Bet's Best

#10 Cans

2011-02-17T11:00:00.001-06:00

I know that most coupon blogs will tell you not to buy bulk items. But remember, I'm trying to show you how to save money without having to always resort to coupons.
Believe it or not, there are some bulk items that are cheaper per ounce than the smaller versions.
Sam's is our bulk item store here in OK. But most of the stuff in there is waayyy too high to be considered a good deal.

Ketchup-Hunt's is $3.28 for 114 ounces. That is right at $.03 an ounce. Right now, ketchup is on sale at Warehouse Market at $.79 for 24 ounces. That is also $.03 an ounce. On sale. If the normal price is $.99 that is $.04 an ounce. If your family uses a lot of ketchup AND its worth your drive to Sam's, the large ketchup will be the better way to go. Wal Mart also sells a #10 can of ketchup. Be sure to do the math per ounce to see if it is a better deal!

Mustard- French's #10 at Sam's is $3.88 for 105 ounces. That is $.04 an ounce. Typically grocery store price will be around $2 for 30 ounces, equaling $.06 an ounce. Its a maybe. Especially if you have a lot of summer activites with grilling, picnics, etc.

Chip Flavor Pack- if you pack a lot of lunches, this will be a cost saver. Yes, it is cheaper to buy the chips at a grocery store and bag them yourself, but if you do not have the time, this is a good option. At $11.22 for 50 bags, that is $.22 per bag. At Wal Mart, a single bag of chips is $.33 per bag.

Fruit in season is usually a pretty good deal at Sam's. Price will vary.

The big box salad is pretty good at $5 a box. It about $7 at Reasor's for a smaller box.

What is never a good deal:

Cereals. Too expensive when the grocery store has generic brands and runs sales on a regular basis.
Canned veggies in the 6-9 pk
Mayo. Those are specifically for those who use a lot of mayo. We've looked into it, and even as a family of 6, it is not worth it to us.

I will update good bulk items. This is a good start IF and ONLY IF you shop at Sam's.

2011-02-17T09:00:00.022-06:00

Update to my list:

1. Finished! And I love it. I still have some ideas for the closet, like getting a plastic drawer system for socks & other items, but for now, it is finished!
Finish organizing my closet. I am going to try to organize my scarves and earrings like in the videos. Such cute ideas! Since I get ready before anyone else in the mornings, I want to be able to have most of my jewelry in the closet so I'm not trying to look for something in the dark.

2. Hahahahaha.....no school for two weeks and working a bunch of hours with no days off will make one mom weary. We just did fun things at home, like video games, books, crafts, and some snowman making.
~~Make an after school schedule and stick to it. I doubt we will but at least I'm going to make an effort. I don't always like schedules because our day can change quickly.~~

3. I've missed a few days, but I'm back on track with this one.
~~Read one Psalm in the mornings. I've started this one and I'm liking it.~~

4. See #2. Most of the time, my children stayed in PJ's. We're working on this one.
~~Pick out everyone's outfit the night before.~~

5. Stupid snow really ruined my goals. But this one started today.
~~Pack lunches. Why is this so hard? Is it because I have to pack for 4, counting myself? Ugh...I hate doing this but leads me to the next one...~~

Can I just give up at this point? One only has so many hours in the day...
6. Pack my freezer/plan ahead meals. I want to take a day and bake muffins, snacks, meals for the freezer. I also want to freeze some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to make packing lunches a little easier. Oddly enough, it does not make the sandwich soggy and are pretty good. Take one out and its thawed by lunch time. I really love Bentos, but trying to do 4 of them at a time while trying to do Round 2 (after work when I get home and at home) duties makes me tired thinking about it. I'm aiming for stocking my freezer to make meals easier, so maybe in a few months (like next school year) I can try Bentos.

I'm getting there...I'm using it more and more.
7. Utilizing my planner more. I have pretty large planner with the intent of writing EVERYTHING down, but I haven't been able to do this yet. Since I need to work on not procrastinating, this one I need to do first. This one will be an ongoing goal, but maybe I can get into the habit of using it.

Its a constant learning curve...
8. Lastly, learning more how to update the blog. I went to a more simple look for now until I learn more about how to make it look nice. I loved the look of the other but not how the columns were aligned. My goal is to devote one night to doing this. For now. To at least get a jump start on the fun stuff.

I'll revisit this on Feb. 10th to see what I did and didn't quite get too. (Yeah, its Feb 17th...)

