A LOT!! I had to go on a shopping splurge tonight to sooth the inner-coupon clipper. I got a bee in my bonnet and couldn't stop until I knew that I had what I needed. And what would that be, you wonder? A lot for only $9.15. I started out with 2 Albertsons' coupons...one for using the loyalty card and earning the $5 off your next purchase--you earn these for every 5000 points that are tallied by the dollars you spend in their stores within a shopping period. I also had a $2 off coupon from doing a phone survey found at the bottom of the receipt from a prior visit. They print out randomly. So for full disclosure: I went into this deal with a total of $7 in my favor.
What I got:
15 boxes Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes
15 boxes Betty Crocker Roasted Garlic Potatoes
5 cans Green Giant green beans
5 cans Green Giant sweet kernel corn
4 Gum toothbrushes
3 Betty Crocker cake mixes
3 Betty Crocker frostings
2 Bisquick Shake and Pours
10 cans of Old El Paso refried beans
6 bags of Kraft shredded cheeses (from Fred Meyer in a rain check)
1 t-shirt.
What? A t-shirt?! OK. They were on a display at Albertsons' of plain t-shirts in numerous colors for $1.25 each. I picked a navy, ladies-style cut that I know my 12 yr-old will wear. Shhhh..... Don't tell her I did Back to School shopping for her at Albertsons' or she'll quit talking to me, for sure. So all together for the stuff you see here--I paid $9.15 after coupons and also got 500 Box Top coupons for our local elementary. **The Box Top coupons (redeemable for cash by K-8 schools) are worth $50 alone. What I also hate to disclose, is...well. This little picture is only a sample of the amount I purchased tonight. Let's just say I spent less that was the school will get...Oops. Never mind. The school is getting over $200 is redemption coupons from our family. I spent less than $50 and got tons. I still need to call the store and special order the Bisquick in a bulk amount (um, like, maybe 80)--because I do that kind of thing when they are free. And who doesn't like NO Clean-up dishes when you make pancakes? (Sold!! To the lazy lady with the coupons!) I used my savings last week and splurged on clearance paper plates, so we are set for carefree dining...
If I had paid retail price, before sale promotionals and coupons, my total would have been $165.58. With these numbers, I realized an almost 95% savings on the stuffs here. Not too shabby for an hour of peace from the chitlins at home.
I was on a high when I left. I got three of the phone survey coupons at the bottom of various receipts for $2 off each. So, I'll do those and head back to the store on Monday or Tuesday to get a few for things on the cheap/free. I was thrilled to note that most of the expiry dates on the foods I bought tonight are well into 2011 and even into 2013. No worries about not using the quanities or stuffs by a certain date here.
And here is another trick of the trade: If you have food that you purchased in bulk and aren't going to get through them by the expiration date on the product--load them up and take them to the local food bank just before the expiry date--and you can take a full RETAIL value deduction on a donation slip. The donation slip should be saved and put with your tax information. It's tax deductable under "charitable donation" on your Schedule A. You can write off up to 40% of your AGI to charitable donations. Check with an accountant or at http://www.irs.gov/ for more information on charitable donations. But this is just one of the benefits of the law of reciprocity. What goes around, comes around. Be generous with your fellowmen, and your generousity will pay off in the end by getting to keep more your earnings come tax time.
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