Saving Money at the Grocery Stores

The grocery store is by far the easiest place to get started saving money.  While I've found I save the most money at the drugstores, doing so takes a lot more effort and thought.  So, in my series about the basics of saving money, I'm going to start with the easiest thing.

Saving Money at the Grocery Store
You don't have to clip coupons or have (or start) a huge stockpile to save money at the grocery store, but you do have to put forth a little time and planning.

1. Get the Store Card - most grocery stores have switched to the loyalty card as their means of handing out discounts. Instead of just offering the sale price to everyone who buys a product that's on sale, they require you have a loyalty card and only give the full discount to those that do.


2. Make a List - Don't rely on chance when going to the grocery store.  We were very guilty of this. We'd have a few items on our list that we knew we were out of but then we'd just go up and down the aisles and throw things in our cart with no real thought for what we were spending or whether or not we needed them, or could get them cheaper.  If you only shop from your list you will save a LOT of money.  Going through the weekly ad and buying things that are on sale will allow you room for buying things you may not NEED while not spending the money you would if you just bought them spontaneously.

3. Go through your weekly ad - Most grocery chains put out a sale ad weekly and you can usually find it online at least the day before the sale starts (sometimes earlier).  Go through your weekly ad and circle the items you know you need or want to have on hand.  Just buying items when they are on sale can save you as much as 50% on your grocery spending.

4. Compare Prices -  Before heading to the stores, compare the prices at the different stores in your area and find the best deals.  You may find that by splitting your shopping between 2 or more different stores you can save even more.  Before we started watching the ads I was under the misconception that Kroger and even Target had better prices than Publix, but once I started watching the sale ads and comparing prices I found out I was wrong.

5. Use Coupons - Coupons are by far the most work you will put into saving money on your grocery bill but they are worth if you learn the ins and outs and do it right.  That's a whole separate article.

Video: Couponing at Krogers

cScrapbook over at WeUseCoupons did a cool little interview with some employees at her local Kroger regarding some of the mysteries of couponing at Krogers, including questions of using e-Coupons on your Kroger card with paper coupons.  Check it out!





After you watch the video be sure to go over to WeUseCoupons and look up her great posts.

New Coupons on Coupons.com

Several new coupons available on Coupons.com, here are a few of the new ones you may be interested in.

• $3.50 off On Pork with purchase of Kingsford
• $1.00 off any Hidden Valley Salad Kit
• $3.50 off any KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce
• $1.00 off on any 2 Glad Food Storage Bags
• $1.00 off Clorox 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster
• $0.25 off on any 96oz Clorox Liquid Bleach
• $0.50 off any 32oz. or larger Formula 409 cleaner
• $1.00 off on any 2 featured Clorox products
• $0.75 off On any Glad Trash bag products
• $1.00 off any Hidden Valley Farmhouse Original
• $1.00 off TWO bags of Wonka Jelly Beans
• $.55 off ONE bags of Wonka Jelly Beans
• $1.00 off TWO bags of NESTLE NestEggs™
• $.55 off ONE bag of NESTLE NestEggs™
• $2.00 off on any Slo-Niacin

Journey to Spending Less

My journey to cutting our grocery budget has had a lot of ups and downs but I think that finally, after 6 months, I can say that we've built our stockpile up enough that I can look at the grocery ads and buy only the absolute best deals.... and I actually think I've got a much better handle on what those deals are now.

As we started, it was all about stockpiling, so not only was I having to buy what we needed that week but I was trying to buy (in bulk) the things we would use over time. Maybe we weren't out of that item yet but we'd use it and better to buy it when it's on sale and have it than to need it later and pay full price.  The painful part is that as you go along you think you will never really get to a point where you can stop stocking up.

The Journey
September 2010 - We started off back in September with just setting a grocery budget.  That alone was new for us.  In the months prior we'd spent $5-600/month on groceries.  There was usually 1 or 2 big trips but most of what we spent was on little trips here and there.  It's amazing how much you can spend just running to pick up some milk.  So we started off just putting a budget in place of $400/month.  I know that seems like a lot to most people (and it even does to me now) but for us at the time it was a start.

I remember that first trip when we looked at the sales and saw that our detergent was on BOGO and decided we'd better buy 4 bottles (after all, who knows when it will go on sale again).  We needed butter and there was a blinkie machine with a coupon for the butter we use and we stood there for a good 10 minutes trying to figure out which size would be the best price.  It's definitely a learning curve.

I remember trying to explain to my husband the reasoning behind stockpiling and why I was buying a ton of something that we didn't necessarily need RIGHT NOW.  It took a few trips of him seeing me come home with a massive amount of items for less than half of what we would have normally spent for twice that much before he understood.  It also took my explaining to him that my goal was to cut our grocery budget even further and that by January 2011 I wanted to have our budget down to $50/wk.

