Coupon Crazy!!

I'm officially on Summer Vacation!!! Woo Hoo!!!

What does this mean?

Pool Time.

Kid Time.

Cook Time.

Blog Time.

Organize Time.

Some Solo Time.

Ahh... Summer Vacay, the reason we become teachers.... oh besides that helping kids stuff. Just Kidding!!

Anyways, I have made it my summer goal to "Menu Plan" and get into a habit that can be carried into the busy Fall season.  The Carnivore and I become very tired from full time jobs, then come home and want to spend time with Baby Omnivore, rather than in the kitchen.  We have gotten used to frozen, easy to throw together, 8pm dinners: two habits I am determined to break!  One, eating within 3 hours of bedtime = belly fat.  Two, Omnivore eats way better when we are there modeling appropriate mealtime behavior, rather than wandering around the house and leaving him alone to feed the dog. Three, we need to eat less frozen and more fresh foods.

So, from Meal Planning came Grocery Lists, and from Grocery Lists came Obsessive Compulsive Couponing. Actually, technically I prefer being called a Price Matcher, but I'm also couponing... double savings!  So how does Price Match work?  Well, Walmart (and Target, apparently, but I haven't tried) will match any store's price, without even seeing an ad. Trader Joe's is still my #1 Love, and I know Corporate America is the Devil, however.... I will be bringing home less money soon, and while totally worth it, I feel like this is the perfect time to begin making a conscious effort to budget our food costs more efficiently! Why use Walmart's Price Match, rather than just going to the advertising stores? It is called having a 1 year old!!! Being able to get all the best prices, in one stop, is HUGE.  Some critics of Price Matching argue that the weekly ads only put junk food and soda on sale, and the healthy food is way more expensive.  Well, thanks to Aldi's prices, with Walmart's great produce section, healthy eating has never been so easy...and so yummy!  I get Red, Orange, and Yellow Bell Peppers for $1.59 for a pack of 3!! That is a savings of $1.50-$3.00! More info on Price Matching can be found on this super helpful blog!

I literally spent 6-8 hours today organizing my Price Match book.  I have turned an old school photo album with the peel back plastic covers into my Ad Book.  I also created a spreadsheet, which I am posting for your use here!!!   The reason I bring the Ad Book is just in case there is that random new cashier who wants to see the ad...  Pretty much, I'm just trying to save myself some embarrassment! So, Price Match is based upon the honor system, which sadly I'm sure people take advantage of, however I am being very thorough and legit in my research.  The best part is, they don't care when the item was on sale at the other store, so my Ad Book won't expire! The only thing I will need to do is add on new specials that arrive in the paper, and update any prices that become better than my current price!

So, I will take my Ad Book (just in case) and my attached coupons, as well as my post-it notes.  When I pick up the item that matches the ad's description, I stick the post-it note on the item, with the Price Match info written on it.  I reuse my post-it notes, and it helps create my shopping list, as well! The cashiers appreciate the post it notes, because they can quickly adjust the price, without all the hassle of ads, newspaper clippings, etc...

Anyways, I will post more about Menu Planning for The Vegan and The Carnivore throughout the summer! But I wanted to get this spreadsheet out for those who want to begin Price Matching at Walmart! 

The ads on my spreadsheet are for Kansas City grocery stores, but I'm sure out of town readers could use these prices until you can create your own Ad Book. You will see some items do not have an ad price, and this is because I have store or manufacturer coupons for these items. You will have to skip those items, since you don't have the same actual coupons that I have. (Coupons are a one-time bonus, since Walmart does keep them, even if they are Target, CVS, Family Dollar, etc...) But start saving your coupons! AND.... Target coupons and Manufacturer coupons can both be used on the same item! Triple savings! As you can see, my next dozen eggs will cost 18 cents!!

Happy Price Matching!!

Click to Enlarge--3 parts: (email or comment if you want me to send you the document by email)