*Side note- I've wanted to type the sound of my laughter with a "b" at the beginning of it for so long just to see what it feels like. Yep. It feels just as dumb as it looks. I'll never do it again. Promise.
Ok...enough rabbit chasing. For the past two months, I have been shaving a considerable amount off our weekly grocery bill, and I'm pretty happy with the breathing room in the budget. I've always thought couponing was a massive waste of time with little payoff. Well, the way I was doing it WAS a massive waste of time. I was using like .40 coupons on $3 items and thinking "What's all the fuss about?" Then, I took an hour or so, went to the Southern Savers site (but don't go there yet!), and learned how couponing really works.
First of all, I learned that clipping the coupons out of the paper and making a grocery list of all the things I want for the week without regard to sales, coupon values, or cycles (we'll get there) isn't going to save me squat. This is what I was doing.
Second of all, I learned that organization was key. I was sticking a few coupons in my wallet and pulling them out at the store to find those items, only to see that even with the coupon, they were usually more than the store brand version. Boo.
I'm not going to give a full tutorial because the SS site link above will take you to a plethora of couponing knowledge. It was honestly my sole resource for getting started and remains my primary resource. Disclaimer, though. The author is not from Jackson, so all of her Kroger deals are not the same as ours (if you're in Jackson). I've learned to double check our local ads before I race out expecting the same deals.
Sales- There are some things that we need every week that don't really go on sale. I could probably go to 5 different stores and find these items cheaper than I do at Kroger, but I'm frugal, not a lunatic. I most def would need to be committed after I attempted 5 stores with my kids. But lots of things DO go on sale. I just had to learn, and am still learning, when. There are some weeks when very few things are on sale, and that stinks. The key is to already be stocked up on those things from the week(s) they were dirt cheap. This leads me to cycles.
Cycles- Most food, and even non-food items, have cycles. They reach their peak and bottom prices at certain times throughout the year. I still haven't gotten completely on the cycle with groceries, but I'm inching closer. The trick is to buy them when they are at their cheapest, and buy enough to last until they are that cheap again. For instance, I bought like 10 boxes of GM cereals about 5 weeks ago during Kroger's mega event for around .60 a box...not the small boxes either. We still have Cheerios. Chex also went on sale a couple of weeks ago, and we have a box or two of that left, too. I probably won't buy cereal for a couple more weeks because it's not ripe for the picking yet. I will never go back to buying a $3+ box of cereal. It makes me sick to even think about it. Blech.
Coupons- Not all coupons are created equally. The SS site has info on where to get your coupons, and she even tells you how to use them to maximize them. I just get mine from the Sunday paper, online, and I've even ordered some from The Coupon Clippers. I know it sounds crazy to pay for coupons, but I only buy the ones that are super high value coupons (Buy 1 get 1 free on Axe, $3 off our dog food, $2 off Digiorno pizza are some of the ones from my last order.) Some coupons just don't come out in our area, and I'm most def willing to pay .20 for a $2 coupon (+ the cost of a stamp). You have to make sure you're buying a manufacturer coupon and not a store coupon, though. Publix sure releases some enticing ones. I'd basically be willing to move just to shop at Publix : ) I mean, have you had their key lime pie?
Ok. So where's the loot? I'm getting there o ye of little patience. Just remember, I'm shopping in cycles, so I don't have 4 packages of meat, grains, etc. I stocked up on those things when they were on sale. BTW, I haven't paid more than .20 for a package of pasta in months. Most of it's been free. Several times I even made money from buying pasta. We really like our pasta. Especially when it's free.
Ok. Here we go. First off, Walgreen's.
This is my first transaction. Why multiples? Because I knew how many Register Rewards (RR from here on out) I would get from the purchase of certain items, and I wanted to use them for the purchase of other items. They don't print until you pay, so you have to split your transactions. Also, you can only get a RR once for each offer. That's why the Herbal Essences are split up. I'll do my best to explain everything I did, but I'll probably leave something out. Sorry. I'm being orbited by two balls of energy, and daddy's sick in the bed. This is sanity blogging at its best.
Vicks stuff-$8 worth of coupons from the Proctor and Gamble (I will use P&G from here on out as the abbreviation) insert in the paper, $10 RR for spending $20 (RR are calculated before coupon savings)= appr. $2 for all of it
Chex- I didn't have any coupons on hand, but they are on sale for .99 a bag, and you get $1.50 RR for buying 3= appr. .50 each
Gillette razor-$4 P&G coupon, $4 RR= $1.99
Herbal Essences- On sale for 2.99, Buy 1 shamp/cond Get 1 styler free coupon, $1 RR= $1.99 for both
Those were all my RR items. These are the other deals as best I can recall.
Dawn- .99 Walgreen's coupon (made product .99, not .99 off)+.25 manufacturer coupon= .74
Secret Deo- They were B1G1 50% off. I had a $2 off Secret Flawless coupon and another .50 coupon for any Secret deo, so I got one that was cheaper. You can use a coupon for each item with B1G1. = appr $2 for both
Walgreen's storage bags- store coupon made them .99 each
The savings
I got $16.50 in RR from that purchase to use on transaction #2
Receipts are in the bedroom with the sick hubs, and I'm losing steam with remembering the final cost on things. Forgive me.
