Family of 6, what is the least......?

[love__goofy]

What is the least amount I can spend a month with extreme couponing?

I am trying to figure out if I coupon, buy things on sale, but still get fresh meat and produce, how cheap can I go?

Thanks so much!

 

[sscassel]

I personally think coupons make you buy things you woun't normally buy. I would look around the house and see where you can cut costs. For instance, do your kids play sports? What are they drinking? If you answer Gatorade, that is a unneeded thing. All they need is water. On extreme days purchase smartwater....will save you from getting cavities from Gatorade. Also, look at the snacks in the house..Is there a ton of them. We all seem to go overboard on junk food, myself included. Try to compare prices in Costco & BJ's on bulk items. Places Like Aldo & produce junction you can get some items cheaper. Cut back by making smart choices. My husband seems to thing needed items on a grocery list are ice tea, tortilla chips & salsa! Good luck!

 

[JaymeC]

I think it will vary by your area as well as by how much you're really willing to sacrifice. For example, are you willing to not eat some of your favorite foods because they happen to not be on sale? Likewise are you willing to eat the foods you may not be too fond of. And that imo includes taking into account how healthy you eat and what your health requirements are. Yes, there are some foods that have coupons that are healthy but a lot of them are not. It also depends on what stores you have nearby and whether they double/triple coupons, etc.

Personal hygiene items on the other hand should be very easy to get very, very cheaply if you play the drug store game but that again depends on what stores you have nearby.

Good luck regardless, but it's a very weighted question! Also keep in mind the extra money you'll have to get into getting those coupons.

 

[DisneyMomJen]

We are a family of six also. I always coupon and felt that I did well. I started a spreadsheet this year which is tracking everything we spend money on. So far, for January I spent $632 on groceries in January and $573 in February, which is higher than I thought. I am trying even harder now with coupons so we will see for March. So far I am at around $200. I am also gradually beginning to 'stockpile' due to all the talk of groceries potentially skyrocketing this year. I have a years supply of dog food for our 100 pound Golden Retriever which was included in Januarys total. This was purchased with major couponing.

I would be interested in what others spend.

 

[disney_me]

I'm not a big fan of coupons. Seem like you have to buy 2 of what ever you have a coupon for now a day. .....like soup, I have to buy 3 or 4 cans to save $.40?........ Even if that coupon is doubled, I only saving $.80 so I may have saved $.20 a can?..... Not a big savings for me. We buy only what we need per week. What also helps me in my all time favorite store called Bylers. It's an Amish ran store were I can get somethings in bulk. My get deal for this week.......... 1 case of (12oz bottles) Poweraide for $2.99. You can't bet that. Total for my week of groceries ...$67.89.

 

[DawnM]

I couponed for a while and found we ended up with a lot of junk.

I have found this way of grocery cutting far more to my taste:

http://www.budget101.com/budget101-free-ebook/free-ebook-groceries-200-month-2547.html

I don't use all of her methods/ideas, but I do use quite a few. We don't eat beef for example.....so I do spend more on fish and poultry.

I would say that with her methods you could cut your cost to $100/week for a family of 6. More if you are really diligent.

Dawn

 

[Nayan]

I would only use coupons for things you actually use and even then I'd be a bit weary. Coupon deals have changed quite a bit and what used to be good deals are really not anymore. When cereal costs over $4 a box and you get a coupon for $.50 off 3, not a good deal. You can save money by buying in 'bulk' and by that I mean like Family Packs of meat, especially chicken. A small package of chicken thighs at my store are $2.99/lb. A Family Pack, which usually has 10-12 in them go for $1.59/lb. I never buy red meat anymore as it's gotten too expensive, but I'll keep my eyes open for ham's on sale, chicken, fish and pork. A big pot of beans and rice makes quite a few burrito's so that's another staple, as is pasta. Frozen veggies are your friends, especially when making soup.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I keep it between $300 and $400 for the month.

But like others said it depends on your area. My stores double up to .99 cents.

I use websites to match up sales and stock up. Not like these people on you see on that tv show but since my store limits 4 of the same coupons per visits sometimes I stop in 3 times a week.

If I dont have the coupons I need on hand I order them from ebay. I also do lots of printable ones

2 weeks ago my store had a special where they were giving you $12 worth of catalinas if you did certain offers. Most of those offers were free or close to it with coupons it so I made money. One trip I spent around $53 and I got back $60 worth of catalinas. Now I am putting them towards meat and produce. Things I normally dont have coupons for.

