It came out this week that in Mid – April, a popular grocery store in Houston, TX – Kroger – will do away with it’s policy to double coupons up to $.50 and triple them to $.39.

I love Kroger.  I always have.  And I am a couponer.   I’ll never be featured on television for my couponing expertise, but I do save my family, on average, 55% a week.  I don’t think that is too shabby.

So when I originally heard about the couponing change, I was in an uproar.  I even posted on my Facebook page that my money saving days were over. I talked to my neighbor about changing where I shopped and whined to my husband about the hard work I put into saving money just to have it *poof* – go away!

And then I looked at my receipts.

I keep the good ones as badges of honor, I suppose, plus there is always a $100 gift card entry form and a woman can dream, right?

This week, on Sunday night, I gathered up my grocery list, my coupons, and my exuberance and headed to my Kroger.  I shopped happily – listening to the ‘ka – ching’ in my head as I mentally added up the savings.

At check out, my receipt reflected my efforts!

My bill was $329.34.  A bit of panic went through me as I clutched my coupons – it always does.  And then the checker scanned my Kroger card.

We stood and watched as the card took off $120.44 – just like that.  I had 100 items that qualified for a GREAT program they call the “Mega Event”.  Buy 10 participating items, get $5 off instantly at check out.  That, plus the items being on sale saved me 36% right off the bat.

And now for the coupons.

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.  And on it went.  I diligently watched as some doubled and some tripled.

By the time he was done, another $88.96 was off my bill.  All coupons.

My total bill was $119.94.  A 64% savings.

Not too shabby!

As I proudly patted my back on my coupon knowledge as I left the store, I remember thinking that Kroger’s coupon policies ROCKED!  And, mind you, no other store in our area has the double/ triple coupon policy.

So, as you can imagine, I was distraught over the news that they would stop. Until I looked at my receipt.

In reality, out of the $209.40 that I saved, only $4.50 was from double and triple coupon bonuses.

YES – you read that right!  Only $4.50.  Everything else was face value or a Mega Deal or on sale.

In fact, as I look through my last 4 receipts, the most I have saved on the double and triple coupon policy is $5.40.

So, though I understand everyone’s frustrations and irritations at the changes at Kroger, effective April 13, I see it from a different perspective. Coupons are still going to have value and I am still going to save big at the grocery store. And yes, the change takes money out of people’s pockets and $4.50 might be a lot to some.  But the policy will not take away the bulk of the coupons value, the fact that you can use it, and the other in store deals that save a person the most.

And that, at least from my very long receipts, is the truth about the new Kroger Coupon policy.