Shopping Update - Week of 6/19

For those of us in the crazy couponing world, the shopping week starts on Sunday (Wednesday for grocery stores).  I've already cut out and organized all my coupons and reviewed the ads from the Sunday paper to see what deals are out there that I just can't pass up.  This coming week, I won't be buying a lot of anything, since we're at the end of the month, and I've done the big trips earlier in the month.

This past week, though, I did stock up on some items from various stores.  I promised a shopping recap for the week, so here it is:

Vons - Spent $47.60, saved $78.13 (62%)
This was the best trip of the week, and my best savings ever at a grocery store!  I received VonsClub mailers at the beginning of the week with coupons for free products and really good discounts.  Overall, I had $10 off a $50 purchase, 10% off the entire purchase, $5 off Rancher's Reserve meat, $0.30/lb off bananas, and my other coupons.  Free items: pineapple, eggs (not pictured), soup, cereal (not pictured), and apple juice.  Items under $1: Gatorade, bread, salsa, peanut butter, mac & cheese.

Savemart - Spent $19.50, saved $27.28 (58%)

I mainly went in for the cereal promotion - Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch for $1.49 when you buy 4.  I had 3 coupons for $0.50 off each box of Cheerios (none for the CTC), so I paid just $1.12 for each box.  Another promotion was for Almond Accents and Marie's Salad Dressing for $1.99 when you buy 4.  I bought 2 of each with coupons ($1.25 off 2 Marie's and $1 off one Almond Accents).  Regular price for both products is $3.99.  I would have saved more, but I also bought milk, which is $3.09/gallon.  I didn't want to make the drive to Winco just for milk, even though I would have saved $1.60. 

CVS - Spent $7.60, saved $14.09 (58%)

This was my smallest trip of the week.  I bought Twizzler's and Pantene.  The candy was $4 for 2 packs, so I bought 4 packs, using 2 coupons for $1 off 2 packs.  The Pantene was 2 for $6.97 with $2 in ExtraBucks reward when you buy 2.  I also had a coupon for $3 off 2 products.  I also had a $3 ExtraBucks coupon from another trip.  (Note: when calculating savings and cost per item, most couponing sites count the ExtraBucks you earn toward the items just purchased, NOT toward the future purchase.  It still works out the same, as long you don't let them expire!)

Target - Spent 39.29, saved $28.55 (42%)

I might have saved more at Target had the refrigerated section not been out of service due to the extensive remodel.  That's OK - 42% is still a decent savings.  The best deals from this trip were the Sally Hansen nail polish and top coats (I ended up getting them for $1.09 each), Crystal Light packets ($1.22 each), and BBQ sauce (87 cents for one brand, 91 cents for another).  The grocery section of Target is getting bigger, and Target has a TON of printable coupons that can be matched with manufacturer coupons for really great savings on a lot of products.

Total Spent $113.99

Total Saved $143.05 (55%)