Commissary Shopping

Today was an Odd's and End's shopping trip for me so I went to the Commissary to see what I could get for under $30. Here is what I was able to get. (keep in mind I had a dollar budget so even though these are all great deals and I had enough coupons to get more of most of these items I had to only buy realistically.)

Total cost: $38.79
Coupons: ($14.60) 37% savings
Surcharge: $1.94
Paid: $26.13

Here are a few of the specific prices: (Sorry I didn't keep track of what inserts the coupons came out of.

Snack packs ~ $.79 used $.60/3 coupon = $.59 each
Honey Mustard ~ $1.59 used $1/1 coupon = $.59
Yakisoba pasta ~ $.67 used $.50/1 coupon = $.17 each
Chef Boyardee ~ $.85 used $.35/3 coupon = $.73 each
Healthy Choice Soup ~ $1 used $.50/1 coupon = $.50 each
Rice ~ $1.26 used $1/1 coupon = $.26
Oatmeal ~ $.95 used $1/1 coupon = $.05 MONEYMAKER
Cinnamon Toast Crunch ~ $1.99 used $1/2 coupon = $1.49 each
Soft Soap ~ $.90 used $.35/1 coupon = $.55 each
Paper Towel ~ $1.49 used $1/1 coupon = $.49 each
(not my best deal but I needed paper towel!)
Clorox Wipes ~ $1.49 used $.50/1 coupon from store = $.99 each
(again not my best deal but I needed this item)
Cheese - was on special for $3.35 for the double pack
Frosted Flakes & Fruit Loops ~ $2.25 used $1.50/2 = $1.50 each
Splitz ~ $1.49 used $.50/1 coupon = $.99 each


I'm not sure how many of you are Commissary Shoppers but I wanted to share a few things about Coupon shopping at the Commissary.

#1 ~ Don't go on the 1st or the 15th of the month! I know that's a given but when your a coupon freak like me I tend to make mistakes when there are too many people in the store and those are the two busiest days for the Commissary.

#2 ~ Know your prices! After couponing for over a year and a half I know what kind of deals I can get off base at the local stores. I know what my Cereal Price range is. This will help you when it comes to using your coupons on base. If with a coupon the cereal is still over $2 IT'S NOT A GOOD DEAL! and I won't buy it.

#3 ~ Not all the prices at the Commissary are good prices even with a coupon! Even though most of the toiletries items at the Commissary are cheaper than off base on a regular basis they are not cheaper than the sales you can get at CVS and Walgreens. So again refer back to #2 and know your prices!

#4 ~ When looking at your total savings on your receipt Don't get discouraged! The Commissary doesn't list your savings if items are on sale or cheaper than say Walmart. So even though you may only save 30% on your over all bill if you had received those prices off base you probably would have saved around 50% on your bill. (This part always frustrated me. I knew I got Awesome deals but the numbers on the receipt didn't show that.)

#5 ~ Don't spend more than you have! Remember it's only a great deal if your family will use the item! If your family doesn't use the item your wasting your money buying it. As I clip my coupons I know what items we don't use and I automatically give those away to others that will. No use in keeping them or even using them on a great deal if my family doesn't like that product.

#6 ~ Don't Overstock! I know that seems crazy but I go by a 3 month rule. If I have enough of an item to last us about 3 months then I don't stock up on that item until I'm down to about a 1 month supply. It is hard sometimes to walk away from a Great Deal but when you Overstock your over Spending! Another sale will come along I Promise!

~ Melinda ~