Saving Money - One Coupon at a Time

I am not an extreme couponer. I am a mom who loves to save money on the things I purchase for my family. I don't need a separate room for my stockpile of items that I get free or close to free - I just want to save a little money when I go grocery shopping. Is that too much to ask for?

Some grocery stores are making it harder to use coupons, thanks in part to the show "Extreme Couponing". Thank goodness Trish gave us some great tips on how to "shop on a dime" at our last MOPS meeting.

According to Trish, here are the top ten things you can do to cut your grocery costs.

1. Make a list and stick to it! Don't buy anything that is not on your list - no impulse buying allowed! That's hard for me - sometimes the stores have great sales on items that I have a coupon for so I'll pick it up.

2. Shop alone - no kids or husbands allowed. Enough said.

3. Shop on a full stomach - I try really hard not to go to the store hungry but sometimes I do and then boy does my grocery bill reflect that!

4. Shop the perimeter of the store - live on the edge! The easiest way to do that is to make your shopping list out according to the way you are going to shop - plan it around the store.

5. Compare unit/bulk pricing - it's not always cheaper to buy the bigger item.

6. Samples beware - this is hard because who doesn't like free samples? If it's not on your list, don't sample it! Also, steer clear of  "action alleys" in the stores - this is where they display any items they want to introduce to consumers or items they want to get out of their stores.

7. Use coupons wisely - clip only what you need. If your family doesn't use it, don't buy it just because you have a coupon. (I am guilty of that one sometimes - especially if I think we might use it).

8. Discard brand loyalties - this was a hard one for my husband. He used to be a brand snob - now he loves some of the store brands more than the name brand items. Also, if you purchase an item and are unhappy with it - call the store! They usually will do whatever it takes to make you happy and to make sure you continue shopping in their store.

9. Shop less - instead of shopping every day/every other day, make one large shopping trip every two weeks. Then all you need is to buy your perishable items like milk, eggs, fruits and veggies.

10. Check your receipt before you leave - sometimes the cashier has made a mistake or the item has rung up at the wrong price. An easy (but time consuming) way to help keep track is to write down the price beside the item on your list.

Saving money doesn't have to be hard. There are all sorts of ways to save a little green here and there. One of tips I really liked that Trish mentioned was to buy whole chickens and have the butcher cut them up for you. You get the price of a whole chicken which is cheaper than buying it already cut up and packaged AND you don't have to cut it up yourself! (I am not good at that - in fact, my last chicken looked like something from a horror movie).

One last tip from Trish - shop after dinner or late night. This is the best time to do a large shopping trip as the store will be less crowded and the shelves are being restocked.

If you have any money-saving tips, feel free to share with us either on the blog or on our Facebook page.

Happy couponing!
Brandon

Eat that frog and other ways to get organized

Sorry for taking so long to post anything. Guess I really need to put into practice some of the tips our last speaker (Ember Neville) suggested to us! Thank goodness this post is not about me and my less than stellar organized self.

Time Management - who doesn't wish that we had more time in the day to get stuff done? Even with Leap Year this year, I bet many of us are still wishing for more time. Time to do the laundry, time to clean the house, time to cook dinner, time to tuck our kids into bed at night - the list goes on and on and on.

Ember gave us lots of tips, resources and ideas on how to carve out more time for ourselves and our family. Here is a brief overview of what she discussed:

1. Know who you are - that sounds simple enough but when you really start thinking about it, it's hard to define yourself. Priorities are what makes each of us different - we all need to define our priorities for our lives and move towards them EVERY DAY.

2. Make a list with your top 3-5 priorities and put it where you can see it everyday. On that list, also list your top 10 goals for that week.

3. Create a "no" list - I need this one! I can't seem to say to no whenever anyone asks me to volunteer; therefore this is one of my goals each week. This list should contain things that you won't do unless they fit in with one of your priorities. Things like random kids birthday parties, baby showers, volunteer meetings, etc.

4. Communicate your priorities to everyone - that way you will have support in every aspect of your life. Also, find a mentor or two or three - someone whose life you admire and that you feel you can learn from.

Here are some other ideas to get you moving towards the "you" you always wanted to be!

• Visualize what you want to be different in your life ten years from now and start working towards that ideal.
• Your goals may shift and change seasonally, monthly and weekly. Go with it and try not to get discouraged.
• Plan out your year in advance - if possible. Grab a calendar (I use the one on Gmail) and start adding events, birthdays, etc. as you get them. It's an easy way to stay on track especially in a busy family.
• Make sure that you carve out blocks of time for yourself everyday - it can be in 30, 60 or 90 minute blocks or really whatever works for you. This is you time - time to relax and do what you want to do, not what your kids, husband, job wants you to do.
• Lastly - try and read for 15 minutes a day - it really does relax you. And if reading is not your thing, do yoga, exercise or whatever calms you down.

Ember also gave us a great list of resources that she either uses now or used at one time. They are:

• "A New Earth - Awakening Your Life's Purpose by Eckhardt Tolle
• imom.com
• "How to Behave So Your Children Will To" by Sal Severe
• "Eat That Frog" by Brian Tracy
• "Never Be Late Again - 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged" by Diana DeLonzer

Hope this helps everyone become super organized - I know I am going to start practicing some of these tips. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting on March 14.

Thanks for reading,
Brandon