Kroger's 10 Item Mega Event

I've largely ignored grocery sale fliers and coupons for a number of years. Instead I shopped at stores that consistently have lower prices on most items; namely Aldi and recently Sam's Club. Now that I've joined in on the CVS craze, I am saving coupons and occasionally browsing through the grocery sales fliers. But I have to wonder are the deals that great and is it worth my time?

This week Kroger is having a "10 Item Mega Event." I did not see this myself, but after two friends mentioned it to me, and because I needed to pick up a few in between shopping days items, I decided to stop at Kroger. Then I went back last night.

If you have seen this promotion, there is a lot of stuff on sale. It includes named brands like Keebler, Betty Crocker, Kraft, Pepperidge Farm, and Quaker to name a few. The sale items are sorted into groups by price. If you buy 10 items in the same price group you get a $5 instant reward making your final cost per item either $0.50, $1, $1.50 or $2.00. You can see more by looking at the sale flier for your area on the Kroger website.

The first stop at Kroger I was totally unprepared. I didn't have my price book or any coupons with me. I had only planned to pick up some milk. I grabbed the flier for a quick look. Kraft cheese first caught my eye. After the $5 reward the price is $1.50 for an eight ounce package of cheese. Block or shredded cheese was offered at that price. I normally buy cheese in huge bags from Sams. I was pretty sure this sale was a good deal, and I was running low of cheese so I bought 10 packs of cheese. (Cheese can be frozen if you are looking to stock up.)

I also noticed Goldfish and Kroger brand breakfast pastries on the $0.50 (after reward) list. Neither of these is on my normal shopping list. They are treats, and at $0.50 a pop I figured they were treats I could afford this week. I bought five of each. I also noticed some items on the flier that I had coupons for at home, and decided to wait to do any more shopping until I could take a closer look.

After putting away all that cheese, I got out the price book to see if in fact I had gotten a good deal. I was disappointed to see that the cheese I thought was a good deal was actually slightly more expensive per ounce than what I get at Sams! Kroger is much closer to home for me, but I do go to Sams about once a month to stock up on things. I could have waited for the cheese. Another consideration is the Kraft cheese came in usable portions. I rebag the Sam's cheese in smaller portions and freeze. All in all I have to say the cheese was a draw.

Next I looked at the coupons and matched them with the ad. I had a lot of coupons for Pillsbury and Betty Crocker that were included in the $1 group. I had to go out yesterday afternoon so I stopped by Kroger again. I bought two cookie mixes, one box of scalloped potatoes, and seven Pilsbury breads. The grand total after coupons, doubling, the reward, tax, was $5.40. Great deal, but again these are items I would not buy normally. In fact, I have said before the cookie mixes weren't worth any price. (Mine were free with the coupons I had.)

There are some great prices included in this sale, but was it worthwhile for me? The cheese is the only item I would have bought regardless of the sale, and as I stated above the cost really is about equal to what I would normally pay. I did not price out each sale item, but some of the items in the sale, like salad dressing, I found to be cheaper at my normal stores.

I would not have purchased any of the other items in a normal shopping trip. Most of the time I would say that buying something you normally wouldn't is not a good deal. But when buying a $0.50 box of breakfast pastries makes you the world's best mom for a few days it just might be worth it! And when you are getting a few convenient items for about $0.50 each, well every now and then it might be alright, even if they don't taste nearly as good as what you make from scratch.

Another thing to consider when buying extras is whether you have extra in the budget for them. We aren't talking luxury watches here, but little treats. I spent about $30 for what would be considered extras to my normal groceries. I did have a little extra income this month, but was this the best way to use it?

So is this a good sale? Well, yes, and no, and maybe. It really depends on what you normally buy, and where you normally shop. This is a prime example of where having a price book comes in handy. It is easy to get caught up in the marketing, and the fun (and sometimes savings) of the gimmick. You need to be able to compare the sale to the best price you normally pay. That is the only way you can decide if the prices are really good and the effort is worth your time.

Frugal Fridays