November 2010
In November we managed to cut our grocery budget down to $75/week and not even feel it. 

January 2011
I started out trying to cut our grocery budget down to $50/wk right off and soon realized I may have cut it too fast too soon.  It hurt.  We made it through January and only went slightly over (really just using up reserves of what we didn't use from December), however it was tight and I used most of our budgeted funds in the first half of the month.

February 2011
I didn't plan well at all for February, evidently I thought it was further away than it was.  The Kroger Mega sale snuck up and bit me in the butt.  I knew we'd be doing major stocking up on 2 items at that sale but I just didn't plan for it properly.  We ended up spending $350 in February.

I started this week with just $20 that I took out for groceries and so far I've only spent about $2 of it, despite buying well over $30 worth of groceries so far.  Looking forward into this coming week I SHOULD be able to continue spending and saving at that rate.  Hopefully, I don't screw anything up.  What' I'm realizing, though, is that looking at our stockpile and looking at what we need/ what's on sale there are fewer and fewer items we need to stockpile and those that I do see I can get for extremely cheap or practically free.

Thinking about it, I know it seems much simpler than it really is, and I'm going to start sharing more tips on how to get started saving money & stockpiling.  I think it was something that came fairly easily to me, but I don't think it would have without the help of some other amazing blogs who really break down the sales and do the  coupon match-ups week after week.

New Target Coupons

Target has new coupons available for printing on their website.  Keep in mind, if you are in an area where Target is a competitor for Publix, you should be able to use these coupons at Publix, as well.

Some of the coupons I noticed...

• 1 Off Windex Electronics Wipes
•  $1.50 Off Wanchai Ferry or Macaroni Grill frozen meals
• .75/3 select boxed dinner items (picture shows Hamburger Helper & Old El Paso)
• $3/1 20ct or larger Excedrin
• $3/1 50ct or larger Excedrin Migraine
• .50/1 Halls
• $1/1 Select Dove Men's Care
• $1.50 Dove Visible Care (18oz)
• $1/2 select Market Pantry cheese items
• $1/1 Colgate Total Advanced (4oz or larger)
• $1.50/2 Kraft shredded cheese
• $1/1 Oscar Mayer bacon
• $1/2 Oscar Mayer hot dogs

Click Here for all of Target's Printable Coupons

FREE Electronic Music Sampler from Itunes

Itunes has a new FREE MUSIC Sampler on their Facebook page. Head over to Facebook and like Itunes and they'll give you a code to get the free download

2/27 Coupons In Sunday Paper

This is the list of the coupons that were in my paper this week. There were two inserts; 1 Smart Source and 1 Proctor & Gamble.

Smart Source

• $1/1 Lysol Clean-Flip Starter Kit or Floor Cloths
• .50/1 French's French Fried Onions
• .50/1 RID-X Septic System Treatment Product (exp 4/03/11)
• .50/1 RID-X Septic System Treatment Product (exp 5/01/11)
• $2.50/1 3.5oz package of Purina Pro Plan Roasted Slices
• $1/ 5lb box Cuties
• .55/ 3.1b bag Cuties
• $1 Off Glade Plugins Scented Oil twin refill or two single refills
• $1 Off any Glade Premium Room Spray (9.7oz)
•  $1/2 Glade 4oz jar candles
• $1.50/2 Glade Scented Oil Candles products
• .75/1 Glade Carpet & Room Odor eliminator
• $1/1 Glade Fabric & Air odor eliminator
• $3/1 Glade Sense & Spary starter kit
• $1/2 Glade Sense & Spray refills
• $2 Off Biotrue multi purpose solution
• $4 Off 2x10oz pack of Biotrue multipurpose solution
• .55/1 bag any Tostitos Artisan Recipes tortilla chips
• .75/1 Colgate toothpaste
• .75/1 Colgate adult or kids manual toothbrush
• $1/1 Glade Tough Odor Solutions Air Sanitizer or Surface Disinfectant & Air Sanitizer
• $3/1 Zegerid OTC
• $6/1 42ct Zegerid OTC
• FREE Accucheck Ava meter w/ purchase of any ACCU-CHEK Aviva test strips (any size)
• .55/1 package festive Chinet Casuals plates
• .55/1 package of Pepperidge Farm 3-layer cake
• $1/1 Big Bottle (45pc or larger) Mentos Gum
• $1/3 (15pc or larger) Mentos Gum
• $2/1 Benefiber
• $5/2 Benefiber
• .75/1 Excedrin 20ct or larger
• $1.50/1 Excedrin 80ct or larger
• $1/1 Skim Plus (32oz or 64oz)
• $2/1 12oz bag Caribou Coffee
• $5/1 Similac SimplePac large size powder (exp 4/30/11)
• $3/1 Similac SimplePac large size powder (exp 5/31/11)
• $5 off any Non-Drowsy Claritin (20ct or larger)
• $4 off any Non-Drowsy Claritin-D (15ct or larger)
• $3/1 Ensure 4pk
• $1/1 EAS Product
• $2/1 Glucerna product
• .55/1 ZonePerfect single bar or multi-count box
• $1 off ANY Sea Best bagged product

