Weekly Savings

So I know you all are just dying to hear how much I saved with The Grocery Game this past week. You're NOT!? Too bad, you get to hear it anyway. Tee Hee!!

But first...

I shop at 4 stores. Hen House, Hy-Vee, Walgreens and CVS. Not all on the same day.

Hen House sells a TON of local products, and I am in the CSA (community supported agriculture) there, so I go every Saturday morning to pick up my canvas bag full of yummy, healthy, super-fresh food. Today there were 3 huge cucumbers, 3 gigantic hydroponic tomatoes, a box of red new potatoes, a loaf of fresh asiago ciabatta bread, a bison chuck roast, and a pack of sliced marble cheese. Yum! Hen House is the one place I don't have The List for, so I mostly buy specialty and/or local foods from there. I bought some local plums today that were so juicy sweet, they just melted in our mouths!

Hy-Vee has the best customer service around, so I'm glad there is a List for that store. I go to Hy-Vee on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.

Walgreens and CVS... well, what can I say? I save the most money at these stores. Especially CVS. Walgreens is easier to shop, but CVS has a much longer List, and I save more there. It's worth the extra time and effort I spend getting ready for my shopping trip.

Anyway, on to my totals!

The shelf totals were: $536.30
I paid: $332.06
My savings: $208.22
Savings percentage: 39% (I got 2/5 of my groceries and household items for free!)

Keep in mind, when you see how much I spent, that I am building up my stockpile. For instance, right now I have 7 bottles of laundry detergent to use in the coming months. After this 12-week sales cycle is over, my stockpile should be almost complete, and I won't be spending nearly as much, but I will be saving a lot more because my arsenal of coupons will just get bigger!

And I am only buying things I know we will use. I will NOT buy something just because it is on sale, has a coupon, and is a great deal. Even if it's almost free. We don't need clutter!

I have seen people who have been Grocery Gaming for months and years who are saving more than 50%, some closer to %60. I hope to be there soon!

Actually, I achieved 54% savings at CVS today. The cashier was so surprised when I handed him my stack of "money" and he chuckled his way through all of my coupons and CVS Extra Bucks (I had $31 from last week to spend this week). I watched my total go from $241.95 to $111.95, and my smile got bigger with every coupon he scanned. I also have $22 in CVS bucks to use on next week's shopping trip! Gotta love it.

My second biggest savings amount was 47% at Walgreens. I have come to know the cashier there, and she likes to see how much I'm going to save each week. SO fun! The shelf total was $103.18, and I spent $54.48. How cool is that?

Can you tell I'm having fun with this?