Last month I spent $131.56 on groceries. This is about $33 a week... so very slightly over my usual weekly budget. Without the research I did on coupons and sales (probably on average a 30-45 minute weekly time-investment), I would have spent $274.07... a savings of about 52%. I'm more proud of this when I take into consideration that I bring my lunch to work nearly every day, do a lot of shopping for my boyfriend too, and also buy recycled paper products and "green" dishwasher detergent.
As my total savings came to $142.51, and I probably spent 3 hrs on research/organization over the course of the month, I was "paying" myself in savings about a $42.50 an hour. Nice!
The one area that I definitely need to focus on (my boyfriend is agreeing loudly in the background as I type this) is the actual number of times I go to the store each week. Between Publix, Kroger, the Farmer's Market, and any pharmacy expeditions, I spend rather more time "at the store" then he should like. Basically, now is the time for me to ensure that my "hobby" doesn't become my boss... My plan is to brainstorm a weekly meal plan/guide with my boyfriend on Sunday, have a Publix run on Monday (specifically then so as to take advantage of the weekly penny item) and then wait until Saturday to go by Kroger for any good sales there. CVS I can hit up more or less whenever, since there's one right by where I work, and the Farmer's Market will have to fit in wherever there's time and a need for fresh produce... which depending on the success of our garden should hopefully be somewhat less often. I'll be trying this new "savings schedule" for the coming month (Saturday Kroger, Sunday meal-plan, Monday Publix, DONE)... I'll let my boyfriend report back at that point on how successful it is. :P
If you're still establishing coupon habits for yourself and have a penchant for organic products, the two resources that will be your new best friends are Mambo Sprouts and Eating Well. On both sites you can find coupons for lots of great organic and natural products, sometimes even including more mainstream ones like Kashi and Luna. In addition to the printable coupons on their site, several times a year Mambo Sprouts will also send a booklet of coupons straight to your door... and last time, they even included a sample packet of Jasmine Green Tea along with it! Very fun, don't miss out...
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wow, that is awesome. I have a $200 per month grocery budget for two of us (that does not include eating out once a week). I've pretty much been doing my shopping solely at Kroger, and even using the coupon sites people recommend I find that Kroger brand items are generally cheaper then other brands with coupons matching them. The best deals are always the weekly specials.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you get at the Farmers market - and do you think that a weekly Farmers Market trip would save me money?
The trick is definitely to combine sales with coupons -- that's what brings the prices down to even less than the store brands. Do you have Publix in TX? They have really great buy-one-get-one free sales, and even if you just buy one of the items it's still half off... combining those with coupons easily makes for 60% off or more.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever played with The Grocery Game? If not you should sign up for the Kroger list for your area for a trial month (ooh ooh, and use me as your referral!) -- they'll alert you to which sale prices are "rock bottom" for each item, and tell you where to find coupons for those items too. Kroger sales can be great, but in my area at least Publix usually beats their non-sale prices.
The Farmer's Market I usually use is actually more of an international market, so I can get huge containers of spices for just a dollar or two... also fresh produce is almost always cheaper there. Once my local farmers markets are back in season I'll start shopping more predominately there though probably (for the sustainable aspect).
No Publix in my area.... and I have never tried the Grocery Game. So... if I sign up, do I just list your full name for you to get credit for a referral?
ReplyDeleteTo use me as a referral you'd just put my (junk) email address in the space they provide -- it's misseliza123 at gmail dot com.
ReplyDeleteFor the trial you pay $1 for a month of access to all the stores lists available in your area... I blogged about the system here if you want a more coherent explanation lol: http://devastateboredom.blogspot.com/2009/02/thriftie-shortcut-1-grocery-game.html
It would be fun if you did try it! You would have to let me know how it goes. :)