A quick post about grocery shopping per requests!

So we all must be on the same page today - grocery shopping.

I cannot tell you how many emails and FaceBook messages I get of readers asking me more about saving money.  I wish I held all the answers!!!  So today's quickie is a general response to the messages and questions I have received about saving money at the grocery store. 

"I like how you coupon and don't hoard up fifteen tubes of toothpaste and twenty-two deos like the person infront of me at ___ did the other day."  Kathleen, Greensboro, NC

Thanks Kathleen - me too.

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I don't hoard up.  I don't stock pile.  Nothing against those of us who do - its just if I buy fifty cans of something chances are it will go bad before we go through it - and canned stuff lasts a long time.  I'm not big on eating the same thing over and over and I'm a big fan of mixing things up every so often so yeah I'm not cut from the doomsday prepping cloth others are.  ;-)  If you are, yes you're right, I WILL be knocking when I need some Poise Pads and a can of Beanie Weenies during Armageddon.

My coupons, alone, on average save me close to $10 a trip.  The average person saves around $4 per trip with coupons.  The major couponer probably saves gazillions if they are "buying" thirty five boxes of taco kits and using coupons to pay nothing. 

My rewards cards (MVP, Lowes Foods, VIC) save me $8-$10 more in a trip.  Do the math and I'm saving close to $20 each time I shop.  That is pretty nifty for someone who doesn't coupon as a religion.

I never buy anything that is not on sale.  I try to purchase items that are both on sale and I do have a coupon for.

I have typed this numerous times:  link up your rewards cards to the grocery stores websites they are good for.  MVP = FoodLion.com, VIC = Harristeeter.com, Lowes Foods Rewards = Lowesfoods.com (links at the end of the blog)

This will enable you to get extra deals on the weekends and during the circulars good for dates that you cannot get by not registering online.

Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods will email you on Fridays extra deals that have been linked to your card.  Moolasavingmom.com will let you know about coupons that can be matched with those deals.  (Her link is at the bottom as well!)

Food Lion will email you coupons on Tuesday good for your purchases starting on Wednesday and ending the next Tuesday.

You can save money by taking ten minutes to link up.  Do it.

Food Lion also has kiosks in their stores now to scan your MVP card to get you even more coupons.  I have saved a lot of money thanks to that kiosk.

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Let other people do the work for you.  Use moolsavingmom.com and southernsavers.com to map out your shopping list and trip.  These women work hard to get you the best deal by telling you what is on sale and what coupon to print and use or clip and use.

They make it so easy!  Their links are below.

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When you see what is on sale and what is a good buy you can start to build your menu for the week.  The biggest way to save money is to go in armed with a list and sticking to it.  You'll save so much freakin' money.

Don't fall for junk food gimmicks.  Yes, the kids are home and no, they don't need Little Debbie to babysit their tummies.  If you want to have junk food - buy a couple brownie mixes for dirt cheap, cut them up after baking and bag them.  You made 24 brownies for less than 50 cents a pop!  Plus if you substitute apple sauce for oil you are doing them a favor on calories and fat grams. 

Buy big bags of snacks and divvy them up in smaller bags.  Buy fresh produce (or frozen) and do the same divvy routine after you have cut them up.  It is way cheaper to do it that way than to buy "individually wrapped" stuff.

I hear a lot of people complaining about their grocery bill since the kids are home.  Yes, you may be feeding them a bit more than when they were at school - I get that.  This translates to a Costco or Sam's trip as long as the price is worth it.  You must do comparison shopping and make sure it is not the same price as Walmart.  Use your basic math skills and write down how much the regular size is at Wally World and then compare it to the grande size at Sam's, BJ's, or Costco.  You can easily get ripped off if you aren't paying attention.

Kids should be drinking water.  Just a friendly reminder.  Sodas, juice, and "sports" drinks shouldn't be their main life line for cellular function.  Water is free people and it will make your kid a bit healthier plus it will hydrate them correctly.  Flavor it with fresh fruit (squeeze a lemon, use some strawberries, blueberries or grapes, squeeze an orange into it, get creative).

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Hope this helps.  Thanks for reading. 

Here are some links for you:

Food Lion
Harris Teeter
Lowes Foods
Moola Saving Mom
Southern Savers
Coupons.com


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Brownie