In today's economy money can be a rare commodity. Many families have tightened their spending budgets in order to compensate for an insufficient source of funds. Believe me, I know. Money has always been tight in my family even before the economic downturn. I watch the news and see specials on how to live frugally and most of the tips I already know because I have been doing that money saving activity for years. Not to say there is nothing new to learn, there is always something new to learn...that is what makes life so great! The easiest way that I have found to save money consistently is not in a scam or even stealing...it is working the sales and deals while grocery shopping and using the much feared and hated coupons!

Now I know coupons have a bad reputation, but I am speaking as a consumer who has saved thousands of dollars by spending a few hours a week planning my shopping trips. Granted I get a bit carried away and for most this method of shopping is not a viable option...what I am saying is that just doing a little bit each week can really go a long way! Another term that people tend to feel uneasy over is stockpiling. Now personally, I woud love to construct an entire shelving storage section in my kitchen dedicated to all my stockpile needs complete with separate freezers for perishable storage, but I realize I am maniac over grocery deals and most shoppers are not. The problem with couponing in general is that many do not have the time to invest. That old saying that time is money is true even in the coupon world. Spending a few hours a week working the deals and you could save much needed money quickly and easily.

Instead of droning on and on about why sales are great and how to make the best bang for your buck (I am saving that for a later hub!) I decided to go with a step by step grocery trip with yours truly. So hang on coupon novices...I am taking you for a ride on the coupon express!

My shopping trip to Jewel-Osco (chain grocery store)...saved $58.92, spent $65.35, walked out with everything pictured!

Not impressed yet? I encourage you to take a look at your receipts this week and see how much bang you got for your grocery buck. Compare what $65 buys you and the photograph above. I chose this deal not only because I just returned from the store, but because this type of deal was super easy to get...I only used 8 coupons...and though that may seem like a lot, believe me when I say I have used far more coupons in one transaction in the past. Case in point, my boyfriend went to CVS the other day and returned home with 5 items, he paid $20. I came home with 63 items and paid $65. I even purchased a few of the same items to show that it is not the products themselves throwing off the cost.

The best deal I found this week was on refreshments. The deal for Dr. Pepper (our favorite soda) was four 12-packs for $10. Jewel sweetened the deal by offering a $10 coupon for your next shopping trip when you spend $20 on participating brands which included my already sweet Dr. Pepper deal. They limited the customer to eight 12-packs which worked great because eight 12-packs was $20 exactly. So not only did I get a good in store deal, but I earned an extra $10 for my next trip (good on ANYHTING...even if you only spend $10.01) just for buying a product I will certainly consume in bulk. The other beverage deal was on Powerade (another family favorite). It consisted of spending $10 on qualifying products and receiving an instant savings of $3. The Powerades were on sale for $1 each, I bought ten and was eligible for the $3 instant savings making three of those Powerades FREE! The best part about this deal is that there is no limit! I would have bought more, but I was working another deal I had going for the entire transaction...as you will see soon!

Here is a picture of the beverage portion of my trip...only cost $17 for these 106 individual beverages (counting the $10 coupon).

The next leg of my journey was to utilize another section of the spend $10 get $3 in instant savings deal. This deal was so great because again not only did it have no limits for how much instant savings you could receive, but you could mix and match the deals too! Domino sugar was on sale for $2.50 for a 4lb bag. I remembered a great coupon I had stashed for a savings off $2 on any sugar when you purchase ten packets of unsweetened Kool-Aid. The Kool-Aid itself was also on sale for $0.17 each. I bought twenty packets of Kool-Aid in a variety of flavors and two 4lb bags of Domino sugar. I then went to the frozen treats section to grab two boxes of Whole Fruit Bars at $2.50 each. I coupled those with my two $1 off one any flavor any size Whole Fruit Bar coupons and racked up $10 for the instant $3 savings.

Here is a picture of the sweet portion of my trip...only cost $4.40 with coupons and instant savings.

The third and final savings leg of my trip was on fruit snacks. Jewel had a deal where one box of Betty Crocker fruit snacks was $1.99. They sweetened the deal by marking them down to only $0.99 just for purchasing four boxes. I believe the limit was four for this deal as well. I grabbed four boxes and coupled this already good deal with two coupons I had to save $0.50 on two boxes of Betty Crocker fruit snacks. I wound up spending $3 on four boxes of fruit snacks...you can pay that for 1 box if you buy without coupons on a non-sale day! See where I am going with this?

Finally I rounded off my trip with various other odds and ends needed for the house this week. I even bought a few items at FULL PRICE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I simply looked for the best price of those non coupon items. Now Jewel does this awesome thing where they mail store coupons to your house. Often these coupons are where I can save the most money when paired with my coupon deals. The ones I used this trip were for $7 off the purchase of $75 or more and $0.99 of a dozen eggs. Lucky for me Jewel brand eggs are only $0.99...that makes them FREE. I took some time before going shopping to plan a trip of at least $75 in order to utilize this awesome store coupon. My total after insant savings, but before my coupons came to $80.53. Not too shabby huh? After ringing only eight coupons my new total was a mere $65.35. My total savings this trip were $58.92. That is almost half off!And as a special super bonus a phone survey printed with my receipt for $2 off my next visit just for a few minutes of my time. I now have $12 credit for my next trip. Please make the goal sign because I just SCORED!

I know deals and coupons can be annoying, but I cannot emphasize enough how much they really give you fast results for your wallet. This was a quick trip with only a small amount of time invested in the deal. I have certainly weaved better deals. The fact of the matter is ANYONE can get these types of deals...not just coupon fanatics. I implore you to give that grocery ad another glance thise week. Just see what types of deals you can find...they are out there just waiting for you. Take advantage and save real money today.

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Anxious to hear more about my adventures in couponing? Check out these hubs on my amazing deals!

My SUPER Kohl's Deal! $61 in merchandise for only $2.41. Read me!

All this for $0.77! Read me!

All this for under $7! Read me!

All this for $0.75! Read me!

My related hubs not about personal savings...What is Coupon Fraud? What is a Reward Buck?

Questions? Comments? Concerns? I would love to hear them!

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