How much I've spent on Groceries so far...
As you can see from my last post, I've spent $143 on groceries & household needs. And it's only one week into the month. That looks (and sounds) really, well... bad. It is a lot more than I would normally spend, but see these points:
- That total is not just food. It is all things used for personal use in the home. Anything from toothpaste, to razors, to cleaning supplies, to toilet paper, to batteries, to makeup, to pet food, etc...
- I am in the beginning stages of CVS & Walgreens. I'm learning the system, I'm learning from trial and error. I've done rather well at these stores, actually.
- I am in the beginning stages of stockpiling. It is impossible to get stockpiled on Every Single Thing you buy without coming OOP in the beginning. But! Just think how long it will be before I run out of cereal, or toothpaste, or snack food & have to buy it again. A long time! But I will stockpile again before I run out...
- I have just moved from being a coupon user, to being an avid coupon user. And Yes there is a BIG difference. I have started my coupon binder and that alone has cost close to $25 to start. Plus I am learning all the store rules, policies & regulations.
- I am going to get rebates on some of the items I have bought. When the rebate comes in, it will goes towards more groceries/household needs. So that will be less spent OOP in the future.
- I feed a family of 4. One man who eats, well a lot... one boy who eats, well a lot too. And I'm a SAHM with a 3 year old at home and a 6 year old at school, I cook 3 meals a day. And sending lunch to school occasionally. And sending snack & juice to school daily.
- I am still buying diapers/pullups. That alone should say something.
- I have ECBs from some of my purchases at CVS, they are just like money. They will help me save on items next week, so I will spend less OOP.
- If you looked at my weekly grocery bill around the beginning of the year, you would see that I would spend anywhere from $85-$150 a week. And I wasn't stockpiling Anything! I wasn't using coupons, or getting many things on sale either. And the only place I grocery shopped was Walmart.
I love to clip coupons. My problem was a) clipping ones for products I actually use and b) using them. I just weeded out my envelope and had about 20 coupons for stuff I actually use that expired because I always forget to use them.
I need to do as you are doing--I need to get in the routine of it and save money. I have to.
:)
Anonymous said... August 11, 2008 at 10:50 AM
I do mine just the way Stephanie (from couponmom.com) tells you to do it. Just keep the whole little booklet that you get in the newspaper and clip when you are going to use it. I swear it saves me tons of time, because I don't spend a whole day trying to clip and organize my coupon binder anymore!!
And my grocery bill this week was $115. For me, that is great!! I was spending close to two hundred a week!
As far as the CVS & Walgreens, I am still figuring that mess out too. I'm having the problem of them being out of what it is that I'm after! So I end up going and not getting anything!
Dixie said... August 11, 2008 at 5:59 PM
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