It wasn't the best that I've done at the commissary, but I can live with it since I pulled up a menu-plan, did the grocery list, figured out my sale/coupon matchup, AND did the actual shopping all in under an hour. Time is just as valuable as money. Menu Items
3lbs ground beef: $4.98
Shake & Bake: $1.00
2lb beef sirloin steak: $4.73
4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts: $2.64
Cheddar cheese: $2.19
Total cost for week's menu: $15.54
Sale/Stockpile/Random Items
4 Stove Top Stuffing Mix ($0.99 each): $3.96
Fantasik cleaner: $1.69
7 Muellers Pasta ($0.89): $6.23
Imperial margarine quarters: $0.69
Mazola Vegetable oil 40oz: $3.30
2 Hungry Jack 15oz potatoes ($0.97 each): $1.94
Lever soap bars 9oz: $1.19
3 Gerber baby foods ($0.92 each): $2.76
Total stockpiling/misc. cost: $21.76
Pesky surcharge: $1.87
Coupons
2 $1/2 Stove Top stuffing mix (-$2.00) military coupon
$1/1 Fantasik (-$1.00)
$1/1 Mazola oil (-$1.00)
$1/1 Lever soap bars (-$1.00)
$0.75/3 Gerber foods (-$0.75)
Total coupon savings: $5.75 (15% savings)
My total came out to $33.42, which is well under my $50 week budget. I know that I've saved more than $5.75 at the commissary, so this is certainly not a record-breaking trip or anything, but I did set a new time record. We've never been in and out of the commissary in under 20 minutes! I sat down to make the menu and lists around 6:00pm, and we were done with the commissary at 7:30pm - and by done, I mean completely done...as in got home and got groceries put away. An hour and a half to plan, get to the store, shop, come back, and put things away is NOT too shabby at all!
To all of you beginning coupon-ers out there, do not be discouraged by the time that it takes to put your deals together and shop! When I first started doing the sale and coupon match-up for the commissary, it took me over an hour. Menu planning took another hour. And the actual shopping itself took another hour. I'm not getting less stuff or spending more money, but with time I just got better and more efficient after I found ways that worked for me. What used to be a 3 hour process now takes an hour and half from start to finish. So don't lose hope...it does get better!
2 comments:
I noticed Powerade was on sale for $.66 for a bottle. There was a $1 coupon in the paper a while back. A rare money maker for the commissary.
Toni
Thanks for the encouragement! It took me HOURS to put together a plan for the Kroger Mega Event this week, a menu plan, and a dinner for 20 college students. I wondered if I would ever use coupons again! Hopefully I'll get faster!
Post a Comment