And I saved.....

I had Thursday off from work, so I decided to sit down and make a list of what I needed from the sales ads and see how easy it is to price match at Wal-Mart.  I created a spreadsheet so that I could write down the prices of the items we usually buy to watch for in upcoming sales ads.  I wasn't sure how far out Wal-Mart would price match, so I stuck with stores in Mineral Wells, Graham, and Jacksboro.  I did find out they will match up to a 30 mile radius, so next time I'm going for Weatherford sales ads also!

Here is a breakdown of the items that I bought (that I needed, or we used), what their original price at Wal-Mart is, the price match price, savings per item and grand total of savings.  I had a few coupons, not as many as I wish I had, but they saved me about $4.

Item - Reg. Price - Price Match - Quantity - Total Saved
Dole Salad -   $2.78         $0.99                  1              $1.79
Red Potatoes - $0.99 lb    $0.59 lb             5 lbs          $2.00
Lunchables -    $1.58        $1.19                 8               $3.12
Pantene Pro-V - $3.78     $3.00                 2               $1.56
Doritos -          $2.50       $2.00                 2                $1.00
PP Chicken Thighs- $1.20 lb    $0.79 lb     5 lbs           $2.05
PP Chicken Drumsticks - $1.33 lb  $0.79 lb   5 lbs       $2.70
Bush's Grillin' Beans - $1.62    $1.50         2                 $0.24
Bush's Baked Beans - $1.62   $1.50         2                 $0.24
Kool Aid -        $0.20     $0.09                16                $1.20
Dr. Pepper & A&W - $4.38  $2.50        4                   $7.52

Total Saved with Price Match: $23.42
Total Saved with Coupons:     $4.00
Grand Total Saved: $27.42

That beats my goal by $17.42!!!  Not bad for the first time I've done the price match.  Now, the next time will be better, or at least I'm going to set my goal to save more.  There are some things that I learned this first time.  I will probably take two baskets with me.  While it will be annoying dragging two carts, it will help me keep the price match items separate from the regular priced items.  I was stressing at the check out trying to make sure I caught all price match items before she rang them up.  If you price match, make sure to tell them the price match item and price BEFORE they scan it.  They don't require you to show them the ad, but I made a list of the items, their price, and what store's ad they were from so that if they did ask, I was ready to show them.  I also marked the item in the sales ad with a star so I could scan the ad quickly to find my items.

There is absolutely NO way I could have done this shopping trip with Ben and both kids.  It took me a little over 2 hours, but I was also taking my time to compare prices, write down prices of our frequently used items, and double check sales ads.  I know that the more I do this, the more efficient I will become.  the money I saved went to buy everything I needed for Kinnley's birthday invitations, so I wasn't out any extra money.  Hopefully, I will have an even bigger savings to share with you in a couple of weeks!

I will take pictures of Kinnley's invitation tonight to share with you.  Me and my bright ideas of making her invitations!  Oh well, she loved them so that's all that matters to me.  I hope everybody is having a great week!