| One problem most families face today in trying to | | | | when you use coupons, Safeway offers double |
| take a vacation or cruise is figuring out how to pay | | | | coupons, in Portland it is limited to 4 items at 50 |
| for it. Saving for vacation or cruise when a family is | | | | cents each, but that is still an extra $2 off your bill. |
| living paycheck to paycheck can often be daunting | | | | Albertson's will honor any other stores coupons, so I |
| and usually does not happen unless they have a plan | | | | can use the Safeway double coupon there with a |
| for it. | | | | double coupon from Thriftway. Lots of stores offer |
| One way our family has found to pay for our | | | | $5-$10 off coupons with a purchase of $50 or more, |
| vacation or cruise is grocery coupons and stock | | | | so those are useful too, and can be used at |
| shopping it is not as crazy as it sounds. I will admit | | | | Albertson's too. |
| that this takes time and effort, but the pay-off of a | | | | When I go stock shopping I have 3 basic rules that I |
| week relaxing with no worries was definitely worth it. | | | | follow: |
| The first thing you have to do is change your | | | | 1. The item must be something that I will use. |
| perspective when grocery shopping and menu | | | | 2. The item must truly be on sale (lot's of items will |
| planning, rather then planning a menu and then doing | | | | go on a faux sale and you want to avoid those). |
| your shopping to the menu you need to check your | | | | 3. If possible I must have a coupon for the item. |
| home stock and plan your menu to what is on your | | | | Some items like fresh meat, fruit, & vegetables |
| shelves buying only what you need to complete the | | | | won't have coupons. |
| menu, which we refer to as "needs shopping". Then | | | | I then walk through the store and I stock up on sale |
| you have to redirect your regular grocery shopping | | | | items that I hopefully have coupons for and I only |
| to filling those shelves when things are on sale and | | | | buy those items. I use a calculator so that I know |
| when possible you have a coupon for it, which we | | | | when I have reached any dollar value that I need to |
| refer to as "stock shopping". Also, if you have some | | | | in order to meet any big dollar coupons and I wrap |
| sort of brand loyalty you will have to cast that out | | | | up when I hit that point. This does take time and it |
| the window because you are out to save money, if | | | | means that I make more then one trip into the |
| buying Best Foods will save you money over buying | | | | store, but saving that extra $5-$15 dollars is worth it. |
| Miracle Whip, buy Best Foods. | | | | What do I mean saving the extra $5-$15? For |
| Initially changing grocery patterns may cost you a | | | | example, Safeway run a $10 off $50 coupon and has |
| little more in the short term because you will have to | | | | double coupons, Thriftway has double coupons. |
| do more needs shopping to round out your menus | | | | When I go to Albertson's I use my calculator and |
| while you start filling the shelves with stock shopping | | | | when my cart hits $55 after manufacturers coupons |
| but over a few weeks it will balance out then it will | | | | I head to the cashier. She rings my order up, often |
| save you money. | | | | topping $100 then starts taking all of my |
| First, use your current grocery budget, this is usually | | | | manufacturer coupons off and my competitors |
| around $100 per household member but may be as | | | | coupons and my bill gets to around $55, the cashier |
| high as $150 each. For my family of six humans, | | | | then takes the $2 off for the Safeway double |
| three dogs and 4 cats I budget $650, this is not just | | | | coupon, $2 off for the Thriftway double coupon, and |
| for food but for non-food consumables like paper | | | | since my bill is still over $50 they take $10 off for the |
| towels, personal maintenance items, etc. If possible | | | | Safeway $10 coupon making my total bill $41. So |
| use a separate account for this so that the money is | | | | using Manufacturers Coupons and Competitors |
| kept separate from other items as this will not only | | | | Coupons I took a bill that was over $100 and only |
| be your grocery fund but your vacation or cruise | | | | paid $41. |
| fund as well. | | | | Now I am going to use a recent stock shopping trip |
| Next, let's talk coupons. These nifty little items are | | | | to show where the savings comes from: |
| well worth your time in collecting and saving. I view | | | | Item Normal Price Sale Price w/ Coupon |
| each coupon as physical money in my account; often | | | | GM Cereal (4) 12.76 4.67 |
| the face value is fifty cents up to as much as ten | | | | Hunts Pudding Cups (4) 7.72 2.00 |
