I’ve decided that I am going to start tracking the amount I save at the supermarket each week with coupons and price matches.  In part this is to keep myself motivated that the hours of work involved is worth it.  Additionally, I hope that it serves as motivation for others as well.

For the pantry stockpile I purchased 10 lbs of Barilla pasta and 10 5oz cans of chunk light tuna.  I picked up 5 bottles of Ocean Spray Cranberry juice (3 100% juice, 2 “cocktail”) and 3 64oz. containers of Tropicana punch/ade (2 of which are in the freezer).

For Accolan’s daily smoothies I picked up 8 lbs of oranges, 3 lbs of strawberries, over 2 lbs of bananas, and 2 whole pineapples.  I also decided to try out Silk’s fruit and protein beverage ($1.50 a container after price match and c/o) as a way for me to have a cheater’s smoothie as I dash out the door to work.

The “snack drawer” is the happy recipient of 4 boxes of Entenmann’s treats, 1 package of Chips Deluxe cookies, and 3 boxes of Great Value brand snacks.  I’d like to say these will last a while but blogging is about honesty.

I also brought home 3 8oz blocks of cheddar cheese, 2 bags of packaged salad, 4 16oz bottles of salad dressing, a loaf of white bread, an 18-pk of eggs, a box of no-name Splenda, a lb of Oscar Meyer bologna and 2 16oz bottles of coffee creamer.

I also snagged 2 packages of dental floss and 2 small tubes of hand cream.

We saved $40 in price matches and $24 in manufacturer coupons.  I spent about $65 for $130 worth of groceries.  That’s a 50% savings!!!

Now granted “earning” that $65 savings comes at a cost …

1) It takes hours to find, print and sort the coupons (and then match them to a given week’s sales).

2) I have to buy ink for my printer (printing in grayscale & draft mode helps alleviate this) and purchase the weekly Sunday paper (sometimes multiple copies)

3) It takes time to read each competitor sale flier and list all the sales that intrigue me.

4) I have to then take that list and narrow it down further in order to make sure that whenever possible I am matching a coupon to the sale and that I am adhering to my weekly budget.

And then there is the juggling act that comes from having to keep track (at least mentally) of what I have on hand and what meals I can make out of it.  I personally think it’s worth it.  What are you willing to do to save money on groceries?

Blessings

Jia

Probably the biggest, and unfortunately the most time consuming, way I save money on groceries each week is by making use of the ad match policy at my local Walmart.  If you’re unfamiliar with it, in simple terms it means that the cashier can lower the prices on the items you’re buying to match ads in local competitor fliers.  And while this policy means matching prices on toys, movies, and electronics, it also means matching prices on groceries.  It must be the exact same item, but this applies not only to brand name items, but to fresh meat and produce as well.

This is what I do:

Over the weekend I read my sale fliers (Acme, Pathmark, Stop & Shop, Top Tomato, Aldi, A&P, Foodtown, Shoprite etc) cover to cover making lists of any item that catches my eye as being a particularly good deal for each store.

I then condense my list into a master shopping list that lists everything I plan to price match and the store I am matching it to.  For example:

• Frozen – Bird’s Eye Steam Fresh Veggies – 10 to 12 oz – Shoprite – .99 each
• Produce – Whole Pineapple – Aldi – .99 each
• Meat – Bone-In Asst’d Pork Chops – Pathmark – 1.49/lb

Shopping involves using two carts – one for items that don’t have a price match and the other for everything I will be asking my cashier to do a price adjustment on.

Checking out takes forever, I won’t lie.  It gets easier as you get to know the cashiers in your local Walmart and learn which ones have a harder time with doing the manual price change.

You can still use manufacturer coupons on top of any ad matches you take advantage of.

This week I was able to save over $50, close to 50% of my total grocery purchase.  This may be a time consuming way to save money on your groceries, but in my opinion is well well worth it.

Blessings

Jia

1) Stock up on staples, even if they are items that do not go on sale.  An example of this in our house is lentils.  They never go on sale, but I buy the store brand so that I spend as little as possible and try to have around 5 lbs on hand at any given time.  Other items that fall into this category are items that I keep on hand at all times (like milk, eggs, onions, garlic, cheese) whether or not I am able to buy them on sale.

2) Stock up on other staples when they ARE on sale.  Some examples of this in our house are things like canned crushed tomatoes, dry pasta, sugar, flour, ketchup, pickles, and frozen (and canned) vegetables.  I buy them when I can find a good price so that I always have them on hand and don’t have to pay full price when I want to make spaghetti sauce or soup.

