Sarah Barrand, 31, Caldwell, Idaho
Blog: athriftymom.com
Family members: 6
Average amount spent on groceries per week: $50 or less
Take couponing seriously. “Extreme couponing is like a fad diet. At first, people get really excited about all the savings that can be had. They shop every store, grab every deal and buy a ridiculous amount of products just because they’re free. You can’t maintain this lifestyle without hitting a coupon burnout. Just like a fad diet, you can’t make it a way of life.”
* Prevent frustration with the ultimate couponing guide!
Double up. “My biggest saving strategy is to coordinate using coupons with a sale item to get the lowest shelf price. Plus, I try to save at least five of the same coupon so I can get multiplies of a product and save on each one. I’ve even stocked up on one year’s worth of a particular item!”
* Stock up on canned foods to make simple and quick dishes.
Determine your wants and needs. “It takes dedication not to make impulse buys. And it’s important to plan your meals around what you already have in the house.”
* Avoid spending traps at the supermarket.
Eliminate the middleman. “I get my fruits and veggies wholesale from Bountiful Baskets, a volunteer co-op. With the handling fee, I only spend $16.50 each week for a laundry basket full of produce. Even with a family of six, we have extras! Now, I usually only buy produce at the grocery store if I really need it or if I can get it for at least 75 percent off.”
* You can also save on produce by growing your own vegetables.
Read Sarah’s inspiring story on how smart saving helped save her son’s life.
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I use coupons a lot and always compare products between stores so that I can shop at the store with the best deals. I sign up for brand newsletters to get more online savings.
Great ideas! I use coupons but limit myself to the 2 stores closest to me. My goal is always to save 25% of what I spent on groceries!
A Thrifty Mom has been a wonderful inspiration to my little family. Because of her, we have saved HUNDREDS on our grocery bill EACH month since I started it March. I follow her on facebook and gobble up every little tidbit of advice she has to offer. We also used Bountiful Baskets and have leftovers every week. Thanks for the great article!
I wish we had bountiful basket here, how do you find a program like that locally? A great tip I got from a veteran couponer years ago was to have as many coupons of a product you like for the amount of family members in your family. So, every week I make sure to get at least 4 newspaper inserts, we are a family of 5, but I don’t count the baby. Four has been our magic number, it’s served us well to most deals.
@Isra Have you checked to see if there were any Bountiful Baskets in your area? http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/?page_id=6
Also, check out http://www.localharvest.org/ to find out where your nearest farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture and farms are located. Hope this helps!
Also, isra, even if you have a little bit of space and some friends willing to jump on board, you can grow just one or two veggies or herbs and then swap out. We grow several of our herbs in big pots and still produce plenty, so even without a yard you could do something like that!
I have been following A Thrifty Mom too and she is great. You can learn to build a stockpile too and you don’t have to be extreme to have one that is just large enough for your family. http://sweetiesfreebies.com/how-to-build-a-stockpile-for-the-casual-couponer
One of the biggest ways I’ve been saving on groceries is to use beer rebates. There are several that say “Save $25 on $100 worth of groceries” plus the purchase of the beer. I live in NJ where the beer purchase isn’t required! So I am getting tons of money back on my groceries! I’ve found several on eBay.
For those of you who have never used Bountiful Baskets, I would like to add my comments to “avoid the middleman”. We’ve recently started using Bountiful Baskets and have been so pleased at the quantity and quality of the produce. For example, their blueberries come directly from Chile and are the best I’ve ever had in my life! I can’t go back to the grocery store berries, now I’m spoiled! Give them a try. You will be so glad you did.
I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Toshiba laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, BidsGe t.com