I Earned My Savings Today

There are times when couponing is easy...like last week.  Last week couponing at Albertsons was so easy and smooth...but not so much this week.  For the third week in a row Albertsons has had double coupon days.  Frankly our Lake Stevens store has been unable to keep up on stock and I think the checkers and stockers are worn out...as am I! 

I decided to undertake a huge Albertsons shopping trip ~ I had hoped to do 8 transactions of 9 double coupons.  However ~ I was told that you are only able to use 9 coupons per day.  This is the first I have ever heard of that...as of last week I was only using 9 coupons per transaction but would do a second transaction the next time around.  Perhaps it has always been that way but now they are tightening up on the rules.  Last night I ended up doing 9 transacations at the Lake Stevens store and then going into Everett and doing 9 transactions at that store...however that didn't go smoothly either.  At Lake Stevens ~ you can use all 9 double coupons in one transaction so I thought that is how Everett would be so I had one transaction that took advantage of the "buy 10 of certain items" and get $5.00 automatically taken off.  However, Everett would not allow all 9 doubles in one transacations so I had to walk away from that transaction and come up with a new plan of attack.  I went back into the aisles and did come up with 3 different transactions that would work for me.

Next morning ~ back to the Lake Stevens Albertsons to finally do the transaction that I had to walk away from last night.  After that trip ~ which was uneventful (I think...it is all sorta blurry now) I then went to Winco where I had a new checker who argued almost everyone one of my 10 coupons that I used.  She was so frustrated by me and I was trying so hard to keep calm that I ended up giving her a $5.00 Starbucks card thanking her for her time and secretly hoping I would change both of our current moods!...a little good karma so to speak.

I then headed back to the Everett Albertsons to do one final round of double coupons.  I have never used 36 double coupons before and I am not sure if I ever will again...but I did save some significant money.

Mike and I get paid once a month...the last day of the month.  So ~ it is always during this time of the month that I get all my basics that I will need for the month.  After today ~ I will just be looking for great stockpiling deals.  But this weekend was all about getting stocked for our month of meals.  Normally I would spend $400.00 today and struggle to get through the rest of the month on $100.00 but usually I always spent a couple hundred more...but not anymore.

As of today ~ I stocked my freezer with bread products from the outlet store for $20.22
                       I bought a week or two of produce for $9.18 from Lenny's Produce (cheap!)
                       I stocked up on our need to have basics from Winco ~ $84.67
                       I stocked up on some toiletries and suntan lotion from Target ~ $22.78
                       I did 8 different transactions at Albertsons ~ $70.06
                       Total spent so far? ~ $206.91

How did my 8 Albertsons add up?  Full Retail:  $217.09
                                                            I paid:          $ 70.06
                                                           Savings:       $147.03 ~ 68%

Included with my normal groceries were groceries that I bought for my daughters upcoming wedding shower...so I am really glad with how my money has stretched to cover all these needs this month...and I still have almost $200.00 more dollars to spend on just "stock up" items!

First 2 Trips to Albertsons ~ involving 18 double coupons (@ 2 different stores)

Paid $20.22 for all this bread at Franz Bakery Outlet

Target stock up ~ paid 84 cents for the Zantac...normally costs $7.84!