3) Each week plan your meals around a combination of what you already have on hand and what happens to be on sale at the supermarket.   Before I go food shopping, I always give quick peaks in my freezer/s and pantry for ideas on what I might be able to make.

4) Venture outside of your comfort zone and try new dishes.  When it comes to eating well on very little, you may find that you are using the same ingredients over and over again.  To avoid burn-out it is important to find ways to turn the same staples into new dishes.  It was this very impetus that led our family to try Kushari, and low and behold we found that we loved it.

5) Make larger batches and freeze part.  We all have those days, nights (heck … weeks!) where finding the time and energy to cook is nearly impossible.  By filling your freezer with some meals that simply need to be defrosted and reheated you will find that it is easier to avoid the lure of ordering in take-out (or even worse heading out for fast food).

6) Make friends with side dishes.  Whether it means making vegetables, baking a potato, or  making some elbow noodles and tossing them with butter, side dishes are a great way to help keep the per serving cost of a meal down, while still making sure that everyone is able to eat their fill.

Friday into Saturday is usually the one night that I can try and sleep in in order to play “catch up” on the previous week’s lost and broken sleep.  Thankfully last night was one such night.  THough, truth be told, I could lie right back down and fall back to sleep given the opportunity.

I only work a short shift at job #2 tonight (4 hours), but tomorrow will be  a bit hectic as I am working 5 hours at job #1, coming home briefly, and then going to job #2 for another 4 hour shift.  Then it is a usual week: 40 hours at job # and 21 hours at job #2.

We’re managing to survive since Accolan’s disability was cut off in July.  Not everything is getting paid on time.  We are having to fall a bit further into debt each month.  But, all things considered, we’re okay.

Of course it means that my 3rd job (now that my actual job #3 ended) is very close to what I used to do when Accolan was the sole bread-winner – to make what income we earn seem like much much more.

Some of that means spending hours flipping through sale flyers, perusing couponing websites, printing and or cutting coupons, and shopping.  Shopping with multiple coupons and combining them with special sales and price matching can be a little complicated and so it is something that Accolan and I do together.

From what I’ve seen of this week’s sale flyers, I won’t be able to pull off anything close to my great deal at Acme this week, but I should be able to fill some holes in the pantry nonetheless.

Another part of my “third job” is what is always is this time of year – gearing up for the holidays.  Watching for good sales on items the girls want/need is part of it.  But, this year, much of it involves trying to make as many presents as possible. You know? With all that free time I have (hee hee hee).

So are you starting to plan for the holidays?  Do you make any gifts?

Blessings

Jia

I spent a goodly amount of time this week perusing sale flyers, my two favorite couponing websites, and printing out online manufacturer coupons.  Most of it is for my weekly price-match shopping trip to Walmart tomorrow.  But, this week also required a separate trip to Acme so that I could take advantage of a special sale (extra $5 off the purchase of 10 select items) and the ability to double coupons.

I wound up having to bring the whole family with me so that I could break the order down into 4 separate orders.  I had to make some last minute changes to my plan.  But in the end we purchased:

2 boxes Cookie Crisp cereal
2 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
4 cans Progresso soup
3 bags Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
2 boxes Betty Crocker Muffin Mix
2 bags Chex Mix
2 bags Bugles
1 box Milk ‘N Cereal Bars

8 boxes Totino Pizza Rolls
4 Individual Totino Pizzas

6 cans Grands Biscuits
2 cans Crescent Rolls
2 boxes Go-Gurt Yogurt

The Down and Dirty?

The full retail for these items would’ve been $112.51

I spent ….. $35.08 …. a savings of 69% and received a bonus $12 worth of boxtops for education that printed out at the end of my order.

But, it gets a little better … one of the items I purchased didn’t get it’s sale discount so on my way home tomorrow I will be stopping for an adjustment (and will likely get the item FREE).

Wonder how well I’ll do at my next shopping outing tomorrow?

Blessings

Jia

PS Sorry I haven’t been here much.  Jobs #1 and 2 are taking up most of my energy (and time).  Job #3 didn’t last as long as I would’ve hoped and so crazy couponing is becoming my third job.  Add to that the fact that I am trying to make a number of holiday gifts this year and it seems that even my “down time” is pretty darn busy.  I am hoping to be able to better organize my time in the weeks ahead and, at the very least, hope that each of you are well.