Taking lessons from Joseph before it’s too late

I love the story of Joseph in the Bible. Reading about how he prepared in advance for when times were to be more difficult has encouraged me to do the same. The difficult times financially are already starting in today’s economy, and I want to do my best at being wise with my money and with making sure my family is provided for.

Well, I’ve been “grocery gaming” for a little over a month now. I’ve learned to stockpile my foods to lower my grocery bill. I utilize coupons and sales together and get lots of stuff for way cheap… sometimes free.

This week I had fun at both CVS and Publix.

At CVS I used the Covergirl Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) coupons in the paper in conjunction with the Buy One Get One Free sale at CVS to get 2 bottles of foundation, and 2 pressed powders… all totally free!!! I also got some other stuff, and combined with coupons, sales, and Extra Care Bucks back.. I only spent $6 and I brought home 2 bottles of Tide w/ Bleach, 2 bottles of Dawn dish soap, 2 things of toothpaste, 2 packs of gum and the makeup I mentioned earlier.

Then, today at Publix I was ready to really stock up on some breakfast items. Here’s a picture of what I got for under $30:

16 poptart boxes- on sale 2.19 BOGO used $1/2 coupon (I had 8 coupons) found in the paper this past Sunday- total Out of Pocket (OOP)= $9.52 (works out to be around 60 cents a box)

These poptarts are also included in a Rebate from Kellogg’s… buy 10 get $10 back. So…. after the rebate… all 16 boxes end up free!!! (plus .48 which covers my stamp)

6 cans of ChefBoyarDee- $1.33 BOGO sale used .35/3 coupon (I had 2). Total OOP=3.29 (that’s 55 cents a can)

6 boxes of Eggo Waffles- on sale $2.19 BOGO used $1/2 coupon (I had 3) Total OOP=$3.57 (that’s 60 cents a box!)

2 Boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios- on sale $3.99 BOGO used $1 off coupon for EACH box even though one of the boxes was free! Total OOP= $1.99 (which is 99cents a box!)

2 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal- on sale $3.99 BOGO used .55 of coupon for EACH box.. again, even though one of the boxes was free. Total OOP= $2.89 (which is $1.44 a box, which is good for this brand.. coupons are harder to find for this kind)

After I finished out my shopping for other needed items this week, my total rang up as $29.15 after tax. My savings is marked as $58.58 That’s a 67% savings and I won’t need to buy any breakfast items for months!!! J

I’ve decided not to pay the monthly fee at grocerygame.com, because once I got the hang of how to spot these deals it’s really pretty easy. I must give credit to the numerous blogs out there that I have discovered that post their savings similar to the way I’ve just done…. I learn from them and even “copy” some of their deals. J And thanks to my best friend.. you know who you are… for mentioning the grocerygame idea in the first place!

Check out these links if you’re interested in bringing your grocery bill down.

http://frugonomics101.blogspot.com/

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/

http://thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com/

http://www.couponsavingfamily.com/

Click around at the other blogs and savings sites that they recommend too..

Oh.. and by the way.. hot tip for tomorrow… Walgreens has a special Wed. only sale for FREE film developing! Check out their ad here: http://www.walgreens.com/hotbuys/default.jsp?ec=hn574_getcoupon

print out the coupon and finally develop those rolls or disposable cameras that have been shoved in your junk drawer for so long!