Mastering the Merchants

I have finally figured out groceries. I say finally because I have consistently spent $100 (give or take a few dollars) for 3 weeks in a row. That's down $50 a week for me! And that includes food, paper products, toiletries and all baby needs! Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm awesome! LOL.

This mastery didn't come easy, though; I had to read several different books, join a few websites (which means sifting through a million junk emails), and read many, many blogs. But it was well worth it. I feel like I know something amazing that not many people know...and no, it's that you buy less! That's the amazing part; you still buy a lot, you just pay less. Coupons are my new bestest friend, and so are store deals that match my coupons.

I spent $103.53 today at 2 different stores and brought home more than enough groceries for the week and plenty of diapers! My purchases included brand names; in fact, everything was a major brand except for 2 items. Not that I need specific brands, but it's nice to know there are ways around brand pricing. I got most of my big name brands for less than the store brand price. I did forget about a little over $3 of coupons in my purse at checkout, so that would've put me UNDER $100. I got flustered and wasn't prepared when we got to the register; I was so angry when I got in the car. But, that just means I can save those coupons for when prices are even lower, and maybe walk away with some items for free!

In a little while, I'm rewarding myself by driving over to CVS and using my $1.00 Trident Layers coupon....that item is on sale at CVS for $.99. That means it's free for me! Wonder if they'll give me the $.01 I made on the purchase to use for next week's purchases...

GROCERY GRUDGES

Every week, I set aside almost an hour to organize coupons, make a list, and map out my grocery shopping with the weekly ads. Up until today, I assumed almost everyone did this. Nope. Apparently I am the biggest nerd. :)

I will say, though, that my nerdiness and time-consuming grocery organization has saved me bundles. Last Friday, I was able to purchase 7 days worth of groceries and diapers for $102! For around here and a family of 5, that's awesome! I haven't scored like that in a while. $150 is my weekly budget, but some weeks I go shopping while I'm hungry or go down aisles I can't control myself in (lol), and I end up spending all $150 or more for what seems like a few groceries. I always wonder where the money went on weeks like that.

When I take the time (even if I feel like I am going to DIE if I have to rewrite the list one more time!) to plan it all out and do some digging to find online or paper coupons, it is sooooo worth it. I don't know how folks do it without planning...I would go nuts! So, of all my habits, I guess coupon clipping and Ad comparison aren't so bad. Maybe the money I've saved each week can go toward some therapy for my other crazy habits!