Chunky soups- Walgreen's coupon made them 2/$3 + $1.50 off 3 coupon= 4.50 for 4 (not my best deal on soup, but we needed them)
Always- On sale for $5.50+ $1 P&G coupon= 4.50
Tampax Pearl- On sale for $6.99+ $2 P&G coupon= 4.99
Olay soap-B1G1 50%, $2 off coupon
Herbal Essences-$1 off coupon + $1 RR printed out= .99
Now, I used my $16.50 on top of all my coupons (number of coupons, including RR can not exceed number of items...there's always gum and chap stick for filler items)
And voila...here's my second receipt.
Pretty sweet.
Okay, the next pics really display the sewing mess that is my buffet, the gunk left on my table from dinner that was consumed by my fam while I was away on my euphoric savings binge that I didn't bother to clean off before documenting the event, and even the mess in the living room. Oh. Well. Also, my pics are too warm, and half of them are crooked and out of focus. You're getting the idea here...
Ok. Like I said, I think I used 3 coupons at Kroger. I ran into a major manager's special display. Major. I bake. A lot. Most of it goes to my husband's work, the rest goes to my thighs. I cook a lot in general... always 1 meal a day, sometimes 3. So all these dirt cheap baking and cooking goodies were like hitting the jackpot. Once again, the receipts are in the infirmary, and I'm not going in there to retrieve them right now. I neglected to take a pic of the receipt, and I am waaaay too lazy to do that now, mid-blog. Nuh uh. You're just going to have to believe me.
I'll just be hitting a few highlights...
Hansen's Natural Apple Juice $1 each
Chicken Broth appr. .40 each
French Fried Onions appr. .50 each
Nothing spectacular here. Just necessities.
A few of the baking goodies.
Candy coating (almond bark) .70 each! It's usually around 2.70 per package (note: there is no "appr." before the .70 price...I remember this one clearly : )
Brown sugar appr. .60 each
More necessities...
Charmin on sale for $8.50 or so - $3 Kroger ecoupon (go to Kroger.com and load coupons to your card)
Except for the tomatoes, these cans were .20 and .30 each. I had a .50 coupon for 2 evap milks, so they were even cheaper. If you use "cream of" soups, you know this is 1/5th to 1/6th of their regular price.
$187.08 worth of stuff for $116.66. I've only been spending $60-$70 per week on groceries, but I went ahead and took advantage of the opportunity to stock up on these super cheap staples. Next week I'll only need produce and maybe a little meat.
If you hadn't noticed, I'm far from a brand slave. I could care less who makes it. I want value and quality. I don't care who I have to buy from to get it.
I also got some sewing goodies from Hancock's. They weren't rock-bottom prices, but they were all at least 30% off.
1 yd Wonder Under @30% off
2 yards of solid corduroy @ 50% off (about $3.50 per yard)
1 yard of print corduroy @ 50% off (about $5 per yard)
3 yards of elastic @ 30% off
Buttons .10
Button cover blanks @ 30% off
$20ish
The notions were all things I needed to move forward with project already in progress, so I didn't feel like shopping around too much.
So, that was my little adventure. Here are a few other things I can think of right off the bat that we do to save money.
- Minimal driving- There's no such thing as a "quick trip" to the store for us. It's a 20 minute drive no matter what we need. I try to plan to shop when I'm already going to church or appointments. Also, stores start their sales on different days. It's key to find one day when they all overlap. Otherwise, you'll be making trips multiple times a week.
- Cloth diapering- I try to use them as much as possible. I use disposables when we are out and about, but I try to use only cloth at home. I usually buy one pack of generic dipes a month.
- Thermostat control- I try to keep the heat on 67. Try. I also try to make sure I let as much sunlight in as possible to heat our home naturally.
- I dilute the kids' juice. They get plenty of fruits and veggies from meals and snacks. They are just drinking to hydrate. So when they get a cup of juice, I dilute it. Juice ain't cheap.
- Eating at home- I try to cook every night if at all possible. If I know we won't be home for a meal, I try, try, try to make something that's portable. It's more difficult in cold weather because you can't eat outdoors, and Starbuck's at Renaissance doesn't take too well to you eating your home-cooked food at their cafe. Even if you are a paying customer. Just a heads up.
- Cook enough for leftovers- It's my goal for every meal to produce enough leftovers to feed all of us lunch the next day.
- Get your coffee fix before heading out, or take it with you. Even if you don't think you'll want coffee, go ahead and take some to-go. I know my van is cosmically drawn to the Grant's Ferry Seattle Drip. Must. Fight. The. Craving. International Delights creamers are awesome, and they don't have that partially hydrogenated mess.
- Downgrade your cable or satellite. Who needs 300 channels?
- Use re-usable grocery bags- Not only can you fit more stuff in them (less trips to and from the car), but you get .03 per bag discount. It's not much, but every little bit counts....besides, I use them mostly for the convenience, not the discount or the green-ness. Shhh. Don't tell anyone : /
Tip for iPhone users. The iBank app is great. You can link your bank accounts to it, set up monthly budgets, and input expenses via import from your online bank statement or from your phone at the time of your purchase. Great stuff to get husband and wife on the same page!
I hope I haven't totally confused you. Don't even start the whole "I don't have the patience, brains, or time for this" spill. Been there done that. I don't have an over-abundance of free time, math was always my worst subject in school, and I'm a mother of two preschoolers, so I think you can understand the current condition of my nerves. It's really not that hard. You just have to learn a few basic concepts, then you're set. It's so much fun to save money, and your man will appreciate your effort to make the money go further. He'll even start asking you if you have a coupon for something he wants before he purchases it : )
Now go forth and save some money!
