For this post, I thought I would give you a glimpse into the kinds of sales you may get at your local grocery store. I shop at Stop and Shop and Shaws here in MA. Both have interesting sales this week, but for this post I will share what is specifically going on at Shaws.
At Shaws this week, they have two Catalina deals going on. A Catalina is a special coupon that prints out from the little machine next to the cash register. It is triggered by purchasing a particular combination of products or by reaching a predetermined purchase total from purchasing certain products. Sometimes it is a coupon for a specific product and sometimes it is worth money off of your next order. At times, Catalinas are advertised in the weekly ads but not always. It is for this reason, that I HIGHLY suggest that you join a free coupon community like A Full Cup. These forums help you to be aware of these deals before they even start so that you can gather coupons and think up scenarios that maximize your savings. Let me share with you an example of what is happening this week at Shaws.
In this deal, if you buy $25 of Kraft products you earn a $10 Off On Your Next Order Catalina. The great thing about this deal is that the $25 is based off of the regular prices and most, if not all, are on sale this week. Again, it is to your advantage to "roll" your Catalinas just like you do at CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. Ideally, you want to keep each transaction right around $25 (pre-sale prices) so that your OOP is as low as you can get it. Okay. Now for an example:
Hat Tip: A Full Cup Shaws Forum
Transaction 1:
6 boxes South Beach Living Cereal Bars ($3.59 shelf price) - $2.50 each
1 Jello Pudding 6-pack ($3.99 shelf price) - $3.00 each
-6 $2.00 off Manu Q. South Beach
-$.60 off Manu. Q Pudding - doubled to $1.20
Total Before Sale: $25.53 - It reaches the required $25 for the Catalina
Total With Sale Prices: $18
Total With Sale Prices After Coupons: $4.80, Earns $10 off your next order Cat.
Transaction 2:
2 Kraft Bagelfuls ($2.50 shelf price) - $2.00 each
4 10-pack Capri Suns ($2.99 shelf price) - $2.00 each
4 Nabisco 100 Calorie Snack Packs 6 pk. ($3.19 shelf price) - $2.00
-2 $1.00 off Manu. Q Bagelfuls
-2 $1.00 off 2 Store Q. Capri Sun
-4 $.75 off Manu. Q doubled to - $1.50 off
Total Before Sale: $29.72 - It reaches the required $25 for the Catalina
Total With Sale Prices: $20
Total With Sale Prices After Coupons: $10, Earn $10 off your next order Cat.
Pay with $10 Catalina from Transaction 1 for a $0 OOP on this transaction.
Total OOP for both transactions is: $4.80
Total Before Sales and Coupons for Both Transactions is: $55.25
That is over 90% savings.
During the course of one visit, I may do 3 or 4 transactions. When I have exhausted my coupons (over the course of several visits), I usually spend my final Cat. on fresh produce, milk, eggs etc. The picture in this post is of a few of my receipts from the last big Cat. sale. Notice that most of my OOPs are around $2. It is totally AMAZING right? Haha.
Hope this gives you some ideas of what to look for. Feel free to post questions if you have any. TTFN!
2 comments:
Oh I am dying right now! I'm so jealous you have great grocery store deals! The midwest has no grocery store competition so they don't do doubles or catalinas or anything :( I saved 50% last week and thought I was doing awesome. But you and your grocery shopping? Put me to shame! Way to go Alita.
It is crazy right? I am in love with Shaws.
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