Holidays are a great time to find deals on A LOT of different things. I was able to pick up two lamb chops today for $3. Since the grocery store is stocking more of it than usual, some of it went to the clearance bin and was 50% off. Last week I picked up a spiral ham for a $1.29 a pound, sale price. Sometimes there's deal to be had, but you have to look out for them. I don't really care for meat
best buy date to be the following day, it's going to be tossed in the freezer and defrosted when I'm ready to cook it.
Florida doesn't allow for coupon doubling, but Publix is pretty good about having sales for items in the coupons. They also put out a coupon booklet at the front of the store. There were times I was paying .00-.25 cents for two items between B1G1 free, manufacturer coupon, and store coupon.
I think one of my best trips, was spending $17 and saving over $30 because of store sales. I stocked up on pork lions, normally $11.99 on sale for $5.00, and a few other things like 3 for $5 cereal (normally $3-4 a box).
If there's a particular item you're wanting, like a couple weeks ago I needed a new bottle of olive oil. So I waited till one showed up in the paper for $4.99 a bottle, then checked the manufacture site and got another $1 off coupon. $4 for a bottle of olive oil is pretty darn cheap to me out here. I was happy with my deal.
It's a mix between planning and stocking up. Knowing what you need soon, and what you use a lot of when it is on sale.