- I will not spend hours clipping coupons and organizing them in a pristine binder.
- I will not dumpster dive the local recycle bins to try to get more coupon inserts. Ew!
- I will not stockpile enough food to feed our family for years. Have you seen the show "Extreme Couponing" on TLC? I watch it just 'cuz it's funny, but those people REALLY like to coupon (and maybe they're just a touch crazy?!). And trust me, if I were to show up in the check out aisle with three carts full of food and stacks and stacks of coupons, they would not smile and stand around and clap for me. They would roll their eyes and give me the stink eye! :)
- I will not clear the shelves for anything, even if I can get it free. My family does not need 40 bottles of mustard, and if I buy 20 boxes of Pop-Tarts my kids would just go on an eating frenzy and eat them all in a week, so what's the point?
- I will not try to use coupons for items that I'm not buying, or use an expired coupon.
- I will not drive way out of my way to get a great deal on a few items.
Things I WILL do:
- I will watch the grocery circulars that come out on Wednesday, and I will look for what is on sale at all the stores. I'll see what I have a coupon for, and what is just a great deal regardless.
- I will maximize on my $. In general - I do about 60% of my shopping at ALDI's. You cannot beat their prices on the basics that I can't get coupons for anyways. Sure, ya gotta put a quarter in to use a shopping cart, and yes, you have to bag your own groceries but it's a great deal. Most everything is their own brand but I can attest to the fact that I've tried nearly all of their brand items and been disappointed only once (their "Sun Chips" were just plain gross!).
- I will use coupons for fill-in items and to stock up. The other 40% is where the coupons come in. I split my time between Target, and either Kroger or Tom Thumb depending on the week and the coupons available. This shopping is where you see the great savings - if I don't save 60%, then I'm kinda disappointed in myself. I buy what is featured on sale, then add a coupon to make it even better.
- I will play the drug-store game ONLY if it works for me and I can do it hassle-free.
- I will feed my family lots of fresh fruits and veggies, very little processed food, meat every meal, healthy snacks, all while spending about $500 a month. That's feeding 5 people (3 adults) three meals a day, 7 days a week. We almost never go out to eat. My husband takes his lunch to work. We get pizza once a week, and hit a drive-thru maybe once every two weeks. We eat a lot of food at home. It's way cheaper and it's better food. Win-win.
- I will have a balance between couponing/saving money and keeping my sanity. I have three busy boys, laundry that seems to reproduce on it's own, dishes that need washing, 4 pets that need feeding & walking, and a house that needs constant cleaning. I'm just like you.
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