What a great shop!!!!
My daughter and I went shopping together and hit Kroger and Meijer. I usually don't shop during the week, but the girls don't have school tomorrow because of parent/teacher conferences. Since it wasn't a "school night" for them, I felt like this evening was a little more low key. I made my list last night for both Meijer and Kroger and hit them both in one evening. It has been a long time since I have done 2 stores in one day.
We went to Kroger first since I had the least amount of items that I would be buying this week.
At Kroger I bought halloween candy, goldfish crackers, sausage, yogurt, and chicken patties. Everything that I bought was on sale. I had coupons for all of these items as well. I even had an additional shortcuts coupon that was loaded onto my Kroger card. If you have a Kroger card, you can load coupons on to it and then use an additional manufacturers coupon. The website is www.shortcuts.com
Our total was $22.94. I saved $24.81 (5.50 coupons and saved 19.31 for items that were on sale)
This is a 52% savings. YEAH!!!
Meijer was an adventure. It is amazing how you really need to make sure you have a good cashier. I don't know if my cashier was just learning, but she struggled with my coupons, kept dropping items, and rang up my items multiple times. She said that she took an item off that she didn't so I had to go to customer service after our shop.
I bought 4 loafs of bread, 2 dozen eggs, toilet paper, 6 yogurt, 6 pizzas, 2 shells and cheese, 2 on the go drink mixes, 4 pudding, icecream, 5 boxes of granola bars, 2 boxes of captain crunch, 1 box of Life, mascara, and turkey breast.
Everything was on sale and I used coupons as well!! My total was 59.00. I saved 49.44 (Meijer promotions 3.99, On sale -28.65, Coupons used -16.80)
Oh my! I just noticed that she also charged me for an extra pizza!!! How frustrating!!!
Since I have begun my coupon adventure, I refuse to buy most things unless they are on sale. Without the grocery game, I was buying items that were on sale but could be a cheaper price at a later date. I love that the grocery game does all the thinking for me! I save a much greater percentage when I use their grocery lists!!!
So for this week's groceries, I spent $82.00 and saved $74.25. Almost 50% off!!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Great Meijer coupons this week 10-27 through 11-1
I have written a previous post about Meijer's new online coupon and recipe organizer called Meijer's Mealbox.
Well, there are some great coupons on their site as well as items that are on sale this week. Our sale is good until Saturday. I recommend that you check out their site and print out their coupons.
I plan on buying the following items because they are on sale and you can use the Meijer Mealbox coupon on top of the sale price. See the side of my blog for the Meijer Link.
Klondike bars -$1.00
Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese -$2.00/2
Birds Eye Vegetables -$1.00/2
Stouffer French Bread Pizzas - $1.00/4
Tyson Bagged Chicken -$1.00/2
Jello Pudding -$1.50/2
Meijer Lean Entrees -$1.00/3
Jello gelatin -$1.50/2
Lean Cuisine/Stouffer's -$1.00/4
Jack's Pizza -$2.00/4
Happy Shopping!!!
Well, there are some great coupons on their site as well as items that are on sale this week. Our sale is good until Saturday. I recommend that you check out their site and print out their coupons.
I plan on buying the following items because they are on sale and you can use the Meijer Mealbox coupon on top of the sale price. See the side of my blog for the Meijer Link.
Klondike bars -$1.00
Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese -$2.00/2
Birds Eye Vegetables -$1.00/2
Stouffer French Bread Pizzas - $1.00/4
Tyson Bagged Chicken -$1.00/2
Jello Pudding -$1.50/2
Meijer Lean Entrees -$1.00/3
Jello gelatin -$1.50/2
Lean Cuisine/Stouffer's -$1.00/4
Jack's Pizza -$2.00/4
Happy Shopping!!!
October Savings
10/5-10/11
Spent 94
Saved 48
10/12-10/18
Spent 90
Saved 34
Sam's club spent 169
http://savingmoneytofillupmytruck.blogspot.com/2008/10/sams-club-shop.html (See my posting about this shopping trip! It was a shop against my will!)
