Couponing Tips - Grocery related

[MickeyMom2Boys]

Thanks to health care and other tax changes, a significant amount of money is now missing from my paychecks. On top of that, EVERYTHING has gone up in price. I'm not good at couponing, but need to get my grocery bill down. Right now I spend about $200 a week for a family of 5. I need to get that down to under $150. What tips or web sites can you provide to help me reach this goal?

TIA!!

 

[mrsklamc]

Couponing to disney, hillbilly housewife.

The affordability of food depends greatly on where you live, too.

Do you have friends that live nearby that you could split warehouse club items?
(stuff like flour and sugar is way cheaper for me at Costco.)

Check "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" out of your local library.

 

[JessB320]

Other than coupons, start to make things from scratch, it saves sooo much money, is healthier , and tastes better there is a site pennies and pancakes that I like. They show how to make a convenience food from scratch and then show you how much $$ you save by making it rather than buying it premade.

 

[HeatherC]

We are also a family of five with teenagers and I average around $150 week.

I have also been trying to get our bill lower and have been doing the following.

1. Go through freezer and pantry before you go to the store. I did this and was able to come up with five nights worth of dinners along with several snack ideas that I then didn't have to buy this week.

2. We all take lunch everyday. So I buy a pound and a half of turkey breast every week. I alternate that with leftovers, pasta salads, couscous salad, peanut butter, etc.

3. I stock up on meat that is on sale.

4. Because we have activities every night, I often cook several meals at once. For example, earlier in the week, I made chili. Yesterday I made ham and potato soup and a chicken noodle casserole along with a pasta salad. We each had what we wanted and will eat the rest over the next couple days. This makes dinner time much easier and keeps us from ordering takeout or McDonald's.

I also find it helps our budget since it is easier to just add a few extra beans to stretch the chili or cook a few extra noodles to make a little more pasta salad instead of a whole other complete meal.

5. I try to stay out of the supermarket in between food shopping days. Otherwise, I go to get milk and come home with $40 or $50 worth of stuff I really didn't NEED right then.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Along with the other suggestions:
I make a menu plan before I go to the store. I don't plan which day we're going to have a specific meal, it's just a list of meals we're going to have for the next two weeks. Then I hang the list on the fridge and cross out the meals when we have them.

When I get home from the store I wash the produce and portion them out into individual servings, like snack size ziplocs of grapes. This keeps us from mindlessly eating entire packages of snacks.

When I make my list, I look through my coupons AFTER I make it instead of before. This keeps me from buying things just because I have a coupon for it. I do sometimes switch things out, like buy a different kind of cereal than I had planned because it's on sale with a coupon, but that's it.

Watch how much you spend on drinks. Try not to buy pop or a lot of juice, encourage your family to drink more water.

 

[vegasnative]

Along with the other suggestions:
I make a menu plan before I go to the store. I don't plan which day we're going to have a specific meal, it's just a list of meals we're going to have for the next two weeks. Then I hang the list on the fridge and cross out the meals when we have them.

When I get home from the store I wash the produce and portion them out into individual servings, like snack size ziplocs of grapes. This keeps us from mindlessly eating entire packages of snacks.

When I make my list, I look through my coupons AFTER I make it instead of before. This keeps me from buying things just because I have a coupon for it. I do sometimes switch things out, like buy a different kind of cereal than I had planned because it's on sale with a coupon, but that's it.

Watch how much you spend on drinks. Try not to buy pop or a lot of juice, encourage your family to drink more water.

I pretty much do the same as above. We are also a family of 5. I do coupon, and usually save anywhere from $7-15 each week with those. The biggest thing for me though is planning my weekly menu. Then I know exactly what I need to get at the store.

I have a set day each week that I go to the store. The first thing I do is write my menu for the week. I look at what we have going on for the week if there are sporting games/practices then of course I'm not going to cook a big meal on those nights.
After I write my menu, I go through it and see what I need to make the meals and see if I have it on hand, if not, then it goes on the list.
Once the list is done, then I look through my coupons and take out what I will be using/buying.

