5 Ways to Save Money on Groceries, Part 2

Last week I started this series by talking about comparing price per pound.  Now I'll share the rest of my favorite ways to save money on groceries.

2. Cook from Scratch - Processing your own food, instead of buying packaged stuff in the grocery store will save a lot of money.  I can regularly feed my family of 5.5 for under $5 a meal.  We eat bread, fruit, veggies, pasta, meat and simple sauces.  To save time I make large batches and freeze them.  That way I'm working once and eating several times.  Making your own freezer meals, bread, buns, cookies and muffins then storing them to be eaten in smaller batches later saves time and money.  

3. Stick to a List - I am a huge impulse shopper.  Having a list and really focusing on only buying what is on my list is a big help with my grocery budget.  Occasionally I do make exceptions for mark downs or unadvertised deals, but I have to have money in my budget to pay for them.  Taking cash into the store and leaving all the credit cards and the checkbook in the car has really helped me learn to pay attention to what I'm placing in my cart.  I keep an estimated running total written on my shopping list.  When I'm out of money I stop shopping.  Trust me.  Once you get to a cashier and you realize you don't have enough cash on hand to pay for your basket you'll never do it again.

4. Ad matching Sites - These aren't just for folks who clip coupons.  The awesome people over at Savvy Shopper Deals also alert you to great deals on products without coupons.  Products like fruit, veggies, meats and dairy.  Stuff we rarely get coupons for.  I've added a new tab on my blog that will take you directly to their lists of best weekly deals.  Check it out!

5. Stockpile - When you find a great deal STOCKPILE.  That way when the price goes back up you can eat your food from your storage at the cheaper price.  Storing food purchased at low prices truly cuts the grocery bills.

Those are my top ways to save money *without* using coupons.  What types of things do you do to keep the grocery bills low?

Quick Tip: Paper Towels

To make paper towels last twice as long:  I simply tear them in half.

Perfect size for a simple lunch. Or quick clean-up.

5 Ways to Save Money on Groceries

...without using coupons!

{gasp}

Did I just say that out loud?

Yes, I do love to use coupons, but there are many foods we never receive coupons for.  In fact, a large percentage of my coupon use is mostly for non-food essentials like shampoo, deodorant, cleaning supplies and diapers.  I have to employ other tactics to save money on the bulk of my food purchases.  So, here are my best tips for saving money without going to the extreme of clipping coupons.

1. Compare Price per Pound - A good way to determine if any food item is a good value is to determine its price per pound.  The cheaper the price per pound the more food we can get for our buck.  Choose cheaper per pound foods and you'll fill your tummy without emptying your wallet.
   
   Fruits, vegetables and meats are easy since they are sold by the pound.
   
   Other packages are not so easy.
   
   HINT: 16 oz = 1 pound
   
   I found a 10 ct. box of fruit snacks in my food storage.  These typically go on sale for around $1.69.  Would you laugh at me if I told you I have no idea what the non-sale price is?  The box's total weight is 5 oz.  Using a little simple math $1.69 divided by 5 oz. times by 16 = $5.41 per pound.  I would consider that pretty expensive.  Apples are more than half that price, even out of season, and they are better for you.
   
   MATH: Total Price, Divided by Size in Oz. = Price per Oz.
             Multiply that number by 16 to get Price per Pound
             You can type it straight into your calculator, using the example above:
             1.69 / 5 * 16 = 5.408
   
   I'm not saying you can never have fruit snacks, just that there are cheaper alternatives.  We get them, on sale with coupons, for a special treat, but not an everyday snack.  My kids' favorite after school snacks are apples, bananas, and homemade bread.  All very good price per pound.
   
   The less processed a food the cheaper the price per pound.
   
   On Saturday I bought a 10 pound bag of potatoes for $2.69, not on sale just an average price.  So potatoes are $.27 per pound.  Compare that with the processed versions: french fries and instant potatoes typically $1-$2, or more, per 1 pound package.  Potatoes are a great value, plus there are a ton of ways to cook them.
   

