Mission Possible at Four Stores

• She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
• She looketh well to the ways of her household

Mission Possible--where we ask (and answer) the question--is it possible to save money and shop wisely in this economy? Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to take the resources we have available to us--coupons, rebates, Extra Care Bucks (ECB), Register Rewards (RR) and weekly ad circulars--to get the things our families need and can use, all while keeping our total out-of-pocket (OOP) as low as possible. We fulfill our tasks at drugstores, grocery stores, dollar stores, and wherever we can find those bargains and frugal finds that benefit our families!

I haven't been blogging much about my shopping deals lately; my camera was out of commission for a little while and for some reason I hate to post without pictures of my goodies. And is it just me, or have the deals and coupons been a bit hit-or-miss lately? Either that, or I've gotten so used to saving money that a deal has to be really good, or I have to really need something before it sparks my interest, especially with our tighter budget.

This week, though, it felt like old times! I sat down yesterday with the weekly ad circulars and my coupons, and mapped out a plan. As with all plans, there has to be a bit of flexiblility--sometimes I get to the store and they're out of what I wanted, or I find that the item on sale doesn't exactly match the coupon I have. I used to get flustered when things didn't go according to plan, isn't that silly? I'd stand in the store and try to calculate the best way to combine everything in just the right transactions to maximize my savings and make that "perfect deal". While I still get impatient sometimes when the shelves are empty of sale items, these days I'm much more easy going--if I can work a deal, good, and if not, there'll always be another deal next week or next month, either there or at the next store down the block.

But on to my take for this week...

$20.59 net OOP

I got everything pictured above for $26.59 in cash, and I have a $2 Register Reward from Walgreens and will have a $4 single check rebate from Rite Aid, making this net OOP (out of pocket) $20.59 for4 boxes of cereal, 4 boxs of granola bars, 4 bags of Chex Mix, 4 cans of mushrooms, 4 cans cream of chicken soup, 1 jar of peanut butter, 1 Bounce dryer bar, 2 bags of holiday candy (chocolate, of course!), 1 full size Herbal Essences shampoo, 1 full size conditioner, and two power toothbrushes. Full price (which I would have never paid) these items would have come to a little over $90, making this an approximate savings of 77%. Not bad for one afternoon of planning and shopping. And because I did it all in one trip, so I didn't waste gas, either.

And now, as the song says, "break it down..."

$6.09 net OOP

First stop Rite Aid, where I got:

2 boxes Frosted Mini Wheats, on sale for $2.49 less 2 $.50 in-ad coupons and 1 $1/2 MQ (manufacturer's coupon), or $1.49 each
4 bags Chex Mix, $2.99, on sale B1G1, less 2 $.50 MQ and 1 $.50/2 MQ, or $1.12 each
1 Oral-B Cross Action power toothbrush, on sale $5, less $3 MQ, or $2-this is eligible for a $2 SCR (single check rebate), making this free after rebate
1 Crest Soin-brush power toothbrush, sale $5.99, less $2 MQ, $3.99, also elibible for a $2 SCR, making this net of $1.99

Total cash paid $10.09, net after SCR will be $6.09

$3.79 OOP

My next stop was Publix, where I bought:

4 boxes Nature Valley Granola Bars, on sale 4/$10, less in-ad coupon of $4 off when you buy $10 worth of selectGeneral Mills products, less 3 $.40 MQs, doubled, net of $3.60

1 Publix peanut butter, $2.39, it was the $.01 item for the week, with in-ad coupon I got this for $.01

Paid $3.79 cash OOP

$8.64 net OOP

Next to Walgreens, where I bought:

2 boxes Kashi Cereal, on sale 2/$5, less 1 $3 MQ and 1 $1.50 MQ, making this $.50, or $.25 each

Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner, on sale 2/$7, less 1 free Herbal Essences MQ (took off $3.50) and 1 $1 MQ, or $2.50. This generates a $2 RR (register reward) when you buy 2, making this net of $.25 each after RR

1 Bounce Dryer bar (lasts 2 months in the dryer instead of dryer sheets), $3.99, less $2.50 MQ, or $1.49

1 Dawn dishwashing liquid, $.99 w/ in-ad coupon, less $.25 MQ or $.74

1 cans mushrooms, 2/$1 w/ in-ad coupon

2 bags seasonal candy, on sale 50% off, making these $1.25 each

Paid $10.64 cash OOP, and received $2 RR back, making this net of $8.64 OOP

$2.07 OOP

And last but not least, I stopped at Dollar General and picked up 4 cans of cream of chicken soup, on sale for $1 each, less 2 $1/2 MQs, making these $.50 each.

Paid $2.07 cash OOP

And that's it, for now. How have you done your thrifty shopping this week? Be sure to share your deals in the comments, I love my commenters!

This post is linked to:

$5 Walgreens Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First

Until next time...