but we'll see what happens.

I hought your DH just retired a few months ago. ??

Oh geez, there goes that mentalpause again!! 

[rubyslippers]

I did some shopping today and spent under $6.00.  At Kroger I got 2 bags of Werther caramels, 1 red pepper, 1 loaf of bread, 1 pkg. buns, 2 cans Muir Glen tomato paste, 2 snack size Oreos, 1 Hillshire Farms lunch meat, and 2 El Monterey breakfast burritos.  I had eight $.50 MQ's that doubled, free digital coupon on the meat, and $.58 for over 50 discount.  I paid $3.59 OOP and saved $10.46.   At Kohls I bought 4 large bath towels and 1 hand towel for DS1, 2 pillows and 1 stepstool for me.  I had a $10/50 Kohl's Q and $50.00 in Kohls cash.  I spent $.98 OOP and saved $60.00.  At Rite Aid they were out of detergent so I collected a free bag of the Werther caramels that they owed me when they were out a couple of weeks ago.  I paid $0.00 and saved $1.50.  Finally, I ate lunch at Wendy's and spent $1.06 on a small bowl of chili and a small frosty.  I save $1.59.  In total, I spent $5.64 OOP and saved $73.55.

[Opti]

Dancinmama, I just sent a PM. Sorry I didn't read this thread yesterday.
That grocery store is pretty coupon friendly so I might be able to  go
to customer service to price adjust with the coupon if it arrives by me after the 11th.
I have two stores close by so I'll ask one. I think my odds may be good because I had an issue where I had forgotten a coupon and it expired that day or the next and I was told at that grocery store to just come to customer service with my receipt and coupon for a
price adjustment.

Where do find out what coupons are in what insert? Do Smart Savings and Red Plum
have them on their respective websites? One coupon I could use, but I don't know if it
exists is money off just buying Mach 3 or Fusion ProGlide cartridges. The only one I had
expired 9/30 unused and the new ones I found require you to buy a new razor as well.


Thanks so much BTW!

[Opti]

RubySlippers, very impressive, especially your Kohl's trip.
Before I realized I had to give up dairy, Wendy's chili and a frosty was a favorite
lunch of mine. -drool-I miss the frosties.

[marvholly]

I, too, miss frostys BUT my hips cannot tolerate them anymore - like a LOT of other things i LOVE (ice cream, multiple servings of certain breads & pastas, .......

My Dominicks (Safeway) is closing next spring. The next nearest to me are both in a direction I do not generally travel. However, since the Super Walmart and a Marianos is opening about a mile away from a Dominicks my travel route is likely to change.

[constanz22]

Oct 9, 2013 21:43:47 GMT -5 Opti said:

Dancinmama, I just sent a PM. Sorry I didn't read this thread yesterday.
That grocery store is pretty coupon friendly so I might be able to  go
to customer service to price adjust with the coupon if it arrives by me after the 11th.
I have two stores close by so I'll ask one. I think my odds may be good because I had an issue where I had forgotten a coupon and it expired that day or the next and I was told at that grocery store to just come to customer service with my receipt and coupon for a
price adjustment.

Where do find out what coupons are in what insert? Do Smart Savings and Red Plum
have them on their respective websites? One coupon I could use, but I don't know if it
exists is money off just buying Mach 3 or Fusion ProGlide cartridges. The only one I had
expired 9/30 unused and the new ones I found require you to buy a new razor as well.


Thanks so much BTW!

Hotcouponworld.com has a good coupon database, but you will need to register on the site for full access. I think there is a site called Sunday coupon preview that lists which coupons should be in each week, but it's just a guide as coupons are extremely regional. I usually get a quarter of the listed coupons in my paper, if I'm lucky, as I am in a fairly rural area. On the other hand, my mom lives near Orlando and her paper generally has about 95% of listed coupons.

[saveinla]

I use the coupon database on Deal seeking mom if I need to find the insert Q - dealseekingmom.com/coupon-database/

There is nothing to register and I found hers better than a few others.

[rubyslippers]

I am down to my last bottle of olive oil and there was a time I had 8 jars at once.  Meijer used to have printable store coupons that stacked with MQ's (doubled) and with a sale I could get them for next to nothing.  At the time when all the deals were great, my strategy was to buy things in smaller sizes and buy more of them using coupons.  Are you ladies still doing that or are you getting items with the lowest cost per ounce?