...To Be Continued Next Week.

Tip Tuesday: Free Money for our Schools

"Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation."
--John F. Kennedy

We are all responsible for the education of the next generation. Wether you have children in school now or not by supporting public education we will help to build a better society.

Did you know that a lot of items you are throwing away can be used by your local schools? Box Tops for Education, Campbell's Labels for Education, empty ink and toner cartridges, old cell phones, Cream of Weber Milk Caps, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, and phone books. These are the things my daughter's elementary school can use to get money for the school.

A few words on each of these programs.

Box Tops for Education are little pink labels you can find on the top of a number of name brand products. General Mills Cereal and Granola bars, Scott Toilet Paper and Paper Towels, Kotex Pads and Tampons, Yoplait kids pack yogurt, and Chex Mix are just a few of the products at my house that bear this label. Simply clip and turn in to your school. They get 10 cents for each label they turn in. My mother's class made over $200 last year this way.

Campbell's Labels for Education is a similar program. You find these labels on all Campbell's Soup, Prego Pasta Sauces, Swanson Broth's, and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, just to name a few. All you need to do is clip the UPC's with the cute Labels for Education kid and send them into the schools.

Empty Ink and Toner Cartridges as well as old cell phones are recycled by the schools for extra funds. Just send to the school in a plastic baggie.

Cream of Weber Milk Caps work like the labels. The school will turn these in for 5 cents each.

Most Schools also have a large dumpster for their paper recycling needs. They get cash for this too! They are more than happy for you to add your own magazines, cardboard, newspapers, junk mail or phone books to their dumpsters.

This is all super easy if you have grade school kids, but what if you don't? Just find a neighbor kid that you can send all your stuff with. Give the recyclables and labels to your grandkids. Or, take your collection in to you nearest school. Give your local schools a call and see what programs they participate in. Every little bit helps our schools.

Remember, supporting and helping to fund education not only helps the kids, but also improves society as a whole. Start saving your stuff today and give our schools some "Free" money.

This Post Originally ran October 3, 2008. Also included the Walmart bag recycling program which has been discontinued in favor of promoting reusable bags.

Tip Tuesday: What to Do With School Supplies

I love the smell of brand new crayons, erasers, and the look of stacks of notebooks (oh my!). This is my favorite shopping time of year (yep, better than christmas). So, once you've stockpiled for your own family do you just ignore the temptation of all those pretty school supplies? Nope, there is still a need you can fill.

For the past couple of years I have had the opportunity to collect items for LDS Humanitarian Aid Kits. And guess what, they have a school kit!

A simple collection of basic school supplies this kit is distributed to children in need all over the earth:

Even when children are fortunate enough to attend schools, they often lack the educational supplies needed to create a functional and engaging learning environment. A school kit can transform even a meager setting into an appropriate educational space.

It is an easy and inexpensive way to really make a difference in a child's life. I figured I can make a single kit (bag and all) for less than $4.35 and that's just buying the stuff at Walmart, not chasing better deals (of which there is a plethora this time of year!).

Once I've completed my kits it's as simple as turning them in at Deseret Industries (carefully labeled), or turning them into my ward's Humanitarian Specialist. So easy, yet so rewarding.

We are blessed to be able to find such great deals to fill our families needs and live in a land where they can be educated so easily. The least we can do is give to those less fortunate than we are. So, don't try and ignore all the great school supply deals, if you are able, give to those who need it the most.

Tip Tuesday: Back to School!

It's that time again!

I know . . . can you believe it's here already?

Back to School! The sales are regular and fabulous and it is simply the best time of the year to stock-up on all those school/office supplies. Buy it now so you don't have to pay two-times, three times or even more the rest of the year.

My kids could easily go through half a case of crayons in a year. I buy them at back-to-school time for less than $.25 instead of $1 or more the rest of the year. That stash of crayons also serves well as an emergency birthday gift (paired with a cheap coloring book from our stash).