Clothes

2011-02-16T13:00:00.000-06:00

According to latest news report, the price of clothes are expected to rise. With 4 kids that are still growing, this worries me. Kind of. Here are some ideas to combat the cost.

Thrift stores: Goodwill runs excellent sales throughout the year between 25-50% clothes, shoes, and purses. Here is their Feburary schedule. There is also the Salvation Army, Value Thrift (they are open until 9pm!), and the Animal Aid Thrift Store.
Consignment stores: I heart the one in Sapulpa called Second Times a Charm. She is so sweet and has pretty good prices and sales. Her kids' clothes selection is amazing. She has the Justice brand that my girls are into. A few of them still have the tags on!
Garage sales: I know a lot of people are against this one, including my husband. But if you select the right ones, you can find some nice clothes very cheap! Pet peeve is when people think highly of their items. 1. its used, 2. its a garage sale, and 3. its a garage sale! If you want ebay or craigslist items, post them there. I will buy more if the price is reasonable! Also, consider the house. I've been to a few where the host was smoking (that equals smelly items) and a garage that strongly smell like cat urine. I actually smelled the items. Yuck. We walked away from that one.
Sewing: ah...the big one. Now, I know it can cost more to get the material needed to make a dress than to actually go by one. But you can get items from a thrift store and change them up! There are ton of tutorials on how to do this, like get an ugly dress and change it to a cute shirt! They even sell these on esty. So cute and so thrifty! If you don't know how to sew (like me) then maybe its time to learn. I have my eye on a sewing maching at Wal Mart that I want. Not only to teach my girls and boy how to sew, but for myself. Why not?
Hand me downs: get some ladies together and have a swap of sorts at your home or church!
Sales racks: I know it should be a given, but you might find some great deals on clothes!
Coupons for Department Stores: sign up to receive emails from your favorite stores and you will probably get coupons! Belk's always send us coupons. Just remember to use the lost leader rule: they sent the coupon to get you in the store! Go with a list of items you NEED and stick to it. If it is a good coupon but yet you don't need anything, go buy socks or underwear. Those are items not only could your family use, but you can donate them to a charity in need. And of course, look at the sales racks first. Also, use the coupon on a good weekend sale if it will let you. The weekend before school starts, you might find some excellent sales plus using the coupon, plus use it on a tax free day, you might have some excellent savings!

Do you have any secrets to clothes shopping?

Warehouse Market

2011-02-16T10:47:00.001-06:00

Yes, it is Wednesday, but as I'm planning my grocery list I thought I'd post some good deals I am seeing.

Best Choice Canned Veggies $.49

Excellent stock up price! Most cans are pushing $1. 10 cans are only $4.90!

Yellow Onions $.49 a Pound

If you have the time, get 5-10 lbs to dice and stick in the freezer.

Russet Potatoes, 10 lb bag is $2.99

Best Choice items on sale (all good stock up items):

tomato sauce $.25 each
canned whole tomatoes $.50
ketchup $.79
paper towels 8 pk, $4.99
saltines $.99

Side note: if your family goes through a lot of ketchup, you also might look into buying the #10 can of ketchup. Most of the time, its cheaper to buy this and the plastic pump to put on top or pour it into old ketchup bottles or plastic bottles. Sam's is the cheapest but look at the cost at Wal Mart per oz before committing to this. You can also buy mustard in the #10 can.

Whew!

2011-02-16T10:23:00.001-06:00

What an insane last few weeks, huh?
That snowfall we received here in Oklahoma was unreal. I am on of the fortunate/unfortunate few that still had to go to work. I'm considered an essential employee. My SUV was a trooper and made it all week between going to work and running errands (like trying to search for a snow shovel). I remember having to go around a Dooley truck because he got stuck and I knew if I stopped, I'd be stuck too.
And I hated hearing on the radio, while I was driving, how "you should not be on the roads." Ugh, I kept telling the radio "But I'm considered 'essential!"
:)
The one sight I remember of this storm is going to Wal Mart in search of shovel. Not one car. Only the large pickups or SUV's like mine. I felt like I was at some strange rodeo. That was another sign to me that this was a real bad storm.

So back to some normalcy. The kids are back in school, my husband is back (oh, yes. Forgot to mention he was on a business trip for two weeks during the storm), and my hours have stabilized at work. Whew!

As I'm looking through the ads for this week, I ran across some interesting news. Not only are food and gas prices rising, now the cost of clothes are going higher. I have some ideas on how to help with lowering these costs which I will be posting soon.

First things first, stay tuned for the Warehouse Market ad.

