Questions, Questions...who's Got Questions???

OK - I know this is our first week, and not everyone that normally reads me had a chance to get to me yesterday after I posted...so keep sending your questions...anything you send during the week (prior to Monday) I will attempt to answer for you on the following Tuesday!


This week's question comes from Ang, who asks "on avg how much do you save in clipping coupons?"

I save, on an average trip to a "normal" grocery (Von's, Albertson's, Safeway, King Soopers, Krogers), just with coupons (no "club" savings) $10.00 (or roughly 10%).

How? you may ask. Well, let me tell you!

I tend to horde my coupons, and use them when the item is already on sale...so...if soup happens to be 2/$3 and I have a coupon for 75 cents off, I buy 2 cans. I also make sure that I only clip coupons for items I use...so, if there's a coupon for Jif, I don't clip it, because we don't eat it. I also found out which stores double coupons, and shop there for the items that I really need. That way, they are on sale, and those same cans of soup, instead of paying 2.25 for 2 cans, I pay 1.50 for 2 cans, because the 75 cents gets doubled.

When I add in my "club" savings, I often walk away saving between 25% and 35% depending on the sales.

This is probably more information than you want, but...the way this happens is pretty simple:

I plan my menus for 2 weeks and check my pantry to determine which items I need for those meals, and how many (so if I'm making a roast and an enchilada casserole, I need 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup) of each I need to purchase. I also, at the same time, check my pantry and freezer to see which items we are getting low on.

I take that list, and compare it to the sale flyers from the local groceries, inlcuding Wal-Mart, Super Target, and our Costco website. I determine which items are on "super sale", like $1 each, or BOGO, check my coupons, and then make my list "final" grocery list.

I try to shop after the kids have had lunch, but before naptime, which gives me a timeframe, so I'm not spending time wandering around falling into temptation. I also know that we'll have just eaten and I, at least, will not be staring at the displays of cookies and the like, tempted to throw them in the cart.

We have a strict budget for shopping, which includes not just groceries, but toiletries as well. Every 2 weeks (unless emergency situations arise), I hit the store, and we shop.

My list is set up 1) items we need for menus, 2) items we're running low on that I'd like to restock, and 3) items that would be nice to have as a treat. And we go around the store, perimeter aisles only. At our stores, that means I hit the produce, butcher, bakery, and deli sections. I only ever venture into the "innards" of the store when they are having killer sales on soup, canned fruits and veggies, or cereal. Under no circumstances do I go into the "crackers, cookies, snack foods" aisle. Ever. The kids eat raw veggies, fruit and protein at their meals. I make potatoes from scratch, or I buy the "rice for the world" bags at Costco. We rarely have pretzels, crackers, or popcorn in the house. We only have chips if a menu actually calls for it in the recipe, or if we are having a special party. I don't buy cookies or candy. I don't do pre-packaged food items unless absolutely necessary.

Part of this stems from the way I was brought up. That being in a large family, which meant those individual bags of chips were reserved for field trips ONLY, we never drank soda because Mom was diagnosed diabetic when I was still in preschool, and it was too pricey. We also never had store-bought cookies because in order to get enough to feed us all cookies in our lunches, it would have cost about $30...and that was more than 2 decades ago! It was ALWAYS cheaper to buy the regular sized bags of chips and pretzels, and to make several dozen cookies from scratch. It still is.

I also feel that my shopping habits go back to my single days...I was trying to lose my "Freshmen 15", which, in my case, was closer to 30, I was living on a shoestring budget, and could either spend my limited resources on frozen dinners, pre-packaged snacks and the like, and barely scrape by for 2 weeks between paychecks, OR, I could stock up with what seemed like tons of food, cook (which was cathartic for me), and know that I would have more than a ham sandwich and bag of chips for lunch at work the next day. I watched too many of my friends and co-workers eat crap and not be able to figure out why they had headaches, or were tired after lunch...and gain weight, and have all other sorts of troubles.

The third part of this comes from the fact that BB and I don't want our kids to struggle with having to unlearn bad habits. We both turn to food as a boredom reliever, and I already tend to shove food at the kids when I don't know what else to do with them. Granted, I'm throwing carrots, celery, string cheese, and raisins at them...but still...I don't want them to associate eating with boredom, or emotions. I want them to enjoy food, but to also have healthy hobbies, and active lives, in which eating to eat is not the end result...

I hope that helps...and maybe spurs some more questions...

Ask away my friends, and, don't be afraid to tell your friends about the crazy lady in Colorado who thinks she knows everything! hee hee...