I'm back!

Well, it has been a long time since I published a post on this blog- Sorry! I always think summer will give me the time I need to catch up everything, but I am starting to learn that I am busiest during the summer! Here are a few posts from shopping trips over the last few weeks. I thought I had more pictures, but I guess I kept forgetting to "capture my savings", but man have I been saving!!!! If any of you have a success story and/or picture, I would love to share it on the blog, just email it to me! Best of luck and feel free to write a comment or send an email my way with any questions, ideas, or concerns!

Smith's shopping trip!

Total: $119.07

Total I spent: $49.37

Less than $50 for:

3 four packs of Dannon Activia yogurt
2 loaves of cottage brea
1 bag of Tyson frozen skinless chicken breast
5 Sponge Bob Kraft macaroni and cheese
4 boxes of Tampax tampons
1 pound of sliced turkey from the deli
8 rolls of Angel soft toilet paper
8 Aussie hair care products (shampoo, conditioner. hairspray...)
12 Herbal Essence hair care products

This shopping trip was mostly hair stuff, but I don't think I will need to shop for ANY shampoo or conditioners for AT LEAST 6 months!!! Yay!

Smith's shopping trip

Total: $98.64

Total I Spent: $35.17

Less than $40 for:
6 boxes of Kleenex
2 boxes of Nutri Grain bars
2 bags of shredded Kraft chees
2 multi packs of gum
2 three packs of Scotch tape
3 bags of Doritos chips
2 boxes of Keebler cookies
4 packs of Duracell batteries
12 rolls of Toilet paper
6 packs of Playtex disposable gloves (technically, I was PAID to take them!)

Albertson's Shopping Trip

Total: $220.96

Amount that I spent: $103.97

PLUS I got 5 "$10 off my next shopping trip" coupons!!!
That's like I only spent $53.97

Normally, I enjoy to list every item and the amount I spent so everyone can see just how cheap every item was, but this was simply too large of a shopping trip, so I will just list the things I got so you can see it was A LOT for a VERY SMALL PRICE!!!

13 boxes of General Mills cereal (some $0.70, some $0.87 because I had different coupons)
7 boxes of Betty Crocker brownie mix ($0.75- never seen it that cheap!)
10 boxes of Nature Valley granola bars

2 boxes of Betty Crocker cake mix ($0.75 each)
1 Betty Crocker frosting ($0.40)
3 Wish Bone spritzers (FREE)
3 Ragu pasta sauce jars ($0.60 each!)
3 Bertolli pasta sauce jars
2 boxes of mini Fruit Roll Ups
4 six-packs of Yoplait kids yogurt cups
3 jars of Skippy peanut butter ($0.90 each)
2 Chex Mix bags
2 Best Foods Mayonnaise ($0.90 each)
3 Breyers ice cream ($0.80 each!!)
1 package of hot dog buns
1 loaf of french bread

Okay, I couldn't help myself, so I listed a few of the AMAZING prices that I could remember! Now go shop and SAVE!

Recipes!

Last night during a class, someone suggested that the Grocery Smarts website should have recipes that are made with the killer deals of that week. I LOVE the idea and plan on passing it on, but in the meantime, I thought I would try to start my own little "recipe of the week". Feel free to send in your own and I'll post them (savebigongroceries@gmail.com)! Thanks!

Pasta Salad
1 Kraft Pasta Salad $0.70 this week at Albertsons's
1 Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing $0.25 this week at Albertson's (unless, like me, you got it a few weeks ago for FREE!!!)

I have not made this yet, but I figured for less than a dollar, I have a easy side dish for dinner or something quick and easy (and cheap) to bring along to a BBQ! The instructions are on the pasta salad box and it looks very easy to make, and very yummy! Enjoy!

Awesome Albertson's Shopping Trip

Total: $187.05

Amount I paid: $57.33

Breakdown of prices and items:
2 bags of grapes: about $2 each
Large bag of gala apples: about $6
2 boxes of Quaker granola bars: $1.12 each
3 cans of Edge shave gel: $0.75 each
8 Stouffer's mac and cheese: $1.88
Dreyer's ice cream: FREE (with my Stouffer's mac and cheese purchase)
1 Angel Soft toilet paper: $1.83
3 CPK pizzas for one: $0.75
2 Country Time lemonade canisters: $1 each
2 Hawaii's Own juice blend: $0.70 each
3 Hidden Valley Ranch mix: $0.70 each
3 Jell-O pudding mixes: $0.37
2 Jell-O pudding packs: $1.15
1 Kraft BBQ sauce: FREE
1 Kraft marshmallows bag: $0.70
2 Kraft pasta salad: $0.70
3 McCormick seasoning grinders: $0.65
1 box of Triscuits: $0.75
2 Oscar Meyer lunchables: $0.70 each
5 Sparkle paper towels: $0.70 each
2 Star balsamic vinegar bottles: $0.40 each
1 Taco Bell sauce bottle: $0.70
2 boxes of Taco Bell taco shells: $0.70 each
2 boxes of Kraft Deluxe mac and cheese: $1.00 each

