What's This?! Grocery Savings!

Many thanks to a co-worker, I now have a better grasp on combining coupons and sales effectively. I'm still pretty certain this is not going to work as well as I would like for it to every week, but I think I can cut my bill just a little bit more.

I already checked the Publix ad at least every other week to see if there was anything I needed that was buy one, get one free (from now on to be referred to as BOGO). I also clipped coupons that I got in the mail or found online, but have not been consistently getting a Sunday paper, so I think I will be doing that in addition to consistently checking ads. Just getting into a routine I think will make the difference in saving some extra money each week.

This week's Publix ad was a really good one for me, as there was actually a lot of stuff on there we eat (which is not always the case). Thanks to a couple extra coupons from my co-worker and tips on how to use them, I had a game plan of what to buy, how much, and what coupons to use.

First, there was a BOGO offer on Kraft dressing, which we use. I also had a coupon for $1 off two Kraft dressings. Unfortunately, when I got to the store I realized that the BOGO was only good for 14 or 16 oz. dressings, and the coupon was only good for 24 oz. dressing! You have to read these things carefully! So I put the coupon aside and bought one bottle of dressing, since I really did not need two anyways and I knew I would get half off of one item.
Kraft dressing
1 @ 2 for $3.08 = $1.54
Saved $1.54

Next, there was a BOGO offer on Del-Monte canned vegetables. I did not have a coupon for this and since I already had some cans at home, I just got two. Considering how low it was per can I kind of wish I went ahead and stocked up, but I know the offer will come up again.
Del-Monte canned vegetables
2 @ 2 for $1.29 = .65 and .64 each
Saved $1.28

There was also a BOGO offer on Barilla pasta, which I got into after Anna introduced me to it (it definitely cooks better than the store brand!). Again, no coupon, but still helpful.
Barilla Pasta
2 @ 2 for $1.21 = .61 and .60 each
Saved $1.20

I also did not have a coupon for the Fresh Salad Express that was also a BOGO offer, but grabbed one bag for half price.
Fresh Salad Express
1 @ 2 for $3.99 = $2.00
Saved $1.99

The savings I was most excited about was for Duncan Hines brownies. They were doing BOGO, and I had a coupon to get .50 off one box. My co-worker taught me that Publix will double coupons up to .50, so if I bought two boxes, I would get a dollar off instead of just .50, in addition to the BOGO offer! I was so excited to have a coupon doubled and to have a stock of brownies (ha). Well, when I got to the brownies, every eligible box for the BOGO offer was GONE... except for ONE. So I grabbed it and used my coupon, so no doubling for me today, but I still got the savings.
Duncan Hines Brownies
1 @ 2 for $2.69 = $1.35
Saved $1.34+.50 coupon = $1.84

Then there was a deal for Kraft shredded cheese, 3 for $5, making it about $1.66 a bag. I bought some shredded cheese last week but we go through it pretty quickly so I thought I would go ahead and take advantage of the deal, especially since I also acquired a coupon that I believe was a dollar off for two bags. From looking at my receipt, it looks like they may have treated it like .50 off one and then did it three times, which is great of course!
Kraft Shredded Cheese
3 @ 3 for $5.00 = $1.66/$1.67 each
Saved $2.12 each + $1.50 (I think) = $7.86 (I think)

I also grabbed some toilet paper that was on sale and had a coupon for, some lean beef patties on sale, apples, and ground chuck. The grand total came out to $28.81, with a savings of $20.14! Definitely my best grocery trip! Also interesting to note that I actually only used three coupons, and the rest was sales! Now, I do have to go to Kroger to buy a few more things, but I am happy with how this supplemental trip turned out, and hope to have equally (or more) successful trips in the future just to help out a little bit. :)