Thursday

2011-01-27T09:35:00.000-06:00

No updates on much this week.
But I have plans.
My goal are to finish these by Feb 9th.

1. Finish organizing my closet. I am going to try to organize my scarves and earrings like in the videos. Such cute ideas! Since I get ready before anyone else in the mornings, I want to be able to have most of my jewelry in the closet so I'm not trying to look for something in the dark.

2. Make an after school schedule and stick to it. I doubt we will but at least I'm going to make an effort. I don't always like schedules because our day can change quickly.

3. Read one Psalm in the mornings. I've started this one and I'm liking it.

4. Pick out everyone's outfit the night before.

5. Pack lunches. Why is this so hard? Is it because I have to pack for 4, counting myself? Ugh...I hate doing this but leads me to the next one...

6. Pack my freezer/plan ahead meals. I want to take a day and bake muffins, snacks, meals for the freezer. I also want to freeze some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to make packing lunches a little easier. Oddly enough, it does not make the sandwich soggy and are pretty good. Take one out and its thawed by lunch time. I really love Bentos, but trying to do 4 of them at a time while trying to do Round 2 (after work when I get home and at home) duties makes me tired thinking about it. I'm aiming for stocking my freezer to make meals easier, so maybe in a few months (like next school year) I can try Bentos.

7. Utilizing my planner more. I have pretty large planner with the intent of writing EVERYTHING down, but I haven't been able to do this yet. Since I need to work on not procrastinating, this one I need to do first. This one will be an ongoing goal, but maybe I can get into the habit of using it.

8. Lastly, learning more how to update the blog. I went to a more simple look for now until I learn more about how to make it look nice. I loved the look of the other but not how the columns were aligned. My goal is to devote one night to doing this. For now. To at least get a jump start on the fun stuff.

I'll revisit this on Feb. 10th to see what I did and didn't quite get too.

Diet Dr. Pepper Coupons

2011-01-24T18:55:00.000-06:00

For those Diet Dr. Pepper fans, the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market at 91st & Delaware has them on sale for $1. To make this deal even sweeter, there is a peelie for $.55 off a 2 liter bottle! It says it is only for Diet Dr. Pepper or for Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper but they are found on the regular Dr. Pepper bottles too.
Nice deal for $.45 per 2 liter bottle!

This week at Reasor's

2011-01-20T21:18:00.001-06:00

I scored pretty good at Reasor's today! Look at the loot for today:

I bought:

2-1/2 gallon milk
1-1/2 gallon OJ
3 Kraft Colby Cheese for $.99 each!
(I don't know why they were priced so low. There were only 3 left and I bought all three. The cheapest cheese was $1.98! 50% savings!)
Stouffer's Lasagna
4 bags French Fries
Christmas wrapping paper (can't believe they still have it but it was $.33 each)
Stevia
Cereal
2 Cheetos
French bread
2 jars Peter Pan peanut butter
Taco Seasoning
Hand soap
2 bags Tyson chicken
3 packages of sausage
2 Roasts
3 bell peppers
3 yellow onions
Flavored coffee syrup

Total $64.97
Total discount $24.81

Not bad for Reasor's considering I did have some impromptu items like the syrup, sugar, and roast.

The syrup was on clearance and I'm desperately trying to find something to go with my coffee! But worth the $2.75 because it made the coffee so much better! I could actually drink it without cringing. Maybe I can finally kick the diet pop habit, but sometimes a Diet Coke sounds so good...maybe after June I can try one again.
(editing to add to the total discount because I forgot about my $5 off $50 coupon! And to correct my spelling)

Stockpile without Coupons

2011-01-14T10:15:00.003-06:00

Before I break down other stores, let’s look at some items to bulk on. Some of these items are always a good price without q’s. Some are on the store’s sale rotation, so buy accordingly.

• Toothpaste
     o We like Aim which is around $1 at Walmart and Dollar Stores. They also have Pepsodent, regular Colgate, that cinnamon kind with the couple kissing on the box at/under $1
     o Buy 10, get 10 boxes. Set for a few months!

• Mouthwash
     o Reasor’s will have Best Choice on sale for $1 (the big bottles!) around 2 times a year.

• Toilet paper
     o In the LOBCD, I find Angel Soft is the best quality for the price. Its high but at $6.50 for 24 rolls at Wal Mart, that is $.27 a roll. Go cheaper and its sandpaper. But sorry to my children, I will buy Best Choice on sale when its $4.99 for 24 rolls. That is $.20 a roll.
     o Comparison: Quilted Northern is usually $10 for 24 rolls. That is about $42 a roll. Even with their $.50 off q’s, its still pretty high.