I also use a lot of notebooks. My "To Do" list lives in a $.15 theme notebook. A page or so a day means I need to have at least half a dozen of those. Plus, the girls each have to have their own notebooks for their projects (writing, drawing, chores, you name it). Letting them use the notebooks is much cheaper than when they get into the printer paper! My notebook is also a place I jot down store deals with coupon match-ups. I tear the page from my notebook and slip it into my coupon binder to head to the store. Hmm, I might need more than a dozen this year. . .

Pencil boxes are a must for organizing small things. We recently reorganized the girls art supplies and used several boxes. One for colored pencils, one for markers, one for painting supplies, etc. I only had a few pencil boxes on hand so we need to get more this year. I've also used pencil boxes in our dress up box to corral all that play jewelry.

Do try and contain yourselves. I know from sad experience that it is very easy to go overboard on this (that's a completely other story...), but if there is something you use on a regular basis that falls into the "School Supply" category now is the time to stock-up.

Tip Tuesday: My Beautiful Binder

Until recently I used the file system for keeping all my coupons organized. Then, I attended a Savvy Shopper class and Amy convinced me to try out the "binder method." (Mostly because the day before I'd gone shopping without my coupons, doh!)

Basically, you clip all the coupons you think you might use whenever an insert comes out and store them in baseball card sheets in a binder. The binder goes with you while shopping so you always have access to your Q's. Improving the chance that if you find something marked down or on clearance you'll be able to match a coupon for a great deal.

Here's my binder:

Isn't it pretty! Purple is my favorite color. My binder is a CaseIt 4" with strap and velcro closure. Ideally I wanted a 3" zipper binder, but I found this beauty on clearance at Office Max for $6 (reg. $19.99). So, that's what I'm using.

There's an accordion section in the front where I keep all the current store circulars. You never know when you need to check a price or a size or find out what's included in a Mix & Match sale.

This is the store section (Albertson's is pictured). Where I keep my list for that store, any coupons I'm using that day, plus any catalinas or store coupons. While I'm shopping I'm turned to this page. My binder lies open on the basket part of the cart (see pictures of other people's set up here and here).

And, finally, I have my coupons organized in Categories and Sub-Categories. The Categories are labeled on tabbed dividers and the Sub-Categories are labeled with a sticker on the bottom right hand side of the baseball card holders.

Since I have had several requests for how I label, here are my Categories:

• Baby
Diapers
Wipes
Soaps/Shampoos


• Bread & Cereal
Cereal (2)
Breakfast Foods
Bars
Breads
Rice/Pasta
Chips/Crackers
Popcorn


• Canned Goods
Fruits
Vegetables
Soups
Other


• Cleaners
Dish Cleaners
Fabric Cleaners (2)
Standard Cleaners (2)
Bathroom Cleaners
Air Fresheners


• Dairy
Cheese
Butter/Oil
Yogurt
Other


• Dessert
Cookies
Frozen Desserts
Cake/Brownie Mixes
Fruit Snacks/Jello/Pudding
Drinks (2)
Candy
Baking Goods


• Meat
Poultry
Lunchmeat
Breakfast Meat
Seasonings/Sauces
Other


• Medicine
Pain Relievers
First Aid
Stomach Aids
Vitamins
Other


• Paper Goods
Tissues/Paper Towels/Napkins
Bags
Foils/Wraps/Containers
Plates/Cups/Utensils
Toilet Paper


• Personal Hygiene
Facial Cleansers
Bodywash/Soaps (2)
Lotion
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Other Tooth Stuff
Deodorant (2)
Shaving Needs
Makeup
Shampoo/Stylers (2)
Feminine Hygiene
Personal Items
Eye Stuff
Other


• Misc.
Nuts/Peanut Butter
Sauces/Salsa/Ketchup
Frozen Goods (2)
Salads/Dressing
Fresh Produce
Other Food
Other Household Items


• Retail


• Restaurant

Categories are very personal and will change. For example we do not have a pet, so I have no pet section. We also use very little medicine so that is reflected in my sub-categories for that section. You should customize your Categories and Sub-Categories to match your families situation as well as likes and dislikes.

