Publix (and I hate driving) - October 1, 2010

About 43% savings at Publix - not bad.

I hate driving. I hate it so much. I hate bicyclists who don't yield. I hate trying to maneuver around bicyclists on a two-lane road. I hate people who don't signal when they turn. I hate iiiiiitttttttt. But, look, I'm doing it. I'm doing it, and I'm going places, and I'll just have to suck it up. I'm going to vent about it here though.

I also hate rude cashiers. And I had one today, and I actually wrote an email to the store about my experience. In this economy, with jobs being so hard to come by, I feel funny about complaining. However, if someone grunts at me, waves their hands at me, puts my car keys (which I handed over so my UPromise card could be scanned) at the other end of the aisle without telling me, scrutinizes every. single. word. on. every. coupon. and doesn't even make eye contact, she's not doing her job. A job I want her to keep, for the record. But when I go to other grocery stores and am smiled at, talked to, and acknowledged as a human being, I start to realize that being grunted at isn't really acceptable.

Whew! That said, I did pretty well, I think. I saved 43%, which is an unusually high percentage for me. What did I get? Fresh and frozen vegetables, milk, bread, cereal, cough drops (18 cents a package!), salad dressing, lentil soup, pimentos (for my cashew mock-cheese sauce that I make sometimes), low-fat ice cream, yogurt, city-mandated trash bags, whole wheat pasta and pasta sauce, tofu pups, coffee, straws (my daughter uses them because she can't yet drink from an open cup), Cascade Action Pacs (dye/scent free), and some taco dinner packs that were 25 cents each (one to keep and one to donate, probably). Oh and they had the NEW FLAVORS OF LAUGHING COW CHEESE as promised (well the OTHER Publix near me promised they'd have them October 1, but this store did too) and there were $1 off coupons right on the display so I got another queso fresco and chipotle (my faaaaaavorite - I heat up two and eat them melted with chips - and I also got a herb and garlic one) and am hoping that Laughing Cow will go on sale for $2 before the coupons expire because I took, um, a few extra. And I got some Babybel cheese too because it was on sale plus I had a coupon.

Essentially, that's everything I got. And look, it's things we'll eat or use, it's things that are moderately healthy and not entirely processed, and it's a bunch of non-food items. And a lot of it is brand names, but some of it is store brand because Publix store brand is good.

Thank you thank you Coupon Mom and I Heart Publix - those two sites are the reason I saved so much. And I definitely save more by forcing myself to drive to the store so I can go alone. Which almost makes up for hating driving. Almost. And I do still need to go to YDFM for more fresh things, but shopping for the week is more or less done.

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Publix - 60% Savings! - September 23, 2010

You know what's more impressive than that receipt up there? That I drove to Publix all by myself for the first time. Seriously, I'd never been in a Publix completely alone before. I'd driven to this particular store twice before - once with a driving instructor (we didn't go in the parking lot, we drove past) and once with my husband (he drove home). This is a huge deal - particularly because across the street from this store is a bubble tea shop (I LOVE BUBBLE TEA) and an independent natural grocery store. And it's around the corner from my friend's house. It's finally clicking! I feel great.

Ah, so, the savings. I saved 60% today, mostly because I stuck rigidly to my list and nearly everything was on sale. I got many, many boxes of Vitatops because they were on BOGO for $2.25 each and I love them; I'm not even sure if I got enough and am debating going back next week (the sales go Thursday-Wednesday) to get more, as we still have room in the freezer. Maybe. That sale was the final straw that got me to get in the car and just go. I also got 3 boxes of pancake mix for 14 cents each (and am planning on donating at least one, maybe more, of those boxes to the local food pantry), Quaker instant oatmeal for 95 cents, an extra-large jar of Prego spaghetti sauce for $1.73, Progresso soup for 65 cents, cottage cheese for $2 (not the best price ever but I like it and my husband loves it), Laughing Cow cheese (it wasn't on sale but I did use a coupon so it was $2), and free laundry detergent thanks to Jen at Saving Cents in the City (she got me three coupons for free Arm & Hammer Gel laundry detergent at BlogHer).

So everything I bought wasn't absolutely necessary for survival, but it was all things we use and things we will enjoy. I did not buy the Smart Balance milk - after coupon, it was a mere 50 cents, but it also has fish oil in it and...I just couldn't do it. (Full disclosure: My daughter, who I'm raising vegetarian for the time being, takes fish oil supplements, and I do too.) Milk with fish oil just  didn't do it for me, so I played coupon fairy and left the $2 coupon on the shelf in hopes that someone who can use it will find it. I also skipped the cheap Eggland's Best eggs because we didn't need them, but they're only $1.30 after sale + coupon, which I think is a great deal for free-range eggs. (Better deal? Getting them free from my friend's backyard chickens!)

And now I can drive to Kroger, Publix, and YDFM, which means I can finally do the family's grocery shopping by myself if I want to. Wow. (My other destinations are CVS, the pool, and a friend's house. I hope to add Target, Big Lots, and Goodwill in the near future, followed by...just driving where I need to go without making an issue out of it.)

Thank you to I Heart Publix and CouponMom for help formulating these deals!

I saved 41% at Kroger (and drove there!)

Woohoo 41% savings at Kroger.

Well, I took a deep breath, turned on the GPS, and drove myself to my local Kroger for the very first time. And it was fine. Of course, it's always easier when there are no cars on the road because it's mid-morning on a weekday, but that's just how I roll. Seriously, this is a huge step for me and I'm really proud of myself for managing it.

As you can see from the scan above, I saved 41%. Now, this was an unusual trip because I had coupons that Kroger had mailed me - targeted, obviously, by my purchases using my Kroger Plus Card. And that's fine with me - I have no problem being sent coupons I'll actually use. Also, it worked to get me in the store - I prefer to shop at Publix because I find that they have lower everyday prices and they accept competitor's coupons, but I figured I'd grab the freebies and maybe a few other things.

What did I get? Read more after the jump.