10/19-10/25
Spent 79
Saved 45
10/26-11/1
Spent $82
Saved $74
Spent 94
Saved 48
10/12-10/18
Spent 90
Saved 34
Sam's club spent 169
http://savingmoneytofillupmytruck.blogspot.com/2008/10/sams-club-shop.html (See my posting about this shopping trip! It was a shop against my will!)
10/19-10/25
Spent 79
Saved 45
10/26-11/1
Spent $82
Saved $74
Well, we are getting better and better at saving. Unfortunately, the Sam's club run hurt my monthly budget. I felt like I needed to really cut corners the week's following that shop in order to make up for our huge bill that week! It is amazing how my philosophy has changed. I never would have thought twice about spending 169 at the grocery store in one shop. Boy, has my shopping philosophy changed for the better!
My monthly total was $514 and saved $201. This works out to be a weekly average of $128.50.
Oh well! Last month our weekly average was 80.00!
An amazing coupon lady
This spring during my coupon research I came across this Jane's blog. If you think that I am saving a lot of money, this woman is amazing. She spends 800 a year on groceries. She has been writing about how she does this for awhile. She was featured on her local news in Texas and has now been added as a regular feature.
She amazes me!!
http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/
She amazes me!!
http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Grocery Game
Some of my blog readers have joined the grocery game. I hope you are finding it as rewarding as I do!
I do want to emphasize the need to trust the list. For example, there have been many times that I have bought an item because it was on sale and I had a coupon even though the item was not featured on the list. Every time that I have done this, either the next week or shortly after I have found that the same item was now featured on the list because it was a lower price than when I bought it.
I have also found that many times I bought that item thinking I would use it that week and ended up not using it until the week that it was cheaper!!!
I know that this is nothing to beat yourself up over but in the game to save money I get thrilled to see how much I can save during each shop! Try your best to shop off the list and add only the items you have to get. You will find that the other items you need will eventually be featured on list.
Yesterday, my grocery cart didn't look like enough food to feed my family real meals. I bought pop, lucky charms, coffeemate, toilet paper, pretzels and milk. I had other items in my cart as well but I bought a lot of the other items because they were blue (which means that you should buy as much as you can and have coupons for). This weeks shop has helped me build up a new stockpile for these items. Since the soup cycle has been going on, I have been adding to my soup stockpile and after this week I should be set for the next 12 weeks. I have many other items at home that will allow me create meals for this week even though it wasn't purchased this week.
Stockpile....
Think about how much of an item your family will eat in a week and try to buy this amount to cover 12 weeks. For example, we will only eat about 1-2 cans of soup a week. I know have about 10-12 cans of soup in my pantry. I was able to get many of these cans for .50-.75 cents each. If you will only eat soup every other week, then you would need 1/2 of this amount. Buying 12 weeks of an item sounds like a lot, but it really isn't as much as it may seem. Right now we also have 12 weeks of our families favorite cereal (which is about 6 boxes)- Lucky Charms and Honey Nut Cherrios. Most of these boxes were bought for about $1.50 (These were large boxes).
I hope that these grocery game tips have helped!!!
I do want to emphasize the need to trust the list. For example, there have been many times that I have bought an item because it was on sale and I had a coupon even though the item was not featured on the list. Every time that I have done this, either the next week or shortly after I have found that the same item was now featured on the list because it was a lower price than when I bought it.
I have also found that many times I bought that item thinking I would use it that week and ended up not using it until the week that it was cheaper!!!
I know that this is nothing to beat yourself up over but in the game to save money I get thrilled to see how much I can save during each shop! Try your best to shop off the list and add only the items you have to get. You will find that the other items you need will eventually be featured on list.
