There have been some fun coupons available lately, and some great sales on meat. Combine that with a little extra space in the freezer, and it is a recipe for disaster.

I went to Safeway today. One of my friends gave me some coupons from her Tuesday or Wednesday paper. It was the set of coupons that included the $10 off a $50 purchase, and the boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.49 a pound. I was quite pleased!! As she handed me the coupons, she said, “You’re the only one I know that shops at Safeway.” Hee, hee!! See, around these parts, if you are living frugally, you shop at Winco (or Waremart). You most certainly do not shop at Safeway.

Unless, of course, you are a crazy coupon lady like myself.

I printed out a free gallon of milk coupon the other day. I was irritated when it said, “with a purchase of $100 or more”. Are you kidding me? I can’t even imagine spending that much at the grocery store anymore. Of course, if I were to go back to my old ways of not using coupons and just shopping at Winco (like many of my friends), I would definitely be spending about $100 a week. However, as you know, I cut my grocery budget down to $50 a week and I almost exclusively shop at Safeway these days. Veeery interesting, huh.

Anyway, I was quite anxious to get my total up to over $50 so I could use the $10 off coupon, and then I figured I would go hog wild and attempt to spend $100 before coupons just so I could get the free milk. Is that pathetic, or what? I certainly spent more than I usually do, but I also picked up some basics.

I had to get an aerial shot so you could be thoroughly impressed.

The highlights:

Yes, I got my total up to over $100, thus the free 1 gallon. I should have used BOTH coupons. Argh. But, I wonder if they would have let me. I dunno.

I became a fan of Incredible Eggs on Facebook today and printed out a coupon for Buy One Get One dozen eggs. Of course, then I accidentally bought the jumbo instead of the large, but oh, well. I probably should have waited for an egg sale. Funny side note: Mitch has a couple of clients who give him farm fresh eggs. I bet we end up with another couple dozen in the refrigerator before the end of the week. But, see, I just HAD to get my total up! (Truly pathetic. I know.)

The crackers were all free! They are on sale for $2, and I used a $1/1 MC and $1/1 store coupon. Woot!

The frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts were $1.49 a pound, and the fresh fryers were .99¢ a pound. The fresh chicken breasts are getting happy in the crock pot right now! I’ll shred them and freeze the meat for a later meal. The frozen chicken breasts are for convenience. I’ll pay $1.49 for convenience!

The ice cream is on sale for $2.49, and I used a $1/1 MC plus a doubler. So, less than $1 for the ice cream!

My family loves Johnsonville Bratwurst!! It was on sale, and I had coupons, which could be doubled. This made each package less than $2! These are usually around $5 each, so I stocked up!

AND, finally, the Mission Tortillas were on sale for .99¢ for the 10 count soft taco size. They were out, so I asked if they would substitute the 8 count burrito size. The manager said yes!! (BTW - the same manager I had the “issue” with a while back.) Now, I’m normally a Don Pancho Tortillas kinda gal, but 99¢ for burrito size tortillas is A-mazing. Stock up price. I bought 8 packages.

Ahhh . . . grocery shopping. This took me about 15 minutes to prepare for, and I ended up saving $76.29. I paid $52 out of pocket! Beat that, Winco!

I don’t have any more space in my freezer.

Oh, and for you Safeway shoppers: remember the Horrible Safeway Experience? Turns out, I was right, and Safeway’s Super Coupon policy is located on their website. It is hidden in a sub-category, and isn’t even on the coupons page. Find it here: How do Safeway Super Coupons Work? Basically, your total has to come to the specified amount before the Club Card. SERIOUSLY. Print it out and keep it in your binder.

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