Super Savings Saturday - Dollar Store vs. Coupons

Have you entered this week's giveaway?

Okay, this isn't a true "Dollar Store vs. Coupons" challenge, but I think these pictures really say something:

Dollar Store - $2
Photobucket
I love these fruity flavored newton-y cookies - so much that I only get them about once a year. And $1 per package is not bad - no complaints from me.

King Sooper - $2.07
Photobucket
Several (okay, eleven) of the coupons were worth more than the items were priced, so the overages from those paid down the totals on the other items, so I really did get all of this for $2.07.

Asian Market - $5.98
Photobucket
The oyster sauce was nearly half the total, but it's crucial for the lo mein we make, and truly, this is about a year's supply of oyster sauce. A little dab'll do ya. Bananas were .39 a pound, and the tofu was 2/$2.25.

Sunflower Farmer's Market - $10.94
Photobucket
Awesome prices on produce - 88 cents a head for lettuce, 50 cents a pound for napa cabbage, 67 cents a pound for braeburn apples. All the prices were stellar, so we got a couple week's worth of produce (we also still have cabbage, carrots, mushrooms and citrus from last week), so we should be set for a while. Those Garden of Eatin' Chili Lime chips are my absolute favorite, and after sale and coupons they were .99 a bag. Yum.

We also got a couple things when we were in Walmart on Friday. I didn't take a picture - sorry. Just imagine a tub of sour cream, a jar of jalapenos, five Kool Aid packets (tropical punch) and a little bag of alphabet pasta. $3.73 at Walmart.

Total for all the all of it: $24.72

Comments

Jennifer said…
I love comparing the first two pictures. People always rave about the dollar store, but we couponers can certainly stretch a dollar much further than we can at the dollar store, can't we!?
Laura said…
Well, Jennifer, I love couponing, but I think the dollar store is an important resource too. I can get cute reading glasses there for a dollar, and if I don't have the right coupons to get detangler for my daughter's hair, then it's off to the dollar store! I don't shop there terribly often, but the dollar store is one of my savings strategies. :)
Mandy said…
I agree. Sometimes you can get things cheaper at the dollar store. It's much more worth my time to shop there than to have to drive 10 miles to walmart or somewhere else.
Yay! I'm so glad you finally have a stash of Tropical Punch Kool-Aid!

Those fresh veggies look terrific, too. There's only one source for good fresh veggies here, and they know it...and, unfortunately, it reflects in the price, too.
Noelle said…
I love the Dollar Store for buying my Sunday paper ($1 vs $1.75) and paper supplies for parties. But, in general, I'm with you. Better deals at the stores that take my Qs!

Great shopping week!
Lamb said…
I shop at the Family Dollar store that is about 1/2 mile from me. I am afraid I don't do the couponing--I don't even get the paper! I do most of my grocery shopping at a Hispanic grocers and an Asian grocers (both as close as the Family Dollar).
I make a policy to never drive more than 1 mile from the house to shop. If I did coupons and drove to say, the local Wal-Mart, that would be almost 10 miles there and 10 miles back driving on a heavily trafficked route.I hate to drive! So, I may spend more on groceries, but I only use 20 dollars worth of gas a month!
Laura said…
Awesome point, Lamb. Everyone's situation is different. We don't get the paper either - I do some of the printable coupons, and hubby is often able to bring home the inserts from Sunday papers that they have at his workplace. If I get them, cool. If not, oh well. Different scenarios will work for different people based on transportation, location, food preferences, etc. I've switched over to the ethnic markets/farmer markets for most of our produce and a lot of other things as well, and we've been very happy with that change.

Popular Posts