How I Do It...

After my post yesterday, Gerberdaisie left me a couple of questions to answer:

That's great that you've reduced your grocery bill! We've reduced ours a bunch, mainly out of necessity with life changes :) Did you use coupons at all, or were you just more conscious with purchases?

And because I tend to ramble when I write, I thought it would be better to address the questions here rather than in a very long comment...lol!

First of all, at the beginning of this year we were spending roughly $700 on groceries for a family of five. Our daughter was born August of 2007, and I quit working my part-time job to be at home with our kids. That cut our income by $600 a month. I started looking for ways to economize and the only category that wasn't a fixed expense was groceries. So I basically made it my part-time job to see how much I could reduce our expenditures at the store.

I began by just being more conscious of what I was purchasing and how much we really needed it. After a month or two, I realized that we were buying a lot of pre-packaged, more expensive items. We decided to do away with foodstuffs that fit that category. Yes, we said goodbye to Minute Rice, chicken nuggets, pre-made juices, etc. And instead, we stocked up on rice in bulk, whole chickens (when on sale), and juices from concentrate. It was a small step in the right direction.

In May of this year, I discovered coupons. I read a couple of books on the subject, but my favorite by far was "Shop, Save and Share" by Ellie Kay. Check it out at your local library and take notes! She goes over basic couponing and more advanced transactions. Plus, she encourages you to give of your excess freebies. Giving to others is important even when you feel like you can't squeak it out of your tight budget. God blesses us because we are generous :)

So when I started couponing, our grocery bill went from $700 a month to $600 a month! That was just in the first month. Talk about motivating results! I just dutifully followed what Ellie wrote in her book and it works! When I first began couponing, I was skeptical that I wouldn't just be wasting my time. Because it is time and energy spent (not to mention braincells!) to line up good deals and do price comparisons. But after tallying up the receipts for the month, I was a believer! In just using coupons and shopping the store sales, I saved $342.85 (off of the regular prices) for the month!

Last month and this month, our budget was so tight that we couldn't justify spending the extra $3 on two papers. So we have gone without coupons for about two months now. I utilized the FoodDay coupons that come free every week. And I let those flyers guide me to great sales on meat and poultry.

But it wasn't until recently, when we really tightened up the budget, that I realized we could lower the grocery budget even more. It's amazing what necessity can motivate you to do...lol!

I realized having a meal plan and working that plan would save me money too. That part of it, I am still working the bugs out of! Maybe in a couple of months I will be able to declare victory in that area too.

Our meals are not gourmet. We do a lot of meatless meals too. And, like this particular paycheck cycle, wherein I only have $15 to last me two weeks, you get really creative with your meals!

It is really the grace of God that it all works so well. I give Him all the credit, because in reality it shouldn't work. The numbers don't add up. But we are faithful tithers and givers, and He blesses our obedience! He is our Source, and we are dependent on Him for our provision.

Recently, a friend who gets the paper every week, brought me all of her unused coupons. So now, I am going to get back into couponing! I will use the coupons to buy stuff we couldn't normally afford.

My advice Gerberdaisie, is this:

1) Pray for wisdom and good deals before you go shopping.
2) Shop with a list and take cash--you are more aware of the amount you are spending if you are having to count it out to the clerk!
3) Stick to the list--make sure that the items on your list are the absolute necessiites.
4) Don't go shopping with small children in tow--I love my kids, but they distract me from adding up savings and totals. On the few occasions where I have taken them, I have almost always wound up at home realizing I was overcharged for something.
5) Shop at your peak time. What I mean is, go shopping when you are the most alert, which may not necessarily coincide with the less busy hours of the store. :(
6) Have your coupons well organized! You don't have to buy any expensive holders, make do with what you have! I used a Rubbermaid container and put a piece of cardboard in the middle of it to act as a divider. On one side I have envelopes with little letter tags on them: A-Z. The other side is where I keep my calculator and pens. What works for me is filing coupons according to the brand name. Lysol would go in the 'L' envelope. Some people swear by filing according to categories. I don't have enough functioning braincells to remember if I filed the Comet Cleaner under 'C' for cleaners or 'B' for bathroom! Make it easy on yourself :)
7) Watch the individual totals as they are being rung up. Make sure that you are getting those store deals! This is why you don't go shopping with kids. It is physically impossible to keep your eyes on two different things: the cash register totals or your children who are in the process of rearranging the candy!
8) If you find an error, be polite and kind. People are more willing to help you out if you are nice :)
9) Use manufacturers coupons and store coupons together to get the best deals. This is perfectly legal and you can really score at the register with this tactic.
10) Don't forget to price shop according to quantity as well. Sometimes the advertised deals aren't the best.
11) Take advantage of the loss leaders, but don't let the store take advantage of you! Stick to your list!
12) Shop at several different stores. Yes, it is a pain, but this is how I started to realize most of my savings!
13) Keep your mission uppermost in your mind. What is that drives you other than the money? For me, the reason I do all this work is so that I can stay at home and raise our children. This is my mission. What is yours?

I hope that helps you a little!

You can take a look at these for some more ideas:
How addictive couponing is

No more drive-thru denial

How my friend does it!

Here are some great sites that I frequent as well:

Money Saving Mom

Grocery Cart Challenge