Proctor & Gamble

• .50/2 Puffs products
• $5/1 Swiffer Wet Jet starter pack
• .35/1 Tide detergent
• $1/1 Downy liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets
• $1/1 Crest Rinse (946ml or larger)
• $1/1 Oral-B CrossAction manual toothbrush
• .75/1 Oral-B Satin, Glide Floss (25m or more)
• .75/1 Crest toothpaste (4oz or larger)
• $1/1 Covergirl product
• $1/1 Pantene product
• $1/1 Always Infinity pads (24-48ct)
• $2/1 Secret Clinical strength
• .50/1 Secret
• $2/1 Pampers Diapers or pants
• .50/1 Papers Wipes (60ct +)
• .25/1 Charmin product
• $3/1 Olay Pro-X (excludes .3oz and 1oz sizes)
• Buy 1 Olay Facial Cleanser G1 Olay bar soap, body wash or in-shower lotion FREE
• $4/1 Manual or Power Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor
• $1/1 Head & Shoulders
• $1/1 Febreze Set & Refresh
• Buy 1 Covergirl Natureluxe Foundation Get 1 Natureluxe lip balm FREE
• $3/1 Nice 'n Easy Color Blend Foam haircolor
• $1/1 Nice 'n Easy hair color product
• $10/1 Crest 3D White strips
• $5/1 Crest 3D Advanced Vivid, Stain Shield or Gentle Routine
• $1/1 Crest toothpaste (4oz or larger)
• .75/1 Oral-B Pulsar CrossAction Advantage or any 2 Indicator or Cavity Defense manual brushes
• $3/1 Oral-B Battery brush
• .50/1 Oral-B Stages, Zooth or Crest Kids toothpaste
• .50/1 Oral-B Stages, Zooth or Crest Kids manual or power toothbrush
• Buy 1 Old Spice Deo, Get 1 Old Spice Body Wash
• $1/1 Gillette Fusion Shave Prep or ProGlide Shave Prep
• $2/1 Gillette ProSeries Skin Care product
• $1/2 Old Spice products
• $2/1 Gillette Bodywash
• Buy 1 Gillette deo, get one Gillette bodywash
• $3/1 Prilosec OTC
• Buy 1 Vicks product, GET 1 Puffs FREE
• $4/1 Sinex product
• $1/1 Metamucil
• $4/1 PUR or PUR Flavor Options System
• $2/1 PUR Pitcher or Faucet Mount mult-pack replacement filters
• .75/1 4-pack Duracell coppertop
• $1.50/1 Duracell hearing aid batteries with easy tab (6pk or larger)
• $1/1 Iams ProActive health or Premium Protection dry dog or cat food
• $1/1 Iams Healthy Naturals dry dog or cat food
• .50/3 Iams Canned dog or cat food (or one variety pack or multi-pack)
• Buy 1 Tide detergent 75oz or larger GET ONE Tide Stain Release 10ct duo pack, 20oz liquid, 14oz powder or 21oz pre-treat FREE
• $3/1 Tide Stain Release 26-50oz powder, 15-34ct Duo Pac OR 36-68oz Liquid
• .50/1 Bounce product
• BUY 1 Febreze flameless luminary starter kit or device, GET 1 Febreze flameless luminary refill
• $1/1 Febreze Home Collection flameless luminary refill
• BUY 1 Swiffer Sweeper Wet or Dry Cloth Refill, GET ONE FREE
• BUY 1 Swiffer Starter Kit, GET 1 Swiffer Refill FREE
• .50/1 Always Pad, Clean or Feminine Cleansing Cloths
• .50/1 Always Pantiliners
• $2/1 Tampax Pearl or Compak Pearl
• $1/1 Tampax (18ct or larger)

To get a headstart and know what's coming in next Sunday's coupons be sure to check out the Sunday Coupon Preview

More Adventures With Kroger

After last week's debacle at Kroger, we decided we weren't going back to that store.  Knowing that the Mega sale ends tomorrow and figuring it would not be as busy tonight we decided we'd go to one of the other stores tonight (the store we had been frequenting until I took over grocery shopping and opted for location over... well, I guess everything else).

I decided I'd check at the Customer Service desk to find out if there was a limit on how many of the $3 Daytona catalina coupons I could redeem at once (before finding out while standing in line) and the girl at the CS desk told me that there wasn't a limit. She even said they'd gotten a letter from corporate telling them they could take more than 1 at a time but that they'd been doing that the whole time and flat out said "there's no limit". I told her about my debacle at the other store and she made the comment that I should have just come there.  I agreed and went off to fill my cart.  We had 8 of the $3 coupons to use and I figured I may as well continue to stock up on the Gatorade as well as pick up a few other items, knowing that the Gatorade would produce more coupons.

