FOOD SUCKS: Part 3 - Coupons (take 1???)

My adventures in couponing.

So there I was with my laptop Friday night and the price chopper ad, doing my menu planning.  Erin hooked me up with a website for a local lady that was coupon snazzy.  I linked over to her website to find more PC deals.  That’s when I discovered a few problems.

Problem #1) I never purchased the Sunday paper to get more coupons I was going to rely solely on the internet coupons.

Problem #2) I had no ink for my printer

Saturday morning tyler and I ran to walmart to get ink and watercolor paints (that a long story).  My 2 ink cartridges now cost $31.00 bucks before tax – it use to be $22. Ugh.  Back home we went to install the cartridges.  Now to log onto one of the coupon websites. 

Problem #3) my old desktop is too outdated to run the coupon java scripts or some stupid error.

So I decided to install the printer on my laptop.  The printer was purchased in 2006ish – so the software didn’t support Windows 7!  Thankfully I downloaded it successfully from the internet with no assistance from my techno-savvy friends.   Then I climbed around the desktop hutch to find the cord, unplug it and attached it to my laptop that was balancing on a TV tray with 3 chairs guarding it from children!!

I printed of the FB PC coupons, and a FB Silk coupon.  Price choppers website had an oreo coupon .  Then I found 3 dreamfields coupons because I really wanted to try their product.  I looked up the facebook pages and the websites of all name brand products I buy.  I am use to buying only the Hannaford’s brand.  I went to coupon.com and a few others recommended by http://www.iamthatlady.com/  I didn’t see anything for what I had on my list.  

So here it is walked out the door with $6.25 in coupons after spending $31 on printer ink and over 2 hours.

Once at the store I was greeted by more coupons - $1.00 off the seafood department; .75 off PC Apple juice (on my list) and $1.00 off something else that I was buying.   

I only purchased one box of Dreamfields pasta that was on sale for $2.00. So I could only use one of my $1.00  coupons.  I don’t get how people get it for free - I am still reading that part of couponing.  With the doubling of coupons I brought with me to the store and ones I ended up with at the front of the store; my Coupon savings were….wait for it, wait for it…

$10.75

Sighhhhhhhhhhh.  2 hours of work, new ink, new printer driver…$10.75 savings (with the ink I feel like I lost $23.04).  But I am not defeated. I am going to try again.  This week I picked up the Sunday paper ($2.00 cost)….I am watching the websites, and I plan to give it another go this week.  Any suggestions and recommendations would be great.

Here is what I purchased:

·         Grapes on sale for 1.99# advantage card

·         Kale

·         Pears

·         Baby carrots

·         Baby spinach

·         Feta cheese

·         Cod (bc the haddock was sold out)

·         Shrimp ($4.00)

·         Silk (FB Coupon)

·         Cottage cheese

·         Ground Turkey 2/$7

·         Secret

·         Juice for the house

·         Juice for lunchbox 2/$5 or 3.49each .. wtf

·         Mac N Cheese .89

·         Black beans

·         Dreamsfield pasta $2.00 plus my $1 off coupon

·         PC Shredded cheese $1 off/2

·         Lunchables ($1 )

·         TP $5 for 24

·         Pudding .89

·         Spray oil

·         Hamburg rolls, Arnolds flatbread and bagel thins

·         BBQ sauce - sweet baby rays

·         Tuna packs

·         Fishy crackers - 2

·         Uncle Ben Rice Pack – 1

·         Pepperoni- Hormel

·         Oatmeal (PC 2/$5 – although this week the Quaker brand is on sale 2/$4 grr)

·         Egg whites PC Brand

·         OJ

·         Napkins – PC Brand

·         Chobani greek yogurt

·         PC brand ice Cream

·         butter

So i will try again next trip.