78% - Grocery SCORE

I'm an admitted Grocery Geek. I've gone through phases; in fact, before kids, I used to go to each local store every week for their individual sales. I've always enjoyed a good savings using coupons and sales.

But today was out of control.

78% people. That is what I saved on our grocery bill. SEVENTY. Eight. Percent.

Now, I understand that most people wouldn't spend $90 on all of this food, mostly because those of us who pay attention understand that, over the years, grocery stores have jacked up their prices so they can offer us "sales" that bring prices back down to where they should be. I mean really! $4 for a box of cereal? Who are they kidding. That's why I love Trader Joe's - they always keeps their prices consistently low. But they don't have coupons, so I'll be shopping there much less now.

I spent $19.15 instead of $90. Again, NINE-TEEN dollars. I took a picture to show Mike because I was so excited, then (of course) realized I could BLOG about this amazing accomplishment. With all humility, I get to proclaim to the world that I COMPLETELY ROCK.

So many of these items were completely free after double/triple coupons. Yes, I realize I won't need to buy Cheerios until 2010, but we don't eat the other cereals that were offered on sale this week, so I stocked up.

I've always been a fan of Money Saving Mom for listing certain store deals with printable coupons to make items free, but recently I discovered The Good Deal Gal who lists grocery ads from many more of my local stores. (if you live on the west coast, here are the links to her ad deals for Albertson's, Fry's, Safeway, CVS and Ralphs) This week, the mega-deals were at Fry's and Albertsons. Albertsons was actually out of Betty Crocker Frosting (which I need for Mike's birthday cake in a couple of weeks) so I'll go back to get that free and stock up on a few more for future birthdays.

I know it seems like a waste to go to different stores throughout the week, but it's really no big deal to stop by a store on my way home from pre-school or the gym. And when Mike decides he's in the mood for hamburgers and stops off to just get buns after work, I tell him to also grab a few sale items and I can get the money back for the coupons the next time I'm there. I used to have this down to a science and it's all coming back to me!

If you're trying to cut costs (and let's face it - right now, who isn't?) please seriously consider clipping coupons and shopping from the sales in your local store. I realize it seems like a pain, but if you're a stay at home mom like me, consider it your (very) part time job. Money that you don't spend is no different than money earned. I spend no more than an hour every 3-4 days clipping coupons, writing down sales and making my grocery lists. Two hours a week is well worth $100+ in savings.

I'm not telling you to buy things just because they're on sale - I don't advocate that at all. Only buy what your family will use. But even if you eat all natural, unprocessed foods (I've relaxed the standards a bit recently in an effort to spend less, as you can see from the Quaker rice cake snacks that were 50 cents) there are still plenty of coupons for paper products, zip lock bags (those Hefty bags in the picture were free with the sale and double coupons), personal items like toothpaste and tampons, even produce occasionally...there are plenty of coupons you WILL use.

Just in case you're not swayed, I'll keep posting my amazing savings to get you on board. I tend to save around 50% of my grocery bill, sometimes more. 78% is unheard of...that's a lot of free food.