I really like my binder. I'm able to snatch up deals I wouldn't have been otherwise. And, I will no longer forget my coupon envelope as it's really hard to forget the beast of a binder I have.

Tip Tuesday: Meat - It's What's for Dinner!

It may be what's for dinner, but meat is also the most expensive part of the meal. Fruits, Veggies and Grains are relatively inexpensive and Dairy, though more expensive, is generally used sparingly. So, here are my favorite tips on how to get the most bang for your buck at the meat counter.

• Go Vegetarian - Even just meatless spaghetti with veggies and bread. You don't have to go totally Vegen every night. Try a couple nights a week. Plus, there are a ton of super good for you, great tasting, Vegetarian dishes out there.


• Purchase 1/2 a Beef - Or a 1/4. We do this with my mother-in-law. She figures we spend about $1.60 per pound of meat (not a fabulous price for hamburger, but super great for all the steaks and roasts we get). Plus, you are supporting your local economy. In the past my in-laws have actually purchased a calf from auction, raised it all year in the back field, then sent it to the butcher, who sends it back in pieces (minus his cut ... no pun intended!). But, last year we were able to find a butcher with his own supply who was willing to sell. Call around and see what you can find. Hint: You must have access to a freezer, because this is a LOT of meat!


• Use Less - Just because a recipe calls for 1 pound of hamburger does not mean you have to put the whole pound in. I regularly half the amount of ground or cut up meat in casserole dishes and most times we like it better then the full meat versions. If you feel like it takes too much from the dish, add some extra veggies (more healthy that way).


• Reduced for Quick Sale - My local Smith's (Kroger) has a section where they put all the cuts of meat that are getting close to expiration dates. Most stores do this, just ask around. We have found great deals on roasts, steaks and chicken this way. I almost always freeze my meat immediately after purchase so the quick expiration date doesn't really matter to me. You'll learn to quickly scan this section every time you are in the store because you never know what you'll find.


• Have I mentioned "Freezer"! - If you find a great deal on meat, Get IT! Even if you have no immediate plans to use it. Most, if not every cut of meat freezes great and lasts months if not years when wrapped properly for freezing. The best way I've found to wrap for freezing is to remove the meat from the store packaging, separate into serving/meal sizes, wrap in stretch-wrap, then wrap in foil. The biggest destroyer in the freezer is air so remove as much as you can. Remember to write the cut and the date on the foil with a sharpie, then throw it in the freezer till you need it.


• Extend it - This is something I've just begun to experiment with, so I don't know a lot about it yet. I've read that you can combine Bulgur Wheat with ground beef to make great hamburgers. You can't taste the wheat and they are very filling. (Think teenage boys eating one burger instead of four.) I've also read about adding certain seasoning to the wheat and discarding the meat all together. So many things to try, so little time!

I love meat, especially with potatoes. I'm just that kind of gal. Using these tips has helped allow us to afford eating it more often. Hopefully they will help you as well.

Do you have a great tip to save money on meat, or save money on anything? Comment or e-mail FrannyFrugal @ gmail.com so I can try it too!

Tip Tuesday: Gardening - The Frugal Fanatics Friend

I'm relatively new to gardening. We moved into our house about 2 years ago and just finally began adding some bushes and trees. I have, however, been an "armchair" fan for many, many years. While in High School and College I worked in the accounting department of a Nursery and my favorite thing to do on my breaks was wander the plants asking the specialists questions. For years I have collected books, picked my favorite plants, designed imaginary gardens, and taken a number of classes. Finally, this year I was able to start putting my knowledge to work.

One problem. Anyone who has visited a nursery or garden knows plants and supplies are expensive and you needs lots to make a beautiful garden. Slightly discouraged (one reason it has taken us two years to get started on our own yard), but determined to bring my dreams to fruition I went to a local garden store armed with my discount coupons and a $150. I was able to get 3 shrubs and a couple flats of annuals. Not a great start considering the huge yard I have to landscape.