 

[DisneyMomJen]

When cereal costs over $4 a box and you get a coupon for $.50 off 3, not a good deal.

It helps to view sites that match up coupons. Last week I bought 4 big box of cheerios for under $2.00 total. The cereal was on sale for 4 for $8.00 and I had 4 .75 cent coupons. I spent less than $2.00 since I also had multiple coupons for $3.00 your shopping order from a previous weeks deal. I sometimes buy coupons off of Ebay when if it is a good one for items that we use. Sometimes there are higher value coupons in different parts of the country than what we get in our local paper. I never even cut out a .50 off 3 coupon.

 

[LisaNJ25]

It helps to view sites that match up coupons. Last week I bought 4 big box of cheerios for under $2.00 total. The cereal was on sale for 4 for $8.00 and I had 4 .75 cent coupons. I spent less than $2.00 since I also had multiple coupons for $3.00 your shopping order from a previous weeks deal. I sometimes buy coupons off of Ebay when if it is a good one for items that we use. Sometimes there are higher value coupons in different parts of the country than what we get in our local paper. I never even cut out a .50 off 3 coupon.

fellow shoprite shopper?

 

[DisneyMomJen]

fellow shoprite shopper?

Yes!!! I have 17 $3.00 off your next order for this week. I plan to stock up on chicken breast for $1.69 lb and london broil for $1.99.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Yes!!! I have 17 $3.00 off your next order for this week. I plan to stock up on chicken breast for $1.69 lb and london broil for $1.99.

Nice!!! You did better than me I have 6 per week to use. What site do you like for the SR matchups? I use www.livingrichwithcoupons.com

 

[DisneyMomJen]

Nice!!! You did better than me I have 6 per week to use. What site do you like for the SR matchups? I use www.livingrichwithcoupons.com

I use slickdeals.net. Under the drugstore forums there is a shop-rite discussion. It really helps. Thanks for your link, I will definitely try it!

 

[Nayan]

If you live in a place that has good deals like that, then it's worth it, but not everyone does so we're at the mercy of whatever is on sale that week. I've learned to shift my menu to what's on sale and what I am willing to pay. When I went shopping Friday, milk was the same as a gallon of gas and I had planned on making taco's for dinner, but I will not pay almost $4/lb for ground beef, so bean and rice burrito's it was.

 

[erinmomof2]

I think if you are extreme couponing, that you could get your total quite low. We have a family of 4 and our typical weekly total is about $40-$50 a week. We also have 2 dogs, and that includes their dog food. I do not extreme coupon though, and if I did I assume I could get my total much lower. I get 2 copies of each Sunday insert plus I use a lot of internet printables.

A lot of how low you can get your total depends on if you live near a store that doubles higher valued coupons. The store I shop at doubles up to and including $1.00 coupons. It's a little farther from me than the grocery store down the street, but the savings are worth it. I usually save 90% off my total at that store. I will not pay anything for toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, ect. I pay up to $.50 for hair products, but I'm particular to a couple of more expensive brands.

I disagree that coupons make you buy things you wouldn't use and that you can only buy junk. I tend to think my family eats fairly healthy, and I use a coupon on just about everything I buy. Just today I got organic greek yogurt free with coupons. Who can say that isn't healthy? I got a lot of great deals today, all on products we use and that are not bad for you. I got a GREAT deal on light string cheese, 16 for $2.00, plus I had a $1.00 of my store coupon. So $1.00 for 16 pieces of light string cheese. My kids are crazy for that stuff and it was cheap.

I think you can get your total down just about as low as you want to. I just read a book from the library about a woman whose budget is $4.00 a week for her family of 4. That's crazy low. And she's not eating junk! She posted some of her finds, and she's eating VERY well. The book is How to Shop for Free, and she had some great ideas in it.

 

[java]

Family of 6 here(2 teenagers!)- and I average $100 a week. Last week was $70todaywas &120. I posted it on a different thread that on the bottom of my receipt today it said ytd savings of over $980!

Today I saved $90 on my $120 order. Yes that is worth it to me.

