Friday, January 30, 2009

Worth the Effort....

So I have this great friend named Robin (www.rolesofrobin.blogspot.com) who shares my love in bargain shopping! We love being frugal with our money and thrive on getting good deals. Robin has for some time now, been writing about her amazing deals with her use of "price-matching" and coupons. (For anyone who does not know, Wal-Mart accepts any competitor's ads and will match their prices.) She has been encouraging everyone to save ads and flyers and use them at Wal-Mart (since they already have good prices). So I took her up on the challenge. I saved my ads, went through and found deals on the groceries I needed to get, wrote my list out and shopped away!
I was blown away at my savings!
So I thought I would share as a means of encouraging others to see how much money they could save. I know you may feel like it's too much of a hassle and maybe it isn't worth the effort for you but after I saw the receipt I knew I was going to be addicted. So here is a pic of just the groceries I used price matching on. The total I spent for these items was $27.96 (and that includes 13.5 lbs of meat!):



And here are the numbers:
2lbs of Velveeta Cheese: Regular Price: $4.98 Sale:$3.99 = Savings of $0.79
(2packs)Philadelphia Cream Cheese: Regular Price: $1.23 Sale: $0.99= Savings of $0.48
Ground Beef (4.5lbs): Regular Price: $10.21 Sale: $3.55= Savings of $6.66!!!!!
(2 packs) Green Giant Vegetable Steamers Regular Price: $1.27 Sale: $0.99= Savings of $0.56
Life Cereal- Regular Price: $2.25 Sale: $1.99= Savings of $0.26
(12) Limes- Regular Price $0.22 each Sale: $0.08 = Savings of $1.65
(5lb bag) Russet Potatoes: Regular Price $2.25 Sale: $1.29= Savings of $0.96
Whole Chicken Fryer: Regular Price: $4.98 Sale $2.74= Savings of $2.24
Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts: Regular Price $2.20 Sale: $1.99= Savings of $0.21
(3Cans) Rotel: Regular Price $0.83 each Sale:$0.37 each= Savings of $1.38
And last but my favorite:
(5 lbs)Boneless/ Skinless Chicken Breasts: Regular Price: $13.98 Sale: $1.27 (lb)= Savings of $7.63!!!!
So that means if I would have paid regular price I would have spent $50.72, and I only paid $27.96 which means I saved: $22.72!!!!

So there's my attempt to encourage you to take a little time and try out price matching. I also just got a Sunday paper and went through the coupons in there so it'll be interesting to see what great deals I can get with combining price matching and coupons.
It has been really interesting learning all kinds of new responsibilities as a wife this last year and a half. And honestly I've enjoyed learning to grocery shop, cook creatively, host dinners, learn ways to save or make money, and keep a clean, inviting home.
I'm actually really thankful that the Lord gave me this role and opportunity to take care of my house and the needs of my family. Although some days I'd love to have a chef, maid and probably a nanny (for future kiddos), I'm ultimately thankful that He gives me the grace and wisdom to slowly learn what it means to model my life after Proverbs 31. Hopefully I will remember to always see these roles as opportunities for growth and joy and not simply roles I am obligated to fulfill just because.

3 comments:

Carrie Moore said...

We are in the same place (although you have about a year a several months on me;) I've been aware of the price matching, but now I'm motivated to actually try it out! Thanks!

Robin said...

i am beyond proud. i'm more impressed that you did that while carting my wild man around with you :) i think i may use some of these deals this week! especially the $.37 rotel, except i think clay made a ban on can goods for awhile :( i kind of went overboard on my good deals!

brienne said...

i SOOO do this! and you are right, you can totally save money. this coupled with aldi makes for some great, cheap eats at my house!

ok, so i met your 24 time line with about 4 hours to spare... the post is up! enjoy! much love.