Reader Question:

Cindy, I am saving a lot of money but not saving as much as you are. I use to spend around 600 a month for everything. Now i am spending around 400 a month for everything. I have a rite aid, walgreens, kroger, food lion, and a commissary (military). I am only buying sale items that I have coupons for. And they have to be deeply discounted. I am buying several of those at a time for stock piling. Any advice?

You’ve gone from $150 each week to $100 each week and that’s pretty good. But I hear ya…you want to save even more. Each family is different so you have to take that into account. Is your family bigger or smaller, does your family have special food requirements, do you have to buy diapers and baby food and are you including that in your $100. All these have to be taken into consideration.

If you have a big enough stockpile then what you should be purchasing each week are the following:

• FREE items – buy as many as you have coupons for.
• Nearly free items (over 75% off): If it is very, very cheap and you use it or would like to try it than this would be the time to buy it. If you use it, stock up on it if you would like to try it than only buy 1 or 2.
• Great price (50 – 75% off): If it is something you love, then buy it. Do not buy it if you just want to try it or it’s something you use occasionally. That is for the 1st 2 items above.
• Meat: You should be purchasing meat each week that is on sale and, if possible, on manager’s special. Some stores don’t have manager’s special but keep your eye out for it. When it’s at a great price, buy a couple packages and stockpile them as well in your freezer.
• Produce: Try to stay in season. For instance, right now you should be only buying apples and other fall fruits. Know your local store prices. At the local Costco you can get bananas for $.39/lb and 5 pack of romaine for $3.99.
• Dairy: Again, same as produce. Know your local store prices. Going to stores like Aldi or Costco for your milk & eggs can help curb those costs.

Here a some shopping tips:

• When shopping, bring a calculator. It really helps you to stay on target. There are many times you may have to put items back because it would have been more than you wanted to spent. In most instances, you won’t even miss the item.
• Be prepared: Go over your circular and your coupons before you go to the store. Have a shopping list made with the coupons already put to the side. The only things you should “shop” for are manager’s special meat. Other then that know exactly what you are buying and don’t deviate from it.
• No impulse buying. This is a big one. The stores are set up to get you to purchase items that you had no intention of buying. Why do you think they have candy by the registers? They are screaming out “buy me, you want me”. An extra item here or there adds up quickly. If it wasn’t on your list, you don’t need it.
• Don’t be brand loyal: Being flexible about the brands you buy is key to finding the best prices. If you are willing to brand hop then you open yourself up to much better prices. If General Mills is running big sales one week, you can bet that Kraft will be running one shortly.
• Don’t be Store Loyal: The same rules for brand hoping apply to stores as well. Each store has different sales, prices, catalinas, manager’s specials, etc. Get to know their pricing, policies, etc.

Saving a big amount on your groceries does take time. It takes an average of about 2 hours a week on finding coupons, clipping and organizing coupons, and preparing your shopping lists. For a savings of around $8000 per year in groceries (based on my personal savings), at 2 hours each week, that is 104 hours a year which equates to $77 per hour. I don’t know about you but I couldn’t find a part time job paying me $77 per hour.

Getting that stockpile up is the first step. Once your stockpile is set and you follow everything above, you will see your numbers dropping each week until you get to a budget number that is comfortable for your family.

For those of you that are new to couponing, check out my beginner series here.