First of all, I need to brag just a teensy.

One year ago this month, I challenged myself to cut our grocery budget in half. Okay, but wait. I didn’t actually HAVE a grocery budget until September 2009. Before then, I was just buying what I needed to buy and spending what I needed to spend without any thought as to how much I was spending. I paid for our groceries by putting them on the credit card (which we did pay off every month, thank goodness), and I did my best to only buy generic and sale items. Of course, extreme couponers know that I was paying way too much, right?

In September 2009, my friend introduced me to the concept of extreme couponing. We’re not talking clipping a coupon and then using it at the store. We’re talking, clipping 4 coupons for the same product, waiting for a major sale and stocking up. Extreme.

So extreme that in November 2010, I cut my grocery budget from $400 a month to $200 a month for our family of four. That’s $50 a week in each of my grocery envelopes.

Here’s my brag. Wait for it . . .

I’ve saved my family over $2400 this year through extreme couponing! Okay, actually, it has GOT to be WAY over $2400, but since I can’t document all of the little extras I used to toss in to the cart . . . Plus, we eat at home a lot more often, so that doesn’t count all of the little stop-offs to this restaurant and that, so we’re gonna have to go with that lower figure.

{squeel!}

Now, to the grocery trip.

The other night, Mitch and I went on a date to our local Safeway to stroll the isles. (Mitch is so not into that, but I think he ended up having fun.) I was writing down a shopping list for my ginormous “have-to-buy-some-turkeys” trip that I planned on doing the following day. Then, I realized that even though I didn’t have my coupon binder with me, I DID have the creamer coupons, so all was right with the world. We were 30 minutes from having to pick up the boys from Awana when I looked at Mitch and said, “We should do this now. Let’s do this now! Go grab a cart!”

My dilemma: I promised my church that I would purchase 2 turkeys for our ministry, however I was expecting the same types of sales as last year. See, last year, Albertson’s had a $25 minimum purchase in order to get the cheap turkey price (and that is BEFORE coupons). This year, ALL of the stores had a $50 minimum purchase. Yikes! That’s my entire weekly budget!! And, you know how I stress about trying to get my trip up to $50. {barf!}

SO, I had to have a major plan. Thankfully, Tillamook cheese is on sale (no coupons required) for $3.99 for a 2lb loaf. {hear the angels singing!!} AND, my coveted Coffeemate Creamer was on sale as well!

OH, how I wish I had taken a picture, but I actually thought you guys wouldn’t be impressed because it was such a high dollar trip. However, now that I think about it, the nay-sayers out there would have been impressed (maybe, kinda, sorta) because the stuff I put in my cart was the stuff that YOU would have put in your cart. Okay, perhaps not so many of one item, but . . . well, I’ll let you be the judge.

Warning - Itemized list:

• Dijon mustard - not on sale, just needed it
• 20 cans of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup - on sale for 80¢/can - 55¢/1 peelie found on each of the cans = 25¢ a can!!
• 18 eggs - in-ad coupon for $1.99
• 3 Coffemate Creamers - in-ad coupon for $1.99 each - $1/1 MC - doubler = 49¢ each!
• Butter - accept no substitutes - $2.50 - not stock up, but not bad, either
• 3 bricks of Tillamook Cheddar cheese - $3.99 each. Stock up price!
• Milk
• 1 loaf of 5 seed bread
• 10lb turkey
• 22 lb turkey
• Lunch meat - not a good price. Just needed it!
• 2 Jimmy Dean Bacon - on BOGO sale - made them $2.50 each
• Celery
• Grapes

Subtotal: $125.46

What I paid: $48.11 + I earned a $5/$15 Catalina for frozen food!

Please be impressed, even without a picture.

Okay, now on to this morning’s trip. As we all know, buying 3 bricks of Tillamook cheese is not exactly a stock-up, right? If I had more room in my budget, I’d buy 8 bricks. Truly. However, since I have to be a responsible spender, I went back this morning and only bought 1 more. Ugh. However, 4 bricks of cheese should take me through December (crossing fingers!).

Safeway this morning:

• 1 brick of Tillamook - $3.99
• 3 creamers - $1.99 with in-ad coupon - $1/1 from $70 book (back in September) - 50¢ doubler = 49¢ each. These freeze very well! Just make sure you thaw them completely and shake them up before using them.
• 4 Sierra Mist - Yes, they are a Pepsi product, so I used the in-ad coupon to make them 75¢ each - 50¢ peelie on each - 1 doubler = 50¢ for 4. As you can tell from all of my grocery photos, we are not a soda family, but that is mostly because I prioritize produce. THIS is a special treat!! The Cranberry Sierra Mist is amazingly wonderful, and the perfect item to bring to all of the holiday gatherings we will be going to this year. YUM! (The boys are going to flip when they see this!)

Total at Safeway (I totally robbed next week’s envelope) = $6.16. Keep in mind that the cheese was $3.99, so the rest was $2.17 (which includes deposit).

Dallas ladies, Safeway has restocked the Thanksgiving Coupon Book. RUN!!

I grabbed a few and went to Walmart, which is about 30 seconds away (we had time to kill before school).

Walmart trip:

• 3 Sierra Mist
• 3 Hot Chocolate

Total at Walmart = 15¢ - or the cost of Oregon bottle deposit. Boo-yah!

Hows about a little bonus picture without the run-down? I went to Rite Aid on Sunday and bought this:

I’d say extreme couponing is worth my time! What do you think?

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