Our first shopping trip several weeks ago had us wind up at Target. I had none of my coupons with me, so I focused my shopping on Target brand items. Archer Farms, and other generic kinds. We spent around $100 and I was able to mix that with what I had in the house (freezer, fridge and pantry) to get us through more than a week.
The next time we went grocery shopping we hit Lowe's, and I did have my coupons with me. I forget exactly how much I saved between Qs and Greenpoints (which they're discontinuing, btw, and that really pi$$es me off!) but prior to our shopping excursion I brought in a peanut jar filled with coins. We cashed in at the CoinStar machine, even with a fee deducted, and came out with $81, used that for our groceries, and wound up paying $28-ish OOP (out-of-pocket!)
The following week Harris Teeter had triple coupons. I sent my hubby to the store to pick up some "extras," and although it wasn't all that much, it somehow managed to get us through the last two weeks.
Last week I really STRETCHED the groceries we had on-hand. Our meals looked a little like this:
* Sun: cheesy crescent hot dogs for hubby/child, and I had the last two pieces of honey chicken strips (freezer)
* Mon: farfalle pasta (triples) and chicken strips (freezer, from last triples trip) with a can of cheddar cheese soup and a can of artichoke hearts mixed with some Good Seasons' Italian dressing mix and water (pantry)
* Tues: Velveeta mac-n-cheese (pantry) and sliced turkey breast (triples) mixed in for me and my lil one for dinner
* Weds: Our splurge night. We ordered Chinese food, mostly because I really didn't want to cook anything and was so tired of food, in general. Plus we had leftovers for the next day's lunch, and hubby's leftovers will be his dinner tonight!
* Thurs: Turkey burgers (from the freezer), french fries (freezer) and biscuits
* Fri: another lazy night, so we had Wendy's for dinner. I always opt for super value menu items for myself and my daughter, so that helps! I'm a cheap date!
We went grocery shopping today at Lowe's and my total came to a savings of $54 in coupons, and then I got an extra $1 off with Greenpoints, and finally a dozen eggs for free! So I did a major shopping to cover us for the next two weeks (minus milk, which we always run out of, and tissues, which I forgot, but WITH toilet paper and paper towel, which, right there, costs an arm and a leg!) for $210.05. I was SO proud, and the cashier was excited for me, as was the woman in line behind me, who I wound up letting borrow my Greenpoints card so she could get a small savings, as well!
Anyway, it CAN be done, and I'm living proof. While I'm not as talented as many mommies I know who walk out of triples having spent $2 OOP and saved $100+ on their groceries, I do what I can and I get by! And we can **all** get by with a little help from our friends. ;)
So, what are your money saving tips for me?
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