Yesterday, my grocery cart didn't look like enough food to feed my family real meals. I bought pop, lucky charms, coffeemate, toilet paper, pretzels and milk. I had other items in my cart as well but I bought a lot of the other items because they were blue (which means that you should buy as much as you can and have coupons for). This weeks shop has helped me build up a new stockpile for these items. Since the soup cycle has been going on, I have been adding to my soup stockpile and after this week I should be set for the next 12 weeks. I have many other items at home that will allow me create meals for this week even though it wasn't purchased this week.
Stockpile....
Think about how much of an item your family will eat in a week and try to buy this amount to cover 12 weeks. For example, we will only eat about 1-2 cans of soup a week. I know have about 10-12 cans of soup in my pantry. I was able to get many of these cans for .50-.75 cents each. If you will only eat soup every other week, then you would need 1/2 of this amount. Buying 12 weeks of an item sounds like a lot, but it really isn't as much as it may seem. Right now we also have 12 weeks of our families favorite cereal (which is about 6 boxes)- Lucky Charms and Honey Nut Cherrios. Most of these boxes were bought for about $1.50 (These were large boxes).
I hope that these grocery game tips have helped!!!
Meijer Shop on 10/26 (Saved $44.00)
This week's shop was very productive. I found everything on my list and got in and got of Meijer in less than 30 minutes.
I spent $79.00 dollars and saved $44.00. I had to buy a few things that weren't on sale but this was a good shop. I am very pleased that most weeks I have been able to keep our bills at 100.00 dollars or less.
Those of you who are watching the ads may have noticed that we are in a soup cycle. It seems like soup is on sale everywhere and the coupons in the Sunday paper are also for soup. If you haven't been paying attention to the cycles that occur, stores tend to offer certain items on sale during certain seasons. For example, ice cream was on sale quite a bit during the summer months. The trends change which is good because the theory to saving money is to stockpile (buy as much of an item that you would need over 12 weeks.) When a certain item is being featured over a few weeks the goal is to buy that item at its lowest price, if you buy 12 weeks of an item you will never have to pay full price for any item. Because this item will go on sale again when your stockpile begins to run out. This may sound like you are buying a lot of food, but it really depends on what your family eats. For example, sometime in August pasta was on sale. I bought 12 boxes of pasta, because I knew that we would eat at least a box a week.
How and where to store your food...
Many people who have joined the grocery game have used their savings from the first month for an extra freezer to help accomodate their stockpiles. We have an extra fridge/freezer from a recent fridge upgrade. I know that everyone doesn't have tons of extra cabinet space so some additional ways to store food would be in bins with lids. Most of the items you will stockpile are nonperishables. I have read about people who store these in their basement, garage, etc.
The key is to not overbuy. I know when I first started this process, I felt like I was still buying items that were on sale even though I had already created quite a stockpile. I acquired about 10 tubes of toothpaste and kept buying more. I kept thinking since I was buying toothpaste for .50-1.00, I couldn't pass up the deals. I finally had to force myself to make sure that I didn't buy more if I already had enough. It is amazing how you begin to go crazy with the sale prices of items and feel like you have to get it because it is on sale. I have learned every item will eventually go on sale again. The key is to try to make it without having to buy that item until it is on sale again. Some items I will be buying every week no matter if it is on sale or not: yogurt, milk, and some times meats...
I hope that you are beginning to understand this adventure. I know that I am thrilled that I have cut my grocery budget in 1/2 since I have started couponing. I still can't believe that I use to spend almost $800 a month on groceries. I try to stay close to $400 a month! Think of what you could do with $400 dollars extra a month!! Every little bit you save will help you with whatever financial goals you have!
I recommend you begin your coupon adventure!!
I spent $79.00 dollars and saved $44.00. I had to buy a few things that weren't on sale but this was a good shop. I am very pleased that most weeks I have been able to keep our bills at 100.00 dollars or less.