| dollars. Manufacturers' coupons are good for money | | | | Wishbone Salad Dressing (2) 6.58 3.28 |
| off of specific products; I save the ones that are for | | | | Pillsbury Brownie Mix (2) 4.94 2.00 |
| products that I will use and sometimes save the | | | | Alpo Canned Dog Food (6) 7.50 0.00 |
| ones that I may or may not use if they may be a | | | | Electrolsol (5) 22.45 0.00 |
| good value at some point. Personally we get the | | | | Yogurt (10) 6.50 4.00 |
| Sunday Paper at home and I check what coupons | | | | Barilla Shells (4) 6.36 2.08 |
| are available each week. If there are a lot of useful | | | | GrillMate Seasonings (4) 5.40 2.00 |
| coupons in the paper I go to the store and I get | | | | Dole Fruit Cups (2) 6.98 2.00 |
| extra copies of that paper, the extra $1-$1.50 each is | | | | Farmer John Franks (5) 16.45 0.00 |
| worth it if I am going to save considerably more in | | | | Popcycles (2) 5.58 2.00 |
| the long run. If you wait until Tuesday to get the | | | | Centrum Vitamins (1) 10.55 5.99 |
| extra copies the store manager may allow you to | | | | Best Food Mayonase (2) 5.98 3.00 |
| take extra coupon sections if you are buying a copy | | | | All Detergent (2) 13.98 4.98 |
| of the paper since they will be going into recycling | | | | Rotel Diced Tomatoes (4) 5.96 2.40 |
| bins anyway. | | | | Nabisco Crackers (3) 11.97 4.00 |
| Tracking and filing the coupons can be a task and | | | | Frenches Mustard (3) 5.97 0.00 |
| each person will have a preferred method for doing | | | | Hunts Spagetti Sauce (6) 7.74 2.94 |
| so. Basically though there are two ways to handle it, | | | | Always Pads (2) 6.38 2.00 |
| 1 is to keep each coupon circular in a file and pull it | | | | Marathon Protein Bars (4) 7.88 3.38 |
| out when you find items on sale that you will be | | | | Twix Candy Bars (4) 5.16 2.00 |
| using, the other is what I do, which is cut the | | | | Sub Total 190.79 54.72 |
| coupons that I will use and put them in a coupon file, | | | | Double Coupons 4.00 |
| then carry that file with you to the store so that | | | | $10 off 10.00 |
| you can get the coupons you want and use them | | | | Total 40.72 |
| right then. | | | | As you can see from this list I bought multiples of |
| Now pick one or two store to do your stock | | | | each item and we store everything until we need it, |
| shopping and you may want a third store to do your | | | | if I had paid the retail prices for these things I would |
| needs shopping, at least until your stock starts filling | | | | have paid $190.79 over the few months that we |
| almost all of your needs. Why would I suggest you | | | | would use them, but because I purchased when they |
| have two or three different places to do your | | | | were on sale and I had coupons I saved almost $150 |
| shopping? Simply put, to save money. Here in | | | | and got many of the items for free. Because of |
| Portland we have a selection of stores to choose | | | | breaking my trips into $50 segments I usually make |
| from, I use Albertson's and Safeway to do the bulk | | | | 3-5 trips to get maximum savings. |
| of my stock shopping, and only my stock shopping. | | | | Once my stock shopping is complete we then go to |
| This is because I can save money on my stock | | | | WinCo each week for the items we need to round |
| shopping with them but not on my needs shopping | | | | out our menu, fresh milk, vegetables, & fruit, usually |
| because needs items are usually bought when | | | | spending under $20. At this point I might just buy the |
| needed they are usually not on sale when I need | | | | items that we need when I do the stock shopping if |
| them. For our needs shopping we use WinCo, which | | | | it is only a few items. |
| is a chain store that has level low prices. | | | | So, now I have budgeted $600 a month for |
| What do you look for in a store to use for stock | | | | groceries. I am spending $300-$400 on the groceries. |
| shopping? First and foremost sales where the items | | | | The rest now is my vacation or cruise fund, saving |
| you want to stock on your shelves are way below | | | | around $3000 a year for us to use for a vacation or |
| the level low price you would get at your needs | | | | cruise. I admit that when I do the shopping it takes |
| shopping store. For example, boxed cereal can range | | | | me a few hours, and I spend a few hours in front of |
| from $3 to $5 a box, even at your needs store. But | | | | the TV cutting coupons, but saving $200-$300 a |
| it is regularly put on sale for 3 for $5 or 4 for $6 as a | | | | month on groceries that I can use for a vacation or |
| loss leader for most grocery stores. Secondly you | | | | cruise is worth it. |
| want a store that give you extra off, especially | | | | |