Things have been strange around our house since Mr. Jones got a job. Combine his working status with an unexpected tax refund, and it’s almost surreal not having to squeeze every dollar until it screams.
These are the results of the first shopping trip in a long time in which I bought a fair number of things just because we wanted them. That said, I’m still happy with how I did.
The results:
- Big old cheesecake, $12.99 (Mr. Jones made me dinner for V-Day, and this was dessert)
- White bread, $1
- Sour cream, 99 cents
- Shredded cheese, regular $2.50, sale $2 (this is an example of something I would not have done before, since we have cheese at home in the freezer, just not this kind; before, I would have made do with whatever we had)
- Red Baron deep-dish pepperoni pizza singles, regular $4.49, sale $3.37, minus doubled coupon for 75 cents off = $1.87
- “Cat Treat Ball,” $2.99 (Valentine’s present for the cat)
- Candy hearts, two boxes, 33 cents each
- Trident Layers gum, $1.49, minus doubled coupon for 75 cents off = free
- Baked Lay’s, four bags, regular $3.79 each, sale $3 each, minus two doubled coupons for 55 cents off = $1.90 each (my coupons were set to expire long before the chips will!)
- Bonne Maman orange marmalade, regular $3.99, sale $3.51
- Celestial Seasonings green tea, five boxes, regular $3.19 each, sale $2 each, minus five coupons for $1 off each = $1 each
- Campbell’s tomato soup, four cans, regular $1 each, sale 75 cents each, minus doubled coupon for 40 cents off four = $2.20, or 55 cents each
- Coke, four 12-packs, regular $5.99 each, sale $4 each (Pepsi was cheaper but I did not buy it because Mr. Jones wanted Coke and in this new reality he can have it! As long as it’s at least on some kind of sale, I mean)
- Comstock cherry pie filling (for the cheesecake!), two cans at $3.29 each, minus doubled coupon for 55 cents off two = $5.48, or $2.74 each
- French’s yellow mustard, $1.49, minus doubled coupon for 30 cents off = 89 cents
- Friskies cat food, fifteen cans at 45 cents each, minus coupon for $1 off 15 = $5.75
- Kraft mac and cheese, five boxes, regular $4.99, sale $3.99
- Marcal Smart Steps toilet paper, regular $6.69, sale $5, minus coupon for $2 off = $2
- Old El Paso taco dinner kit, $2.99
- Quaker “blueberry muffin” instant oatmeal, regular $3.99, sale $2, minus coupon for $1 off = $1
- Giant unsalted saltines (heh), regular $2, sale $1.50
- Advil, 50-count, regular $5.49, sale $4.99, minus $2 off = $2.99
- Gwaltney bologna, two packages at 99 cents each
- Jamestown mild sausage roll, $2.29
- Oscar Mayer salami, $4.99
- Perdue boneless chicken breast, two packages at $6.64 and $6.54, buy one get one free = $6.64
- Pork chops, regular $10.75, sale $5.51
- Smithfield bacon, two packages at $4.99 each, buy one get one free, minus doubled coupon for 55 cents off one = $4.44
- Baby sugar snap peas, $2.99
- Honeycrisp apples, 8.94 (! but they’re good)
- Dole spinach, two bags, $2.99 each
- Dole shredded lettuce, regular $2, sale $1.50
- Green pepper, $1.64
- Red onion, $1
- Grape tomatoes, $2.99
- Plum tomato, 58 cents
Total paid, $135.82; total saved, $62.07, or 31 percent. Not the best I’ve ever done, far from it, but there were Special Occasions — cheesecake and topping, ingredients for the V-Day dinner — and also I was determined to buy a bunch of veggies regardless of whether they were on sale. Shoppers and, I think, Safeway had bagged salad a little cheaper this week, but I used my newfound financial freedom to decide it wasn’t worth it. Any other week, maybe — but this week I just wanted to get home to the husband and the Valentine’s Day celebrations. Also, I read somewhere that Michael Pollan has said it’s better to pay the grocer than the doctor, and I am hoping that if our good financial fortune continues, I can remember to be cheap when I can but pay for good food when I must.