I’ve been enjoying some extreme shopping this week.  Extreme sales + Extreme coupons = EXTREME DEALS!  This post is a little longer than my past ones, but you will want to see these pictures and these numbers.  Check this out…

On 2/26/2012 I made an early morning trip to my local Gap Weis to participate in their Kelloggs Cereal deal of ‘buy 4 selected cereals at 2.99 each and get a gallon of milk for FREE’!  These were not little boxes of cereal- they were the larger ones.  I spent $80.47 out of my pocket, saved a total of $73.93 (including coupons), and brought home a total value of items $154.40.  This means I only paid for 48% of my items.  Unfortunately I do not have a picture, but let’s see what $80.47 bought me…

28 large boxes of cereal and 7 FREE gallons of milk (see picture in previous posting)

I know this seems like a lot to spend on cereal at one time, but keep in mind that 7 gallons of milk would have cost $27.  The price of 4 large boxes of cereal and one gallon of milk (after coupons) cost just me $10 approximately.  Your next question is most likely, what will you do with all that cereal?  Check the dates- many are good until 2013!  I have 4 adults in our home which adds up to a lot of cereal consumed.  We also use some of this cereal to donate to food pantries in our community.

The next Extreme Couponing trip was on March 2nd at my local Gap Weis again.  They had a great ad this week and I had the coupons to match the incredible deals!  This trip was $87.51 out of my pocket, total savings of $171.92, total value of $259.43.  This means I only paid for 33% of the items I brought home.  I also had a $10 Catalina Coupon leftover for my next trip.  (Don’t know what a Catalina Coupon is?  Come to my next workshop and find out…you’ll love them!)  In addition to these savings I also have great gas rewards.  Let’s see what this $87.51 bought my family:

Stacks of Sobe Waters, Tostino Pizza Rolls, Trix Yogurt, Smart Ones Weight Watcher Meals, Ore Ida Fries, Birds Eye Veggies, Tuna, Ketchup and Salad Dressings.

Now keep watching and reading..

My next trip (same day) was to the Thorndale Giant and I spent $83.82 out of my pocket, total savings of $121.99, total value of $205.81.  I recieved gas rewards.  I only paid for 40% of the value of the items.  Here’s what this $83.81 bought our family:

Yes, that’s more free milk:)  Got it free by purchasing the cookies that were on a Catalina deal and I had coupons for them (this is called layering your deals)!  Check out all the items- a beef roast, cheese, meatballs, fish, tuna, pizza…and yes, more cereal.  Considering the milk would have cost $22.50 and the roast was $14 (total of $36.50)…I think my remaining $47 was well spent.  Don’t you?

Now, one day later I made one last trip to my local Weis Market (Gap, PA) and spent $58.29 out of my pocket, saved a total of $158.28, with a total value of merchandise at $216.57.  This means I only paid 27% of the bill and saved a HUGE 73% on this order.  Let’s look at what my $58.29 bought my family:

Had ya for a minute, didn’t I?  Not only did it buy all the lovely junk food, but it also bought the following:

Now, before you judge me for the excess ‘junk’ food…keep in mind the warmer weather is coming, so are picnics, parties and gatherings.  I’ve decided to stock these items while I can get them at the best price.  Instead of paying $4 for a bag of tortilla chips, I paid $1.  Oh, and the additional ketchup?  Not mine, I picked it up at just $1 per 40 oz container for my daughter:)  There is a redeeming item…did you notice the Mrs. Paul’s Parchment Baked Fish?  4 boxes.  Each box sells for $7.  The Birds Eye veggies?  Each sells for $2.19.  Total value of these six items would have been $32.38.  I only paid $14!  Not bad, heh?  Today’s trip to Weis was only a total of $58.  Figuring the fish and veggies regularly sell for $32, I think the remainder of my $26 did a great job, don’t you?

Do I normally spend this much on groceries in such a short time?  NO!  Good grief…I wouldn’t have the time, the strength or the money.  Since building my stockpile I haven’t needed to shop weekly like many of you do.  Instead, when the great deals come around I am able to spend additional funds to restock items near depletion in my stockpile.  Note, I said stockpile, not hoarding pile.  What’s the difference?  That’s easy to explain.  A healthy stockpile is one that includes items and quantities of those items that you will use until the sale rotation allows you to restock the items you deplete at the best deal possible.  Example:

One year ago I purchased 65 boxes of cereal which included a lot of free milk.  I froze the milk and didn’t need to purchase milk for the next 4 months!  I knew I would use it up and wasn’t about to walk away from a free milk deal!  The 65 boxes of cereal?  We ate most of it, donated some of it, and helped stock my daughter with some.  By the time this amazing deal came around again (one year later) I was only left with a few boxes.  So, as you can see in the lists and pictures above…I just restocked!  I’ve already set aside a donation for Jars of Hope food pantry and also for my elderly parents.

This cereal and milk deal most likely won’t roll around again until this time in 2013…at that time, I’ll be ready with coupons in hand and head to the store to do a complete restock again.  I know what I stock we will use or I donate it.  That’s what I call a healthy stockpile.  Hoarding is grabbing deals on things you don’t like, can’t possibly use all of and won’t donate.  The items will just sit there in your home unused and wasted.  It’s sad…so many extreme couponers do this type of hoarding.  Extreme Couponing in Excellence teaches how to have a healthy stockpile and how to benefit the community with your abundance.  Sitting in the corner of my office are nine grocery bags I will be taking to my elderly parents this week.  The bags are full of cereal, paper products, soups, gravies, jelly, peanut butter, broths, laundry detergent, cleaning items…  In my other corner is my growing pile to donate to Jars of Hope.  Freely we have been given the blessings of amazing extreme couponing deals, so freely we must give to others.  It makes finding the deals all the more exciting!  Thank you Giant and Weis!  Thank you to the manufacturers of these products and their willingness to offer coupons and Catalina deals. Thank you Lord for the ability to provide for our family at just a fraction of the cost.

Have you signed up for the Extreme Couponing Workshop yet?  It’s on Saturday, March 17th, 9-4 at the Family Center of Gap.  Check out more info at REGISTER or call me at (610) 593-6331 or karen@karenpennellconsulting.com.  You don’t have to spend the amount I spent this week to save 50, 60, 70+ percent of your grocery bill!