Watch how we paid $15 for $150 worth of groceries
Had I not walked the cereal aisle, put yogurt in the cart and made room for the orange juice, bananas and Kleenex, I wouldn’t have believed it.
I was skeptical when I arrived at a local Publix store to meet Susan Samtur, a former New York school teacher who coined the name Coupon Queen decades before it became recession-chic. She claimed she could get in and out of the store with about $150 in groceries for under $20.
While I’d heard of these miracle shopping trips, I’d never witnessed one. I use coupons, of course, but feel pretty good about myself when I save $20 or $30. By the end the time we checked out, I felt a little lame but inspired as well.
There’s no need to hold back here. Customer service manager Linda Walker rang Samtur up for $151.17. After a list of manufacturer’s coupons, store coupons, rebates and buy one get one free sale items, a receipt longer than my arm showed she owed $15.45, including tax.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Walker said.
Neither had I. Samtur admits this was an unusual case. She pulled out all the stops for this particular trip, but ordinarily slashes anywhere from 40 to 60 percent from her bill.
There were cases like the Quaker Oatmeal. The cereal was buy one, get one free. Swell! Samtur also had a coupon that she’d written away for worth $4 off any of Quaker’s products. One box was regularly priced for $3.89. Her cost for two containers of oatmeal: Zero.
And there was the unexpected, like the instant-use peel away coupons. The store doubled all of her coupons that were 50 cents or less. When she came across a product that was cheaper in another brand, she bought it. Plus, she stuck to her list, pulling out the categorized coupons for use at the register.
“You need to do a little bit of work before you ever walk into the supermarket,” Samtur said.
I went in expecting the cart to spill over with unhealthy foods and things you probably don’t need. I was wrong. We had fruit and produce. Frozen veggies and whole wheat bread. Tuna and olive oil.
As for the coupon feeders that I always pass by unless it’s something I’m getting ready to buy that day, Samtur stopped — and stocked up. She took extras for Uncle Ben’s brown rice, not on sale, for when it would come in handy. She worked the room like the veteran she is, having started this routine in the 70’s when she was a low-paid school teachers in Yonkers.
“At that time, no one was doing it,” she said.
Now everyone is. The first coupon was by C.W. Post in the late 1800s, a one-cent cereal coupon. In 2009, 3.5 billion coupons were redeemed. We’ve come a long way.
“There’s a certain excitement,” she said. “Every time I do it, I feel it.”
Want $25 in coupons? Click here for Samtur’s Web site.
Can you do it any better?
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96 comments Add your comment
sherry bawol
February 9th, 2010
9:55 am
how did you get the coupons that were worth so much money?
Amy
February 9th, 2010
10:38 am
People write to the company and get some- I’m not too sure how it works but I think if you google it some more info. will come up.
PJ
February 9th, 2010
10:42 am
That is awesome. Now maybe you can get some reusable grocery bags & help save the environment too.
JM
February 9th, 2010
10:43 am
“The store doubled all of her coupons that were 50 cents or less.”
How do you get the store to do this? Is this a special circumstance?
Lucky guy
February 9th, 2010
10:44 am
Last week, my wife bought $147 worth of groceries and when all was said and done, paid $1.67. I’m serious. It was amazing.
Lucky guy
February 9th, 2010
10:44 am
JM…Publix doubles anything under 50 cents. All the time.
WTH?
February 9th, 2010
10:46 am
You can also call the toll free number and request coupons. They usaully send you more than 1 and are good for 6 months to a year and give you more off than what you find in the Sunday paper.
WTH?
February 9th, 2010
10:48 am
The toll free number on the products you buy..sorry for not clarifying that.
KW
February 9th, 2010
10:50 am
Well, you certainly can’t do it just by snipping coupons out of the AJC. So then it becomes a matter of how much is your time worth to you tracking down products that you use and writing to the companies.
Whole Foods
February 9th, 2010
10:51 am
You fools need to see Food 101 and quit eating processed foods from publix and Kroger. Chances are if you have a coupon for it, it’s not good for you. Never by foods from Quaker, Del Monte, etc, that stuff is doused in chemicals and is killing americans daily from cancer. Wake up fools! Stop eating cheap!!!
T.R.
