2014 Grocery Challenge

[jeep108]

Aug 18, 2014 11:30:40 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

Anybody tried the new Walmart promo, Savings Catcher.  No need to price match at the store.  You just buy everything, enter your receipt online (or by smatphone scan) and they are supposed to price match against all local stores and rebate you the difference on a gift card.  I just entered my first receipt.

Probably only good for sale prices, not counting Extra Bucks type programs.

I have not heard of this.  I will have to check it out and see if they are doing it in our area. 

[marvholly]

I would be concerned about exactly which stores & how close the automatic Savings Catcher will allow. I KNOW I have had cashiers REFUSE to price match a store about 7 mi away (I had the ad copy) and/or a store that is a 'specialty store like a fruit/veg market until I sent for the store mgr & pointed out that WalMart was the hike for me & I lived 1/2 mile from the store I wanted matched.

[alabamagal]

I was shopping at our local grocery store and they had 3 lbs bags of granny smith apples for $1 each!  The apples looked a little off, some had brown splotches on the skin, but I figured if they were only half good was still a good bargain.  I was planning to peel and cook for future apple pies.  When I started peeling, it was only the skin that looked bad, inside they were 100% good.  Cooked them, DH ate a bowl full for dessert and I had enough for 2 pies!  I may go back today and see if they still have more (it was a grocery cart full yesterday.

[rubyslippers]

I have heard of Savings Savers at Walmart but I trust my own price matching for finding good deals. I rarely go to Walmart without an item that isn't price matched. For those who don't have the time to check competitors' prices, this might be a good option.

Marvholly, my store accepts price matches from stores all over. I got packets of seeds this past spring for $.05 a pack by checking an ad from Menards and canning jars cheaper by price matching hardware store prices.  I had more trouble price matching items at Meijer when they used to do that than I've ever had at Walmart.   

[marvholly]

Ruby
EVERYTIME I have tried to price match at WalMart I have gotten REFUSED plus attitude from the cashier. i suspect most are NOT trained properly both regarding the policy & how to actually do it on the register. Does not matter if I have the ad to 'prove' it (NOT required per WRITTEN policy) or not.

I do know as soon as my big WalMart opens I WILL need to print out both the price match & coupon policies & carry them with me when I shop there - prob need to live in my car. I sure do NOT expect a new store w/a bunch of new hires to have trained everyone on everything.

[alabamagal]

I just got back the results from my first receipt, and i got back $3.08 - my total bill was $99 probably only $50 was groceries.  It price matches campbell soup at Walgreens and air freshener at Dollar General.

I will still probably keep track of the local ads, and will price match at the register when I can, but the online thing is pretty cool.

[marvholly]

Figures-it ALWAYS happens.

I have to take DD1 her bday gift this weenend. There is a really good market a bit further than her from me. One of my regular bloggers posts the ad. EVERY time I go to Dd1's there is NOTHING I want/need. I can see the ad every other week & KNOW I would shop there if I was in the area. NOT worth the mileage to make a special trip. it would be an extra 24 miles rt.

[FreeSalsa]

Aug 19, 2014 9:57:22 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

I was shopping at our local grocery store and they had 3 lbs bags of granny smith apples for $1 each!  The apples looked a little off, some had brown splotches on the skin, but I figured if they were only half good was still a good bargain.  I was planning to peel and cook for future apple pies.  When I started peeling, it was only the skin that looked bad, inside they were 100% good.  Cooked them, DH ate a bowl full for dessert and I had enough for 2 pies!  I may go back today and see if they still have more (it was a grocery cart full yesterday.

This is what my free apples look like all the time.  In fact, yours sound even better than mine.  I've already peeled probably 12 lb. of apples in the last few weeks and I'm sure I still have another 20 lb. to go.  I'm glad you got such a good price and that you gave them a chance.  Fruit is often best when it's ripest and has a few brown spots!

[FreeSalsa]

This week I got a few more things at 99 Cents Only store with the B3G1 Free Qs.  Mostly food, also some bleach and rubber gloves, which we can always use.  I almost got a pie crust to go with my millions of apples but I wasn't going home for a few hours afterward and it wouldn't have stayed frozen, even with the ice pack I brought with me.  

Tomorrow I will go to Vons for the $5 Friday big sandwich, and if I remember, I'll load the Q for the free Dove bar soap.  I need to go to the Staples near it to drop off some more toner.