• Wal-Mart Brand Advil
     o Buy the 24 pill bottle for $.97. At 10 bottles, that is $9.70 and 240 pills.
     o Comparison: 160 pills is about $12 at Wal Mart.

• Shampoo/Conditioner
     o If you are not brand specific or just need something for the kids or even to donate, wait for the sale at Reasor’s for VO5. They usually have the bottles for $.69.
     o Buy 10 of each for a total of 20 bottles for a OOP of $13.80.

• Milk
     o I don’t freeze milk but every once in a while, if you are really, really lucky, you will find almost out dated milk on sale at Reasor’s for $.99 a gallon! GALLON! I didn’t know they did that until the last carton caught my eye.
     o Otherwise, I find Braums to be the best quality milk for the

• Cheese
     o Cheese was on its way up and I have a feeling it will creep back up with the talk of higher food prices.
     o Right now, Kraft is $1.99 a block and they are giving you 20% more. Instead of 8 oz its 9.6 oz. Stock up!
     o You can freeze the harder cheeses, but use those in dishes and defrost in the fridge.

• Meat
     o Again, with the talk of higher prices, look for ground beef at around $2 a lb.
     o I buy chicken in the bag at about $5-6 (depending on the week) at Reasor’s.
     o I’m not too familiar with bone-in chicken prices, but I’d say anything between $1 and $1.59 a lb would be a good price.

• Cereal
     o Yes, I know you can get some great deals on cereal with q’s but remember I live in LOBCD. I rarely get boxes for less than $1. I have found the Always Save brand is just as good as the name brand cereal and I can get a big ole’ bag for $3.19 for a lot of ounces. Its cheaper than Malt O Meal big bags at over $5.

• Seasonal produce
     o Stock up on the seasonals! You can freeze most vegetables. Especially onions and bell peppers,

• Tomato sauces
     o Spaghetti sauce-maybe I have cheap taste buds but I cannot tell a difference between the $7 bottle versus the $1 can. Even the $1 can is name brand, like Del Monte. I always get about 5 cans to stock up. But buy 10, spend $10. Think of Semi-Homemade; you can always spice up the sauce.
     o Warehouse Market has the best prices on tomato sauce. Its Always Save brand, but at $.25 a can, you can’t beat that with a coupon.
     o But their off brand whole tomatoes are not worth the $.50 price.
     o Best Choice diced tomatoes are usually $.55. I haven’t seen that price in a couple of years. Stock up!

• Canned vegetables
     o Look for the deals! The price of canned veggies are creeping up. I say creeping, but really mean skyrocketing! It used to be around $.40-.60 a can and now they are regularly $.89 or higher! So when I saw Warehouse Market had the Best Choice veggies in the last two weeks for $.49, I grabbed about 30 cans in 2 different trips.

• Peanut butter
     o Sorry, I buy the medium to large cans. I look at the per ounce price and get the best deal. Usually it is the Great Value brand at Wal Mart. I find the bulk can in the large can isle (like from Sam’s) is too big for our family. When Peter Pan peanut butter had the salmonella scare a few years ago, I found I had a tainted can that was 2/3 empty. Yet another reason, the large items are not always best.

Here is a good list to get started on filling that pantry! DO NOT do this all at once. I schedule these items. You stock for a reason and that is so you DO NOT have to buy these items all the time. You can then focus your efforts on good coupon deals and staples that you go through every week.

Shopping without Coupons

2011-01-14T07:00:00.008-06:00

It’s a radical idea in this day and age, but a lot of us are in the Land of Bad Coupon Deals, otherwise known as LOBCD.

Yes, there are two stores that double coupons in the Tulsa area, Homeland and Food Pyramid, but they are far enough away it’s not worth my time.

I have not shopped at Country Mart, but from the looks of the ad it is also not time worthy-for me.

I have Wal-Mart, Reasor’s, and Warehouse Market in my regular Shape of Travel. They are not known for their most excellent coupon deals. Basically saying, they are not like Kroger.

I also do not have a reliable printer and do not want to go to the library to print them. The library is not in my Shape of Travel. I try not to venture well into town unless I have too.

So, what is one to do?

As the previous post stated, I remembered how I shopped way back in the day when we were living on 1 income (well, hubby was working 2 jobs but I was staying at home with 3 toddlers). We were living in a 3 bedroom apartment that was on the 3rd floor. I really should blog about our old times…I digress.

