I saved $104 on groceries and spent $167 – here’s how!

As with many families on 1 salary (and most even with 2!) I’m on a budget when it comes to food shopping. I don’t decide “okay today I’ll go food shopping,” run into 1 store, buy a bunch of stuff that looks yummy, swipe the credit card and go home. My trips are planned by clipping/printing coupons, looking at circulars, calculating my budget, looking up recipes, making a list and then taking a day to shop at 3 different stores (carefully timed as my little girl still naps and can’t sit still for too long). Now before you say “yea okay! Who has the time for that?” and close your browser, please promise me you’ll read this whole post before making your conclusion.

Whether you’re a SAHM, SAHD, part-time worker, full-time worker, single parent etc – there ARE ways to save money every time you go to the grocery store. There are ways to save a crazy amount of money if you want to spend HOURS AND HOURS on coupons/shopping and you aren’t particular about what ingredients are in your food but that’s NOT me. As I’ve mentioned before, my husband has to eat gluten-free, I have to eat dairy-free and we eat almost all natural & organic foods. It’s not a cheap lifestyle but it’s what we make work and I want to show you how.

Thanks to following a handful of couponing blogs, visiting the websites of my favorite brands and buying the Sunday paper when necessary, my coupon collection is getting pretty big and it makes shopping prep very easy if you’re collecting coupons as you go rather than all the night before your trip. Tip: Clip and organize in your “free” time. It’s good to print coupons as you see them because some will disappear before you get to them if you wait.

So as to not repeat myself, I’m going to link to previous blogs I’ve posted about saving money and eating healthy:

Finding Coupons, Budgets and Eating Healthy, Easy Money Saving Tips and Special Eating Diets

Yesterday I shopped at 3 stores: ShopRite, Stop & Shop and Nature’s Pantry. All of these stores are regional but you can use the same methods/coupons in most stores (Stop & Shop and Giant are the same company actually).

Store #1: ShopRite. My morning trip/pre-nap time.

Why: I only recently added ShopRite to my shopping routine. It’s about 1 1/2 miles from my house which makes it the perfect “run to” place, they put out store coupons, they participate in their own savings programs as well as Cellfire, they double coupons up to .99, their gluten-free/organic aisle has a great selection, they carry organic produce at decent prices and are often putting items on sale that there are coupons for. At this time I use ShopRite as my mostly snacks/coupons for shopping but it’s possible that it may replace Stop & Shop with time.

Here was my trip:

Store #2: Stop & Shop. My after lunch trip.

Why: I’ve been shopping at Stop & Shop since I went food shopping with my parents as a kid. Then I worked there for almost 3 years in high school so I know the store’s layout with my eyes closed which helps. They have a great gluten-free/organic section which is never crowded, put a lot of food we eat on sale, have their own line of organic & natural foods (and meat), double coupons up to .99, have a program that every dollar spent goes to a discount gas program and put out bonus points in the circular every month (last month Chris used the points and got .50 off per gallon at Shell – that was $5 off!), and have low prices on Applegate products which we buy often. I’ve had recent problems with their organic produce going bad quickly so be careful of that.

Here was my trip:

Store #3: Nature’s Pantry. My late afternoon trip.

Why: Nature’s Pantry is our local alternative grocery store and I’ve lucked out – it’s minutes from my house, the prices are very good, they accept coupons and put out their own, the store is big and organized just like a regular grocery store (many natural stores intimidate me and ultimately cause my anxiety problems haha), the staff is amazingly friendly and helpful, they put items on sale for a month at a time so you can plan easily and the selection is great!

Here was my trip:

I saved $104 on groceries and spent $167 – here’s how!

As with many families on 1 salary (and most even with 2!) I’m on a budget when it comes to food shopping. I don’t decide “okay today I’ll go food shopping,” run into 1 store, buy a bunch of stuff that looks yummy, swipe the credit card and go home. My trips are planned by clipping/printing coupons, looking at circulars, calculating my budget, looking up recipes, making a list and then taking a day to shop at 3 different stores (carefully timed as my little girl still naps and can’t sit still for too long). Now before you say “yea okay! Who has the time for that?” and close your browser, please promise me you’ll read this whole post before making your conclusion.

Whether you’re a SAHM, SAHD, part-time worker, full-time worker, single parent etc – there ARE ways to save money every time you go to the grocery store. There are ways to save a crazy amount of money if you want to spend HOURS AND HOURS on coupons/shopping and you aren’t particular about what ingredients are in your food but that’s NOT me. As I’ve mentioned before, my husband has to eat gluten-free, I have to eat dairy-free and we eat almost all natural & organic foods. It’s not a cheap lifestyle but it’s what we make work and I want to show you how.

