This post is for those of you who refuse to cut a coupon, but still want to save…don’t worry.
My feelings aren’t hurt.
Remember my most amazing sis-in-love with 10 kids?
She loves me, I love her, but she doesn’t cut coupons….even with me guilting sharing about all the money that she could save.
She knows it, but sometimes necessary sanity outweighs savings, and she saves money in other ways.
Here is a simple grocery guru concept that will equal stupendous savings.
BE OBSERVANT WHEN YOU ARE SHOPPING, and enjoy the hunt!!
Since you have already stocked up on things ONLY when they were Buy one get one free, or on sale, your mind has already trained itself to avoid impulse buying. If not, don’t worry, baby steps are the best way to begin, and there’s nothing like inexpensive food to get you excited about saving.
This past week I bought 12 packages of JIMMY DEAN sausage that averaged $.50. I mention averaged because the first time I went, I got them for $.25, and assumed that EIGHT packages of sausage would last me…through the holidays. NOT! So I went back…and got more.
Let me show you how because anyone who is ACTIVELY LOOKING for deals like this….WILL FIND THEM.
You may not find this every shopping trip, but at least 2x/month, I have found steals like this.
Unfortunately on this shopping trip, I was just doing my family manager thing and not thinking “blog post, ” so the pictures of some key definitions will be missing.
Follow closely, and put on your math brain. This may seem a little wordy, but I don’t want you to get lost. It will be worth it, so stick with me.
I literally ran into Harris Teeter “planning” on only buying graham crackers for my cheesecake dip, but my eyes wandered to this bright yellow tag.
I am ALWAYS looking for Bright Yellow tags because it means prices are drastically slashed due to the approaching “sell by” date. This never matters to me….I either use them within two days or stick them in the freezer. For sausage, the sell by date means “nothing.”
BUT WAIT….
I then noticed that there was a “peelie thing” right on this same marked down package.
(no picture, but formal definition: Peelie – Peelable coupon located right on the package)
Could it be?
It was too good to be true, but this tearable coupon said that if I buy THIS sausage roll, then I can choose any other cooked patties or links for free (and they’re marked $3.99 a box).
Does this mean the patties and links that I always tell my children they can not have since they’re too expensive are now going to be FREE?It’s like Christmas…sausage links for everyone. Eat up kids! Forget about all those preservatives…THEY’RE FREE, and I am crowned “Mom of the Week”!
I was now at TWO packages of sausage for $1.50 (yep, .75/piece) but it was getting even better.
What’s a Catalina machine?
Rats….wish I had a picture (pretend picture), but you know them well. Those annoying little machines that our children love. The ones where just last week they took 20 coupons before we realized it. The machine that leads to “I’m laced with guilt from the bad mom, let my kids run wild in the grocery store” syndrome.
Yep, that that’s the machine.
Official definition:
Catalina: thin paper coupon that prints out from a separate machine.
Guess what….The catalina had a $1 off of any Jimmy Dean Sausage.
Clapping with glee; I was giggling like a little school girl.
I was now going to take ANOTHER $1.00 off of my 2/$1.50…
do the math, ladies.
One box of sausage patties(free) and one sausage roll for $.50!!!!!
That’s .25 a piece for EXPENSIVE, yummy sausage.
PICK ME UP OFF THE FLOOR!
I purchased $24 worth of sausage for $2, people!
And it was all there at my finger tips….I just had to be observant. Not a coupon had to be cut – just peeled and pulled!!
I know you are know asking, “they let you use all of those coupons?”
If you were following closely, it was really only one coupon per item. The bright yellow “special today” isn’t considered a manufacturers coupon, so I always try and use as many multiple forms of savings that I can. Each roll had one coupon to receive the boxed item for free, and each sausage roll had one “catalina coupon.” I stood by that Catalina machine waiting til I had one coupon per roll.
The only difference one week later was that there were no “special today” sausages marked down. No sweat, I still think .75 is a steal, and just wait til you see what else I found on my”only running in for graham crackers” excursion.Make this drudgery we call grocery shopping a game….what “steals” can you find this week?
Your local grocer may still have this sausage steal going on. I should preface that by saying, maybe not in the Piedmont Triad.
I do believe I snatched all those up…or at least my friends did after I told them about it last week.
Oh, and any suggestions on a new series title?
This one just doesn’t cut it.
Wow. You ARE good!
What an awesome savings!
That is how I shop, too! I find that I usually can’t use coupons because mostly only convenience foods are featured. I do look for sales in the paper for cheap meat, though, and that helps. Thanks for link up and I’ll see you next week!
Wow! I’m impressed. I foresee some Bisquick sausage balls in your future. I’m happy to report approx. 1 month after I first read your Grocery Guru post – I successfully slashed more than 100$ from our monthly grocery expense. WOWZER.
My best find so far was razors this week at WG that were free to me plus a little overage.
Thanks for all the help. I’m hooked now. No going back
Series Title Suggestion: Grocery Gold
Your excitement over sale-sausage has me cracking up! I’m getting a visual of you passed out on the grocery store floor, arms full of sausage tubes. LOL! Good job girlie! That is unbelievable!
Grocery Go-Getter
We’re cut from the same cloth. Saving on groceries makes me giddy and your deal would have kept me high for days. Way to go!
I was proud of myself today at the store! With my coupons I save $65.00 off my total!! No .25 cent sausage though….
I love it! Sometimes I feel like I spend way too much time handling the coupons – buying the paper, cutting, sorting, remembering to take them with me. . . This example is awesome!!