With 3 toddlers, it was hard to coupon. Also, there were not the blogs like there are now that notes all the deals. Blogs were just making their preview. I tried to figure out the Walgreen’s game like I had heard about but I had 3 toddlers.
(Yes, I’ll mention it many times because my children were 3, 2, 1 and with a husband that worked 12+ hours, you can see my issue. I was tired a lot! I slept if they slept, ok? If I wasn’t feeding them, I was cleaning them. Two were in diapers. If I wasn’t breaking up fights, I was helping them play or watch a kids’ show. They never really had a *favorite* show. They had each other and me for entertainment. And have you ever tried to take 3 toddlers grocery shopping and search for coupon deals? Again, I really should talk more about our adventures.)

The little I read about saving at the store at the time only had one major thing to say: look at the loss leaders. Those flashy, cheap goods on the front page of the weekly grocery circular that comes in the mail that are an excellent deal and you wonder how can the price be so low? The store takes a loss on those items. The reason is simple: they want you in the store to buy other items than what is posted. Grocery stores are not in the business to cater to people just because you need food to survive! They also want to make money!

If you are a couponer, you probably already know this. This is also an excellent time to use coupons for these items. But I’m not talking about that right now. What if you don’t have coupons?

Let’s take Reasor’s ad for this week for example. They are having a 10 for $10 sale on a lot of items. You look at the bright, bold, red letters on the front and think “wow, all this for $1 per item! Awesome!” But no…

Are you there yet? Time for break down:

DO NOT BUY WITHOUT A COUPON OR AT ALL (*usually under $1 most of the time)

• Kraft Mac & Cheese *

• Totino’s Crisp Crust Pizza*

• Ronzoni pasta

     o Again, they are pretty good at $1 or $1/2 q’s.

      o Also, unless you want the wheat or “smart” pasta, most pasta is under $1 most of the time.

• Betty Crocker Potatoes*

• Betty Crocker Cake Mix*

• Old El Paso Refried Beans*

• Campbell’s Condensed Soups*

• Green Giant Vegetables-canned*

• Green Giant Mushrooms-canned*

• Best Choice Margarine*

• Totino’s Pizza Rolls

     o Usually have $.45 q’s

• Jeno’s Crispy n’ Tasty*

These are not the best deals at $1 to stockpile on-without q’s. What should you buy then?

GOOD PRICES AT $1

• Bimbo White Bread

     o More on bread and the bread store later

     o Stick some in the freezer

• 2 liter Coke products

     o Around this time of year until May, the prices for 2 Liters are around $1.25 to $1.50.

• Pita Bread

     o Can you freeze this? Not sure.

• Bar S Bologna (they may even have some coupons online)

     o I’ve noticed Bologna prices rising lately. It used to always be at $1 or less and now its consistently above $1, around $1.10-1.25.

• Lipton Pasta/Rice sides

• Pilsbury Grands! Biscuits (they always have q’s in the paper)

     o Their q’s are usually $1/3 or $.50/2.

     o This is another item I have noticed the price staying above $1 most of the time.

     o You can’t freeze them in the can, but you can bake and then freeze.

     o Use within a month or two though for best results.

• Progresso soup

    o Not a good soup if you are trying to stay away from MSG. 

    o But if you like the soup, stock up using coupons. They usually run with the Pilsbury q’s.

• Hamburger Helper

     o They often have a $1.75/3 q=$1.25 for 3!

• Best Choice Party Cups

• Gatorade Sports Drinks

     o Considering these are well over at $1 at QuikTrip, it might be worth it to buy a few to avoid extra QT trips.

• Propel Drinks

     o See above

• Armour Lunchmakers

     o Cannot freeze these though, but should last a while in the fridge.

• Best Choice Cotton Balls

• Red & Yellow Bell Peppers

      o Excellent price for these!! Stock up, dice them, and stick them in the freezer!

There are some examples for this week what are good prices without q’s.

Next post: what else can you buy without coupons?

My Jargon

2011-01-13T13:19:00.000-06:00

Some definitions to my new jargon:

LOBCD: Land of Bad Coupon Deals.
Sorry to the other Tulsa coupon bloggers out there, but NE OK mostly sucks with coupon deals compared to the rest of the nation. If they are to be had, they are all gone by the time I get there. And also they are out of my realm of travel, which leads me to...