Did I already tell you that we found a house to rent?  It's not cheap, but for the amount of house we're getting and the amenities we're getting, in the neighborhood that we're getting, they could easily charge a lot more, so I'd say we got a bargain price.  I'd say we're saving 16% over the regular retail price (going rate.)  We move in a few weeks and I can't wait!  (It has deep cupboards, garage, storage shed, and outdoor closet for storing stockpiles!)

[FreeSalsa]

Now would be a good time for one of those home improvement gift card deals.  Let me know if you see one.  I have lots of paint and gardening supplies in my future.  TIA.

[dancinmama]

Free Salsa:  RA usually offered the home improvement gift card deal two times during the year:  Father's Day and Christmas.  Last Christmas they offered it twice, but this last Father's Day they did not offer it at all. 

[rubyslippers]

Freesalsa:  Do you shop at Kroger?  They're having quadruple fuel points this month and they sell Lowe's cards.  If not, you can go online to look for coupons for different hardware stores like True Value.  I've found $5/25 coupons on retailmenotdotcom.

I bought 14 items at Walmart tonight and pricematched almonds, peppers, cheese, bread, celery, mushrooms, onions, pie crust, pens and candy and saved exactly $10.00.  I price matched from 7 different stores' ads.

[FreeSalsa]

Good ideas, Ruby, thanks!  You too Dancin.

[marvholly]

Had NOT planned to but stopped at Salvation Army Sat – after all I found a parking place right in front of the door! Color of the week was purple so everything w/a purple tag was $0.69 Sat. Fell over a nice peach sundress. Now I have to decide between that & the pant outfit I bought last week for my friend’s party on Sat.

I have a coupon for an $8 haircut at Great Clips (1 mi from home). It expires 9/4 so I need to use it & I do need a haircut. If I didn't have an open house next weekend I could wait until then. My guy ONLY works this location on Sun.

[skubikky]

Stopped at garage sale, needed a new one, found a brand new Wilton 9" cake pan for 50 cents(priced it at WM was about $6).
Got DS measuring spoons and cups for 50 cents.

[dancinmama]

I snagged the ads out of the mailbox late this afternoon to see if this week's Safeway ad was better than the one starting tomorrow for Labor Day.  I wanted to buy some tri- tip and thought there might be a better deal for Labor Day than there was this week, but it was not to be.  So I scurried on down to Safeway and picked up a couple - one on DH's account and one on my mom's using a $5/$20 on each one. 

DH likes to grill it.  We have French dip sandwiches with the leftovers.

What the heck has happened to the summer holiday sales ads?  I remember you could always count on some screaming deals for stockpiling.  This week soda is 4/$11 at Safeway; a couple of weeks ago I got it for 4/$10.  Chips aren't a good deal either.  If I remember correctly it was the same way last summer.

[murphath]

dancinmama:
If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, they have the kettle cooked chips (regular flavor and bbq) for $1 bag (5oz).  That's a good price if you need some for your clam dip.  Chips are one of those things that I can't stockpile.  If my DH sees a bag, it's dust.  And he knows all my hiding places.

[rubyslippers]

My best deals this week were at these stores:

    Kroger: 4 boxes Kellogg's cereal, 1 gal. milk and 2 Off clip-ons for $7.50. The milk was free w/cereal and the Off was free using                 IPQ's and senior discount.  I got 2 bags Lays for $1.95 each and D. Pepsi 6-packs for $1.75 each using digital coupons.

    Rite Aid:  I got 4 packs of Hershey's little candy bars (Halloween), 6 bags of Werthers caramels and 2 Reach 3 pks. toothbrushes for                     $.48 OOP.  I got 2 dozen eggs for $.18 OOP after using $3.00 in UPs.

    Walmart: I got 3 bottles of Kraft dressing, 3 packs Oscar M hotdogs and 2 packs Oscar M bologna for $4.02 after price matching and                     using coupons.

From our garden, we are getting lots of tomatoes.  I've been making fresh salsa and I canned pizza sauce.

I too was hoping for better sales this week.  I don't know if this week's ads are considered the Labor Dale sale or not. 

