Kroger Challenge: Ground rules and 1st shopping trip

Last night, I kicked off the Kroger Challenge - to see how far I can make $1000 go.

But I'm not doing this frivolously. I'm not just going out and buying a bunch of things I don't need just because they're on sale or would be free after coupons. To me, that would be wasteful. I don't need diapers or 15 packs of Zyrtec. So, I decided to lay down a few ground rules for this challenge:

1. Only buy things that we would eat or use. For instance, there are certain brands of laundry detergent to which I am allergic. Even if there's a killer sale going on and Kroger is giving the stuff away, I'm not going to buy it.
2. Don't limit this to "coupons only" shopping. I'm trying to present a realistic picture. If I need milk or bread or anything else, I'll buy it - even if I don't have a coupon.
3. Stocking up on good sales is allowed. Because that's how I normally shop, anyway. If there is a really good sale on something that I'd normally use and I'm able to store it and have room for it in the shopping budget, then I do stock up on things.
4. No frivolous buying just because I have a gift card. You aren't going to see me buying expensive lobster or gourmet deli or bakery items. No need to use this as a reason to splurge.
   

So, with coupons in hand and rules in mind, I headed out to Kroger (or kro-zhay, as I call it).

I was out, or almost out, of several things, so I filled up a cart.

Price before savings (as Bob Barker would have said, "actual retail price"): $220.07
Price after savings (what I call "out of pocket" - tax not included): $113.84
Dollar amount saved: $106.23 (48%)

For those of you playing along at home, we just DOUBLED our money. In effect, I walked into the grocery store, filled up a cart and said, "I'm only going to pay HALF PRICE today." I got $220 worth of stuff for only $114.

The breakdown (i.e., what I bought):

Non-coupon items (things for which I didn't have a coupon):
Fresh chicken legs (Sale .99/lb., reg. 1.20/lb.)
Pork chops (Sale 1.99/lb., reg. 3.19/lb.)
Fresh chicken thighs (Sale .99/lb., reg. 1.20/lb.)
Whole fryer chicken (Sale .79/lb., reg. .88/lb.)
Smithfield bacon (Sale BOGO [buy one, get one free], reg. 4.77) - bought 2
Kroger creamy peanut butter (reg. 1.89) - bought 2
Kroger freezer bags (Sale 2.89., reg. 3.29)
Green Giant canned peas (Sale .59, reg. 1.05) - EXCELLENT unadvertised sale - bought 4
Green Giant canned corn (Sale .59, reg 1.05) - bought 6
Green Giant canned green beans (Sale .59, reg. 1.05) - bought 6
1% milk (Sale 2.38, reg. 2.87) - bought 2
Large eggs, 18 ct. (reg. 1.65)
Frito-Lay snack pack chips (reg. 6.39)
Kroger bread (reg. .78) - bought 4 (I buy bread and freeze for kids' sandwiches and such)

Coupon items (things for which I had a coupon):
DiGiorno Pizza (Sale 4.47, reg. 7.49) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + 2 Qs ("coupons") for $1 off) Final price: $2.97 - bought 2
Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough (Sale 2.49, reg. 2.55) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + 3 Qs for $1 off) Final price: .99 - bought 3
Lean Cuisine (Sale 2.17, reg. 3.21) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + Q for $2 off 3) Final price: $1 - bought 3
Kraft Singles American cheese slices 16 oz. (Sale 1.99, reg. 2.49) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + Q for .55 off 1, Q for .75 off 2) Final price: 1 for .94, 2 for 1.11 ea. - bought 3
Oscar Meyer Deli Select ham and turkey (Sale 2.99, reg. 4.49) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + 2Q for $1 off) Final price: 1.49 - bought 2
Oscar Meyer Bun Length franks (Reg. 1.99) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + Q $1 off 2) Final price: .99 - bought 2
Knorr Rice & Pasta Sides (Sale 1.00, reg. 1.07) (Q .60 off 2) Final price: .70 - bought 2
Betty Crocker Potatoes (Reg. 1.09) (2 Q .40 off 2 DOUBLED, Shortcuts eQ .40 off) Final price: .50 - bought 4
Jello gelatin (Sale 1.27, reg. 1.49) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + Q .50 off 2 DOUBLED) Final price: .27 - bought 2
Nestle Toll House Morsels (Sale 2.49, reg. 2.99) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + 4 Qs for .50 off DOUBLED) Final price: .99 - bought 4
Colgate Wave toothbrush (Sale 1.50, reg. 1.79) (2Q .40 off DOUBLED) Final price: .70 - bought 2
Crystal Light drink mix (Sale 2.99, reg. 4.79) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + 2Q for $2 off 2) Final price: 1.49 - bought 2
Kashi cereal (reg. 4.99) (Q for free Kashi cereal) Final price: FREE
Cocoa Puffs cereal (Sale 2.50, reg. 2.99) (Q .55 off) Final price: 1.95
Kraft Ranch dressing (Sale 1.69, reg. 2.99) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + Q .55 off) Final price: .64
Rice Krispies cereal (Reg. 2.77) (Q $1 off) Final price: 1.77
Pop Tarts 12 ct. (Sale 1.98, reg. 3.28) (Q $1 off 2) Final price: 1.48 - bought 2
Suave body wash (Sale 1.48, reg. 1.99) (2Q .50 off DOUBLED; 1Q - buy 2 get 1 free; eQ .65 off) Final cost: .10 ea. - bought 3
Capri Sun (Sale 1.87, reg. 2.11) (Add'l .50 off w/ Kroger Mega Sale; + Q .75 off 1; Q $1 off 3) Final price: .93 ea. - bought 4
Quilted Northern toilet paper (reg. 8.49) (Q $1 off) Final price: 7.49