Okay, I’m going to come out with this right off the top – I do not like to go grocery shopping! Not even a quick five minute trip to pick up milk. When I was single, I ate out as much as I could. One small ray of light that helps me get out there every week (other than the fact that I get hungry!) is being able to save money on the things we buy.
With a family of two adults and four kids, we have plenty of needs to fill up a grocery cart each week. I used to just do the shopping – no coupons, no sales, no planning other than a brief weekly menu. As you can imagine, I was over budget regularly. It became even more of a burden and distress to go grocery shopping.
After coming home from WalMart with one receipt that said I spent nearly $120 that trip for food and knowing I had already been to WalMart at least once that week, I finally decided I was going to save money SOMEHOW! So, I started looking up information on the internet and slowly got to a point where now I rarely pay full price for anything. I still don’t love grocery shopping, but at least I know I’m saving my family’s hard earned money.
Since then, many of my friends have asked – How do you save so much money each week? In this article, I’d like to break down the things I’ve learned into a few steps and hopefully get you quickly on the road to saving on your groceries each week.
The Newspaper. Did you know that most stores selling Sunday papers will put the extra ones on sale come Monday? I buy three or four papers each Monday for $0.38 each instead of the $1.50 everyone else bought them for just 24 hours previous. You save nearly 75% on the paper and get extra coupons for those Buy One Get One Free sales! If it is not posted, ask a manager or clerk about the papers that don’t get sold on Sundays. You’ll then have the coupons and the inserts for sales happening that week.
Sales Flyers. Each store advertises their deals for the week in their weekly ad. It is very beneficial to peruse the ad to see if there are any great or good deals listed and then match those up with any coupons you might have.
Buy One Get One Free. These are the best sales to look for as you search for deals. This is because, even though one item is completely free, you can still use a coupon for it! For instance, Mott’s Apple Juice was on sale this week at Publix. That means I’ll pay $2.99 for two bottles instead of $5.98 for a 50% savings right off the top. Then, if I have one coupon for $1/1, I pay $1.99 for two bottles. BUT, if I have two coupons for $1/1, I only pay $0.99 for two bottles of brand name 100% apple juice! That’s $0.49 per bottle for a savings of 83%. You may have a hard time finding even the off-brands for that price. Your B1G1 deal just became a phenomenal steal!
Money Back. There are stores that pay you back for making certain purchases. For example, CVS has their Extra Care Bucks program. In their sales ad, you will see some items listed on sale and then showing an even cheaper price after ECB’s. THe ECB’s that you earn can be put toward following purchases just like regular dollars. So, the $10 in ECB’s I just made on my last trip to CVS can be used for my purchase next week. There are several very knowledgeable bloggers who have detailed the ways to play the CVS game. Walgreens offers a similar program, calling it Register Rewards.
- CVS 101 by MoneySavingMom
- CVS: Making It Work For You by MoneySavingMom
- Walgreens 101 by MoneySavingMom
Make a Menu. Look through your refrigerator and freezer and pantry to see what you already have on hand. I try to clean out the refrigerator the day before I do my planning so it’s easier to see what I might need. Then, plan out what meals, including sides and beverages I’d like to serve my family that week using the deals found in the ads and food already on hand.
Make a List. Inevitably, there are good deals that I see as I walk through or I find something that should have been on the list and was not, but by and large, stick to your list. I have a notebook that I use to make my list. I use a different sheet of paper for each store I plan to go to and paperclip my coupons on the back. At the bottom of the list, I figure the approximate amount I plan to spend at that particular store. Now, I’m ready to go to the store.
Eat. Always eat before you go grocery shopping! You will be far less tempted to buy those little extras that add up so quickly. Bring water in a bottle with you, bring a few bottles if you shop with your children. I try to bring snacks for the kids as well – I’ll cave in sooner to them asking for something in their cute and sweet little way than to my own temptations.
Keep the kids busy. If you can’t do a babysitting coop with other Mommies that you trust with your precious children or you can’t shop at a time when a family member or spouse can watch the children, you may be tempted to just grab stuff so you can get in and get out quickly. One or two crayons for each child and a coloring book is not much extra to carry when it produces quiet kids that allow you to think about what you are buying.
It seems like there should be more to saving 70%, 80%, even 90% on a grocery bill each week, but that’s all I do. Buying a few tools each week and doing a little planning go a long way to saving lots of money.
What are some other ideas you have come up with either through experience or by reading this post to help other readers save money?
Related Posts
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I just found this website 5dollardinners.com
None of her meals cost over $5.
I LOVE 5dollardinners.com! I’ve been a subscriber for a little while now. I’ve been thinking about interviewing her!
This is very helpful and I don’t even have children right now. It sometimes feels stressful trying to buy and wanting to save as much as you can. Thank you much for this info!!
Thanks so much for the visit and the kind words Carrie!! It is hard until you really get yourself into a rhythm or a habit of how you do things. And how one person does it may not be the same as how another person does – but as long as it works for you guys and you feel comfortable with how much you are spending, than you should feel proud of yourself that you are doing your best!! Let’s cut coupons together sometime!!
{ 1 trackback }