Shape of Travel- the odd shape of my daily drive. Its a wonky triangle or lopsided circle. I drive to work, drive to pick up the baby, then drive home. Two times a week I drive to kid activities, making more of a line of travel on those days. I do not want to drive more than 5 miles out of my way in this shape. Reason number 1 is I hate traffic in Tulsa. We have one of the best rush hour times in the country, but I hate being stuck at stoplights, I hate all the construction, and I hate being in the car longer than I'm at a store. Also, shopping with kids in tow is so cumbersome and I always spend more than I wanted when I take them with me.

And a side note: Don't get me wrong, I *heart* coupons. I have a bag devoted to coupon binder and my shopping lists. Things have changed in our lives and with the new year, priorities have shifted but I still like an excellent deal. :)

Bread Store Savings

2011-01-13T09:46:00.001-06:00

When I had this Light Bulb Moment, I began thinking in terms of 10. What is the best deal I can get 10 items for under/at $10? I saw things in number 10 intervals.

After my Thanksgiving deals, I started with the bread store. For the time being, it’s in my Shape of Travel and bread is always cheaper at the bread store.

I perused my local bread-a-ry and picked up 7 loaves of whole wheat bread, with some masqueraded as “white” bread. I also picked up 3 packages of Sara Lee bagels. I can freeze both and have bread for at least a month at $10 plus tax. Last time I went in, they also had individual Sara Lee muffins on sale for $.50. I picked some up for the kids for a quick breakfast. This also another item that would be excellent to freeze. Of course, it is still cheaper to bake your own muffins and freeze.

You can also buy hot dog buns, hamburger buns, hoagie buns, rye bread, pumpernikel bread, flavored bread, Texas toast, english muffins, and bagels there well under $2 a package. It is so much cheaper than Wal Mart!
Give it a try! Look for your closest store. I don't recommend traveling far for deals. Gas is also rising and you have to figure in those costs as well.
If the bread store is not longer in my Shape of Travel, I will have to find other means to get bread or plan a monthly trip instead of a bi-weekly trip.

Gasp! No coupons!?!

2011-01-13T08:09:00.001-06:00

The latest forecast this morning is that food prices will be soaring soon. Corn and soybean prices have soared according to ft.com. With this news and the latest show on TLC, Extreme Couponing, its brought me back to the world of blogging.

And yikes, I was gone a long time.

Anyway, here is to a new year and a new beginning.

Let’s get started!

I’ve really toned down on couponing in the last few months. It's not because I wanted to but we've been busy. My family has been in a whirlwind of family concerns, holidays, traveling, and just normal day activities on top of everything. For about 3 months, I did not do any “big” grocery shopping and relied on my stockpile in my pantry. It was a lifesaver. I did have to buy meat, milk, bread, etc but for the most part we were able to get by with what we already had.
Right before Thanksgiving, the pantry was pretty bare. Now it was time to spend some time grocery shopping. Good time too since all the food was on sale because I also had not been collecting coupons like I had been and didn’t have any of the excellent coupons.

Then light bulb came on.
Maybe you don’t always have to have coupons.
I know, right? Stockpiling without coupons? Unheard of these days!
But I did it.
And my pantry is nicely stocked.
Here is how I did it and I’ll go in depth further of what you can do to stockpile, with and without coupons.
First of all, I concentrated on canned foods. Right before Thanksgiving, Target was having an excellent sale on Del Monte canned vegetables at $.45. I hadn’t seen that price on canned foods in months. Even the off brands at Wal-Mart were at $.50 and that was like the lower brand of vegetables. The green beans had the stems still attached and just tasted bad.

I bought about 50 cans in one week. $.45 x 50 = $22.50

They also had boxed potatoes and stuffing on sale for $.79. I bought about 10 boxes; 5 of each kind. $.79 x 10 = $7.90

Pumpkin was $1.09. Bought 4

Cranberry sauce $.79

Sweet potatoes in the large can $1.25

I also bought the Always Save brand of cereal at Reasors. The price has gone up by $.20 since November, but then it was $2.99. I bought 3 big bags which lasted us 2 months! That is a long time for us since my kids love cereal!

My biggest deal that month was finding Goya Sazon on sale for $.50 a box. They had 14 boxes and I bought them all.

I bought a lot more than this, but these were the best deals.

I spent about $300 and stocked up pretty heavily for about 2 months, including meat and bread. I consider dairy (milk, cheese, etc) one of those things to buy weekly/bi-weekly. Still a long ways off from where I want to be but it’s a good start.

I'm working on my Light Bulb Moment post so for now, here’s to shopping without coupons!