Money Saving Secrets to Save on Groceries Now!
If you are ready to save real money on your grocery bill and put that money to better use; if you want a surplus of groceries and products for your family to enjoy that stays well within your budget, then this will set you in the right direction. Saving on groceries has become a passion that has been not only helpful in our personal family finances, but also a lot of fun! I do not know about you, but I love it when I get a whole lot more for a whole lot less.
You will be able to use these money saving tips to begin saving today!
Stay-at-home mom = Work!
As a stay-at-home mom, one thing that I know is that anyone who says, “Oh, so you don’t work…” does not have a clue! Staying home with your kids can be a huge blessing, but it is definitely work.
I started coupon shopping several years ago so I could do more to help our finances without sacrificing the choices we made to home school our children and keep our family a priority.
I found a way to help with our finances and still stay at home for my family
Now you might say, everyone knows about coupons. I use coupons. They have been around for years. I know… because I have heard it and I used to even say it myself! I would hear about people saving all this money with coupons, so I would look and find a few that I might use, but it just never seemed to amount to much or to really make much of a difference. I would even tell people, ” I just go to WalMart or whatever discount store and buy the generic store brand. It’s always less than it would be if I use the coupon for the higher priced brand.” So I finally gave up on coupons for the most part. My routine would be to plan a week of meals, make a grocery list for only the items that I needed, and not let myself be swayed from off my list because I knew from experience that all that did was make my grocery bill skyrocket!
I worked very hard at meal planning and having well balanced and economic meals, but it seemed like the cupboards and ‘fridge were not ever very exciting to look at. Then there were always those dreaded non-food items. I always thought, “Yeah, that toilet paper might be soft and oh so gentle, but it costs $1.97 more than this one!” Needless to say, grocery shopping was not on my Top 10 list of fun things to do.
Couponing 101
Then something happened that peaked my curiosity. My son would come home from his friend’s house talking about the smorgasbord of delectable treats he devoured from their overflowing fridge and pantry. He would tell me how his friend’s mom shops with coupons and hardly spends any money. He would tell me that I had to talk to his friend’s mom! Well, I did just that, and my eyes were opened to a totally new way of grocery shopping. No more would I be keeping meager supplies just to cover that week’s meals, but now I would be maintaining a surplus of stocked goods that makes me smile every time I open my pantry. I found out that it is not just about the coupons, but matching them with an already great deal at the store that week. When you shop the deals WITH the coupons, then you have the surplus. And that is just the beginning.
Wow! Free Groceries!
I was genuinely amazed at my immediate savings. Not only that, but instead of only occasionally patronizing those really nice, clean, expensive stores with the fresh, green, pretty produce displayed so pristinely, now those stores are my regular destination. The best part… at the checkout when the cashier hands me my receipt and says, “Wow! You have a savings of $48.63!” And I only spent about $40.00. It’s still a regular occurrence on the way home from grocery shopping to call a friend and tell them about the 10 bags of free cat food and 4 boxes of cereal I got for 2 bucks! We have been so blessed and excited with an overabundance that it is common for us to help needy families with enough dry goods, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. to last them at least 4 months! And most of it was free or cost us very little.
How to have a happy pocketbook
This whole adventure did more for my family than save money. I was able to finally relax and not worry so much about how much I was spending. I am able to buy enough food for my ravenous teenage sons and their hungry friends and not be terrorized by the grocery bill. There are even weeks when I do not even need to buy groceries. If I know there are things I can get for free or ridiculously cheap then I will go, but I know if I miss the bargains that week, I still have my coupons for the next one. It has been really nice to go ahead and buy those nice steaks to slap on the grill and know that with my savings in other areas, it will not affect my checkbook.
There is a pattern to grocery store sales and the coupons the manufacturers run. There are stores that will double and triple your coupons and matching sales with available coupons is a gold mine! The discount stores do habitually offer lower prices on most items, but the sales at the other stores along with your coupons makes the item you purchase rock bottom and quite often, free! The stores aren’t surprised about what coupons come out. A lot of times when there is a really good sale, certain items will be gone before you have a chance to shop. But even if you get to the store and they are all out of the item that was on sale, you can get a “rain check” and pay the sale price when you go back next week or the week after when the shelves are restocked! I literally have not had to buy dishwasher soap for 9 months, and when I did get it, it was free! And I am not talking the cheapy stuff you get at the dollar store either. It is the nice Powerball tabs and pre-measured packets you just pull out of the box and put in the door of the dishwasher. Pay a dollar for Softsoap? Not when I can get it for free!!”
Coupon shopping has really been a fun adventure. I cannot imagine doing it any other way now that I know what I know. I wonder how I ever managed before! The manufacturers want you to use their products. The stores want you to buy from them. Coupon shopping will oblige them both, make it more than worth your while and a whole lot of fun. You can turn your shopping into an exciting exploit that leaves your kids shouting, “Mom! Can I help you with the groceries?!”