january seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye...not sure if what seemed like settling in for winter or the hurry of 'can we please get back to school, it has been enough with this snow stuff' is what made this month super quick but regardless, tomorrow is february 1
the end of my frist month of couponing
first let me say that after adding up each of my receipts for the month, i almost had a heart attack! i have NEVER spent more than approximately $350-$400 at the grocery store.
yes we eat out...and at times, much more than needed...it's not my fault that Pedro's Taco Shack is right around the corner, but food around here has never gone to waste
now before i tell you the exact totals, please know that i have enough cereal (16 boxes), toaster struedels (10 boxes), goldfish (embaressing amount) and pizza rolls (10/40 count bags) for the next FEW MONTHS...
not to mention 5 bottles of Wisk detergent and 5 of Snuggle fabric softener
my total bill for the month $836.44 (Kroger and Publix and before coupons or any special store savings)
my total savings $337.50
my total spent $498.94
this includes but is not limited to: fresh chicken, ground beef, filet mignon, strip steak, detergent, fabric softener, vitamins, olive oil, steak sauce, bags of coffee, q-tips, rotel tomatoes (staple at our house), canned tomotoes, bread, cereal, goldfish, 8 jars of peanut butter, capri sun water (pouches), yoplait yogurt (ALOT), Fiber One Bars, pasta, cream of chicken soup, 5 tubes of toothpaste, pasta sauce, poptarts, 6 bottles of salad dressing, waffles, 4 bottles of shampoo...
for example, today at Publix:
A1 Steak Sauce $4.24 each, buy one get one Free and coupon for each made it $1.12 each
8 o'clock Coffee $5.89 each, buy one get one Free and a coupon for each made it $1.95 each
for my first month...i'm thinking 'not too bad' but i'm ready to cut it in half for february! not sure if i can do it but i'm gonna sure try
what i've learned so far...
1. get more than one Sunday paper and if possible, get the one with double coupons...or get your neighbors
2. it doesn't take 'too much time' to do this. for me, it's approximately an hour or usually less of my time which can always be wasted elsewhere, like the internet...but why not try to save some moolah instead?
3. get organized. this is a must! if you know me, then you know that i love me some organization and the very thought of a list makes me pretty darn happy! if you don't get organized, then you will just have a mess on your hands and very likely this coupon thing will wind up a thing of the past...
4. learn your grocery store and it's coupon policies. i'm still doing this but it's getting easier each time.
5. don't stick to one store. i've always been a kroger girl however Publix may claim to be the place 'where shopping is a pleasure' regardless if it's a "buy one get one" at Publix or a Mega Event at Kroger, i'm there! if i plan correctly, i can hit both stores once a week in under an hour each. that's not bad at all.
6. do what works best for you! for me, i make a grocery list throughout the week. i clip my coupons, scan the store sale papers and make my lists accordingly, one for Kroger and one for Publix (i use envelopes for each store and insert the coupons in the appropriate envelopes)
7. take your remaining coupons with you! you never know what you may find...
8. don't buy it if you won't use it. unless it's free and you want to donate it, don't do it. i haven't purchased one single thing that we don't already use on a regular basis.
8.5 your first month will be the 'big one' where you may freak out like me! from everything i've read, you will most likely spend the most in the beginning by stocking up on staple items etc. each month should be less and for me, i'm at a point where i'm saving more than i spend.
9. make your way to Southern Savers this is the best site i've found! make sure you follow her on twitter for the latest updates!
10. it's been nice not having to run to the grocery store on a sunday night for breakfast the next morning (this seemed to be a usual occurrence for us)
so, are you couponing? i would love to know about your savings...especially at a drug store, that's on my "list" for the week! i'm going to try CVS?
thanks for listening and happy monday!