Brookshire's ( September 30th-October 6th)

As part of The Grocery Gathering at BeCentsAble, I report on the Brookshire’s weekly advertisement.

You do need a Brookshire’s “Thank You” card for most sale prices. The card is free and can be obtained at the customer service desk.

Brookshire’s locations in Central Mississippi are currently TRIPLING manufacturer’s coupons up to and including 60 cents. Only one of each kind of coupon will TRIPLE, all others will be redeemed at face value. According to policy, coupons that say "Do Not Double or Triple" will be redeemed at face value only. Internet coupons up to $1.99 will be accepted.

Brookshire's also has a "Priced Right Guarantee", meaning if your item doesn't ring up correctly, you get it FREE (Excludes Dairy, Tobacco, & Alcohol). Don't address this at the cash register. Go to Customer Service after your transaction.

Brookshire's gives you .05 credit per reusable bag.

{Items highlighted in blue indicate that the coupon matchup uses the most recent Sunday coupons or currently available printable coupons.}

Here are the deals:

Pilgrim's Pride Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
$1.99 per pound
.55 Printable coupon HERE
Final Price: varies by weight

Spray n Wash
$1.99
.50 Manufacturer's coupon from 9/13 SmartSource insert
Final Price: .49

Lysol Products
(Selected Varieties)
$1.99
Various Manufacturer's coupon from 9/13 SmartSource insert
Various Printable coupons HERE
Final Price: Varies (as low as .49)

GM Cereals
(Honey Nut Cheerios, 12.25 oz.; Lucky Charms, 11.5 oz.; Trix, 10.7 oz.; Cookie Crisp, 11.25 oz.)
$2
$1 off 2 Printable coupon HERE
$1 off 2 Manufacturer's coupon from 9/27 SmartSource insert
Final Price: $1.50 (Not the best price--but, hey, if you need it!)

Kroger (September 30th-October 6th)

My Kroger stores are part of the Delta region. Advertisements run from Wednesday thru Tuesday.

You do need a "Kroger Plus Card" for most sale prices. The card is free and can be obtained at the customer service desk.

My Kroger stores DOUBLE manufacturer's coupons up to and including 60 cents everyday. Up to 8 like coupons will double per transaction, all others will be redeemed at face value. Kroger DOES accept legitimate internet coupons.

Kroger also particpates in programs that offer electronic coupons that automatically deduct at the cash register when you use your Kroger Plus Card. Sign up at Shortcuts, Cellfire, and PGEsaver to load coupons to your card.

Kroger has a "Scan Rite" guarantee. If the item does not ring up correctly, you get it free. See customer service desk for details.

Kroger gives you .03 credit per reusable bag.

{Items highlighted in blue indicate that the coupon matchup uses the most recent Sunday coupons or currently available printable coupons.}

Here are the deals:

Starkist Chunk Light Tuna Pouch
$1
.50 Printable coupon HERE (Play the sweepstakes game to get to coupon)
Final Price: FREE

BumbleBee Tuna Pouches
$1
$1 Printable coupon HERE
Final Price: FREE

{Yes, I think it's a little weird that the only thing I have to post about is Tuna.}

Tip of the Day: October 2nd

In yesterday's tip, I told you to create a Price List that would break items down into units.

Stores like Sam's and Costco have led people to believe that buying in bulk means saving money, but that is usually not the case when you start shopping sales and using coupons.

When a coupon is good on any size, it is usually more effective to buy the smaller size. It gets even better when you have multiple coupons and your stores double or triple coupons.

The .55 off Mahatma Rice coupon from the 8/30 Red Plum insert is a great example. It is good on any size white, brown, or basmati rice. The smallest bag of Mahatma rice at Brookshire's is $1.23, and they will triple my coupon up to the item price and I will have FREE rice.

By buying mulitple papers/inserts, I'm able to multiples of the smaller FREE bag.

I think FREE sounds better than cheap, don't you?

Tip of the Day: October 1st

How much do you pay for a bar of soap? Do you know? How do you know when something is a its rock-bottom price if you don't know how much you pay for the item normally anyway?