[dancinmama]

Oct 9, 2013 21:43:47 GMT -5 Opti said:

Dancinmama, I just sent a PM. Sorry I didn't read this thread yesterday.
That grocery store is pretty coupon friendly so I might be able to  go
to customer service to price adjust with the coupon if it arrives by me after the 11th.
I have two stores close by so I'll ask one. I think my odds may be good because I had an issue where I had forgotten a coupon and it expired that day or the next and I was told at that grocery store to just come to customer service with my receipt and coupon for a
price adjustment.

Where do find out what coupons are in what insert? Do Smart Savings and Red Plum
have them on their respective websites? One coupon I could use, but I don't know if it
exists is money off just buying Mach 3 or Fusion ProGlide cartridges. The only one I had
expired 9/30 unused and the new ones I found require you to buy a new razor as well.


Thanks so much BTW!

I didn't see this post or get your PM until just now and the mail has already gone.  The coupon would not get to you until next week and these days I doubt anyone would take it that late.

This site is so slow so I check in MAYBE once a day.

[dancinmama]

I just cooked up a lb. of chicken and added a pkg. of Campbell's Skillet Sauces (chipotle).  We are going to make burritos using that and homemade refried beans.  I got the Campbell's at The Grocery Outlet for $.50/pkg. 

I have a $5/$20 at Safeway that expires at the end of this week.  I saw that Safeway has Chips Ahoy BOGO this week and I have (4) $1/1 coupons so I'll see if that makes them a good deal or not.  I won't eat them at all, but I know that DH likes them.   If I can't incorporate them into a $5/$20 scenario, meaning that I find some killer deals on something else, I'll take a pass unless the coupons make them under $1 per package.  

[marvholly]

WOW! It is NOT just my local Dominicks (Safeway) closing. After more years than I can remember (and realize I collect full soc sec) they are closing ALL 72 stores in the metro Chicago area. Safeway has been complaining about the cost of union workers since they bought the chain from the family back around 1997 or 98.

Four have already been bought by Jewel-Osco. 2 I know about & they are the cream of the crop in areas people can and DO afford Whole Foods. It will be interesting to see what happens to my regular and back up stores. I KNOW my regular store has been dead for MANY years. Wonder if/who will buy them/take them over.

I just might go back to doing some shopping at Food4Less since they opened a gas station in competition to Sam’s Club and are the cheapest around my area. It is a bit out of my way but 0.30+/gal is a pretty big incentive.

[murphath]

FreeSalsa:

Thanks again for the BTFE!  Got them in yesterday's mail.  Kids' former school will be very happy--I now have @ $10 worth.

[Opti]

I didn't see this post or get your PM until just now and the mail has already gone. The coupon would not get to you until next week and these days I doubt anyone would take it that late.

This site is so slow so I check in MAYBE once a day.

Dancin, I just confirmed with customer service that they would price adjust for me if
I bought today and had the coupons in about a week. (That's the exact question I asked.
And yes, the guy at customer service knows the coupon expires today or tomorrow.)
So if you haven't tossed them please do send them in the mail to me. It is good to know at least two of my grocery chains would be OK with it. Maybe the next chain I'll ask customer service on their time limit. I have a feeling coupon friendly grocery stores are more flexible than Walgreens and CVS.

I can be on this site more often than everyday, but there's less activity on this thread lately so I do forget to read it daily. I spend way too much time on PB.

[dancinmama]

Oct 11, 2013 14:48:48 GMT -5 Opti said:

I didn't see this post or get your PM until just now and the mail has already gone. The coupon would not get to you until next week and these days I doubt anyone would take it that late.

This site is so slow so I check in MAYBE once a day.

Dancin, I just confirmed with customer service that they would price adjust for me if
I bought today and had the coupons in about a week. (That's the exact question I asked.
And yes, the guy at customer service knows the coupon expires today or tomorrow.)
So if you haven't tossed them please do send them in the mail to me. It is good to know at least two of my grocery chains would be OK with it. Maybe the next chain I'll ask customer service on their time limit. I have a feeling coupon friendly grocery stores are more flexible than Walgreens and CVS.

I can be on this site more often than everyday, but there's less activity on this thread lately so I do forget to read it daily. I spend way too much time on PB.

Sent you a PM, but they ARE going out today.  So glad they will still take them. 

[dancinmama]

Oct 11, 2013 5:29:24 GMT -5 marvholly said:

WOW! It is NOT just my local Dominicks (Safeway) closing. After more years than I can remember (and realize I collect full soc sec) they are closing ALL 72 stores in the metro Chicago area. Safeway has been complaining about the cost of union workers since they bought the chain from the family back around 1997 or 98.

Four have already been bought by Jewel-Osco. 2 I know about & they are the cream of the crop in areas people can and DO afford Whole Foods. It will be interesting to see what happens to my regular and back up stores. I KNOW my regular store has been dead for MANY years. Wonder if/who will buy them/take them over.

