Grocery Day

Yesterday was grocery day! Yes, I get excited about grocery day because that is when I get to save lots of money and get free stuff! I started out at Walgreen's first.  I got a tube of Colgate toothpaste, a bottle of Motrin, the new Tylenol Precise cream for joint and muscle aches, and a pack of Altoid mints.  I spent $4.50 cash for all of that AND left the store with $3.00 in Walgreen's Register Rewards to be used as cash at Walgreen's on my next visit, which I plan on buying more toothpaste for $3.00 and they will give me $3.00 back.  Then I will buy Motrin with that $3.00 and they will give my $3.00 back again.  That is a cycle where I can stock up on toothpaste and Motrin and get it all for free just by using the Register Rewards that they give out at the register!.  Oh, and because they gave me the original $3.00 back, that means I really only spent $1.50 on my original purchase! That makes for one happy mama!

Then I headed to Kroger, with all of my coupons and my grocery list - if I don't have a list, I'm toast.  As I was making my way through the meat section, I noticed that they had just marked down a ton of meat.  So I stocked up on pork chops, steaks, beef stew meat, and roasts.  Only the roast was on my list, but when meat is marked down to a good price, I stock up and store it in the freezer! On meat alone I saved over $25.00.  I saved an additional $60.00 on coupons and store ads.  I spent $150.00 and saved $85.00!  That also makes for one happy mama!

I consider myself to be frugal, but I am always looking for ways to be a better steward of our money.  Right now, I am reading through the Economides' books Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family: Includes So Many Innovative Strategies You Won't Have to Cut Coupons and America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams.  I saw them first on the Today Show and was very intrigued by how little they spend a month on groceries.  If I can learn a little bit from them, I will be very grateful!

If you have any other great tips for saving money at the grocery store or drug store, please leave a comment and let us know!  I would love to hear what you do!