Those of you who are watching the ads may have noticed that we are in a soup cycle. It seems like soup is on sale everywhere and the coupons in the Sunday paper are also for soup. If you haven't been paying attention to the cycles that occur, stores tend to offer certain items on sale during certain seasons. For example, ice cream was on sale quite a bit during the summer months. The trends change which is good because the theory to saving money is to stockpile (buy as much of an item that you would need over 12 weeks.) When a certain item is being featured over a few weeks the goal is to buy that item at its lowest price, if you buy 12 weeks of an item you will never have to pay full price for any item. Because this item will go on sale again when your stockpile begins to run out. This may sound like you are buying a lot of food, but it really depends on what your family eats. For example, sometime in August pasta was on sale. I bought 12 boxes of pasta, because I knew that we would eat at least a box a week.
How and where to store your food...
Many people who have joined the grocery game have used their savings from the first month for an extra freezer to help accomodate their stockpiles. We have an extra fridge/freezer from a recent fridge upgrade. I know that everyone doesn't have tons of extra cabinet space so some additional ways to store food would be in bins with lids. Most of the items you will stockpile are nonperishables. I have read about people who store these in their basement, garage, etc.
The key is to not overbuy. I know when I first started this process, I felt like I was still buying items that were on sale even though I had already created quite a stockpile. I acquired about 10 tubes of toothpaste and kept buying more. I kept thinking since I was buying toothpaste for .50-1.00, I couldn't pass up the deals. I finally had to force myself to make sure that I didn't buy more if I already had enough. It is amazing how you begin to go crazy with the sale prices of items and feel like you have to get it because it is on sale. I have learned every item will eventually go on sale again. The key is to try to make it without having to buy that item until it is on sale again. Some items I will be buying every week no matter if it is on sale or not: yogurt, milk, and some times meats...
I hope that you are beginning to understand this adventure. I know that I am thrilled that I have cut my grocery budget in 1/2 since I have started couponing. I still can't believe that I use to spend almost $800 a month on groceries. I try to stay close to $400 a month! Think of what you could do with $400 dollars extra a month!! Every little bit you save will help you with whatever financial goals you have!
I recommend you begin your coupon adventure!!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Stay in touch with me....
Hello! It is funny how many of my friends have referred their friends to my blog. I love that I can help so many of you save money!
I started this blog because I was explaining my coupon adventure to my friends and they needed more instruction and more information.
I hope my research and the tricks and savings I find are helping your family with your budget. Whether, you are using the money you are saving to pay for gas, retirement, college, or something special I hope that you are finding success with some of my strategies.
Please feel free to comment on a posting when you have a question. My blog will email me when a comment is posted and I can answer your question via the blog. This way other blog readers will learn the answer as no question is a stupid question.
It is safe to log into this site and set up an account. One day you may want to set up a family blog via this site. We have also set up a family blog that has been a great resource as our friends and family are all over. This blog can be set up so it is a private account so no creepy people can see pictures of your babies.
Another way to keep informed of new postings, is to subscribe to the blog. The blog will email you every time I post new information. This is a great way to stay up to date with any great deals that you may miss out on if you don't know about them!!! :)
I thought that I would share some ways that we could keep in touch!!
I started this blog because I was explaining my coupon adventure to my friends and they needed more instruction and more information.
I hope my research and the tricks and savings I find are helping your family with your budget. Whether, you are using the money you are saving to pay for gas, retirement, college, or something special I hope that you are finding success with some of my strategies.
Please feel free to comment on a posting when you have a question. My blog will email me when a comment is posted and I can answer your question via the blog. This way other blog readers will learn the answer as no question is a stupid question.
It is safe to log into this site and set up an account. One day you may want to set up a family blog via this site. We have also set up a family blog that has been a great resource as our friends and family are all over. This blog can be set up so it is a private account so no creepy people can see pictures of your babies.
Another way to keep informed of new postings, is to subscribe to the blog. The blog will email you every time I post new information. This is a great way to stay up to date with any great deals that you may miss out on if you don't know about them!!! :)
I thought that I would share some ways that we could keep in touch!!
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