February 9th, 2010
10:51 am
Check out http://www.southernsavers.com. The lady who runs it is holding couponing workshops in Georgia in the next few months. Well worth the time!
bkm
February 9th, 2010
10:52 am
I do this every week! The most I ever pay for grocerys is $15! Coupons, internet blogs, internet coupons, those little coupon things in the store (my 4 year old makes a game of finding those), only buy what is on sale and stock pile! Last week I got butter for free – I got 2! Ketchup on sale with a coupon, I got 3!
There are a ton of internet sites that do coupon match ups – those are the best tools!
KP
February 9th, 2010
10:52 am
WHERE do you get all these coupons????
TG
February 9th, 2010
10:52 am
Kroger also doubles anything under 50 cents. A great place to learn about all the couponing options is http://www.southernsavers.com. This site has helped me understand extreme couponing. It takes a little time until you get a system worked out, but it is worth it, and very doable. Another fun place for crazy deals is CVS. Seriously! Southern Savers will explain how you do it.
Elizabeth
February 9th, 2010
10:57 am
Thank you Whole Foods! I completely agree. About 95% of these coupons are for convenience, boxed, high processed foods. Crap, crap, crap!!
Cooking from scratch will yield the same savings and its BETTER FOR YOU!
Mike J
February 9th, 2010
11:00 am
As long as it doesnt say “no doubling” Publix will double anything under 50 cents. If you want a place to start couponing try iheartpublix.com and southersavers.com. Both are excellent places to go that breakdown all the weekly deals, telling you were to get what coupons and how to combine them to get the good deals. They even provide links to any coupons that can be printed online. The main sources for coupons are the Sunday paper, “blinkies” as they are called (the coupon machines in the stores), coupons booklets that come in the mail or are at the stores, and online coupon sites.
It is a lot of work, but can save you hundreds over a couple months. We have a stock supply of all sorts of items downstairs like toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, pasta, cereal, coffee, and the list goes on.
Good Luck!
gt110215
February 9th, 2010
11:05 am
Go to http://www.southernsavers.com they match up coupons with items that are on sale and bogos with your local store. Check it out its pretty good we have saved using it.
TheRiver97.1FM
February 9th, 2010
11:08 am
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Sally
February 9th, 2010
11:11 am
http://www.southernsavers.com/
If you follow this website you will learn alot about coupons. Plus, they list the advertised specials at alot of stores every week. These folks are definately professionals. I don’t do it as seriously as some, but I still follow them because they are always alerting me to something I can get a good deal on.
Tami
February 9th, 2010
11:13 am
Check out http://www.cannycouponers.com as well. They have an active blog group on Yahoo & on Facebook as well.
The Budget Mommy
February 9th, 2010
11:14 am
I run a website and talk about great deals like this all the time. I recently talked about how you can get 4 boxes of cereal and a gallon of milk for $2 at Publix right now! You certainly don’t have to pay full price for most of your groceries!
http://www.thebudgetmommy.com/
CouponClipper
February 9th, 2010
11:16 am
Check out the Maxing Your Money blog at http://www.wrdw.com. She posts links to coupon sites, manufacturer’s coupon sites, specials. Older blogs are still up with more links. It’s an Augusta station, but they have the same stores we do.
Binford2K
February 9th, 2010
11:18 am
I’m been doing this for years – it is not that hard, but it does require pre-shopping planning. A few things Susan neglected to mention. Product web sites and sites like coupon.com help out a great deal. Using her example of buying a BOGO (buy one get one)…. look on the Publix website and see what is BOGO, and then search the internet for coupons on the product you are interested in. Another thing is that almost all stores take competitor coupons, so if you see a Ingles coupon and you don’t go there – use it at Publix, Kroger, Wal-Mart.
If you get in to the habit, it is not that time consuming and can become a challenge and something you bond with your better half. You can spend the savings on them
ListenMissy
February 9th, 2010
11:19 am
I coupon. I use the Sunday coupon inserts for most of it. I use coupons based on what my family needs. That being said, the majority of these “coupon queens” are buying stuff they don’t need just because it is a good deal. Yes, many of them give things away to shelters and others, and that is great, but using coupons just for the sake of getting a free item doesn’t make much sense to me. Saw a news report with one of these ladies and her pantry was filled to capacity with stuff that she admitted she would more likely give away than use herself, which kind of defeats the purpose of saving yourself money. When pressed on how much she had actually saved for her own family that week, and how much she would be spending on dinner, the savings didn’t add up so much. Don’t get me wrong – I love my coupons, I love that Publix doubles them – but don’t be misled by the headlines.
