Publix Penny Item Made Me Do It!

Of course I have my full coupon binder that I normally have with me if I am intending to go near any store.  However, my book needs some work at this point since we have a lot of craziness going on.  It's probably been about a month since I updated my book so at this point it will probably be an all day project.

Today I was taking my husband to physical therapy and then meeting up with a friend.  I had no intention of hitting Publix but when I found myself trying to kill time, I decided to go into Publix.  I was intending to get a couple of ears of corn which I had seen in the sale flyer.  As I wandered through Publix, killing time and heading for the corn, I came across a stray Penny Item coupon.  If you are not familiar with the Publix Penny Item, here is the quick rundown.  On their first sale day of the week (in some areas it is Wednesday and in some it is Thursday), the local newspapers print the coupon and it is good one day only for a mystery item.  Every week it is different and the coupon itself doesn't tell you what it is.  The idea is that you find out when you get to the store.  I used to run to Publix every Wednesday with my Penny Item coupon and then they started putting out generic items and frankly I felt that in most cases it really wasnt worth it for me to buy the newspaper to get s bottle of Publix brand ketchup, for example.  In order to take advantage of the Penny Item, you must make a $10 purchase.  The $10 is before all coupons but should not include the Penny Item. 

I had intended to buy the corn but what else was I going to get without coupons?  Having commissary privileges, in many cases, without a sale and a coupon, I do better at the commissary.  I remembered that Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce was on sale BOGO.  We love that sauce and while I may buy other brands for almost nothing for use on generic cookouts, there are certain things like ribs and pulled pork that just require a better tasting sauce.  The BOGO sale, without a coupon, set the price of the sauce just below commissary cost so I went for that first.  I then came across a display for Dixie bowls on BOGO and a coupon pad attached for $2 off a box of cereal WYB 2 packs of bowls.  Normally I only use paper plates for sandwiches or paper/plastic cups.  With the coupon for the cereal, this made a good deal.  I picked up my 4 ears of corn, my Penny Item, which happened to be Publix window cleaner.  Before I go on I would also like to point out that not all store brands are good in everything but I have to say that Publix store brands have been good in everything I have purchased.  The only items I was not thrilled with were their diapers and wipes but I know many people who love them so it really is a matter of personal preference.  I went to get my cereal and looked for a box in the $2 range.  Again I grabbed the Publix brand because my husband is not picky about cereal and the box was only $1.99 which after coupon made it free with a penny overage which applied to my other groceries.  I also picked up 2 boxes of Duncan Hines brownie mix which were on BOGO at a lower price than commissary regular price.  I knew that I had a coupon at home so this purchase sort of bothered me but hey, I was getting a free bottle of window cleaner.  Finally, I picked up a can of Bush's beans which were also on BOGO for a price lower than commissary regular.  All in all I ended up spending $9.76 after all sales and coupons.  My BOGO savings was 10.09 and my coupon savings was $4.19.  My total savings for this transaction was $14.27, which gave me a savings over 50%.  Not a bad deal at all!