Thanks to following a handful of couponing blogs, visiting the websites of my favorite brands and buying the Sunday paper when necessary, my coupon collection is getting pretty big and it makes shopping prep very easy if you’re collecting coupons as you go rather than all the night before your trip. Tip: Clip and organize in your “free” time. It’s good to print coupons as you see them because some will disappear before you get to them if you wait.

So as to not repeat myself, I’m going to link to previous blogs I’ve posted about saving money and eating healthy:

Finding Coupons, Budgets and Eating Healthy, Easy Money Saving Tips and Special Eating Diets

Yesterday I shopped at 3 stores: ShopRite, Stop & Shop and Nature’s Pantry. All of these stores are regional but you can use the same methods/coupons in most stores (Stop & Shop and Giant are the same company actually).

Store #1: ShopRite. My morning trip/pre-nap time.

Why: I only recently added ShopRite to my shopping routine. It’s about 1 1/2 miles from my house which makes it the perfect “run to” place, they put out store coupons, they participate in their own savings programs as well as Cellfire, they double coupons up to .99, their gluten-free/organic aisle has a great selection, they carry organic produce at decent prices and are often putting items on sale that there are coupons for. At this time I use ShopRite as my mostly snacks/coupons for shopping but it’s possible that it may replace Stop & Shop with time.

Here was my trip:

Store #2: Stop & Shop. My after lunch trip.

Why: I’ve been shopping at Stop & Shop since I went food shopping with my parents as a kid. Then I worked there for almost 3 years in high school so I know the store’s layout with my eyes closed which helps. They have a great gluten-free/organic section which is never crowded, put a lot of food we eat on sale, have their own line of organic & natural foods (and meat), double coupons up to .99, have a program that every dollar spent goes to a discount gas program and put out bonus points in the circular every month (last month Chris used the points and got .50 off per gallon at Shell – that was $5 off!), and have low prices on Applegate products which we buy often. I’ve had recent problems with their organic produce going bad quickly so be careful of that.

Here was my trip:

Store #3: Nature’s Pantry. My late afternoon trip.

Why: Nature’s Pantry is our local alternative grocery store and I’ve lucked out – it’s minutes from my house, the prices are very good, they accept coupons and put out their own, the store is big and organized just like a regular grocery store (many natural stores intimidate me and ultimately cause my anxiety problems haha), the staff is amazingly friendly and helpful, they put items on sale for a month at a time so you can plan easily and the selection is great!

Here was my trip:

Beware the Scarlet Letters

Beware of those beautiful scarlet letters. Not the book. Not the story. Not the history.

The ads.

“Clearance” “Sale” “One Day Only” etc etc.

There’s a phrase that goes “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Well at this point in the year I advise you to forget this saying and bring it back in mid-January 2011. It’s officially Christmas shopping season. Why? Because the stores tell us so. Every single circular has amazing deals on products. Coupon codes, online only sales, 1 day shopping in-store sales, rebates, discounts, free products with a purchase…these deals EXIST and THEY ARE GOOD. It’s just like hell – it exists to all but is often sugar coated in candy red letters so we don’t feel the flames as we fall into its alluring traps. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic but let’s think about this.

Today is November 10th. Christmas is a month and a half away. Have you bought or been tempted to purchase gifts because of a deal you couldn’t pass up? Retailers started early and man they’re good this year.  Falling prices, coupons for every store and black Friday ads circulating since Halloween. The perfect way to stimulate our economy so the stores make money and more and more people end up in accidental debt. Don’t think so? Well, how many people are going to finish the bulk of their Christmas shopping by December 1st and then spend a month not buying anything else when the deals are going to keep getting better? Are you strong enough to not go in the mall for a month during “the best time of the year?” And if you’re daring enough to enter, are you strong enough to resist a 75% off nothing you really need but something you want deal? You may pick up an extra gift or 2 for someone because it’s the “perfect gift.” Or maybe you’ll treat yourself because you’re done shopping for other people.

The stores may seem like they’re helping you out but long-term, are they?

My advice is to do your research before you go shopping, stick to your lists, print out your coupons, use your rebate sites, use your coupon codes, save on the not rushed deliveries but most importantly, if it’s not the absolute perfect gift for the absolute perfect price, wait. It’ll be hard. But it should pay off.