Ms Chelle
February 9th, 2010
11:19 am
Sunday’s Paper is always full of coupons
r
February 9th, 2010
11:21 am
I am also a southern savers fan…this woman tells you step by step and she is awesome. I have been couponing for about a year now and my first couponing day i went to kroger spent 12.00 but saved 87.00. This is so much fun and even though i am a working mom…it’s still another way of basically making money for my family becuase I would have had to spent full price if I didn’t use coupons. It’s part of my job as the shopper in the house. My husband appreciates it and my son loves it. It also teaches my son to pay attention to his money and. I have walked out of stores with a cart of groceries for less than 10 bucks now I have my mom and several friends doing it too. I love shocking the people behind me in line..they are interested and not aggrivated because coupons scan so fast now that it doesn’t take extra time in line.
Cammi317
February 9th, 2010
11:24 am
I wish I had the patience. Maybe this weekend I can sit down and get organized.
r
February 9th, 2010
11:25 am
hey elizabeth I cook from scratch too…look at coupons you can also save on fresh produce and meats…check out all coupon options before you speak….
The Budget Mommy
February 9th, 2010
11:26 am
I have also gotten $36.51 worth of food for $1.76! Come check out how and find some great printable coupons for Starbucks Ice Cream and Bottled Fraps, Post Cereal, and tons more!
http://www.thebudgetmommy.com/
Another coupon lady
February 9th, 2010
11:31 am
I’m always amused by people who insist there are only coupons for packaged/processed/boxed items. I see coupons in the Sunday AJC all the time for vegetables (fresh, frozen, and canned), organic items (including milk and cheese), and baking basics like flour and sugar. And sure, saving 80 or 90% is great, but if you just put a tiny bit of effort in each week, you can save around 20-30% (that’s what I do most of the time) and that adds up too.
Boricua
February 9th, 2010
11:32 am
The Centsable Lady, http://www.centsablelady.com, does a great job not just helping people with ‘couponing’ (INCLUDING ORGANICS) but also lists a lot great deals in electronics, baby, toys, etc. She also has articles on organization of coupons and other helpful hints for saving money.
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February 9th, 2010
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Whole Foods
February 9th, 2010
11:38 am
Another coupon lady you are not very smart. Organic products make up about 3% of the coupons out there. So that leaves the rest of the shopping cart for processed, boxed, chemical ridden food. Wake up people!!!!!!!!!
Courtney
February 9th, 2010
11:39 am
Yes, it is possible. I have a family of 4. I spent $1000 on groceries on a bad month. Recently I bought $200 worth of groceries for $62. I am no expert. Just started mid October 2009. Got a website to help others save as well as find freebies, save on organic food and spend less all together!
http://www.centsablelady.com
JoeV
February 9th, 2010
11:40 am
Cooking from scratch is EXPENSIVE!!! I should know, I cook from scratch. Anyone that thinks buying all natural foods and preparing home-cooked meals is cheap is much richer than I am.
To the WHOLE FOODS comment
February 9th, 2010
11:40 am
You are correct- you can’t really eat whole and healthy when you are couponing. However, you can’t eat whole and healthy on $60/week food budget (for family of 4)! If you are on a tight budget you don’t have the luxury of eating whole foods- you have to do what feeds meals to the kids- and that is following the sales combined with coupons. It’s a harsh reality.
Steve
February 9th, 2010
11:48 am
Hmm, as a single guy, with a not a lot of storage space, it’s hard for me to use a lot of coupons. Besides, I don’t want to buy all this packaged crap. You can get great deals on store brand items, but most of the coupons I find are for things I don’t need or want. I cook a lot from scratch, and that saves a ton of money. Shop the outer aisles and avoid the inner aisles – that is where all the msg, high fructose syrup, high sugar/fat/sodium processed food resides.
