'Twas another week of lousy sales (including the great cracker ripoff of 2012), I'm sad to report, which was good for the wallet but only so-so for the pantry. By the end of the week, as our supply of leftovers dwindled (it'll be replenished this weekend with hearty batches of soup and rice), the refrigerator was looking pretty sad.
Grocery and Household Supplies
We visited two grocery stores and spent a total of $6.28 on produce and pepperoni (the latter of which was something of a splurge, as we rarely shop in the meat department, but a sale/coupon combo made the price unbeatable so we'll freeze the pepperoni for use on homemade pizzas), which was entirely covered by gift cards I received for my birthday last week.
The real action happened at Target, in a trip that can only be described as a debacle. Not only did they not have half the things we were looking for, which complicated our coupon use, but the cashier was new to the job and regarded the register with what can only be described as unabashed trepidation. While I stepped in to correct two computer errors she made that would have cost us an additional $1.98, I didn't bother to intervene when she neglected to deduct ten cents for our reusable bags (you get a five-cent credit at Target for each reusable bag you provide). In retrospect I wish I had, less to save a dime than to keep her from making preventable mistakes, but by the end of the transaction I was anxious and wanted to get the heck out of there before I was late for work. Our total at Target, after sales and coupons, was $1.18, for which we got sixteen cups of yogurt, three rolls of paper towels and a roll of dental floss.
Total spent this week: $1.18
Total spent this year: $81
* Soon I'll begin calculating how much we've saved using gift cards and coupons as well, to give a more comprehensive portrait of our spending and saving strategies.
Good job!
ReplyDeleteI hate getting the new cashier! The new ones usually not only fear the cash register,they fear a customer is ripping off the store with coupons. Yes, I would have mentioned the bag credit.
Oh, sometimes cashiers who are suspicious of coupon-wielding customers drive me up the wall! I understand their anxiety (and the amplified anxiety of new hires), particularly in this current climate of "extreme couponing," and I'd be just as vigilant if I were in their shoes, but there's a woman who has worked at my Walgreens forever whose mere presence at the front register is enough to send me running in the opposite direction.
DeleteEarlier this week she summoned a manager to inspect one of my coupons because it was attributed to RedPlum.com, which she claimed to have never heard of before. She told me this with her eyes narrowed, as if I'd just attempted to sell her the Brooklyn Bridge. The manager took one look at it and said it was fine (as I cheerfully pointed out that RedPlum is one of the biggest coupon distributors in the nation), so all was well there, but I don't think that cashier has ever checked me out without making a big to-do over my coupons. It's not like I go in there cloaked in a trench coat, looking around nervously as I try to buy 500 bottles of cough syrup for a total of 53 cents; I only shop there rarely, normally only buy two or three things at a time, and almost always use manufacturer's coupons direct from the Sunday inserts! Dealing with her is a major (yet slightly amusing) hassle, but she'd make an excellent police interrogator if she ever has a falling out with corporate.
Ha, I missed this comment. But, I have been ill. You should go back and act suspicious to just annoy her. I hate when I get old smiley face who turns into suspicious eyes, peering at and examining my coupons.
ReplyDeleteI would have to bring in the whole newspaper package of Red Plum coupons and put it down to show her.
Pin jewelry inside your trenchcoat and 'accidentally' let it jangle and open. LOL