I let him bring a ninja turtle, a bad guy, and even his Leapster, and he STILL found a way to frazzle my brain to the point of a stimulation-induced fibromyalgia headache. Although, it doesn't seem to take much these days! I feel so bad because he's SO excited to talk to me about everything. But he's equally, if not more so, ready to whine and complain. I actually miss the days when my child was more physically exhausting rather than mentally exhausting! I say that now, but when I have another child and go through those phases again I'm sure I will take that back, haha. But it really does seem like I've lost more of my memory, patience, and articulation since he's been 4!
Anyway, lately (since I've been a SAHM), I've been SUPER focused on couponing to save money. It's so addicting!! I don't religiously watch the show Extreme Couponing, but I don't COMPLETELY live under a rock and have seen it. I am envious of the people on there who leave the grocery store paying almost nothing or even getting PAID to buy things. How the heck do they do that?! Although, I don't think they go shopping for EVERYTHING they need. I don't go shopping for just sports drinks, toilet paper, or razors. I'm trying to save on everyday items that I have to purchase no matter what. I'm just learning the ins and outs of coupons and what the fine print means, and I don't understand how it can be possible to cut back on 90% of your normal household grocery spending. Shoot, I did a little dance to celebrate that I reached my goal of 12% savings today!! Woo-woo! Haha. I know that probably seems pathetic compared to some people, but that was the most I've ever saved during a big grocery shopping trip and I'm excited.Here are the main ways I save money on groceries...
- Sunday paper. I get SO happy on Sundays because I get to clip new coupons- I'm so thankful that my husband doesn't put me away when I smile like a freak looking at that pretty orange plastic bag in our driveway. I actually found a code online that made my paper $0.19/issue for a year!! I was paying over $15/8 weeks! I am not freaking kidding you. If you pay full price for your Sunday paper right now, keep looking for online codes that could give you a HUGE discount. It may not always work, but the first one I found did and I am so grateful I checked.
- Online coupons. Heck yes. I finally restocked my ink the other day and I have been looking on every coupon and manufacturer's website to find coupons. The main coupons sites that I have found mostly have the same coupons, but if you look hard enough you will probably be able to find coupons for the food you actually buy.
- Sales! You're obviously going to save more when you use a coupon on a sale item. Booyeah! Look out for the sales on certain items, stock up on coupons, and use those coupons during the sale to drop down the price. If you know you will use that product, build a stockpile at that time so you won't have to buy that product again for a while. If you're going to pay anyway, you might as well pay NOW and pay LESS when you do so. Common sense, I know, but a lot of people I know still don't do this.
- Rebate apps!! Rebate apps! If you have a smartphone, you are SO blessed. Get these free applications NOW- Checkout51 and Ibotta. I have made more using Checkout51, but there is a higher minimum payout amount ($20). Once you reach that amount, you request a payout and they will send you a check right to your home and you can start earning all over again. With Ibotta, you only have to rack up $5 and they will transfer it to your Paypal account. They do have other payment methods, though. They both work basically the same way- they have different offers that sometimes expire (Checkout51 updates new offers every Thursday). You buy those exact items they have listed, upload a receipt (with Ibotta you have to also verify the barcode of the item you purchased) from the time those offers were available, and you can earn rebates from the products you might already purchase. Milk, eggs, bread, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, veggies, Glade candles, Dole fruit juice, cleaning supplies, noodles, olives, vitamins, chips-- these are all things that I have earned money on with Checkout51. I HAVE found out, though, that the more you use the app, the more offers you get and brands to choose from. So don't get frustrated when you don't earn that much the first couple of times you use it.
- Rewards cards. Whatever stores you shop at the most- get a freaking rewards card. You will save more than you think. If you keep procrastinating, thinking, "Oh, yeah, I should do that. But it's just a card, and I use coupons. How much more could I really save?" A lot. Get one. Stop putting it off and get one, because when coupons fail, sometimes that rewards card will be your saving grace. I still give my rewards card to the cashier every time to run even if I don't think there are any coupons or specials on it, and just about every time I was surprised that it did actually save me more money. Many stores have phone apps that you can get coupons from that load it directly to your rewards card. Talk about convenient!!
If anyone has more money-saving tips for groceries, PLEASE share! I'm learning more about this couponing thing every day and would love to get some advice because I'm soaking it up like a sponge.
And if you're one of those walk-out-of-the-store-with-all-your-cash-because-your-coupons-paid-for-everything people, I'm DYING to know your secret. I'm begging you.
Happy saving!
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