[dancinmama]

Aug 27, 2014 11:36:09 GMT -5 murphath said:

dancinmama:
If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, they have the kettle cooked chips (regular flavor and bbq) for $1 bag (5oz).  That's a good price if you need some for your clam dip.  Chips are one of those things that I can't stockpile.  If my DH sees a bag, it's dust.  And he knows all my hiding places.

Thanks for the heads up.  The next time I go out, I'll check it out. 

[dancinmama]

murphath:  Check your email for a $5/$25 from the GO.  They expire on 9/1 and cannot be used on alcohol or dairy.  DH and I both used one today.  He bought (5) 12 oz. pkgs. of beef fillet.

I got a stocker dude to mark down some 4-pks. of Ocean Spray Ruby Red grapefruit juice from $2.29/ea. to $.99 ea.  I bought (20) 4-pks. and some fillers.  The CRV counted toward the $25 to use the $5/$25.  I think I'm going to go back before the coupon expires and snag some of the ruby red.  I love my margaritas, but I'm kind of liking greyhounds too these days.    

[murphath]

dancimama:

Thanks for the heads up.  My DD2 actually sent me that q via email.  It's a good one!

[dancinmama]

Aug 30, 2014 11:01:48 GMT -5 murphath said:

dancimama:

Thanks for the heads up.  My DD2 actually sent me that q via email.  It's a good one!

Awesome!!  I'm glad you got it.  That Q brought down the price of my Ocean Spray to a fraction less than $.15 per 12 oz. bottle because I'll get the CRV back when I recycle.

[dancinmama]

DH and I made a trip into Costco and I was saddened to see that the prices are continuing to increase on butter, cheese, pre-made tamales, etc. 

And they are talking about raising the gas tax in CA by $1 a gallon which, if passed, will lead to even more price increases.  I don't know how lower income people are going to be able to afford it all.

[dogmom]

Dancin, $1.00 a gallon!  Yikes!  I am with you on seeing prices raise.  I still use coupons, my Walmart fights every price match I try, so pretty much I've given up trying there.  So, I just use their pricing w/coupon if it is a good buy.  I was pleased yesterday at the Jewel (Albertsons) where they had Blue Diamond almond milk (DH favorite) for 2 for $6.  Had two $1. coupons.  Hormel Pork Chops B1G1.  Per pound price was high, but after splitting, we can get four meals for $7.89  (or $1.97 per person) for just the meat portion.  I've split and frozen them.

I had stopped at Wags yesterday to pick up a couple Rx.  At the pharmacy counter, and I don't know if this is for all stores or if it is just because the pharmacy is remodeling, they had $3/$15 coupons on the counter.  Good 8-1 thru 9-26, so, something to look for or ask about.

ETA, I am interested to see how they are remodeling also the Dollar Tree where I live.  I understand they are adding a refrigerated section and a freezer section.

Have a wonderful Labor Day!

[hopetoberich]

I am missing the coupon deals so much. Paying full price when we have other bills is tough.. I still have most of the usual in the depleted stockpile but it is getting low.
I had to use all my home depot Swagbucks giftcards for pool supplies this week $60 i bought  a 25lb of chlorine pills and one other item and its used all the gc.
I plan to price match aldi next time I shop wm. That might help some.

[marvholly]

Dogmon
I, too, have MAJOR issues w/price match at WalMart and VERY seldom go esp as mine are smaller stores. However, I am getting a super center prob in the spring. I will defiantly INSIST on my price matches and send for the store mgr as needed. I WILL NOT deal w/peons. It is the store mgr’s job to COMPLETELY train the staff or at least make sure they ARE fully trained. After a few times the mgr will know you & most likely tell the cashier to just do the match.

Have you tried using Walmart’s new price watcher feature? That could solve your problem AND if corp sees a LOT of issues at a particular store they might start asking questions.

One of my Dollar Tree stores has the fridge & freezer section. I like their veggies, esp the 3 pepper & onion mix. I have also used a couple of their veg blends. Have not tried the fruit yet or the broccoli or cauliflower. The $1/4 oz fish pkg also works well for me as a single esp the bay scallops. I have bought an occasional frozen sweet treat, usually name brand, for the portion control aspect of my treat.

