So I decided to take a little challenge and see how much I could get with $50 and utilizing the tools and deals on A Full Cup to help me save.

I know there are some real deal seekers out there who can do better than I did, but I tried to buy only brands and items that our family currently uses, things we needed or wanted and basically keep it simple. I wanted to show PPP readers what you can do with very little effort… mainly just the help of A Full Cup and just being flexible at the store and keeping your eyes peeled.

Since this is a baby and toddler bargain site and I am a mom to a toddler, you will see quite a few toddler type items in there- the stuff that most of you all probably would buy on a normal basis… not 40 tubes of free toothpaste like you sometimes read about when someone is sharing a great deal. I think it’s great to stockpile, but that’s just not how I shop. I am just an average busy mom, hopefully like a lot of my readers out there and want to share you can save a ton of money without a lot of effort.

Planning for my shopping…

Basically I just took at look at the Store Shopping Lists on A Full Cup for the stores in my area. As I mentioned in the giveaway announcement a couple of days ago, this is one of my favorite features on A Full Cup… it’s listed under the “Tools” menu.

Anyhow, the Shopping list basically list everything on sale at a store and any coupons available for those items. Sometimes it may tell you which week a coupon came in the Sunday paper and sometimes you will find links to printable ones.

I made a list of items we could use or needed, printed and pulled out the coupons from my organizer and headed to the store with my toddler.

When I got to the store I discovered that a lot of people must have seen the same deal I was after because a lot of the items I went after were sold out. So one piece of advice would be to go early in the week… possibly Sunday when the ad breaks if you can. By Wednesday/Thursday most of those items you can score for free are sold out.

I was still able to find some great deals and due to some buzz in the store forums on A Full Cup, I was able to find some great markdown items at Kroger to offset not being able to find the toilet tissue, etc. that I went after.

The outcome of my planning…

I made a trip to Target and one to Kroger. Below you will find the details of those trips.

Target Trip: Spent $15.04 (pre-tax) and wound-up with 15 items, so about $1 an item… which I think is great. All were national brand items with the exception of the fruit snacks that I mention, but Target has some great store brands and I actually buy more of their store brands than is reflected in this trip… I was sticking to deals this week.

Here’s the breakdown of what I bought:

• 3 bottles Suave shampoo and conditioner
• 1 Suave deodorant
• 1 bottle Johnson & Johnson Baby Lotion
• 2 boxes Target brand Fruit Snacks
• 2 Betty Crocker Warm Delights
• 1 box Fruit Strips Stickers
• 2- 6 pack Mott’s Applesauce
• 2 Dole Leafy Romaine
• 2 packages Kraft shredded cheese

I won’t go into all the coupon match-ups, you can find that on A Full Cup and I think it can be confusing for someone who might be new to deal shopping.

What I will do is point out that I combined manufacturer’s coupons and Target store coupons (from the Target Coupon Generator on A Full Cup & my mailbox). I think I pretty much had 2 coupons for every item shown above a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon. I sooo love Target’s coupon policy and that they let you combine (Kroger does the same with their store coupons).

My total before tax was $15.04 and the items I purchased would have been $24.85, a savings of $9.81 or a savings of just under 40%.

We are stocked on shampoo for about 3 months, have plenty of fruit snack items for about 2 months and we eat salad for dinner with grilled chicken so the Dole is good for two meals. I am going to make pimento cheese with one of the bags of cheese, so that’s lunch for a couple of days. Lotion and deodorant probably will last about a month?

Kroger Trip: I spent $33.35 before tax and wound-up with 33 items, so again about a dollar an item. I wound-up not getting some of the items I went after, but that’s okay. We buy mostly fresh fruits, veggies and meats, but can really save on pasta, juices and that sort of thing with this sort of shopping. I wound-up with a combination of national brands and store brands which is exactly how I normally shop at Kroger… I really like their store brands and can save buying those if I can’t find a coupon/sale on a national brand item.

Here’s the breakdown of what I bought:

• 2 bottles of Welch’s Aqua Juice
• 1 package Whacky Mac
• 1 package No Yolks
• 2 boxes Kroger Large Elbow Macaroni
• 1 package Fresh Espress Colesaw Shreds
• 1 package Chiquita Apple Slices
• 2 packages Ronzoni Bistro
• 1 can Del Monte 100 Calorie Fruit Cocktail
• 2 cans Dole Pineapple
• 2 package Sargento’s Toppers (one will actually be free after rebate, but didn’t factor that in to total)
• 2 jars Ragu Sauce
• 1 box Kellogg’s Shredded Mini Wheats
• 1 Colgate Dora Toothbrush
• 1 box Land O’Lakes Butter
• 1 package Kroger Comforts Baby Wipes
• 1 package Kroger Comforts Disposable Sippy Cups
• 1 bottle Aveeno Baby Baby Wash
• 1 package Kroger Comforts Freeze Dried Corn
• 2 bottles Softsoap
• 1 package Kroger Chocolate Chip Cookies (my splurge)
• 1/2 gallon Private Selection Whole Milk
• 3 cans Kroger Cut Green Beans
• 1 can Kroger Refried Beans
• 1 lb fresh Zucchini

Again, not going to go into all the couponing detail… think that’s just information overload with such a long post already. ) But, I spent $33.35 before tax and the items would have been $56.52 before any dicounts or coupons, a difference of $23.17 or just over 40%. Hmmmm…. I am seeing a pattern here with this 40% savings?!?

I didn’t have a coupon for every item this time, some were just great store deals… but I did have a coupon for most of the items. Same as with Target, I even had two, a store and a mannie on some items. Once again, I loce sotre who give you store coupons to combine!

Again, this was keeping it simple and not scoring as many “freebies” as I had set out for. I know there are pros out there who can run circles around this, but this article is for the rest of us! )

Quite easily you could save 40% (you’ve seen the evidence above) on your shopping just by using the tools on A Full Cup. I think with a little practice, planning and getting there early in the week, you should be able to save more like 50% without even breaking a sweat.

Well, I hope this rather lengthy post helps some of you who are just now starting to save… I would highly suggest going and checking out sites like A Full Cup. It’s free to join and you have nothing to lose, but lots of green to gain.

Also, don’t forget about the giveaway we are having here on PPP. As part of the new look for A Full Cup, we are helping celebrate their “Save Green and Go Green” kick off and giving away a $25 shopping spree and a great reusable shopping tote.

P.S. If you are doing the math… I spent $48.39 before tax for 48 items. I do have a mail-in rebate for one of the Sargento’s Toppers, with it an tax… I am right at $50. I think that’s a great deal an appreciate A Full Cup’s help for helping my family save not only money, but time!!