We headed to the Gatorade aisle first and found that their selection of G2 was a little on the lacking side, but he managed to grab 25.  We filled in the other 5 slots with Brown & Serve sausages and Tornadoes (we'd been wanting to try this and figured we could take the risk for less than $1).  I also had coupons for .50 off Starkist tuna pouches (which were on sale for $1, making them free) and I wanted to pick up some hot dog buns while they were also on sale for $1.  All in all I figured it should have come out to under $27 (well actually I figured under $24 but it was because I suck at math).

We got the register and unloaded our haul and we were talking to the cashier (who was very nice) when I handed him my coupons.  "You're not going to like me..." he started, "there's a limit of 1 of these per transaction".  I told him that I'd asked at CS and she'd told me that there wasn't a limit.  He didn't argue with me and wasn't at all rude, he had the supervisor come over and she turned the little key and did an override.  They were both adamant that they were told it was limit of 1, but that if the CS girl said otherwise they'd take them and they did.

As we left we could see the floor manager discussing it with the CS girl as she was obviously looking for that letter from corporate.  At least we are down to just 3 of the $3 off coupons now, and it should be easier to spend those between Kroger and Publix over the next 2 weeks before they expire.

So all in all we got....
25 Gatorade (32oz) @ .69/e (after Mega discount)
3 Banquet Brown & Serve @ .58/e (after Mega discount)
2 Tornadoes @ $1.69/e (after Mega discount)
2 packs Hormel pepperoni (on sale $1/e)
3 packs hot dog buns (on sale $1/e)
2 Starkist tuna pouches (on sale $1/e)

Used the following coupons:
(2) .75/1 Tornadoes
$1/2 Hormel Pepperoni
(2) .50/1 Starkist tuna pouch

(8) $3 Daytona Mega coupons

Paid $1.22 OOP (got back $9 in Kroger coupons)

And my husband should now be good on Gatorade at least through the summer (if not longer).

Sometimes Freebies Come in Handy

Back in January I'd done the money-maker Airwick deal at CVS.  I'd put the larger Airwick Freshmatic in the bathroom we use for the cat litter box because none of the plugs in there work, so I couldn't use any plug-ins.  The thing still freaks me out but I'm getting used to the noise (which sounds like a cat sneezing) when it goes off.

Until this past week the smaller Freshmatic had stayed in our stockpile awaiting a need to use it.  Last weekend we had a major need.  I noticed a funky smell coming from the half bath downstairs.  Not only is this the bathroom that probably gets the most use in our house, but it's also right next to our bedroom and we have to walk by it every time we walk in the house or go to our bedroom.  Once I noticed the smell I figured "Hey, I can at least cover it up".  So, I did with my freebie Airwick.  FWIW, the small ones aren't nearly as loud as the large ones, they also spray straight up instead of our, so no worries about getting attacked by the thing.

We called a plumber on Tuesday, but by then the smell was already getting worse to the point that the Airwick wasn't enough and the smell was noticeable on the other side of the wall in our bedroom (ew!).  So I put a Wallflower plugin in the plug right next to the bathroom (for some reason this bathroom has no plugs).  When I talked to the plumber his initial thought was that the wax seal on our toilet needed replacing.  This is something my husband could easily do and would only cost about $10 if he did it himself.  Our fear was that it was more than that (or something else entirely).  We've known since we moved in that the contractor we used to redo that section of the house had cut a lot of corners, and we didn't really know what the plumber might run into.  Also, the more we sniffed around the more we were sure it wasn't the toilet but was coming from the other side of the bathroom (the sink).

We were right.  The plumber came out today and sure enough the first thing he saw when he looked under the sink was that the contractor had used a type of pipe that is illigal and it was causing sewer gas build up, thus the smell.  That wasn't all he found... somehow our sink drain was plugged up with toilet paper?  He had no idea when I asked him how the heck toilet paper got in our sink drain.  I'd known it had always drained slowly, but had no idea - toilet paper?!

Hopefully, we no longer need the Freshmatic in that bathroom and I think that just because it's a lot less noisy I will probably replace the large one upstairs with this smaller one.  Only problem is I still have two refills for the large one, and as much as that one annoys me I don't want to see those go to waste.

Good Week to Get the Paper: Coupons Coming Sunday!

This should be a good week to grab the paper, since there will be at least 2 inserts this week and one of them will be Proctor & Gamble.  The P&G insert is the one I look forward to the most, but there are often some really good Qs in the other inserts as well. 


You can get a full preview of what's coming Sunday at the Sunday Coupon Preview.