I consider myself a Discount Diva, not only when it comes to fashion, but in all areas of my life. And groceries are no exception. Feeding an entire family can be expensive. I dunno about y’all, but as much as I try, I can’t convince my kids to stop growing.
A couple years ago I decided to give couponing a try, and the money I saved quickly got me hooked. If you want to have less stressful, less expensive trips to the supermarket then these tips are for you!
Plan, plan and plan some more: Last minute grocery shopping and frequent trips can bust your budget. The number one way my family and I have been able to cut down on excess spending for groceries is pre-planning our meals. We sit down at the beginning of the week and plan out our meals (for us it’s just dinners) for two weeks. This way, we only buy what we need for those meals and hardly ever have ingredients with no idea what to do with them or recipes with missing ingredients.
Clip and save: Coupons are not just for old folks or extreme shoppers. Keep track of the grocery items you use the most and search coupons for those items. You can find coupons online as well as in the Sunday paper. You can also get deals and discounts by following your favorite brands on social media. You might be asking “How much difference will a couple of $0.25 off coupons really make?” Well here’s the trick: Don’t use your coupons on full priced items! When your $1.99 toothpaste is on sale for $0.99 and you have a $0.99 off coupon, that means you get that item for FREE. And don’t clip just one coupon! If an item is on sale and there’s an available coupon, grab at least 3.
Combine and save MORE: So now you know that the big trick to successful couponing is waiting until the items are on sale, but there’s more. You can combine coupons to save even more. Stores like Target, Walgreens, and CVS have their own store coupons that can be combined with manufacturer coupons for additional savings. Here’s an example: Let’s say your favorite soda is on sale at Target for $1.50. If you used a $0.50 off target coupon and a $0.50 off manufacturer coupon, you’d get it for $0.50.
Know before you go: There’s no need to carry an entire arsenal of coupons on your shopping trips. Use your meal plan to make your shopping list and only bring along the coupons you’ll need.
These are just a few of the ways I’ve been effective in cutting down on grocery expenses and they definitely work.
BMWK – How do you save on groceries for your family?