Publix...where shopping is a pleasure

I admit it. I haven't been grocery shopping in...ummm well, let's not go there. Let's just say the Paisley Family is going on a budget diet...errr...well the Paisley Family is GETTING a budget! There we go...at the ripe old age of...yeah, i'm not saying. It's time to grow up and stop wasting so much money. The Mr. and I are going cash only during the week and we each have a $100 allowance - no questions asked, but when it's gone it's gone.

I figured it I was going to have to stop spending anywhere from $2.14 to dang near $20 for lunch (let's not even talk about breakfast) that I better buy some groceries.

Ready? Here we go...I paid $17.76 for:

• 13 boxes of Green Giant frozen veggies
• 3 bags of Armour meatballs
• 1 Hormel Parmesan Pork Loin
• 4 large loaves of Cole's frozen garlic bread
• 2 bags of Sargento reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cans of Publix carrots (for my crockpot chicken noodle soup - did you know Green Giant doesn't do canned carrots? Yeah...GG was BOGO, but this Publix had no GG carrots, no space for them and WHY are the carrots all grouped together? The other veggies are sorted by brand, but all the canned carrots are together...weird)
• 6 packages of Ball Park bun size hot dogs (we have a BBQ coming up...holla!)
• 1 packages of ham steaks (2...for me to cook for lunch as Mr. P hates ham)
• 1 bottle of Frank's wing sauce
• 2 packages of small boneless pork chops (4 in each - awesome for a quick dinner when you forget to thaw something)
• 1lb of ground sirloin
• 2 packages of Butoni ref. pasta
• 4 jars of Bertolli pasta sauce
• 1 small can of sauerkraut (hey! Mr. P slipped that one in there...*gag*)
• 20 pack of Diet Coke (really? I want my other 4 cans Coke people!)
• 2 bags of Snyder's pretzels
• 4 small sweet potatoes
• 2 small containers of Sorrento part skim ricotta cheese (mmm stuffed mushrooms!)
• 1 family size bag of Pictsweet green beans (best frozen green beans EVER)
• 1 box of Jell-o Cookies n Cream pudding mix (I was hungry and it jumped into the cart)

WHEW! Oh and a rain check for Crisco EVOO because it was BOGO and they were out (and I have 2 $.75 off coupons - woot!)

Grand total:  $140.73

- $8.99 in store coupons

- $14.70 in manufacturer's coupons

- $35.83 in promo savings (ie BOGOs and 2-fers)

- $63.45 leftover on a $100 gift card that Mr. P got from work since he worked 2 shifts with less than 8 hours off in between.

I didn't have a coupon for the Diet Coke (because I neglected to print one before I left), or the Jell-o pudding, the sweet potatoes, ground sirloin, ham steaks, pork chops, green beans, carrots, or kraut...nor where they on any sort of sale. The garlic bread was BOGO...and i'll get another purdy reusable grocery bag with my receipt and 3 UPCs from the Cole's stuff - it has PAISLEY on it...and I love the one I have (it's shorter, but longer than the ones they sell at the grocery store)

Everything else was on sale and I had coupons.

Frozen veggies 10/$10 + 3 $.60/3 and 2 $.50/2 coupons = $.85 per box

Hot dogs BOGO + 3 $.75/2 coupons = $1.12 per pack

Garlic bread BOGO = $1.40 per loaf

Ricotta cheese 2/$5 + 2 $1/1 coupons = $1.50 each

Pork loin $7.99 (reg. price) + $1/1 coupon = $6.99 (one is enough to feed 6 people or Mr. P and I for dinner and lunch the next day)

Wing sauce $2.39 (reg. price) - $.50 coupon = $1.89

Pretzels were $3.99 each, but on sale for 2/$4, + a Publix coupons to get 1 free with the Diet Coke 20 pack, + $1/2 coupon...the cashier rang up the Publix coupon for $3.99 off, so really I got 2 free bags of pretzels and paid $4.99 for the case of Diet Coke (kicking myself for not printing a coupon before I left!)

Meatballs were 2/$5, + 3 $.55/1 coupons = $1.95 per bag (1 bag will make spaghetti and meatballs for the two of us 3 times)

Pasta Sauce was BOGO + 2 $1.50/2 coupons = $.65 per jar

Pasta was 2/$7 + $1/1 coupon = $3 each (not great and I should have had 2 coupons, but for some reason I didn't)

Cheese was 2/$4 + hmmm looks like she didn't scan my cheese coupon - dang it! should have been $.40/2 and that isn't on my receipt. Well we'll call it $2 each (which makes me mad).

and $5/$30 Publix coupon

And I was in and out in less than an hour.