Not Extreme Couponing, But Still Saving

One of the ways I try to save money is with groceries. It’s hard. The grocery bill can quickly get out. of. control.

After we moved, it was out of control for a while. Having to re-stock all kinds of stuff and build your pantry back up takes more time and money than you think. But I’m finally back to the point where I feel like I have things somewhat figured out.

The biggest thing that helps me is savings and deals websites. My friend Heather started a website a few years ago, and it’s the reason I started using coupons. I needed someone to tell me what to do. She’s pretty much my go-to for savings, deals, and coupon help. Heather not only does grocery store deals, but all kinds of products from stores and websites. So if you want a starting place, check out PassionForSavings.com.

You will never find me on an extreme couponing show. I don’t have the time or obsession, and as of yet, I can’t give Caedmon the job of clipping coupons. Once I can trust him with a pair of scissors and a stack of coupons, that might change. But probably not. I think those shows are neat, but I think they give the impression that you have to dumpster dive for coupons or buy 63 mustards in order to save money.

Guess what. You don’t.

Even if you just save a few dollars each trip, it allows you to stretch your budget by that much. Saving a few bucks each time you go to the store eventually adds up.

I’m still learning the “system” at the grocery stores here. I love the Buy One, Get One deals at Publix every week. And I’ve been taking advantage of them for a while, but this week I was pretty proud of myself.

And yes, while I was staging and taking a picture of this grocery haul, Husband was laughing at me.

He’ll laugh until he opens that box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It’s his favorite.

Here’s what I got: 2 2-liters, 2 boxes of Cheerios, 2 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 2 Fiesta Sides, 2 boxes of pasta, 2 jars of pasta sauce, 6 cans of ravioli, 2 bottles of coffee creamer, 4 packages of cream cheese, 2 avocados, and 1 pkg of M&Ms.

I paid $20.45 for $49.83 worth of groceries. $49.83 is what I would’ve paid if these things hadn’t been Buy One, Get One and I hadn’t used coupons. So by taking advantage of the BOGO deals, it literally cuts the cost of those items in half.

Everything except the cream cheese, avocados and M&Ms were a BOGO deal, and that accounted for $8 of the $20.45. The M&Ms were a filler – I needed to have a subtotal of $30 in order to use a $5 off Publix coupon. I knew I would be close, but at the checkout I discovered I needed one small thing to put me over. The M&Ms seemed like a great choice to me! I stocked up on cream cheese because Publix has the best price, and I know I’m going to use it soon. I also love their Avocados, which I need for meals this week. I used coupons on top of the deals for almost all of the BOGO things.

I’m not the person to teach you how to use coupons. Heather and many other ladies are awesome at that, and you should check them out. I just want you to know it’s possible to save on groceries. And sometimes fun!

Just be warned, if you try to stage your grocery haul for a photo, you might get laughed at.