I just might go back to doing some shopping at Food4Less since they opened a gas station in competition to Sam’s Club and are the cheapest around my area. It is a bit out of my way but 0.30+/gal is a pretty big incentive.

marvholly:  I used to have a Food4Less before we relocated and you can get some AWESOME deals there.  With the savings in gas, I think it definitely would be worth giving it a shot.

[emhalf]

I had a pretty excellent couponing day  Made a stop at the recycling center and managed to come up with 4 SS inserts, including 2 copies of the one I was specifically looking for. Then I hit up Giant Eagle with $5/25 and some more Qs:

penne pasta
sour cream
eggs
provolone slices
4 pillsbury crescents
8 progresso soups
2 taco seasonings
tortillas
2 thomas english muffins
tikka masala sauce
2 BC cake mix
5 del monte fruit "squeezers"
2 softsoap pumps

Total OOP: $24.22, and I should get back over $3 from saving star, plus earned some fuel rewards worth about 1.50. Could have done better but I needed some specific ingredients for making a pasta bake this week. 

[marvholly]

Dancing
I formerly did shop at Food4Less but got turned off by the staff and clientele. Dumb & dumber plus they LIED to me once too many times. The gas station is pretty much around the corner from store so I don’t think I will be going back BUT w/Dominicks leaving Chicago I might. I’m going to recheck their ad.

[dancinmama]

Oct 13, 2013 5:46:03 GMT -5 marvholly said:

Dancing
I formerly did shop at Food4Less but got turned off by the staff and clientele. Dumb & dumber plus they LIED to me once too many times. The gas station is pretty much around the corner from store so I don’t think I will be going back BUT w/Dominicks leaving Chicago I might. I’m going to recheck their ad.

I agree that sometimes it was not the most pleasant place to shop, but I'll go almost anywhere if I can get a killer deal. 

So who is taking over all the Dominicks?  Maybe they will be better!! 

[rubyslippers]

Rite Aid was a small moneymaker today for me as I got 2 Colgate T.P. for $3.50 each and 2 Dove shampoos for $3.00 each.  Total was
$13.00 less $1.50 IPQ's for Colgate, $3.00 MQ's for the shampoo, a $2/2 Dove VV and a $5.00 UPs.  I paid $2.44 and got back $8.00 in UPs. 

I price matched Aldi mushrooms for $.69, 2 lbs. bag of brown sugar for $1.19 and Meijer bananas for $.44 lb.

Dollar General had Dial bodywash, small cans $1.00 each.  I bought 2 and used $2/2 MQ from last week's insert and got them free.



 

[constanz22]

Got to stock up on some cheapish Kraft cheese.  Local chain had them on sale 2/$4 (bagged and blocks) and an in-ad coupon for $5/6 so paid $7/6.  Not bad.  I have two more coupons so may do it again.  My cheese stockpile is pretty much gone.  I also got 2 free boxes of Angel Soft tissues.  On sale for .99 and .50/1 IP's that doubled.  That's about it...I'll take what I can get these days though...lol

[saveinla]

If you have the bonus pages in the rite aid ad this week, the rite aid nail clippers are 99c and you get 4$ UP WYB 2. Limit is 2. If you have a gold discount, then the clippers are only 79c each.

[marvholly]

Dancin said
So who is taking over all the Dominicks? Maybe they will be better!!

Jewel-Osco bought 4 of the top stores. Word is some of our local independents, Marianos and Kroger ‘might be interested in some stores. However, others will be a drug on the market. My local store is
WAAAY too big, in a half dead mall and has NOT been remodeled or updated since Safeway took it over 15 years ago. No one will want it. I suspect Marianos will grab the one north of me. I also suspect someone will grab he one south of me unless they are too afraid of the SuperWalmart going in about 1 mile away.

Kroger has been OUT of the Chicago market for………..forever so not familiar w/them. Marianos reminds me of Whole foods pricewise-not for me.

I did recheck the Food4Less ad and their sale $$ on the SAME items are about 20% more than I have been paying at a couple of my independents.

Safeway also dumped their entire Canadian operation fairly recently.

Safeway made 2 big mistakes in the Chicago market:
they were sure they could break the union
they applied west coast priorities, thinking, stocking to a blue collar, ethnic oriented town.

[saveinla]

marvholly,

Food4Less is part of the Kroger chain, so maybe Kroger is coming back.

