This weekend I went grocery shopping, at Publix, and it was a real shopping pleasure. I began my trip by searching through the weekly online ad. Usually, I only get a few things, at a time, but I was excited to see that there was a promotion to purchase a $50 gas card for only $40, after spending $50 on groceries. I had no other option, but to take advantage of the offer.

I built my grocery list by searching through the Ad for Buy One Get One (BOGO) items first. Luckily, Airwick scented oils were BOGO. I was sure to pick up a few because those refills are a bit pricey and I use them regularly. Canned soups were also BOGO; I decided that these were good, for this particular shopping trip, because they’re non-perishable and make for great lunch items or emergency food. 

Next, I picked up one of Publix’s famous deli subs. Boar’s Head turkey was on sale, and the sandwich sizes are perfect for lunch and dinner. Recently, I’ve been limiting my caloric intake, and I’ve gotten to a point where I don’t need to eat a lot to satisfy my hunger. The turkey sandwich helped my calorie count, and only averaged $3 for lunch and $3 for dinner, and it was delicious!

Frozen veggies and fresh fruit were the last items I picked up. I remember seeing something on Instagram that asked, “What’s something your parents didn’t teach you?” and the most popular response was, “Fresh fruit and veggies go bad quickly when your parents aren’t buying them. It’s such an accurate observation! In a perfect world, I would love to keep fresh vegetables, but they spoil or mold too quickly for my eating habits. I usually get canned veggies, but Mom always fusses about the sodium content of canned veggies so this time, I opted for frozen vegetables because they won’t perish like fresh veggies, and they don’t have the high sodium content like their canned counterparts. Strawberries and blueberries were on sale, but I only purchased one box of each. I trusted that I would be able to consume just one container of each before they evolved into science experiments in the refrigerator. At Publix, you don’t have to buy multiples, of a sale item, to get the discount. If strawberries are 2 for $5, buying one box will still give you the $2.50 price. The berries served as my healthy breakfast for three days. 

Finally, I spent a few moments to determine which gas card to get. There were four options, and I decided to go with the QT gas card since QT has the lowest prices for premium gas in the area. I trust the gas quality, and I like the cleanliness of their fuel stations. 

I saved a lot of money by spending just 5 minutes of planning before shopping, and I made sure that I wasn’t HANGRY. You’ve heard it before, “don’t go grocery shopping while hungry or you’ll buy the whole store.” I also capitalized on credit card rewards by using the credit card that gave the most significant cash back percentage. Grocery shopping may look a little different for you depending on your preferences, access to individual grocery stores, and family size. But check out the sales papers and notice trends in sale dates, for example, I never pay full price for Airwick oil refills because I know they’re BOGO every month.