Friday, October 3, 2008

coupons

ok...so i am a little overwhelmed by all the coupon madness and trying to save a little money on groceries. here are my issues.

1. where do people get all these coupons? i used to get a pinch when i lived in liberty lake we moved and now i am not sure where to pick one up.


2. when i look in the sunday paper for coupons, most coupons are for processed foods and "junk" food. if i am trying to be thrifty i am not going to buy brand name cereals and fruit roll-ups etc. Where are the coupons for fresh veggies and meat!


3. i don't know what things normally cost, so i don't know if i am getting a good deal. today when i was looking at ads online i saw ground hamburger anywhere from 1.79/lb to 3.99/lb.


4. i never find good deals all in the same store. if i have to drive all over town am i really saving any money? especially with the cost of gas?!?


5. quality of life. in the end is it worth spending an hour looking for deals to save .20 on yogurt?


6. if i could i would prefer to buy all organic, unfortunately my budget does not allow for that! there are certain things i don't like to budge on, like buying cheap meat-ewww.


I hear story upon story about people who feed their family of 5 on $100.00/mth or some kind of extreme like that. WHO are these people, and HOW do they do it? My budget exceeds that for just 2 people by far!!

4 comments:

  1. The good for you food (lean cuts of meat and fresh veggies) IS expensive! And you are so right, the coupons are usually for the processed food. I usually look at adds and choose one or two stores based on my needs for that week.

    Have you tried the grocery game? I might try it when I get back to CA. I think you can try it out for a month for one dollar. They compile ALL of the info about grocery store specials/current coupons for you. I have seen people in line save hundreds of dollars. It was amazing. Thought I might give it a try...go to www.thegrocerygame.com But then again, the majority of the coupons are for the processed stuff. But if it can save me money, I am willing to try it!

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  2. Jenessa,
    You might find this post interesting:
    http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/10/guest-post-how.html

    I don't always buy organic with meats and veggies, and I do buy a few of the good cereal bars (fiber one, nature valley) but I try to save in other ways. Use the catalina deals and rebates, save on paper products, cleaning supplies, baby food and boxed noodles (as an example) and put that money back into your organic meats. Stock up on meat you normally use when it goes on sale. (like $2 a pound for non-organic meat) I am not sure what a sale price is on organic meat. I've heard what is normal is $100 per month per adult. Since we have 2 adults and 2 kids that don't eat much, we budget for $280 a month. That does include all household products as well. Just find what works for you. Don't give up!
    You could also contact the organic companies that you like and tell them what you like about their products and request a money saving coupon. They often send generous coupons.
    Also, we like to shop at Albertsons because they take coupons from other stores. Don't waste your gas running around. I happen to have an Albertsons, QFC and a Safeway all 1 mile from us in the same parking lot. This is not usually the case.
    If you shop at Walmart they will match any other store's price of the same product if you just tell them the competitive price at checkout.
    Hope that helps. Jane

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  3. The Pinch comes in the Wednesday newpaper. (just an fyi)

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  4. Here is what I have realized lately:

    -the coupon comes in the Sunday paper, but never use it just on the regular price, wait a few weeks for when it goes on sale.
    -I am not normally buying packaged foods either, but if I could get granola bars for .25 or a quarter, I would buy them! Just wait till preston starts wanting a snack every 5 minutes!
    -Patience patience patience, and read how to do it from the websites. Jane's suggestion of the moneysavingmom website is great, start there, and then keep looking at what other gals are doing.
    -Do a price/sale journal. Take the Wed food ads and write down what is on sale. After a few months you notice a pattern. Only buy your meat when it is on sale. For instance, regular price of boneless skinless chicken, 4.99/lb, never buy until it gets down to 1.69/lb. That is a huge savings!

    I by no means have it all figured out, but I am trying it to see how it goes!

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