[rubyslippers]

Oct 13, 2013 19:01:17 GMT -5 saveinla said:

If you have the bonus pages in the rite aid ad this week, the rite aid nail clippers are 99c and you get 4$ UP WYB 2. Limit is 2. If you have a gold discount, then the clippers are only 79c each.

Wish we had the bonus pages as that's a great deal.

Constanz: Great job on the cheese!  I've been waiting for our little store to have that coupon in their paper but no luck lately.

Today only, there is a Family Dollar IPQ for 50% off Sparkle paper towels plus using the $1.00 MQ in yesterday's insert makes for cheap paper towels.

[murphath]

I've begun Christmas shopping--yep, it's getting close.  I wanted to take advantage of that $10 Kohl's cash given to me by a random angel at Kohl's (said she doesn't really shop there much) and the $10/$30 peelie.
Both DD's work out everyday so I decided to start with DD2:  I bought her a pair of Fila yoga/workout/relaxing gray pants (they are so comfy) and a lime green/gray Fila workout shirt.  The pants were on sale for $27 and the shirt was on clearance for $8.10.  I also had a 20% q so my total w/tax came to $12.76.  The receipt says I saved over $67.  Think the pants alone were originally priced at $44 or so.  I'm going to use the same strategy (minus the Kohl's cash) when they give another $10 peelie and 30% off to buy her the matching Fila jacket.
As for DD2, I already bought her 2 River Cat inner tubes for her and a friend (or me!) to use on the Truckee river that runs through Reno.  It gets so hot up there that I know she will use these a lot. Got them on sale, and with a q, at Big5.
I'd also previously bought (on clearance, of course) 2 sets of summer jammies for them.  They are matching although it may be quite some time before they are both here wearing them at the same time.
Haven't started on DS yet.  Have to ask him what he may want/need.

I've been a priming fool the last couple days.  Have completed the ceiling in the family room and two entry hallways. Also, almost 1/2 of the living/dining room.  Should be able to finish that today and then it's upstairs I go.  I'm going to get the $75 Lowe's gift card for $60 at Safeway and use it to buy the paint for the ceilings.  Came just in the nick of time!

[dancinmama]

Oct 14, 2013 10:42:28 GMT -5 murphath said:

I've begun Christmas shopping--yep, it's getting close.  I wanted to take advantage of that $10 Kohl's cash given to me by a random angel at Kohl's (said she doesn't really shop there much) and the $10/$30 peelie.
Both DD's work out everyday so I decided to start with DD2:  I bought her a pair of Fila yoga/workout/relaxing gray pants (they are so comfy) and a lime green/gray Fila workout shirt.  The pants were on sale for $27 and the shirt was on clearance for $8.10.  I also had a 20% q so my total w/tax came to $12.76.  The receipt says I saved over $67.  Think the pants alone were originally priced at $44 or so.  I'm going to use the same strategy (minus the Kohl's cash) when they give another $10 peelie and 30% off to buy her the matching Fila jacket.
As for DD2, I already bought her 2 River Cat inner tubes for her and a friend (or me!) to use on the Truckee river that runs through Reno.  It gets so hot up there that I know she will use these a lot. Got them on sale, and with a q, at Big5.
I'd also previously bought (on clearance, of course) 2 sets of summer jammies for them.  They are matching although it may be quite some time before they are both here wearing them at the same time.
Haven't started on DS yet.  Have to ask him what he may want/need.

I've been a priming fool the last couple days.  Have completed the ceiling in the family room and two entry hallways. Also, almost 1/2 of the living/dining room.  Should be able to finish that today and then it's upstairs I go.  I'm going to get the $75 Lowe's gift card for $60 at Safeway and use it to buy the paint for the ceilings.  Came just in the nick of time!

I'm going to search for this deal, but if you see this could you please give the details.  Thanks!!

[saveinla]

The Lowes card is in the personalised deals section of J4U. I did it yesterday. Not everybody got this deal though.

[dancinmama]

Oct 14, 2013 16:40:44 GMT -5 saveinla said:

The Lowes card is in the personalised deals section of J4U. I did it yesterday. Not everybody got this deal though.

BOO!!  I didn't get it.  No wonder I didn't know the deal.  Oh well.  I get my fair share!! 

[murphath]

Dancinmama wrote:
BOO!! I didn't get it. No wonder I didn't know the deal. Oh well. I get my fair share!!


And, as an added bonus, I got double gas reward points.  It's the little things in life...

[dancinmama]

Oct 15, 2013 10:43:35 GMT -5 murphath said:

Dancinmama wrote:
BOO!! I didn't get it. No wonder I didn't know the deal. Oh well. I get my fair share!!


And, as an added bonus, I got double gas reward points.  It's the little things in life...