Spending Goals: February Spending Report

I missed a week on reporting my goals. To be honest, I didn't feel much like doing anything to do with couponing (including blogging) after the debacle last week at Kroger.

The short version is that after they called to tell me the second half of my special order was in, when we tried to ring out with it the cashier told me we could only use (1) of the $3 Daytona coupons per transaction. There's nothing in those coupons that limit them and I'd used 4 at a time without a problem earlier in the week.  After a lot of hassles from the cashier, the CS desk and the floor supervisor and basically being made to feel like we were shoplifting for wanting to do what we knew was allowed, we finally got to the store manager.  He ended up calling corporate and called me back on Tuesday to tell me that yes we could use more than 1 per transaction, that there was no limit placed at corporate and the limits were only placed by the store and as far as he was concerned there was no problem.  The end result is that we decided we wouldn't be back to that store. While the manager was great and we really appreciated the grocery manager's efforts on the special order, we just don't want to deal with those types of attitudes when we are checking out (and it's the cashier's we'd have to deal with every time we go in).  There are several other Kroger's in town so we'll go to a different one.  We still need to go and use the rest of our Daytona coupons (we have 8 left, after using 1 at Publix last weekend).

All in all, we spent too much this month; for several reasons.  We spent more than I'd intended at Kroger (mainly because of not being allowed to use multiple $3 Qs when picking up the second half of our special order).  Somewhere along the last few months (according to my accountant husband) we shorted the grocery fund so that shortage came back to us this month giving us more than we normally schedule for groceries.

In the end, we spent $351.45 this month

Here's the breakdown since my last update:

• Target - paid $9.13 for $12.16 worth of groceries (2/12)
• Rite Aid - paid $1.87 for $17.90 worth of items (2/12)
• Rite Aid - paid $4.50 for $76.49 worth of items (2/13)
• Kroger - paid $37.13 for $67.45 worth of groceries (2/13) - first Mega trip - got (4) $3 Daytona Qs
• Kroger - paid $43.26 for $143.46 worth of groceries (2/15) - first 1/2 of special order, used (4) $3 Daytona Qs, got back 5 more.
• Walgreen - paid $4.10 for $19.96 worth of items (2/17)
• Publix - paid $22.52 for $85.18 worth of items (2/17)
• Kroger - paid $40.47 for $129.50 worth of groceries (2/19) -the bad trip, only used (1) $3 Daytona Q, got back 5.
• Publix - paid $1.04 for $7.98 worth of groceries (2/20) - used 1 of my $3 Kroger Qs
• Walgreens - paid $13.64 for $32.92 worth of items (2/22) - used personal money
• Publix - paid .71 for $31.75 worth of groceries (2/24)
• Rite Aid - paid $1.49 for $18.97 worth of items (2/24) - hit Winter Reward goal and received $20+UP

So for the month, we've spent $351.54 for a total of $1091.12 in grocery & drugstore items.  For a total savings of $786.07, or 72%

Overall a pretty good return.  I only took out $20 for grocery spending for the next 2 weeks and that's really all I want/intend to spend.  Our stockpile is pretty well stocked and we have plenty of the basics, as well as $24 in Kroger coupons to spend (it will be interesting to see how that ends up working out).