After planting and lamenting about the sparseness of my yard (trying to convince myself the plants would get bigger and fill in). I hauled the kids to my weekly visit with my grandma. We collect coupon inserts from all the relatives who don't use them. Grandma and Grandpa were out in their yard doing a little spring gardening. While talking with them Grandma offered me starts of just about all the perennials growing in their yard. Not one to turn down anything free I grabbed a box and started collecting. I left their house with half a dozen new varieties of plants for my garden.

Interesting...

So, I did some research. The Dollar Stretcher has a huge collection of articles on Free/Cheap Gardening. Some of my favorite tips are to make your own compost or mulch, get starts from all the gardeners you know, and start your own plants from seed. Love Money has Cheap Tips for Beginning Gardeners. And there are hundred upon hundreds more. Just google "cheap gardening."

With all this new knowledge I visited my Mom's and Mother-in-Law's yard on the lookout for plants for my garden. I came home with another half dozen new varieties of perennials. Then I spread the word. "I want STARTS!" My mom calls the next week and would I like the six very large boxwoods from their front bed, she wants to do something different there. Would I!

Now, weeks after being confronted with an empty yard...

I have this, an excellent start to the fabulous garden living in my imagination. The Weeping Cherry Tree was an anniversary gift from my sweet husband. Much better, and much cheaper than I had originally planned.

Now, I just need to keep them all alive...

Tip Tuesday: The Stockpile

Stockpile, Food Storage, Year Supply, The Store (as my kids call my corner of the basement) whichever term you use this idea is key to saving your family money. Essentially what the stockpile is is a collection of items your family uses on a regular basis.

What makes this idea work is the principle that you get to choose how much you pay for items instead of need deciding what you pay. For instance, in the very near future we are going to have nothing left on the toilet paper roll. Since I was aware and prepared for this I have toilet paper in my stockpile that I paid about $.05 a roll for. If I were to run to the store right now I would probably have to pay $.55 a roll for the exact same kind of toilet paper (not to mention the cost of gas and impulse buys for this emergency trip). The numbers will vary, but the idea is the same.

When you find a great deal on an item your family uses stock your personal store. Buy as much as is feasible in order to get you to the next great deal on that item. Most products and stores are on a regular sale schedule. For example Macey's has their case lot sale every 6 months. As you become familiar with sale & coupon cycles as well as what your family actually uses predicting how much you need to buy will become easier.

As your stockpile grows so will your flexibility. Want or need to spend your grocery money on other things this week? A well supplied stockpile will feed and care for your family without much disruption to what you are used to. You'll be able to eliminate mid-week "emergency" trips to the store for something you've run out of. And, you'll be able to choose just how much you are willing to pay for items.

Start your stockpile today and start saving your family money.

This article was originally published 23 September 2008.

Tip Tuesday: Saving Money on Home Repair

As those of you who visit regularly are aware, we are installing a drain and pump system in our basement this week.  We live in an area of town that is basically one huge clay bed.  The builders of our subdivision probably shouldn't have put basements in these homes because almost every single house in this area has had basement flooding issues.

Whenever it rains or whenever the snow melts we will get lovely little (and not so little) puddles in our basement.  And, no the water is not coming in the windows (believe me that's the first thing I checked and sealed when we started having issues) it is coming up the cracks in the floor and where the floor meets the wall.

Thankfully, our basement is not finished so for the past two years we have been simply dealing with the problem.  All my boxes of books (for my future office/library) are up on tables.  Long term storage items such as Christmas and Hand-Me-Down clothes are in plastic containers.  And, everything down there is grouped in the middle of the floor and in the "high spots" where we don't get as much water.  Every time it storms we use our Shop-Vac to suck up all the water (a big storm will generally take 4-5 days worth of 2x a day clean-up).