This year before purchasing anything I ask myself these questions:

• Who is it for?
• Will they love it?
• Is it what I would pay if it were full price or am I buying it because it’s on sale?
• Does it exceed the amount I want to/can afford to spend on this person?
• Will it get even cheaper?

I’m not saying don’t shop – I myself have already bought a few presents. What I’m saying is be wise. The stores are not your friends, they’re looking to make money. They don’t care how many times you purchase from their store and whether it’s full price or clearance priced. They don’t care if you use cash or credit card (unless of course it’s THEIR credit card they can charge you interest on). And most importantly, they couldn’t care less if you have a debt/balance in January 2011 that wasn’t there in October 2010.

Wishing you all a conscious shopping season – good luck out there!

A Tale of Two Button Down Shirts and a Pair of Jeans

Stores drive me nuts. Specifically girl/women stores. It seems boys have it pretty easy. They pull out a tape measure, figure out how wide their waist is, how long their legs are, how broad their chest is and occasionally, how round their head is. Then they go into the mall, find a store that seems to have a style they like and 10 minutes later come out with a new wardrobe where everything fits perfectly and they didn’t try one thing on. Women on the other hand have to figure out exactly what the different between a 3/5 and a 4/6 is. Then the length of the pants. XS in Aeropostale is completely different than XS in Misses in Macys and many things are “one size fits all” but let’s be honest, we all know people that would NOT fit into those things. So that’s complicated but it’s something most of us have learned to live with. We grew up watching our mothers and grandmothers face this battle and therefore knew what we were getting into. I don’t know about you, but my mom did NOT warn me about what I’ve now faced in two stores.

Example One

Ever since I found out that Old Navy was not actually a store FOR people in the Navy (I was a kid, give me a break!) I shopped there. I loved the colors. I loved the simplicity. I loved the price. I loved the comfort. And, I loved the jeans. In high school I bought a few pairs of jeans that fit great and were a great price (since it was the ’90s ‘fit great’ actually meant incredibly baggy but still fit around the waist). In college I bought a pair of curvy jeans which fit perfectly and were a great price. After college I bought a pair of bootcut short length jeans and I was in heaven. Best pair of jeans I’ve ever owned. And, they were a great price. So WHY is it that I go into Old Navy now and the “curvy jeans” do not fit AT ALL. Same name. Same label. Same look. Same price. Different cut. The bootcut jeans no longer come in the cut I had either. So Old Navy…great price, no jeans for me. So unfair.

Example Two

In college I used to like looking at NY&Company clothes. My mom shopped there and I couldn’t wait to be able to dress up for work every day (haha boy I’ve changed!). I also couldn’t wait to make money so I could afford to shop there and dress up every day. So imagine my excitement when I got my first internship outside of college and I had to dress up for work! So, excitedly my mom and I went shopping and I bought a ton of clothes. I was no longer an extra small in juniors clothes but in this store I fit perfectly into the tiniest size they had (what an ego boost!). Over the years my work wardrobe looked like the store racks. Their clothes fit amazingly…a dream come true for a girl. Polos, button down shirts, dress shirts, skirts, dress pants etc. So why is it that NY&Company pulled an Old Navy on me and changed everything? They’re ruining my quick “I’ll just pick something up at the mall” ideal. The dress pants that I still wear comfortably to work are the only pants with the label NY&Company that fit. I haven’t bought a good pair of pants in a year now. And all of this brings me to today, how this ranting blog came about. I need a short sleeved button down shirt to complete my newest outfit for the show in NYC that I leave for this week. So I went in good ‘ol NY&Company, grabbed 2 of my usual button down shirts in 2 different sizes and to my surprise, neither fit. One was too tight in certain areas and the other was huuuge. I was annoyed but assumed maybe it’s just my body changing. BUT. Lo & Behold – I went home and tried on a completely similar button down shirt from last year’s line and guess what – it’s a smaller size than either one I tried on today and it fits perfectly. So unfair.

So back on the search I go – for that perfect store that has clothes that fit me perfectly. *sigh* So disappointing. I would love to find out why companies change things when they have loyal customers who finally found their peace in the chaos of shopping in their store. I guess I’m back on the market and those Express jeans are looking awfully nice..pretty ironic that Express is owned by the same company as NY&Company isn’t it? I guess the monopolies and oligopolies of the consumer-driven market is another blog in itself. And maybe even a bit too nerdy to admit I understand.