[dogmom]

Holly, I have looked at Walmart's new price watcher feature (Mashup Mom site), and for the Walmart that is closest to my house, I doubt it would be useful.  Like you, I pay close attention to pricing and value.  If it's not at one store, it will be at another.  If a store wants my business, they can have it.  But, I don't want to argue with a store over pricing.  The Walmart near our home is not a Super Center.  I am very hesitant to purchase produce there.  The quality IMHO is third rate.  Much prefer Mariano's, Caputo's or Valley...  They are somewhat out of my usual driving (to and from work), but, for some of those prices, I do make the effort.  Almost had an Aldi in town (a couple miles out of usual driving route), but I do make a special effort to shop there too.   

[dancinmama]

Aug 31, 2014 17:20:14 GMT -5 hopetoberich said:

I am missing the coupon deals so much. Paying full price when we have other bills is tough.. I still have most of the usual in the depleted stockpile but it is getting low.
I had to use all my home depot Swagbucks giftcards for pool supplies this week $60 i bought  a 25lb of chlorine pills and one other item and its used all the gc.
I plan to price match aldi next time I shop wm. That might help some.

I miss them too.  The days of working pantry staples into my scenarios have come and gone and I can definitely see the difference in my grocery spending.

Extreme Couponing was definitely a deal killer.  To be quite honest, I am shocked that it took a national television show for the manufacturers and retailers to wake up.  Didn't they notice that they were selling a lot more product than was "normal" at the same time that coupon redemption had skyrocketed?  What did they think was happening?  I know that sometimes I sounded like Chicken Little yelling "the sky is falling" (predicting that it would not last forever), but I really thought they'd catch on a lot faster than they did. 

If I had to buy non-perishables today, I'd go back to what I used to do in the old days (pre-drug chain rewards) - wait for the rock bottom price in the sales cycle and buy a couple or whatever you need to get you through until the next rock bottom price in the sales cycle.  The exception would be an absolute killer deal where the price is substantially less than rock bottom.  The difference is that in the old days there were never any limits on coupon usage and rarely any limits on the retailers' side either.

[marvholly]

Dogmom
Guess I didn’t remember you were in my neck of the woods (metro Chicago). If you are near Caputo’s I suspect you are west of me. I get out that way when going to DD1’s.

I also follow Mashup Mom. Depending on where you are there is a Walmart Super Center going in on Touhy just west of Mc Cormic. I suspect that does NOT work for you. That will be convenient for me but off my main, frequent travel route. There is also going to be a Mariano’s near that store BUT having been into Mariano’s several times I am NOT impressed.

I will fight for what I KNOW is my just due in the stores. I CANNOT afford not to do so. I will NOT roll over & play dead while these staff members violate corp policies. I plan to take names & file complaints w/corp as needed until everything matches WRITTEN corp policies. If that means mgrs change & cashiers get fired so be it.

Dancin
You would be shocked at how oblivious corps are to what is happening in the REAL world. The advertising, sales & marketing depts. are their own fiefdoms and NEVER speak to each other.

Also, coupon values have dropped a LOT while the $$ of most grocery & HBA has gone up, sometimes quite a bit. This year we have hardly seen a coupon for or a sale price on peanut butter during back to school. That had been a constant in previous years.

[FreeSalsa]

I was glad to see some posts, even though I haven't posted in a few weeks.  Keep up the fight!  We have to try to find a deal wherever we can.

I haven't been buying much, just a little meat, a few veggies, and stuff from 99C Only while I still have the B3G1 Free Qs.  I've bought some stuff for the new house, like some white boards and markers, a rack for holding pot lids ($1!  I've wanted one of these since I moved here 4 years ago!) as well as some food like peanuts, pepperoni, frozen dinners, good lettuce, cotton balls since we were out, generic Pepto, generic sleeping pills, rubber gloves, bleach, large bowls for washing veggies, random stuff.  It's a chain but they don't all have exactly the same stuff.  I find new things at each store.  

I can't wait to check out all the new stores that will be on the way to my new home.  I'm hoping I'll find some independent markets with some good deals on noodles or veggies.  I know I'll have 99C Only, Jons, Vons, and Ralphs and Sprouts and CVS are still near my work.

I'm trying to sell some things before I move and I still want to have a garage sale after we see what we can't use in the new place.

We're still trying to decide whether to move our own boxes or have the movers do it.  It's about 20 miles to the new place from here so that will use a lot of gas.  Not sure if it will be worth it to do it ourselves.  But at least DH is open to it now to save money.  He really resisted at first.