Lots of people getting food stamps benefits have a rough two weeks waiting for the next monthly deposit to reach their accounts. That's when the phones would ring off the hook at the food bank from people looking for emergency food assistance. A number of those calls came from seniors or other single adults (with no dependents) who were only receiving $10 - $15 a month in food stamps anyway. With that in mind and with the number of people getting food stamps (or SNAP benefits) at a record high, I decided test the coupon system and see how much food I could get for $15. The whole premise behind smart food coupon shopping is using your coupons only for items that are already on sale. And if you shop only the B1G1 sales with no coupons you're still saving 50%. These types of sales are not available at Walmart so grocery chains like Publix, Bi-Lo and Harris Teeter are your best bet in the Southeast. And if you have a Kroger's store near you, then you can stretch those savings pretty far. Since most people living in South Carolina have access to Bi-Lo stores, that's where I did my shopping. The prices listed next to each item highlight what I paid for each item after coupon discounts. Bi-Lo also doubles all coupons that are $.60 or less.
- 3 cans Allens No Salt Turnip Greens, $1.50
- 6 oz can Blue Diamond Almonds (Wasabi & Soy) - smoked almonds were also on sale but out of stock, $.69
- 4 jars Peter Pan Peanut Butter, $2 (2, $.60 q's doubled and peanut butter cost $.15 each, with $.50 off each of the remaining 2 jars of peanut butter cost about $.89 each)
- 2 lbs. Blue Ribbon Long Grain (White) Rice, $1.14
- 1, Bestlife Buttery Spread FREE ($.99 each with B1G1 sale, used $1 off coupon)
- 1 lb each Borden Muenster and Pepper Jack Cheese, $2 (my Borden Sensations Slices coupon scanned)
- 1 dozen large eggs FREE (when you buy -wyb 2 Borden Cheese products)
- Swiss Iced Tea, $.89
- 2 Smithfield Honey Cured Ham Steaks, $1.98 for both
- 1 pack Shady Brook Farms Turkey Hotdogs, $1.19
- 4 SCRUMPTIOUS plums, $1.38
I goofed because I grabbed turkey hotdog coupons for Butterball, not Shady Brook Farm. There was another deal on my shopping list for Butterball frozen turkey breast and I confused myself. I could have bought another pack of the Shady Brook hotdogs without a coupon and still came in under my $15 goal. No, I don't have any bread or buns for the hotdogs, but I've already shown you how to bake bread and hotdog buns yourself for pennies.
Also, I bought a few items separately that could have also been added to this shopping list and still come in under $15.00:
- 1, Lance Nekot Crackers, $.34
- Palermo Pizza, $2.04