Real Saving 10/19/11

Last night I made my weekly trip to Rainbow Foods. Armed with my coupons I planned to do two transactions that would save me over 50%. Here is what I got:

Transaction #1:
4 cans Progresso tomato soup: $4 - $1 coupon (doubled) = $2
DiGiorno supreme pizza: $5.98 (w/store coupon) - $1 coupon (doubled) = $3.98
3 bags halloween candy: $6/3 - $1.50 coupon = $4.50
Ground beef: $7.77
Generic shampoo for Andy: $.88 (w/store coupon)
5 lbs potatos: $1.88 (w/store coupon)
Frigo 12 pack string cheese: $3.99 - $.55 coupon (doubled) = $2.89

Total spent: $19.24
Total saved after sales and coupons: $28.06

Savings: 59%

Transaction #2:
2 boxes Cheerios: $3.96 - $1 coupon (doubled) = $1.96
2 DiGiorno personal pizzas: $5 - (2) $2 coupons = $1
7 Healthy Choice frozen meals: $11.62 - (2) $1 coupons (doubled) = $7.62
Chicken breasts: $5.76
Aquafresh: $1.50 - $.75 coupon (doubled) = FREE
Tampons: $2.98 (w/store coupon) - $1 coupon (Do not double) = $1.98
Halls cough drops: $.88 (w/ store coupon)
Bananas: $2.46
Butternut Squash: $2.38
Broccoli: Just now realized that I wasn't charged - FREE
4 Roundy's yogurts: $2.20

Total spent: $26.96

Total saved after sales and coupons: $36.80

Savings: 58%

How Do I Know What's a Good Deal?

Over time, I've developed a sense of what I will pay for an item, for example:

Chicken breasts: $2/lb (I might also buy 10 lbs at a time if I can)
Cheese: $4/lb
Salad dressing: free
Toothpaste: $.25 MAX, but preferably free
Pasta: free
Cereal: No more than $1/box, usually between $.60-.80/box

I also use another website to help me find coupon/sale match ups so that I know what to look for. My favorite is Pocket Your Dollars, which provides lists for all stores in the Minneapolis metro: Rainbow, Cub, Walgreens, Target, CVS, Wal Mart, and others. This website cuts literally HOURS from my couponing time. I can just check her site, print the list of deals that I'm interested in, and pull my coupons.