Jun. 26, 2008 - Lowering Your Grocery Bill
There are only so many ways you can pay less at the grocery store. If you're already not buying excess (and not going through your supply too quickly...come on...you know who you are...those who go through a 12-pack of diet soda in a day or eat crackers, seeds, chips, or even fruits and veggies like they have never heard of a serving size), then you really only have two other options. Shop for sales, and use coupons.
One thing I have gotten out of the habit of lately is going to a few stores in a week to take advantage of their sales. When combining coupons with these sales, you maximize your savings. Now with the price of gas skyrocketing, you may be wondering how on earth you are supposed to go to more than one store in a week to get your groceries. Here is my advice for you: work it into your route. If you work, what stores do you pass on the way home. What stores does your spouse pass, or your children who are driving-what stores do they pass on the way home from school? Is there a Kroger near your daughter's dance studio? Is there a Harris Teeter near your son's soccer field? Do you pass a Food Lion on your way home from church? I am fortunate to have many different stores within a 5 or so mile radius from where I live, so I do not feeling like I am wasting time or money to get out and take advantage of these deals. On many Friday nights, Hubby brings home pizza from a place that has a Kroger right next to it. This is a great opportunity for me to send along a list and stack of coupons so he can grab any deals I found in the paper that week.
If you just do not have anything near you, then do what you can. Sometimes buying generic can be cheaper (don't be afraid to try generic/store brand...on most items it's just as good!). But often a name brand item will go on sale, and when combined with a coupon it can be cheaper than the generic version.
It's going to take a small effort on your part, but once you get used to taking a little time to shop the sale papers (or viewing the ads online) and organizing your coupons, you will find that you are saving money. So what if you only save $1.50 this week? It's SOMETHING! Try to never pay full price!
If you do not get the Sunday paper, or if ads do not come in your mailbox on Wednesdays, you can go to your local store's website. All of my local stores post their weekly ads online. Even some of the drugstores post their ads online.
No one is going to save money for you. Food and toiletries are not getting cheaper. Make an effort! Any effort! I may not shop this way each and every week. Some weeks, or even seasons in my life, just have not been conducive to that. But please realize it is within your power to spend less on groceries and ease the pain your wallet is feeling!
I will be adding another post soon listing the deals I am seeing this week and showing you how using coupons on those deals is getting me food for way less (sometimes even for free!).
I wrote here about coupon sources. I also wrote more about coupons here and here. I kind of lost my way in posting all the links to free stuff and great deals. While that is a big part of what I want to share with you, I also want to get back to sharing with you how I save on a weekly basis. Bear with me as I find time here and there to get that together!
