My Shopping Trip to A&P – Paid $0.77!
Extreme Couponing Shopping Trip
The shopping trip I made last night to A&P is a great example of using all of your resources to save money on your groceries. For those of you that took advantage of the A&P and Pathmark Gift Card Offer they had a couple of weeks ago, you are probably having shopping trips similar to this. For those of you that missed the Gift Card Deal, you were able to buy up to $500 in gas or gift cards and get up to $60 in catalinas.
I jumped on the opportunity, over a 2 week period that they offered it, to take all my budgeted money for gas, Christmas presents and even bills that were coming due to pay (like my son’s college tuition) and do the gift card deal several times. Because of it, I ended up with a nice stack of $20 catalinas which were completely free (unless I bought visa cards which had an activation fee).
So, for the last couple of weeks, I have been getting practically free groceries at A&P including the trip I made last night. My total out of pocket was a mere $0.77. Total saved: $214! Boo-yah!
I did get lucky on the Polly-O Cheese. It was on sale for $1.99. There were 50% clearance tags on a bunch of them that had a price of $5.49 so they deducted $2.74! Yippey…profit of $0.75 each! Didn’t notice that until I got home!
Also, just a note, I did ask before I used all 4 $20 catalina in one transaction. I had my shopping helpers (Pat & Patrick) with me in case I had to do separate transactions. Since they said yes to using all 4, it made it a lot easier.
Here was my trip:
- (2) Broccoli – $0.99 each
- (10) IV Ravioli – $1.00 each
- (4) Cucumbers – $3.00
- (10) Red Pack Tomatoes – $0.88
- Hartford Genoa Salami 1 lb- $5.63
- Hartford Turkey 1 lb- $7.99
- Hartford Provolone 1 lb- $6.29
- Bakery Rolls – $2.99
- (2) Quaker Soft and Chewy Cookies – $1.99
- (4) Mt Olive Olives – $2.00
- (2) Coffeemate Creamers – $1.50
- (3) Cracker Barrel Cheese – $1.99
- Lofthouse Cookies – $3.69
- Mazola Spray – $1.99
- (2) Pillsbury Pie Crust – $2.50
- Saute Extress – $2.49
- (2) Pillsbury Christmas Cookies $2.50 each
- (3) Land O Lakes Eggs – $3.79
- (4) Polly-O Mozzerella – $1.99 (shelf price $5.79 – $2.75 Clearance Coupon = profit of $0.75)
- (5) Dannon Yogurts – $0.47 (50% off clearance coupons)
- (2) Light n Fit Yogurt – $0.47 (50% off clearance coupons)
- Jello Temptations – $1.35 (50% off clearance coupon)
- (4) Ehrmann’s Yogurt $1.25
- Edys Ice Cream – $3.00
- Americas Choice Gallon Milk – $3.79
Coupons Used:
- -$3.50 Americas Choice Milk wyb 4 Pillsbury
- -$3/2 Quaker Zavers ecoupon
- -$1/2 Pillsbury Cookies Zavers eCoupon
- -$0.75/2 Pillsbury Pie Crust eCoupon
- -(3)$3.79 Free Land o Lakes Eggs coupon (from manufacturer)
- -(1)$0.75/1 Lofthouse Cookies coupon
- -(1)$0.55/1 Mazzola Cooking Spray from the 12/2 RP
- -(1)$0.75/1 Land o Lakes Saute Express coupon
- -(2)$0.75/1 Coffee Mate Coupon
- -(4)$0.50/1 Mt Olive Pickles coupon from the 11/18 SS
- -(2)$1/2 Ehrmann’s Yogurt Blinkie coupon
- -$1/2 Quaker Cookie Coupons (peelie)
- -(4)$20 Catalinas
Paid: $0.77
Will Receive: $1 SavingStar Deposit for Pillsbury Cookies, $0.75 SavingStar Deposit for Pillsbury Pie Crust
Total Savings including sale prices and coupons: $214 which I will be adding to the LRWC Reader’s Grocery Savings Counter. Be sure to add your savings so we can see how much we have all saved in 2012.
LRWC Reader Grocery Savings Counter: Be sure to add your weekly grocery savings to the the LRWC Reader Grocery Savings Counter below. You can check out the counter in the sidebar to see how much we have all saved so far in 2012!