To save money at the supermarket, buy what is on sale…coupons are only a ploy to get you to buy something you don’t need. Sometimes they help, yes, but don’t be a slave to them. Be a smart shopper.
For example, buy a bag of brown rice and learn to cook that on the stove. Don’t buy some packaged brown rice instant bags that only give you 1/10th of what you’d get from the regular bag of rice.
Whole Foods
February 9th, 2010
11:50 am
These fools will never learn until they are dying of cancer from aspiratame, fructose, and other deadly chemicals. But hey, why not, they have a coupon for it!! These food companies are paying you to kill yourselves!!!
And for the people who say it is to expensive to eat only organic and whole: Pay now or pay your high health care bills down the road.
Most people are too dumb to figure this out though until its too late. What a shame.
Dixie
February 9th, 2010
11:51 am
I love southernsavers, too.
Here’s a link to another money saving site. http://www.moneysavingmom.com
Retired Teacher
February 9th, 2010
11:54 am
Had she done her shopping on Wednesday, she could have saved an additional 5%. Senior Citizens discount at Publix or Kroger. I went to Publix last week and saved $16.83 with store specials, BOGO, and coupons. Total cost was just under $35.00
el guapo
February 9th, 2010
11:58 am
u can buy seeds from home depot/lowes and grow ur own veggies. its really simple if u can water a plant and have a sunny spot on ur deck or backyard. freeze ur excess and ur set for the winter. just a thought
RK
February 9th, 2010
11:58 am
And buy dried beans/lentils.
TnT's Mom
February 9th, 2010
12:02 pm
I have tried couponing, but never really saved much. Couldn’t find coupons for the stuff my family will eat. I cook from scratch and from boxed dinners occasionally. Also, many times the store or generic brand was cheaper than the name brand after coupon.
el guapo
February 9th, 2010
12:02 pm
please dont take WHOLE FOODS comments the wrong way……….please be mindful of what u eat and the effects on the environment. cheap is not always better
Dear Whole Foods
February 9th, 2010
12:03 pm
Given the unfortunate circumstance, which one of your children would you not feed if you didn’t have the money to “pay now” ?
Go ahead, pick one.
Kat
February 9th, 2010
12:10 pm
I use coupons AND eat healthy. There are so many low-fat, whole-grain options out there, the companies that manufacture those foods are just as competitive for their market share as the junk-food brands. You can easily find coupons for fresh produce and fruit as well. I can easily feed my family of four a lean, healthy meal for under $4. Yes, a lot of coupons are for processsed convenience foods, but not all. “Whole Foods” and “Elizabeth”, there is no need to take such a polarizing position about this. It is not an “all or nothing” proposition. You do NOT have to choose between using coupons and healthy eating. The key is smart shopping AND understanding the nutritional information.
Ruth
February 9th, 2010
12:15 pm
I would suggest the http://www.southernsavers.com website and also the http://www.iheartpublix.com website. These people highlight great deals, do the coupon matchups for you and have ’sneak peaks’ into upcoming sales. I had a Super Bowl party on Sunday and spent $20 for over $80 worth of yummy items. No impulse shopping allowed though….
Good luck–we saved over $4,000 (yes that’s $4,000) in grocery bills last year by couponing and stockpiling.
LS
February 9th, 2010
12:15 pm
to Whole Foods, there is more than just food in a grocery store and coupons too. You can buy cleaning products, and yes the natural cleaning products with no chemicals, and also paper goods. Or do you not use toliet paper. Even if I only have a 75 cent coupon that’s 75 cents in my pocket for something else.
Jason
February 9th, 2010
12:16 pm
Yes, but if your job pays you $25/hour or more and you spend 2 to 3 hours or more every week working to find the right coupons, aren’t you really coming out behind? You must also consider how much your time is worth as well.
Angela
February 9th, 2010
12:17 pm
I will add to the healthy eating comments. I find it next to impossible to save money grocery shopping. I don’t buy junk food, I don’t buy quick, processed, foods. Therefore, I don’t get to partake in the coupon extravaganza. But unfortunately, folks with lower incomes ( or those who choose to play) don’t have healthy choices. It’s just the way it is.
But for those, I’m glad you can save money….That means, hopefully, more people will get themselves out of debt and start living within their means.