Try to include a "fridge" day. This helps on the budget. Our's is the day before I do my grocery shop. It's a great way to get rid of left overs, clear out the fridge/pantry and it doesn't cost extra money. We just make something from what we already have on hand.

Including cleaning supplies and toiletries I typically spend about $150 a week for us.

 

[aclov]

5. I try to stay out of the supermarket in between food shopping days. Otherwise, I go to get milk and come home with $40 or $50 worth of stuff I really didn't NEED right then.

I so agree with this and go ALONE! DH and I stopped in on Wednesday to pick up some sale items only and ended up with $105 bill! I also find that I am able to concentrate when I shop alone and even think about items so at times end up not buying them.

 

[Eureka]

Combine sales and coupons when you do your meal planning. For example, I got a mailer from my grocery store with a coupon for $1.50 off Perdue Perfect Portions chicken. It was on sale today fro $9.99, so I picked it up. I know sometimes it goes on sale for $7.99 but still, it's better than the normal $11.49 price. Try to do as much combining as possible to pay the lowest possible prices for your staples. I always wait until my flyers arrive in the paper before planning meals for the next week.

 

[Marionnette]

Thanks to health care and other tax changes, a significant amount of money is now missing from my paychecks. On top of that, EVERYTHING has gone up in price. I'm not good at couponing, but need to get my grocery bill down. Right now I spend about $200 a week for a family of 5. I need to get that down to under $150. What tips or web sites can you provide to help me reach this goal?

TIA!!

My favorite websites are:

• HotCouponWorld
• AFullCup
• LivingRichWithCoupons

The first two have forums, matchups and coupon databases that I love. The last one is a blog that not only has matchups and a database, she also posts multiple deals everyday on her FB status. I've found so many rare coupons and awesome matchups on LRWC.

My own strategies include:

1. Keep a list on the fridge of everything you're running low on. That way you don't miss anything and have to run out again to buy some necessity. Frequent trips to the store usually result in spending more money because you'll buy more than what you went for.
2. Make your shopping list based on the sales and organize it by the aisles. The more time that you spend going up and down the aisles, the greater the chances are of making impulse buys.
3. Buy multiples of things you use when they go on sale. Match them with coupons for greater savings.
4. Use a combination of what you have stockpiled and what's on sale to compose your menus for the week.
5. Freeze leftovers in single portions. I use my Foodsaver to vacuum seal the bags. My boys often come home from college and raid the freezer for home-cooked meals that they can just reheat in their microwaves. But my husband and I also grab these when we've had a really bad day at the office and I don't feel like cooking.
6. Keep certain staples in constant supply. For me, it's onions, garlic, potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, flour, sugar, balsmic vinegar, lemons, celery, carrots, Parmesan cheese, canned tomatoes and Dijon mustard. If I have those things on hand, I can whip up any number of meals.

 

[danygirl]

IMHO, the real key to saving big bucks on groceries is a stock pile. I am not talking a giant disaster prepper stock pile (but if you want to go there, go for it!) but a modest stock pile. You create the stock pile by purchasing basic items you use often when they are at the rock bottom prices.

Kristin at Couponingtodisney does a great job of explaining how to do this.


I love weusecoupons.com as a great place to find weekly coupon matchups. They list each grocery store so you can find what you can get cheap or free each week with coupons, and they id the good deals without coupons, too.

Another key is to find a store that accepts competitor's coupons. My local Harris - Teeter takes coupons from Giant, Safeway, Wegmans, Shoprite, Shoppers, Target, CVS and Rite Aid. SO this week I used a shoprite coupon to get 4lbs of navel oranges for 99 cents (otherwise would have been 4.99), a wegmans coupon for a free head of lettuce, a shoprite coupon for a pineapple for 1.49 (would have been 4.49) sparkle paper towels for 3.99 with a giant coupon.... and so you see that I can get the loss leaders from multiple stores in one trip and save big money and save time, too.

buy toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lotions, meds and so on at the drugstore where they put them on deep discount. they are way more expensive at the grocery store

 

[MomToOne]

I don't coupon, but I have my grocery budget down to a tight number using other techniques.