Also, I thought of you at CVS this morning when I picked up my FREE L’Oreal moisturizer. Thanks for the bargain hunting posts! Very encouraging!!
And the grocery guru’s plot thickens…
I shall dutifully file away this lesson alongside my coupon book and Harris Teeter flier. Thanks for the tip!
Your awesome girl, I’m burnt out sometimes with all the other ways I save money. I do use coupons but I usually have yelling, crying and kids saying they are bored so I’m not as sharp as I used to be.
I am soooo impressed! I went last week only to have my kids bored to tears crying and wanting to go, so I just picked up what I had coupons for and left:( Lesson learned, leave hubby and kids at home when I am going sale shopping. Thanks for all of the tips!!!
Love the tips! Way to go! Thanks for stopping over at my blog…I thoroughly enjoyed “following you back” to your blog. What a lovely place you have here! I look forward to more visits!
Okay, did you hit K’ville or Burlington? If not, I’ll race you to those HTs. Thanks for the tip!
I have recently taken up using the coupons I get in the Sunday paper and buying store brand and sale items and I must say it is exhilarating to see that I saved $35 at the end of my receipt. Thanks, lady!
I just posted my Coupon Triumph today, as well. Feeling good – though certainly amateurish, compared to you – about the wildly good and PRACTICAL deals I found got today! You, my dear, truly are a “coupon shopping goddess!”
You inspire me…I need to take my computer to the store..and read your blog while shopping. B/c when I enter it all goes out the window or should I say it ALL goes into the cart!!!
-sandy toes
thanks for visiting my blog. i have been known to lurk on your occasionally. found you through emily (chatting at the sky) and said to myself “hey, i know her”. i remembered you from MOPS!
A great post.Thank you.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Grammy
Yikes! This is awesome. I’ll be on the lookout too!
Here’s are my title suggestions:
No coupons. No problem.
Cutting Costs. Not coupons.
Sausage Savings 😉
I need to take a page out of your book…I am so impatient and hate to shop…this is good to know…
What luck! Are those at Harris Teeter?
I am looking forward to all of your grocery tips. I have mastered the drug stores, but never come out with anything amazing at the grocery store. Check out my blog post from tonight – I was thrilled with my CVS/Walgrees loot!
Ohhh you Lucky Duck! You Rock for finding such a terrific deal!
I love those deals where you don’t have to really do anything. I think it was last week CVS had Altoids on sale BOGO ($1.99 for 1). The week before while standing in checkout I looked down and noticed they had $1.00 peelies on them so when they went on sale it clicked – FREE Altoids! I went into CVS peeled and ‘purchased’. Piece of cake!
What great savings!
I am all about saving at the grocery store. I am not happy unless I saved close to (or hopefully more than) what I spent. I regularly cut coupons and go out of my way to get extras. Our town does not have curbside recycling but rather a recycling area. When I am dropping off my newspapers, spend several minutes searching the other bundles for the coupons that everyone left behind. Sometimes I will get 3 or 4 of some terrific coupons. Then I have my 9 year old cut them out for me. She actually likes doing it.
Hello Jen!!
I just wanted to say thank you for coming by and leaving that warm and caring comment. I did decide to delete the post, put I wanted to tell you thank you so much for being kind enough to include me in your prays!!
I always wonder how people like you do this sort of stuff. I have got to start following in your footsteps. And I am not afraid of a coupon. Just forgetful to bring them.
That’s an awesome deal!
Target has a special going on in our area – don’t know if it’s nationwide.
Anyway, their Starbucks coffee packages are $7 each. If you buy 2 packages then you get a $5 Target gift card. Okay…in the end that’d be $9 total. To me that’s a good deal. It gets better.
The Gold Coast blend of Starbucks was on sale for $3.44 each. I grabbed all they had (two) and brought them to the register. That’s $6.88 total for 2 packages, right? Then take off $5 for the gift card. :o) I got 2 Starbucks coffee packages for $1.88 total. wow. THAT’s a deal! We’re coffee drinkers so it really *is* a deal.
Went back today and the Gold Coast blend was gone so we took advantage of the $7 each packages and still made out quite well. 🙂
Another great Target deal is the Del Monte canned vegetables for 50 cents each. Padding a pantry a bit is wise so we bought plenty! Where I am those vegies typically go for $1.39 each. 50 cents each is a good savings.
Yet another great Target deal is the Kraft shredded cheese (8oz). In my regular grocery store it’s priced at $5.19. The Target price is $2.00. :o)
You have a terrific site. I’m spreading the word!
Oh, one more thing.
We have a kitty and treats can even be pricy. I had a Meow Mix treats $1 coupon so bought the treats at Target for a whopping 19 cents. :o)
I know I sound like a Target commercial but sometimes that place has some excellent deals!
Way to pass on your finds and encourage the rest of us! These are great tips…know that for being a blessing you will be blessed!
Hi there! I cut coupons too, but it takes a lot of time and effort to stay organized. I’ve found it easier to use the adds, and write exactly what I need beforehand with coupons picked out and that’s it. No more. I know if I brought my coupons with me I could catch a deal, but often times I ended up spending more. Take care and stop by my blog if you like tomorrow. I’ll be having a giveaway. Thanks
Great deal! I do try to be observant but I need to be looking around more and thinking ahead. I tend to focus only on what I need right then. And I have failed at using coupons. I do shop at THE cheapest grocery around though.