As you all know, I regularly shop at Safeway. I rarely go anywhere else. Mostly it’s because I’m lazy. I don’t want to have to run all over the place just to save a buck. When I first started couponing, I was so excited to get ALL of the great deals that I found myself running all over Salem (the closest big city - hee, hee!). Don’t get me wrong! I’m totally not complaining. When you are excited about your new hobby, be it sewing or scrapbooking or even grocery shopping, you are willing to run all over to get the best price and to check out the goods, right?

{People with a coupon hobby are weird, huh?}

I haven’t shopped at Albertons since last November when I was buying up a bunch of super cheap turkey. (Just wait til closer to T-day! I’ll show you what I do with my cheap turkeys!!)

For those of us who live in Dallas (or Salem in general), there are only two Albertons to shop at. The one in Keizer is okay if you are already in the area (there is a Target close by and a Cost Plus!!!!!). However, it’s a smaller store that doesn’t always have everything stocked, plus it’s a bit older, which equals kinda yucky. I have only shopped there a couple of times, and I don’t remember having any “problems” there, but I can tell you that I was a nervous wreck. The cashiers put off the “we don’t like couponers” vibe.

The other option is in McMinnville. Ah, lovely, lovely McMinnville Albertsons!! Why do I like it better? Well, it takes about 25 minutes to get there from Dallas (while it takes about 30 min. or so depending on traffic to get to Keizer), plus it is a HUGE store that is newer and cleaner looking. Now, typically it is also well stocked, although the shelves were looking a tad empty today (the cheap chicken breasts were all gone). It is also a beautiful drive through the countryside with practically no traffic to trip you up.

What I like most: They are very coupon friendly!! In fact, the ladies at the checkstands were very nice and helpful. This store (and most Albies, I think) have a 3 transaction policy. You can do 3 back-to-back transactions, with a set of doublers in each transaction (!!!), then you have to take your groceries out to the car and you can come back in to do 3 more (and so on). Of course, I played the mommy card: “We live in Dallas and I have to run back there to pick up my son at 11:00 (it was 10:15) from preschool! Can I just, maybe, finish up these other three transactions? {batting eyes and asking sweetly}”. I always get my way!! LOL! The cashier was very gracious, plus there wasn’t anyone in line behind me, so she just kept going!!

Like I said, the last time I shopped at Albertsons was last November for cheap turkey, however I heard about this cool Catalina deal running at Albertsons and I had to go. Buy 6 Del Monte canned veggies (59¢) or tomatoes (79¢), use the $1/5 MC, use the $1 Albertsons Twice The Value (LOVE that it isn’t a “doubler”, so it will give you twice the value of coupons that say “do not double”), pay $1.54 (or $2.74 for tomatoes), and earn a $2 Catalina!! Roll the Catalina (use it to pay for your next transaction of 6 cans of veggies) and earn another Catalina! Can you say FREE VEGGIES?? I certainly can.

I asked my friend Susan if she wanted to take a field trip out to Albertsons, so we were off!!

I LOVE that Albertsons Twice The Value coupons came out in yesterday’s Sunday paper! Wahooo!! Check out my score!

YES, I did this in SIX transactions. SIX, people! That’s a lot of transactions, however the store wasn’t busy and there were no people behind me, so it wasn’t stressful at all. I was VERY organized. My goal was to have 3 purchases per transaction so that I could use 3 twice the value coupons per transaction to maximize savings.

My first transaction looked like this:

6 Del Monte canned corn = .59/each
Use $1/5 MC (notice that I bought SIX cans, though, because if you buy 5 you get a $1.50 Cat, but 6 is a $2 Cat)
Use Twice the Value for $1 off

1 Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta = $1.25
Use $1/1 MC (torn from a magazine . . . probably Sunset)
Use Twice the Value for $.25 off (no overage on this one)

Kraft Shredded cheese - $2.59
Use $1/1 IP (Internet printable) for 2% milk cheese
Use Twice the Value for $1 off

= $2.13

I used a $2 off coupon that I earned for taking a survey for Albertsons way back last November!!

Paid 13¢ OOP

EARN a $2 Catalina coupon for my next visit!! Now, roll the Catalina into another transaction. Two of these transactions were for $0.00 OOP!!

T1 = .13
T2 = .67 (The Darigold Milk is $2.49 - $1 MC - $1 Twice the Value = 49¢ for milk!)
T3 = .48
T4 = .00
T5 = .00
T6 = .29 (I spent my final Catalina and bought tortillas that were $2.29.)
Total spent today = $1.57

Was it worth the 25 minute drive (each way)? Well, I got to enjoy a pretty drive through the countryside and conversation with my friend Susan while sipping on some coffee, PLUS I ended up saving $82.88 on groceries.

I’d say it was a great day!! Thanks for going with me, Susan!!

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