When I first started couponing, I would read about people being able to find all kinds of great deals and they would end up spending hardly anything on their shopping trip. And while I would look over the lists and coupons, sometimes it was hard for me to figure out just how they did it!

One of the most helpful things for me, to help me figure it all out, was seeing lists of exactly what people bought and what coupons they used – knowing the exact details of how they got such good deals and seeing the math in action. It helped me really understand how everything went together and how the different deals worked.

I am by no means an expert at this, but I thought I would post the details about my recent trip to Smith’s (Kroger) last week in case it would help others get some ideas on some of the many great deals that are available.

Smith’s (in Utah) is running their Mega Event sale again, as are many Kroger stores around the country, and there are some great bargains! Buy 10 participating items and save $5 instantly – that’s a .50 discount per item. Combine that store discount with some good manufacturer coupons and you’ve got some great deals.

Here’s what I picked up during the first week of the sale (most items still valid):

(3) Huggies diapers jumbo pack, on sale 8.99 (6.99 after coupon)
(1) bag misc rolls, clearanced to 1.24 (I used these to make the herbed garlic bread that Laura posted about HERE – delicious!)
(1) gallon Mountain Dairy whole milk, clearanced to .99 (sell by Jan 31)
(12) Emerald Nuts dry roasted peanuts, on sale 1.50 (.50 after $1 off peelie coupon on lid)
(8) CapriSun, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .99 after coupon)
(5) Electrasol 20ct dishwasher tabs, on sale 3.49 (2.99 after promo, .49 after coupon)
(8) Hormel chili, rang up at .88* (.38 after promo, .13 after coupon)
(6) Kleenex tissue, on sale 1.49 (.99 after promo, .82 after coupon)
(6) Kraft Naturals shredded cheese, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .99 after coupon)
(22) Kraft Easy Mac cups, on sale .99 (.49 after promo)
(5) Krusteaz cookie mix, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .49 after coupon)
(10) Pepperidge Farms goldfish crackers, on sale 1.38 (.88 after promo)
(2) Post Raisin Bran cereal, on sale 2.49 (1.99 after promo, free after coupon)
(2) Solo plastic cups, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .49 after coupon)
(1) Solo plastic bowls, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .49 after coupon)
(2) Velveeta 2lb loaf, on sale 4.29 (3.79 after promo, 2.79 after coupon)
(3) Keebler Zesta saltines, on sale 1.69 (1.19 after promo, .69 after coupon)

I used a lot of coupons on this trip [coupons taken from Utah inserts, may vary by region]:

(3) 2.00/1 printable coupons for the diapers [see Coupons.com]
(12) 1.00/1 peelie coupons for the nuts, attached to lids at store
(4) 1.00/2 printable coupons for the CapriSun [coupon from Kraft site – no longer available]
(5) 2.50/1 coupons for the dishwasher tabs [see SS-1/3)
(4) .55/2 coupons for the chili [see SS-1/24]
(2) .50/3 coupons for the Kleenex [see SS-1/3]
(3) 1.00/2 printable coupons for the cheese [see Coupons.com]
(5) 1.00/1 coupons for the cookie mix [see SS-12/6]
(2) 2.00/1 coupons for the Post cereal [sign up for newsletter HERE and they’ll email you a $2 off coupon]
(3) 1.00/1 coupons for the cups and bowls [see SS-12/6]
(2) 1.00/1 coupons for the Velveeta [no longer available]
(1) 1.00/2 coupon for the Zesta crackers [see RP-12/13]

Total: $85.87 for 97 items

There are a few variations on the coupons for several items, so if you don’t have the specific inserts listed above, or don’t have enough for what you want to get, be sure to check the shopping list for additional coupon options.

*The Hormel chili is listed in the ad at 1.29, making it .79 after the promo and about .52 after coupon. But there are a few select locations in the Salt Lake valley area that have the chili for .88 and it’s still part of the promo(check THIS POST for more details).