 

[amylynne01]

Also remember that getting down to a really low budget takes a lot of time. You won't do it right out of the gate. I have been seriously couponing for 2.5 yrs for my family of 4, and we are just getting to a budget of $10 a day for eveything (diapers, food, drink, cleaning, paper, and HBA). However because of my previous stockpiling, I have spend just under $500 since 1/1 which is $6.81 a day. So my advice is to be realistic in your goals. Track your grocery spending for a month or 6 weeks, and then stick to a weekly/monthly budget. After a while, cut your budget by 10%. Then cut it again and again and again until you find a comfortable place.

 

[bettymae1121]

I'll echo the "a lot depends on the area you live in" comment. In my area, no one doubles, so the really low amount coupons are generally not worth the effort (save .15 on a can of tuna...gee what a deal! ). But, most stores DO take internet coupons around here (where as other regions internet coupons are not widely accepted). So if you keep an eye on the sales ads and the websites that offer the printable coupons, you can score some deals.

It also depends on what you eat. DH and I don't eat cereal, so even if I could get it for free, it wouldn't matter (unless I wanted it to put in a food drive...which I've done). A lot of things there are coupons for, we don't eat. So I don't bother with coupons and instead cook many things from scratch, which can be cheaper than buying store bought (and often healthier).

Where I really see savings is in a lot of the "green" things I do, like using wash cloths instead of paper towels and using vinager and baking soda instead of chemical cleaners, and a spray mop that uses washable pads rather than disposable ones (like Swiffer). I buy the baking soda and vinager in bulk at Costco (also where I got my wash cloths) for a fraction of what chemical cleaners cost, and my house is just as clean. I've even toyed with making my own laundry soap...but since I add baking soda to the wash water I only use less than half the amount of liquid detergent so cost wise for me it would be a wash (<--hey a pun! ) but I may do it in the future because even the enviro friendly laundry soaps have way too much scent for my nose to be happy with.

 

[LoriNSC]

Don't let some of the other posts get you down about couponing. It can be done to save a lot. I left my good paying full time job last year to go to nursing school. I do work part time (every other weekend) now too. Couponing has helped me save a lot to do this. I don't know where you live or what stores you have around you, but I suggest you go to weusecoupons.com. And no, my family don't eat a lot of junk food. And I don't buy things just because I have a coupon. I have a family of 5 (my 19 yr old eats like there's 2 of him though ). I average about $200 a month. My stockpile is growing too. We used to spend around $400 or more a month.

Just visit some couponing sites to help you match up coupons with the store sales. Couponing does require a lot of time to organize & plan your trips. But it's worth it.

 

[Auntie Sherry]

I also don't find coupon savings worth it. I do use them if they are for a dollar or more and it was an item I normally buy. Most of the time they are for a lot of processed items. I don't know if this would work for you but. I buy meat only when it is on sale, or a low price from a warehouse store. I buy in bulk. There are only two of us in the family now, but I will buy 20 -30 pounds of boneless skinless chicken when it is on sale. I package it up in small amounts to freeze. I have a large freezer. I also make my own items. Like gronaola, crutons, pesto, and more. We have a garden so I freeze and can lots of food. I spend time in the september doing this. Then we eat the food all year. We have grown almost everything. Basil, Parsley, lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, squashes, beets, cabbage, onions, garlic, celery, peppers, We have only been doing the garden for four years. Husband does most of the planting. I weed and do all of the cooking and processing of food. I make a lot of soups and freeze them. I also make Pizza every Friday night. I have been doing that for about 16 years. It cost very little to make. I buy the flour and yeast and cheese in bulk. I use our tomatoes to make sauce but always. I also make pesto pizza sometimes. I use the kitchen aid mixer and it does all the work I put in flour water salt yeast sugar and let rise. So easy. I have made as many as 10 pizzas for a party. The more you do it the easier it is. I could make it in my sleep. My son is grown up now and moved out but he and his girlfriend come every friday night for pizza. We even play Disney games sometimes. I think you could save money and create a family time. Let me know if you want receipe. I also make a lot of oil popped popcorn for snacks. We have a Stir Crazy popper got it at Target for 19.99 on sale. It cost very little to buy a bag of popcorn and pop your on. Plus it doesn't have added stuff like the microwave. There is a great book called the Tightwad Gazzete I have learned a lot of tips from. It is a little extreme but you only have to do the things that are in your comfort zone. Hope that helps