Publix: Quaker sale - what to get?

On Saturday and Sunday, Publix had one of my favorite sales: 50% off any Quaker breakfast or snack product.  And there were matching coupons, too!  Both the manufacturer's and Target store coupons I had were for $1 off any two Quaker products.  Any.  Which means I could pick anything I wanted.

Wow.

I spent a lot of time pondering my options.  I could just buy the items I use the most, which would be instant oatmeal or ready-to-eat cereal.  Or I could buy the cheapest item, thus getting the largest percentage of savings.  Or I could try something new.

What I decided to do was use the coupons to get two containers of steel-cut oats.  I hear that they are more nutritious and better-tasting than regular rolled oats, and I've wanted to try them.  But they rarely go on sale, so this was a good opportunity to give them a try.

I also picked up two canisters of regular grits, the kind you have to cook in a pot on the stove.  I rarely see those go on sale, but the instant kind (not nearly as tasty) do go on sale occasionally.   With the sale and coupons, the grits were free!

And I did pick up four boxes of the instant oatmeal, perfect for quick breakfasts.

I also had a Publix coupon for the Whole Hearts cereal, so I picked one of those up as well.  And since it wasn't a BOGO sale, but a 50% off sale, I could pick up only one item and still save.

And I spent so much time checking out my choices, I forgot I wanted to buy bananas, too.  Luckily I realized this as I was leaving the store. So I had to make a second trip into the store and get them.  I find the bananas at ALDI tend to go bad quicker than bananas from Publix - has anyone else noticed this?

Here's the details on the shopping trip:


1 Quaker Whole Hearts cereal @ 50% off $3.29 = $1.64
- $1/1 Quaker Whole Hearts Cereal, exp. 8/31/12 (Publix Stocking Spree, August)
= 64¢

4 Quaker instant oats @ 50% off $3.89 = $7.78
- 2 $1/2 Quaker Products manufacturer's printable
- 2 $1/2 Select Quaker Items Target printable
= $3.78 for four, or 95¢ each

2 Quaker steel-cut oats @ 50% off $4.39 = $4.39
- $1/2 Quaker Products manufacturer's printable
- $1/2 Select Quaker Items Target printable
= $2.39 for two, or $1.20 each

2 Quaker white grits @ 50% off $1.95 = $1.95
- $1/2 Quaker Products manufacturer's printable
- $1/2 Select Quaker Items Target printable
= 5¢ moneymaker

1.90 lb bananas @ 69¢/lb = $1.31

Total out of pocket: $8.07
Total saved compared to Publix full prices: $24.77

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