Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
Before I get into things, I’d like to start by fully admitting that I am calculated and strategic when it comes to buying groceries. When visiting any food supplier, I ensure that I’ve clipped and am equipped with all necessary coupons and rebates prior to checkout. This specific case study/how-to guide was achieved by these same measures. They’re not sexy and do require time, but the more you incorporate them into your own practices, the faster you’ll become at them and find what works best for you.
Now, on to the details of my 87% savings. It was executed by shopping at a nearby Pavillions, a subsidiary of Albertson’s conglomerate (or conglom-arket?) of stores. Normally, I find them to be too expensive, but there are instances in which they have the best price on a product, or discounts to make it so, and lure me in (as was the case here).
On this occasion, I was going out of town and needed a few items to tide myself over for a day and a half (i.e. easy, ready-to-eat meals and items to turn the food I had at home [peanut butter and carrots], into more filling snacks).
First, I checked my trusty money-saving apps (Ibotta, Swagbucks, and Checkout51) for any deals that met my needs. Then, I saw that Pavillions (a store whose free loyalty program I was a part of and could also clip coupons from) was the grocery retailer necessary to get them.
With this, I went to Pavillions and walked out with two Milton’s cauliflower crust cheese pizzas, a pack of O Organics puffed rice cakes, and a Kaukauna white cheddar spreadable cheese ball (if you provide me a good deal on spreadable cheese, I’ll take it — it’s tasty and I have a tiny mouse living inside of me).
Below is the cost breakdown of each item and the combined discounts:
Milton’s cauliflower crust cheese pizzas (2 pizzas)
For the pizzas, I was able to combine two BOGO deals (one from Ibotta and one from Pavillion’s).
Original cost: $19.98 ($9.99 each) | Final cost: $1.01 (~$0.51 each)
Total savings: $18.97
O Organics puffed rice cakes
I stumbled upon the puffed rice cakes in the clearance area of the store (I originally thought crackers would be my mode of transport for the peanut butter and cheese, but the more affordable rice cakes changed my mind). I highly recommend taking a look at the clearance section whenever shopping for groceries in order to maximize savings.
Original cost: $3.49 | Final cost: $1.49
Total savings: $2.00
Kaukauna white cheddar spreadable cheese ball
Original cost: $4.99 | Final cost: $1.24
Total savings: $3.75
In total, I bought $28.46 worth of groceries for $3.74. While my purchase was for only a few items, the practices used to obtain the discounts are applicable to any grocery trip, big or small. Combining coupons, loyalty programs, and rebate apps can make a huge dent in spending.
If you are interested in signing up for Ibotta or Swagbucks, you can use my referral codes below (Checkout51 does not have a referral code or sign-up bonuses). I’m also adding my referral code for Fetch — I hadn’t yet signed up for this app when I made my above-described purchase, but it’s another useful app to get grocery rebates.
Ibotta (referral code oimdplq for a $5 bonus after redeeming the first offer)
Swagbucks (300 swagbucks [$3.00] bonus when you earn your first 300 SB)
Fetch (referral code 31RUDD for a 2,000 point [$2.00] bonus)
