Knocking the dust off my binder for a grand total of $26.75

Due a hectic schedule, I really haven't had the time to coupon in the last 5-6 months. I was just about to give up, but because I felt like I was wasting money on newspapers, as I would buy 3 weekly papers but I wasn't clipping or using the coupons. Yesterday, I had the house to myself and decided to give it a go and see what I could match up.  I scored big between Kroger and Vg's (Flint, MI). Both stores double up to $1. The detergent was $1.74. The toothpaste, soap and hefty bags were all $0.49! The paper towel and deodorant and almond milk (not pictured…I forgot to take it out of the fridge) were free!! With the exception of the paper towel, everything else was a part of Kroger's "Buy 10 items and get $5.00 off" promotion. I had exactly 30 items and I was prepared to split up the transactions, but the clerk told me that I didn't need to. He was right; the computer recognized the items and applied the savings accordingly. It was actually one of the smoothest check-out processes that I've had at any store. Not bad for my first time using coupons in 6 months!!