Wednesday Weekly Shopping: Coupons vs. generics

I invite you to link up to your best grocery deals below, to inspire others to save more! 
 
As I surf around the Internet looking for good deals, I still see people commenting that coupons aren't worth it.  That they can get things cheaper by buying generics at a lower-cost grocery store, instead of combining coupons and deals at higher-end grocery stores and at the drug stores.

So I created my Real Savings measure to debunk this.  When I make my shopping spreadsheet, I include a column for it.  I calculate (or estimate) how much I saved by using coupons instead of purchasing a similar item at a lower-cost grocery store - in my area, the store would be either ALDI or Walmart.

I don't include items I wouldn't have purchased if they weren't on sale.  For instance, this week I bought Mrs. T's pierogies, which were buy one, get one free at Publix.  It was nice to get them - they are a treat I used to buy before I started couponing, but haven't bought lately.  But they aren't a necessity.  And had they not been on sale, I wouldn't have bought them at a lower-cost store.  So my savings doesn't count there.

But I do have to buy soap, so the money I saved by purchasing Ivory Soap on sale with coupons at CVS does count this week.

The results?  Over the last several weeks, I estimate I've saved $40-$50 per week by using coupons, as opposed to buying the same things at Walmart or ALDI.

That's $160-$200 a month.  I know I can use that money in my pocket instead of it going to the store.  And I only put in a couple extra hours a week to save that money.

Now, if you're truly too busy to coupon and look for deals, then you can feel better with this - you're only losing $40-$50 per week.  But if you have just a couple of hours a week, you can save big!

Here's what I got this week (click on the link below the picture for more details about the trip):

ALDI: Spent $22.87

Publix: Spent $15.98

CVS: Spent 20¢

Walgreens: Spent $2.51

I also purchased $10.13 in produce at my local produce store, and I spent $20.98 on two packages of boneless, skinless kosher chicken breasts at BJ's Warehouse.

Overall, this week I spent $72.67 for items which retail for $152.39, or a 52% savings based on the retail value of the products at the stores where they were purchased.  (But don't compare percentages!)  My real savings (how much more I'd spend if I bought those items at the lowest possible regular price in my area) was approximately $43.95.

For the year (23 weeks), I've spent $1685.86 for items which retail for $3361.89, and saved $1676.03, or a 50% savings. That's an average of $73.30 spent each week for a family of five (husband, wife, and daughters ages 13, 10, and 6), including lots of fresh produce, dairy items, and kosher meat.

See all my shopping here.

How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. The aim is not to brag, but to inspire!  Please link up directly to your post, not to the blog itself. I'd appreciate it if you put a link to Wednesday Weekly Shopping in your post as well. If you don't have a blog, please leave a comment!



For more great shopping deals and trips, please check out the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Shopping Deals Linkups. There are lots of great ideas on each blog and I'm sure you'll find inspiration for you to save even more!