Cindy Livesey is the force behind Living Rich With Coupons which provides it’s readers with all the resources they need to shop smart so they can get life’s necessities for a lot less. Allowing you to spend more on life’s luxuries. Her family of 5 has saved over $11,000 a year in groceries. And you can too.
AMAZING!!! I bet even the cashier was amazed!
You go girl!
Awesome job! Wish we had an A&P near us.
Booo-yahhhhhhhhh is def the right word. I am so proud to have learned couponing from you and to continue learning from you…..
On a separate note, that Land o Lakes saute express product is the bomb. I love the land o lakes garlic herb on the tilapia fillet.
Awesome!!!!! And thank you always!!! Happy holidays!!
Great job Cindy!!! I think the gift card deals are the biggest money savers out there. I took advantage of Shop Rite’s gift card promotion on Black Friday….the market was empty (no crowds), I bought 2 Macy gift cards for $100 and got a $20 credit on my next shopping spree. I ended up getting all my fish for the month for free!!!
Wow! You rock Cindy! I was considering doing the 500.00 gift card but thought it would be a tough one to convince hubby to part with that much!
LOL! “Stack”
I like you, well “thanks to you” and your knowledge, have taken the catalinas and have rocked it at the grocery store! I’ve been WooooHoooo’n all the way home the past 2 weeks!
great job! your the best
Awesome job!!!! I love Red Pack tomato profucts!!! I totally wish they were that cheap at Tops or Wegmans!! 1.00 is the cheapest I can find around here!!
I also did the gc deal twice and had $120 in free groceries over the past couple of weeks. I just planned small trips and used a $20 Catalina each time. Last night I used my last $10 one (got a $100 GC for hubby to use on gas) and my son was with me and he looked at me and said, “Oh my GOD…how did you do that? How did you get 2 bags of stuff for 49 cents!!?” HAHAHA…oh the young and innocent.
I wish I had luck with cashiers that you do. I had to split all my transactions in $20.00 at a time – I had over $200 in catalinas – NOT FUN.
lucky you Cindy, The Pathmarks here would only allow one transaction. They let me do 2 orders per visit with a second card but not happy about it. I did the deal several times so I too had a stack of catalinas…Used the last of today…went to multiple stores. The $3.00 of dove gift set coupon came just in time for my last round up (-: …I was running out of good deals there to buy!!.
Great job, and I thought I did ok! I spent $70, but saved about $250 in my biggest order. I, too, had to split out my $20 catalinas, but I used those to bring up my total for the spend $300, get 5% off. So going into my last transaction, I had six of them (for 30% off!), and my last $20 catalinas, and a few other catalinas (and my $5 off $75 coupon from KidStuff). My 30% off knocked off about $70 alone! I got my Smithfield Hams (one for myself and one for my mother-in-law) for about $9 each — and they were full-priced at $39 each!
Thank you for all you day — we couldn’t do it without you (or at least not so easily!
Great job Cindy. The gift card deal was so much fun.
Cindy, cannot believe that two years ago I was spending 200 aweek for groceries and household for 2. Now I have 2 babes and 2 adults and hardly spend over 40 a week. Now this just rocks the boat…I earned over 270 in groceries cats at pathmark, shoprite, and walmart just by doing the gift card deal using the visa. That over 245 in free groceries and that doesn’t include all the coupons I have been stacking with them and the dent cans and 50% off manager specials. I have been running of food to think of buying and I have to use up my last two tomorrow. Im stocked with meat and other dry goods…so the savings will continue throughout the new year! Its like christmas presents didn’t affect my budget!!
I would just buy a big ticket item like diapers then return them next week or when u do need something. My Pathmark always let’s me n they know It’s just because I didn’t want my cat to expire.
i did not knwo where to put this but for those of you that have a Ipad can you print Q’s from there?
TIA Meli
Michelle what a great idea! I did think I stuff I needed, but next year that will work perfectly. This year I was thinking of doing the deal more, but was worried how I would spend it all and spread it out past the expiration date. Buying and returning diapers is such a great way to extend the life of the coupon. I will be putting all of my grocery savings a specical savings account throughout the year in hopes that I can do the gift card deal even more times next year!
Oh, I see you used $80 in catalina coupons! Now I understand, still a good deal from 214 without them as well. Makes more sense now.