Greetings Refunders!!

I just got back from Pick 'n Save (Waukesha, WI, across from the Walgreens and next to the Ace Hardware Store) and I just had to share my fantastic savings!!

It all started when I walked into the store and asked the nice man at the TCF bank (located in the store for shoppers' convenience) to break my $100 bill. I felt so rich walking away with 5 - $20 bills. (Thanks Uncle Bill and Aunt Mary!). Then, I started my adventure. I needed some food for my dorm room since the campus is no longer serving meals.

I thought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would make for good lunches and dinners in my last week of student teaching, so I headed straight for the bread aisle. There, I was almost tricked into buying a loaf of Wonder Bread because there were orange stickers saying "sale!" but luckily, my sister Angela discovered the loaves of Butternut Bread (another of my favorite brands when shopping on a budget) and they were a couple pennies cheaper. Thank goodness!! Next, we began our quest to find the peanut butter and its approrpriate suitor. I knew right away that I wanted an 18 oz. jar of Skippy Creamy peanut butter, with the ever-so recognizable turquoise cap. Having found the correct peanut butter, the time came to make the difficult decision about which fruit spread would best compliment the taste of my Skippy. I first considered getting a jar of Smucker's Strawberry Jam (since it is my favorite!) but I thought I should get something different since there is already an almost full open jar of that at home. But now, what would I choose?? My second choice is always apple jelly, but since there was a sale on Smucker's jelly this week, all the regular apple was gone, and all that was left was apple with mint flavoring. I was not feeling that adventurous. I finally decided on a 12 oz. jar of Smucker's Mixed Fruit Jelly. I'm excited to learn whether the flavor lives up to the trusted Smucker's name.

Clearly, one cannot only have a PB&J sandwich for lunch. It is imperative that there are some "side snacks" to go along with the main sandwich course. What first caught my eye was the display for Nabisco/Kraft products. There, I found that I could get 2 packages of cookies/crackers for $4.48 with the Pick 'n Save Advantage Plus Card. I was heart-broken! I lost my card years ago at the Wisconsin Democratic Convention. Angela again saved the day by offering her very own Advantage Plus Card to me. I decided to take advantage of the 2/$4.48 sale by purchasing the Chips Ahoy! Peanut Butter Chip cookies that I've been craving for about four days now. I also decided to get a box of Honey Maid Grahams Cinnamon Sticks (a little taste of first grade...). Angela later pulled out a coupon for $.55 off two packages of Nabisco/Kraft products. How perfect!!!

The rest of the "side snacks" also came along with super good deals! I got a 15 oz. bag of Rold Gold *Classic Style* Tiny Twists Pretzels. Now, this bag should have cost $2.19 according to the white stamp on the bag. However, after scrutinizing the receipt and my products to compose this post, I discovered that I was charged a mere $1.97 for the bag of pretzels. Then, there were discounts!! One for $.19 and another for $.28!! This made my total pretzel purchase $1.59. When I subtracted that from the original cost of the pretzels, I found that I had saved a grand total of $.60 on *one* product!! Oh Man!!

Pretzels and juice always taste good together, so I checked out what deals might be available on Capri Sun. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my favorite flavor, Mountain Cooler (a blend of apple and raspberry juices) was in stock! I quickly grabbed a 10 count box of juice, eager for it to be chilled so I could enjoy it.

The last side snack I selected was mini peeled carrots. En route to the carrots, I found that I could get a free box of Cheerios, simply for spending $20. At this point, that seemed like a probable outcome. Once I reached the veggie-snacking area of the produce section, I located the carrots. Luckily, a 2 lb. bag of Dole Peeled Mini Carrots with No Preservatives was on sale for a mere $1.48 with the Advantage Card. I quickly took advantage of the Advantage! I needed some dip for my carrots, and was slightly disappointed that all the good brands cost around $3. I bit the bullet though, because what is a good carrot without a good dip?? I decided on T. Marzetti's Ranch Veggie Dip (15.5 oz) at $2.98.

All that was left was to get zipper bags to tote my carrots in. I almost bought the store brand. What a mistake that would have been! Angela again (thanks!!) discovered that Ziploc bags were only $.05 less than the store brand with the Advantage Plus Card. Each box contained 100 zipper bags, so I went for the quality name brand for $2.33. Yahoo!!

I headed to the register, confident that I had done well on this shopping trip! I was side-tracked, however, by the "Groovy" colored Peanut M&Ms. I decided on 4 bags at $.49 each since they are so good for busy college student teachers on the go. (protein and dairy--a perfect small meal).

Luckily, the whole order came to a grand total of $22.99. This made me eligible for the FREE box of Cheerios. After the $.55 coupon was subtracted, my total was $22.44. Total savings for this trip: $5.98!! I had such a feeling of satisfaction when I handed over two $20 bills. Not a $20 and a $5, just barely making it, but two whole $20 bills!! O Happy Day!!

This very well might have been my most successful trip to the grocery store ever. Thanks to Mom for showing me the ropes, and to Angela for saving the day with the Advantage Plus Card and the coupon! I couldn't have done it without you, ladies!!

Until next time, Refunders....
Jenny :)