Shopping for me is a continual learning and perfecting process. Through the years it had developed from once a month shopping to almost every-other day shopping. I am continuing to learn new tips and tricks to the skill of marketing. Today I am a Sale+Coupon Shopper. I base my grocery list on what is on sale and what I have coupons for. Sadly no grocery stores near where I live double coupons or I would be a coupon queen. Nonetheless, I plan each shopping trip with careful deliberation.
Here is a normal week's routine...
Sunday-cut and clip coupons-browse through store adds
Monday-surf specific online coupon sites for more coupons and deals, then match up coupons to drugstore and supermarket advertisements for the week-very often I will make a trip out to the drugstores in the morning to make purchases-by noon on Monday-most of the good deal items are sold out
Tuesday-make another trip to drugstores and pick up supermarket items
Wednesday-my local grocery stores update their adds for the week so I surf each of them online and make a grocery list-matching up coupons to sale items and outlining a plan for the shopping trip on Saturday
Thursday-I create a 2 week menu-following my monthly menu plan and considering the activities of the next 2 weeks-i.e. church dinners, having friends over for dinner, going out to eat, traveling, birthday's and holidays. Also I try to use items I already have in stock-such as ground beef, or frozen chicken.
Friday-I finalize my grocery list by checking through my cupboards to make sure I have the essentials for the next two weeks cooking as well as stocking up on sale items. For instance this week my local grocery store had a sale for buy one-get one free for a whole fryer chicken. I bought four of them for our freezer and paid half of what I would originally.
Saturday-My husband and I go to the grocery stores-we usually go to two-three different stores to best utilize our grocery budget.
I do major grocery shopping every other Saturday-in between I simply make purchases at drugstores if there are items I need or will use that I can get for free by combining sales and coupons.
So there you have it! You might think that I spend most of my time planning meals and shopping, but for me-it is part of my job as an efficient home-maker and I really enjoy doing it!
I am perfecting couponing to the point that there are some items I never use money to purchase because I can get them for free at drugstores by waiting for the right deal and combining the purchase with coupons or store credit. Hopefully the list will continue to grow as I further develop learning how to use coupons.
I never have to buy-
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Laundry Soap
Laundry Softner
Shampoo
Conditioner
Feminine Products
Hair Styling Products
Salt
Baking Soda
Deoderant
Hand Soap
Use the Freezer and Pantry
§ Buy frozen meat rather than fresh. Frozen chicken is about ½ the cost per pound as fresh chicken is
§ Use leftovers-freeze old bread, and heals they can be used to make bread pudding. Freeze pancakes, waffles-they can be popped into a toaster oven and freshened up like new.
§ Lemons and limes can be bought in bulk and stored for long periods of time.
§ Buy bulk non-perishables-you can plan to buy several of one item if there is a special deal although purchasing a 24 count of toilet paper instead of a 6 count will seem expensive at the time, but it is usually cheaper in the long run
§ Buy foods in season-don’t plan to make strawberry shortcake in November-the strawberries will be twice as much and not as nice as they are in mid-spring.
Plan Ahead
§ Plan meals ahead-know what will be cooked each meal rather than scrounging around at the last minute or making a grocery store run-which can be costly.
§ Shop once a month or every two weeks rather than every week. The less you go to the store-the less you spend.
§ Plan to serve unmixed meals the first time-mixing spaghettis sauce with the pasta should be done on the plate-you can use the leftover spaghetti sauce in meatloaf and the pasta in a pasta salad or soup.
§ Plan meals with a leftover-something else you can do with the dish or freeze it for a couple weeks and serve it again.
§ Plan-Plan-Plan your meals. Know what you need to have for each recipe, how you are going to prepare leftovers, when you are planning to have company or special meals and what you will prepare.
Utilize Store Sales and Coupon
§ Use the store adds for your local grocery stores and plans your grocery list according to what is on sale or what you have coupons for.
§ Watch out for coupon scams-sometimes the generic brand is still cheaper than a name brand with a coupon.
Grocery Shopping Rules
§ Stick to your grocery list! If you add something-take something else off the list of equal value.
§ Always make a grocery list-don’t enter a grocery store without it.
§ Don’t stroll down every isle in the store-only go down the ones that have what you are purchasing-it will not only save money, but time as well.
Buy local for fresh fruits, vegetables, and honey.
§ Buy foods as close to their natural state as possible-the more you can make on your own the cheaper.
§ Don’t g shopping hungry!
§ Learn your prices-you will be able to recognize a good deal when you see one and a rip-off when you see one.
§ Most grocery stores will match prices of advertisements from other
§ Review store adds before your shopping trip and match your coupons
§ If it is not something you need-don’t be tempted to purchase-unless you can get it for free or with overage if you have a coupon
§ Plan how much you are going to spend at the store and take that much with you. I know almost to the penny how much I will be spending at each store before I go.
No comments:
Post a Comment