I find some of the biggest savings are to be had chasing meat sales. For a few months, keep a log of what meat cuts go on sale at each of your local grocery stores every week, and at what price. After awhile, you should start to notice a pattern, e.g. boneless chicken breasts go on sale at store x about every 6 weeks for $1.89/lb, etc. Once you know the cycles for the best prices, start buying the meat you need when those sales hit, enough to get you through to the next sale.

Also, I found I got a significant savings when I cut my grocery shopping back to only once every 2 weeks, instead of once a week or more often. Those "little extras" that jump into your cart each time you shop can add up to a lot. If you meal plan, this isn't as hard as it sounds. For vegetables and such, we eat lots of fresh the first week, then more frozen the second (plain frozen veggies with nothing else added are healthiest, cheap and the most flexible for you to do as you feel with) although some fresh veggies like carrotts are fine for the full two weeks. Breads keep in the freezer until needed. The milk I get is usually good for the full two weeks, in the few cases where I can't get milk dated out that far then I'll make a quick stop at a store on the way home from work one night ONLY for what I need. But really, I don't need to do that very often.

Another thing to focus on is minimizing waste - if you buy it, make sure you eat it. Be that fruit/vegetables, leftovers, etc. Its amazing the amount of money we waste on food we just end up throwing away in this country.

 

[midwestdee]

First, think of this as a gradual process, or you will drive your family nuts. My favorite coupon site is www.delish.com There are some items we are very brand favorite and others store/off brands are fine. Look at what you spend in a week. Usually, health/beauty products are cheaper at a Walmart or on sale at CVS or Walgreens. If you have an Aldi nearby that is great for many staples. I'm usually there about every 3 weeks. Is the $200 all you spend on food or are there fast food/ eating out costs also? I brown bag it - but there is NO way DH will do that and that is fine by me. If your kids are old enough to help - get everyone involved in the brown bagging - you sure don't want to end up making lunches every night for the whole family. Sometimes, just having snacks and drinks for trips out can save a bundle. I confess I love soda pop. I don't go anywhere without my mini cooler in the car and if we are running around doing errands, I put cereal bars, pretzels, whatever in the car too. If we stop for fast food, we don't need the drinks and that is a huge savings. evaluate the amount you are spending and on what - then you can see where changes can be made. Again, think of it as gradual, not do or die within a week. I also cook big amounts and eat them a couple of times for dinner like a previous poster mentioned - but you decide what works for you. Some of the websites act like if you don't shred your own cheese and make your own laundry detergent you are a slacker. But depending on your home/work responsiblities and the age of your kids that may not be practical. A balanced approach is usually best. Good luck!

 

[blessedby3]

We are a family of 5 in our home and I usually spend about $200-$225 for 2 weeks. I shop for 2 weeks at a time and I start by planning out our meals on my calendar and then write down ingredients I need that I dont have on hand.
I buy store brand on many things (not cereal, pop tarts or granola bars) but most everything else I do. I shop at Walmart for everything except meat and toiletries. I get my toiletres for free or close to free at CVS or Kroger (with double coupons). Last week Kroger had colgate toothbrushes and toothpaste for $1 each. I had $1 off coupons, a .75 cent coupon and some .50 cent coupons. I got 5 toothbrushes and 2 toothpastes for .25 cents. I buy my meat in the evenings at Food Lion when they mark them down. I get a huge bag of frozen chicken breasts at Sams for $22. This will last us a month.

We dont eat out much, but when we do we bring it home because its cheaper. I can get 2 Little Ceasers pizzas for $12 or a pound and a half of BBQ from a nearby restaurant for $13. To eat in that same restaurant would be about $40 for our family of 5. We usually do the quick pick up stuff on my dd's gymnastics night.