I also used the extra coupons from the Albertson's ad to get $1 off the produce (because I spent over $10 on produce) and the three "coupon doublers" to get another $3 off, plus I used a coupon I had from last week's shopping trip that took another $1.50 off!!! If you do the math, you might find that I paid a couple of dollars more than I should have, so be sure that you watch the screen as everything is ringing up! Of course, I still save TONS, so oh well!

This week Albertson's is having great sales and a lot of the coupons are online coupons, so if you aren't getting the coupons from the Sunday paper yet, then give Grocery Smarts a try to see how easy and fun it is to save! (online coupons can sometimes be a little frustrating, but still give it a try and just keep in mind that you could be saving TONS every week, and with the Sunday paper coupons, saving will be even easier)

Albertson's Shopping Trip

Total: $21.75

Total amount I paid: $5.46

Breakdown of prices and items:
5-pack of Macaroni and Cheese: $5.69
Another 5-pack of Macaroni and Cheese: FREE (with purchase of 1st mac & cheese)
2 Capri Sun 10 packs FREE (with purchase of 1st mac & cheese)
v8 Fusion: $0.88

PLUS, I had a $1.50 off coupon from last week's shopping trip

Macey's Shopping Trip

Total: $17.95

Amount I paid: $7.95

Breakdown of items and prices:
3 Chinet lunch plate packs (36 plates in each pack): $1 each
3 boxes of Hefty one zip bags: $0.87 each
1 Artisan Wheat Thins box: $0.67
1 Grandma Sycamore loaf of bread (my favorite!): $1.67

Albertson's Shopping Trip

Total: $98.65

Amount I paid: $32.38

Breakdown of items and prices:
5 Spongebob Mac and Cheese: $1.00 each
5 Dr. Pepper 12 packs (my not-so-secret obssession): $2.60 each (buy 4 at $3.25, get one free- hence why I bought so many!)
Mission Tortillas: $1.99
3 Skintimate Shave Gels: $0.75 each
Bananas: $1.74
Hormel Beef Stroganoff: $2.99 (for 3 bucks, I figured it was worth trying!)
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce: $1 (my brother's swear it's the best, so again, I decided for only $1, what the heck, why not try it?!)
3 McCormick Grill Mates Seasonings: $0.50 each
French's Mustard: $0.75
3 Dole Fruit Cans: $0.89 each
2 Albertson's Canned Fruit: $0.89 (thought I'd put them in food storage!)
3 Kraft Dressings: FREE!!!

As you can see, I did pretty well at the grocery store this week. I was able to get stuff on sale, PLUS some new stuff to try AND things we needed for the week- not to mention I saved $66.27!
I should mention that I used some of Albertson's doubling coupons (they sometimes come in the ads- what they do is double a manufacturer's coupon that you use) PLUS Albertson's gave me a $1.50 to use towards my next shopping trip!

Trip to Macey's Grocery Store

Total amount I paid by using Grocery Smarts: $4.17

Breakdown of items and prices:
Ritz Crackers: $2.50
Wheat Thins: FREE (with purchase of Ritz)
4 packages of BAR S hot dogs: $0.29
3 McCormick Grill Mates packets: $0.17
3 Vitamin Waters: FREE

Welcome to the new blog! As you may have seen, you can save HUNDREDS every month by using the FREE Grocery Smarts website! I will be teaching a class this week at my house if you're interested in finding out more. The class is FREE and will be Thursday at 7pm. Just call or email me and I will give you directions. You're welcome to bring along friends too!

Total: $100.04

What I paid combining coupons with ads: $24.33

Breakdown of items and prices:

Rice Krispies cereal: $0.50
Frosted Flakes cereal:$0.50
Raisin Bran cereal: $0.50
Frosted Mini Wheats cereal: $0.50
4 large boxes of Pop Tarts (12 count): $1.00 each
6 boxes of Go Gurt (8 count): $1.13 each
3 Betty Crocker frosting: $0.50
1 Betty Crocker frosting: $0.45
3 boxes Betty Crocker muffin mix: $1.10 each
Progresso Bread Crumbs: $1.00
6 Knorr Rice/Pasta Sides: $0.63 each
4 Philadelphia cream cheese: $0.38 each