Whenever I speak at an event or teach a class, the absolute most important information I can give is to create a "Price List" or a "Price Book".

Grab a piece of paper and make four columns.

Column 1: Item Description (This can be very generic, like "Bar Soap". If you're brand loyal, write that down, like "Lever 2000 Bar Soap".)

Column 2: Unit Size (How is your item measurable? Meat would usually be by the pound, other things could be by the ounce, by the bottle, or by the bag. For things like bar soap or sandwich baggies, it would be by the individual piece.)

Column 3: Regular Price (This is where you fill in normal everyday prices--especially if you're knew to frugal shopping. Lever 2000 soap 8-packs are $4.64 at Wal-Mart. That makes each bar cost 58 cents.)

Column 4: Stockpile Price (You might want to use a pencil in this column. This is where you look for sales and/or coupons. If your local grocer puts the soap on sale for $2 per 4-pack, then each bar is 50 cents. If you have a .50 coupon that doubles, then each bar is only .25! That's a stockpile price--buy a bunch!)

Take your newly formed price list throughout your home and write down the items that you buy regularly: groceries, toiletries, cleaners, paper goods, pet items, and baby stuff. Then start filling in the columns.

The best thing about creating a "Price List" is that it's still very effective for people who don't use coupons! If you want to save money on your groceries, toiletries, and household items, you need to start by knowing how much those items cost. Then you can monitor "sale" prices and know if it's actually on sale or just being advertised.

I'll share many of my "Stockpile Prices" soon!

Walgreens Show & Tell (September 30th)

Rolling Register Rewards is an artform. I feel like I'm pretty good at it, but how many artists create true masterpieces with 3 preschoolers going "Momma, Momma, Momma!" and touching everything and crying about having to sit in the cart and begging for Spiderman Toothpaste? :D

You can see most of the coupon matchups HERE.

Transaction #1:

Paid $2.47 on Gift Card
Saved $24.90
Used $13 in Register Rewards
Earned $15 in Register Rewards
Total "Cost": .47

Transaction #2:

**They were out of a lot of stuff at this store.**
Paid .73 on Gift Card
Saved $3.79
Used $2 Register Reward
Earned $2 Register Reward
Total "Cost": .73

Transaction #3:

Paid $1.49 on Gift Card
Saved $19.33
Used $8.50 Register Rewards
Earned $12.00 Register Rewards
Total "Cost": -$2.01

So I actually made a profit of .81 for the day! Not a masterpiece, but a fairly impressive little Paint-by-Number! Hehe...

As you can see, I'm using the small Hunt's Tomato Sauce and the Butterball Chicken Broth as my fillers. They are items that we definitely need and use. The tomato sauce is 39 cents and the broth is 50 cents--but you HAVE to scan the in-ad coupon to get that price.

Kroger Show & Tell (Mega Sale Finals)

I was not as impressed with this Mega Event as I was the last one. I still managed to score some good deals, mostly using coupons that I ordered. I really stocked up on Juicy Juice boxes and pepperoni Hot Pockets!

Trip #1:

Total Paid: $42.26
Total Saved: $107.86 or 74%
Earned $6 Off Your Next Order and $3 Off Your Next Chicken/Beef Purchase

Trip #2:

Total Paid: $32.24
Total Saved: $73.13 or 72%
Earned $2 Off Your Next Order

Total Mega Sale Spending: $74.50

Total Mega sale Savings: $180.99 or 73%

I still have $2 Off Your Next Order coupons

Hot Coupon Alert!

Print this $1 off any Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or Italian Meal Bread coupon! Like, right now! HURRY! Why are you still reading?!?!

Kroger has a Catalina deal coming October 5th thru November 1st, which I'm sure will pair with a sale at some point during the month. This would be a great coupon as is, but along with the Catalina it will be FANTASTIC!

Yes, I get very excited about FREE cans of refrigerated dough.

Thanks to Stephanie at Couponing 101!

Oooo, look: Another ONE!!

Thanks Money Saving Mom!