Secrets to supermarket savings - Part 1
By popular demand, I'm going to start a series on couponing. I've put off doing this for so long because I am not good at doing series (you know how highly distractible I am - sticking to one subject for more than a day or two is not easy for me!) and I also kept thinking it would be too much to try and delve into on my blog and thus the reason I am doing an ebook on the subject. However, since I keep stalling on the ebook and have had so many requests for me to share my "coupon secrets" I decided to do a series on my blog which I would then reorganize and expand into the Secrets to Supermarket Savings ebook. However, this series will probably not be done in any sort of progressive manner and probably will not be too organized. But, hopefully it will be helpful to many of you. If you have any questions on couponing at all, now is the time to ask. I'll try and do my best to answer all of them. And, once I'm finished, I'll take everything I've written and organize and expand it into a (hopefully) well-flowing manner for the ebook.
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First off, I think it is important for you to realize I have been coupon shopping since a few years before I got married. My mom prepared me very well in that regard by first having me go with her many times while she taught me the ins and outs of coupon shopping. Then she handed the whole kit and kaboodle over to me for some time. By the time I got married, shopping with coupons, knowing where to get the best deals, and what the cheapest price I could usually get items for was, was all "old hat" to me. I know that many of you have not had that same experience, but don't let it deter you. Just don't expect that you'll start out next week with saving 75% off your usual grocery bill. It takes time, practice, and thought. Keep at it and you'll soon master it and be teaching others!
We'll talk more about how to get started, but first let me give you an idea of how I plan for shopping. Going to the store all prepared is just about the number one key to successful savings, especially when you are shopping with young children.
Late in the week, I sit down for about 20-30 minutes or so and look online at our grocery store sale fliers. After lots of practice, I can very quickly scan the flier and pick out which sales are good. (I mentally know the least expensive prices at all the stores and can compare these with the sales. Most "sales" are not really that good. Just because something is 50% off does not mean it is a good price. Most of the items - especially boxed and prepackaged foods are so pricey these days. Even if they are 50% off and I have a coupon, I can still often make it for less. Be very careful, especially when new to couponing that you don't get caught into this "coupon trap"!)
Next, I check these good sales against my coupons. Some of them are only good if I have a coupon for the sale item as well. Some are good enough sales that I'll get it even if I don't have a coupon. I have a master list that I divide into 2-3 lists depending upon which stores I'm planning to go to (and sometimes this will be dependent upon how good the sales are. My rule of thumb is that I must be saving at least $10 to justify going to more than one store, even if the store is right on my way). After I check the sales and my coupons, I will write down on each store grocery list which items are on sale and what the sale price (with coupon - if applicable - is). I put the coupons for each store in separate envelopes that have each store's name on them at the front of my coupon box. Lastly, if I don't have coupons for an item that I think I might be able to find a printable coupon for and get it free or almost free, I'll do a quick search on the internet for it and often find one and print out as many as I can (most printable coupon sites only allow you to print 2 of each coupon per computer. Unless it is a really good deal (free) and an item we really like, I usually don't bother with trying to print from more than one computer.)
After I've determined which sales to hit, I then base our menu and the rest of the grocery list upon these sales and off of what we already have on hand. Since I often stock up on good deals, we usually have quite a number of items already in our cupboards. If I can't come up with meals to cook based upon these ingredients off the top of my head, I usually use the Ingredient Search feature on AllRecipes.com to come up with other options. I try to keep our dinners to around $1/person and lunches and breakfasts to around $0.50/person. This comes out to about $5-$6 per day. Since our budget for groceries is $35, this usually works out just about perfectly. And, when we have quite a bit of food stocked from previous good deals, I can often spend closer to $25/week on groceries since I'll just buy fruits and vegetables and the mega sale items (items which are free or pennies each).
Any questions so far? I'm sure I left out some details so feel free to ask away! In our next installment, I'll share about my coupon experience on Monday to give you an idea of what my typical purchases and savings often are. By the way, this is what works for me. I definitely am still learning and would love to hear from you as well. If you successfully use coupons or routinely shop on a limited budget, tell us how you plan your grocery shopping. We all can always use help in planning menus, grocery shopping, and saving money!
And don't forget, you can still get my brand-new Simply Centsible Breakfasts ebook for only $2.97 or all of our homemaking ebooks for only $11.97!
posted by Crystal Paine at 10:32 AM
6 Comments:
Thank you for sharing these tips, this is a skill I really need to learn as I will become a stay-at-home mom in only 2 short months!
What websites/flyers/other resources do you suggest for finding the best coupons? The grocery stores I normally frequent (Shaw's, Stop-n-Shop, Hannaford) usually just send out flyers advertising "specials" on certain products, but with no actual coupons.
Thank you again for taking the time to write out these tips for people like me who need to learn the art of frugality!
Dear Crystal,
Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I am not a big coupon user for several reasons but I am sure your advice will help many. You do so well with it! I am wondering if you are still planning to share your family's story about your tight budget soon, or is this something that will be in the e-book? Thanks, Lyn
Thank you so much for sharing these tips. I've been wanting to get into using coupons, as we are a family of 6. I look forward to all of your future posts on this, and the ebook as well. Thanks again.
Glad you are writing on this Crystal, since this is an area I am trying to bone up on. I thought I would pass on a link to Bethany's blog since she has been doing a very helpful series on couponing and using the Grocery Game : http://birthdynamics.com/blog/category/couponing/
Hi Crystal,
I used to save BIG with coupons but I have gotten out of the habit :0(
Have you ever had a problem with stores not accepting the printed coupons? One of our local stores (an Ingles) told me last year that they no longer accepted them.
Also, I was just wondering if you got your coupons from the Sunday paper and how many papers you bought to get what you needed?
I have also heard of websites that help you get really good savings - do you have any experience with these?
Thanks again and I am looking forward to this series.
Have a blessed day,
Dana
You are an inspiration! Out of curiousity, how do you organize your coupons? Date? Aisle? Topic?
Thanks!
Mari
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