****************All of this came to $96...I paid $21!!!***************I do not normally take photos of my groceries, especially since I am usually rushed to get them in the fridge but I just couldn't pass up the deals I got today.
By the big couponer standards I am usually behind in the game of triples. Since it starts on Wen and goes to the following Tues, I am usually getting my act together by Sunday and if I am lucky I will get at least two trips in. This time around I was able to start on Thursday!!! By Sunday, I have made 4 trips! Still behind from the big couponers but 4 is an all time record for me. I know you are thinking...What a waste of time going to the grocery store with a 3 yr old- 4 times when you could have done it on one trip! Well that is the rules of the game in the coupon world and if you want free or almost free stuff, that is just what you have to do in order to abide by all the rules the store has around it! We do not look at triples as 'grocery shopping' per say, it is more like 'stocking up' on the things our family will eat, use, or can donate and then purchasing them when they are the lowest price possible. So, yes, I (well...Kevin) still need to go to Walmart to get our every week needs but I will not have to get any cereal, toiletries, pasta, and whatever else triples produced for us...for a long while! I will have the luxury of being able to pull from the pantry whenever I have a last minute playdate that requires food without worrying about running into the store and spending money. I also have more than plenty of options for Keagans upcoming birthday party as far as cake and goodies that I will not need to try and put into the budget...since I just paid $.25 or less of them! Plus I will be able to donate several items that I was able to get for FREE to those who are in more need than we are.
THE RULES:
The rules with Harris Teeter are that you can only have 20 coupons (.99 or less) per day for each VIC card (mvp, or store type discount card) that will triple. (we have 2 VIC cards!) You can use more coupons that day, but they will not triple. There is also a max amount of 'the same type' coupons that you can use...such as .50 off of Dawn liquid hand soap. I can only use 3 of the same coupon, but if I have a .25 Dawn soap coupon I can get a 4th one since the coupon is different. Since most of our real coupons are blessed to us from Gramma Becky, we have a lot of coupons that we print off of the Internet. Those also have a max limit of 2 per item so there is a lot of strategic planning going into which 20 coupons we plan to use and what popular items the store will be low in stock. Of course to add to all the strategic planning, sometimes, such as this week, there is a special that if you buy so many of the same type of brand you get extra $$ off your order or a coupon will spit out of the register with a $10 gift card surprise. This week it was buy 15 marked General Mills and Pillsbury items and get $5 off your order. With strategic planning and great coupons, you can actually get 15 items that totaled $5 so in actualality you are getting them for free since you 'bought' 15.....but then used the coupons bringing the total down to $5 and then getting $5 taken off your order!
This particular visit was my 4th. Believe it or not, we did leave a lot of things left in the store for others to buy. But there were many who didn't leave us any free bandaids, ziplocks, or biscuts...but we still have 2 days left! Keagan was with me on each visit and surprisingly by the second visit...he was asking me for things he wanted and instead of saying..."Mommy, I want that!"...he would say "Mommy is this on Sale?" Of course it is usually for the $15 Disney CARS cup that is in the Candy isle...but he is catching on!
