Skip to main content

I Gotta Cut the Grocery Bill...Fast!


I have a confession.

One of my favorite TV program these days is a reality show about people who use coupons to cover the majority of their grocery costs. We're talking  70, 80, 90 - percent or more. It's amazing!



Here's the thing I noticed though when I'm watching it. During most episodes, the people dedicate 20+ hours each week to prepping for their shopping trips. Oh, and then they are often buying enormous quantities of items that I believe are far beyond the needs of the typical family's "stockpile" (that's couponer lingo).

For example, I recently saw an episode where the woman purchased 75 bottles of ca particular condiment and 200 packs of candy. It's honestly amazing to see the cost savings. I started dreaming about my own grocery bill savings, but I realized very quickly that I don't have the space for a stock pile of that magnitude and I'm not able to dedicate that much time to grocery shopping. Here's a few tidbits I learned from the show that I can incorporate into my own life. First, watch the weekly circulars to see what's on sale. The goal is to shop sales - especially loss leaders. And to match a coupon to a sale for maximum savings. Seems easy enough. Now I just need to do it.

Granted that should help, but there has got to be more that I can do that will actually reduce our monthly grocery budget? Here's the first three things I've come up with:

  1. Plant a veggie garden ASAP- since I'm off to a late start, I'm using veggie starts to get things going quickly.
  2. Bake my own bread - we spend $5 for a loaf of organic bread each week. Enough said.
  3. Get my coupons organized.
As they say on TV, "To be continued..." Check back and I'll let you know how it's going.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Perimenopause: An evolving playlist of micronutrients and self-care

This week's discovery on my wellness journey - the importance of being earnest . At least, being earnest about my health and changing body.  Earlier this year, I realized I was in perimenopause. What was my clue? You might think it was hot flashes. Nope! It was my hair, or lack thereof. Then eventually my nails, which had became so weak, they were always splitting. I couldn't keep them short enough to stop the splitting. As a result, a few months ago I began adding collagen to my daily diet, along with other micronutrients. Collagen starts declining in your 20s. By the time a woman reaches her 40s, its one of the reasons you start complaining about crows feet, laugh lines and other tell-tell signs of aging. I only recently figured this out. Hopefully I saved you a little time.  So, earlier this year I started researching natural ways to increase collagen in my daily diet. I figured I could help offset for what my body no longer produces. Here are my fave ways to get more colla...
Post a Comment
Read more

That Time My "Free" Family Activity Cost Us $50

Regular readers know I've bragged , er, written about my ninja-like skills when it comes to finding a deal. I pride myself on finding ways to enjoy a first-class lifestyle on a coach-class budget. I may be frugal, but never at the expense of lifestyle, style, or quality. Well, today I'm admitting I make mistakes too. Case in point, last weekend. My "free" family activity ended up costing me fifty dollars! As a stay-at-home mom, most of the planning of social activities fall under my control. My husband works hard, but Saturdays are all about family time. I put a lot of energy into planning fun for us every weekend. So I have a basic check list when I'm looking for activities. It includes: Educational? Fun? Something or somewhere someone in the family has asked to do or see? Easy location and parking? BONUS if its free or frugal Well, last week I completely failed. I scheduled for us to attend the "The Big Draw" event at the Walt Disney Fam...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is a frugal lifestyle tacky?

I should've subtitled this post, "how to pay for stuff using coins without being a jerk" Or better yet, "Exchanging Coins without Coinstar. Not for the faint of heart." OK, I have a confession...and a question.  Is it tacky to pay for things using coins??? I mean, like, using coins to pay the entire bill ? I don't think it is, but I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority on this one. When you think about it, coins are in fact  legal tender . Still, spending coins is increasingly complicated in our cash-loving, credit-swiping, Bitcoin-centric world. First and foremost, you have to mentally prepare yourself for the "judgy" looks you'll receive from others when you do use them. In my experience, the minute you start counting coins, people will give you the side eye for any perceived inconvenience. U.S. Coins on a table Here's when I started using our coins in earnest. A few years back I had a day when I had no time to go to t...
Post a Comment
Read more