This morning at Kroger I ran into a good friend. When I asked, "Are you here for the big one-day sale?" she gave me a blank look. I continued a bit too eagerly, "You know: Kashi, Kellogg's, and Keebler have lots of half off items today." "Oh, that's nice," she replied. Later when I noticed she was buying only one box of cereal and my cart was loaded with 12, I thought to myself: Have I gone over the edge? Have I advanced to a Super Savings Sleuth or have I transformed into Crazy Coupon Lady?
Last night I spent nearly an hour printing and sorting an arsenal of potential coupons to use today. Since I take 2 kids with me and allow myself one hour grocery shopping, I have to be organized. Thanks to Coupon Katie's tip on one coupon that rewards $5 for buying 4 boxes of Kellogg's cereal, this trip wasn't just about saving money. Today was a test to see if I could finally save more money than I spend.
On the way in, I passed one guy exiting with 20 boxes of cereal. Am I already too late? Have all the best deals been snatched up? It's only 7:45am! I bee lined it to the cereal aisle. I relaxed when I saw the aisles weren't empty yet. Panic's over, folks. Methodically, I selected all our favorites and put corresponding coupons into my envelope. Lately my standards for cereal bargains have gone up: only coupons worth $1 or more per box are good enough. And in general, If I can't find an item on sale AND use a coupon, no deal! My, how I've changed in just a few months!
When I checked my savings at home, I was practically giddy with pride. Through Kroger sales, E-savings, and manufacturer's coupons, I saved $92.77 and spent only $67.56! I saved 84% off the Kellogg cereals ($.44 - $.59 per box) and 60% off Kashi cereals. I got 2 small Pillsbury crescent rolls for free (buy 2 at $1 each, Cellfire discounts $1, and $.50/2 is doubled). I got Kellogg Cereal Bars for $.74 a box and Keebler cookies for $.62 a package. And though it was expensive, I bought one beef tenderloin since it was more than half off (spent $27.05 and saved $15.48). Hey, I can splurge on occasion!
I'm sure to my friend, there was no doubt I had become a little obsessed with this new bargain hunting game of mine. While she was sipping her Starbucks latte, I was flipping through a sea of coupons. Call me crazy if you will, but this game has only just begun.