We wanted a solution that wouldn't just be a quick fix, but would be something we'd never have to worry about again.  So, after talking to neighbors and calling around to several companies for bids we settled on Utah Basement Systems.  They were not the cheapest alternative, nor yet the most expensive, but we felt their system was the best fix for us.

The basic idea behind the system is not to try and keep the water out of the basement, but to deal with it as it enters.  They will install a system of drains just below the floor (one set around the perimeter and a couple through the middle).  They will channel the water to a sump pump that will pump the water up and out of the basement to the gutter and storm drain.  Best of all they guarantee that water will never come up and over the drains and they will inspect the system regularly to make sure everything is working properly.

All this does not come cheap.  We did our research and got all the bids over a year ago and the price tag was close to $10,000.  Yep, I know . . . gasp!  So, we started saving our money.  Finally after a lot of saving (and tax returns, and stimulus money, and bonus money) we had enough to start the work.

After talking to his dad (the king of do-it-yourself), my husband decided to see what work UBS would let us do on our own and what kind of discount we could get.  We are currently between jobs and any money we can save would help.  Plus, I think my frugal mania is starting to rub off on him (my evil plan is working!).

So, that is how we ended up spending this past Friday and Saturday Jack-Hammering our basement.  We will also be trenching from the house, under the sidewalk and to the curb.  All for a discount of almost $3,000.  Yes, it is a lot of hard work, but that's also a lot of money saved.

Here's some pictures:    

See my stockpile/storage there on the left.  Everything is now covered in dust!

A closer look of the specks floating through the air.  

Boy I have a lot of cleaning ahead of me.

The moral of the story is when planning home improvement projects see what you can reasonably do on your own.  A good plan and lots of research is also essential.  You just may end up being able to save a whole lot of money.

Tip Tuesday: Any Way You Cut It

How to clip your coupons, let me count the ways.  Everyone has a preferred method and there are pros and cons for each kind.  Here are a few I have tried:

Scissors:
Yep, by hand one sheet at a time.  Pros are that you get a nice clean edge.  Cons are that it is very, very time consuming and can you say "carpal tunnel" (ouch!).

Multi Sheet Scissors:

I'm told this is how the professionals do it.  They stack multiple sheets of the same coupon (some staple the coupon together) and cut strait through all sheets.  There's a YouTube video here (I don't agree with everything she says, but you'll get the idea of how to use this method.).  

Pros are that you can clip a lot of coupons pretty quickly.  The Cons, in my opinion, are a very big chance of ruining a coupon.  The first couple of times I tried this I ruined several coupons by clipping off parts of barcodes or expiration dates.  Most Marketing people try to fit as much on those little sheets as possible so if your sheets aren't lined up exactly they'll be ruined.  I also found that I had to trim some of the coupons as I was putting them into my binder (more on my new binder next week) and having to double clip is just a waste of time.  Plus I'm a little OCD when it comes to cutting on the dashed line...

The Guillotine:

This is my current way to clip coupons.  I love my paper cutter (guillotine, isn't that a weird thing to call it!).  It is an indispensable tool in our household.  

Pros are that you get a nice clean edge right on the dashed line (hallelujah!), it is much quicker than cutting by hand, and no sore hand from scissors.  Cons are that it takes more time than the Multi-Sheet method (I guess you could do more than one sheet at a time, but then you run into lining up issues.)  

I do sort my pages before I cut them (like the lady in the video) since it makes putting the coupons into my binder much easier and quicker.

Here are some of the Guillotine Paper Cutters that Amazon offers.  And here is my favorite:

You don't need anything huge, fancy, or expensive.  I do, however, think it is a great investment if you plan on cutting a lot of coupons.

Well, those are a few of the methods I have tried and my thoughts on each.  There are more out there.  I'm always looking for easier, quicker ways to do things so if you know of something leave a comment so I can try it too.  

Tip Tuesday: The Pricebook

How do you possibly keep track of all the items and prices of things you need and use? And decide what sale prices are the best deals? The pricebook is the answer. A pricebook is simply a place you keep a record of prices, stores and brands so you know when a sale is truly "stock-up" worthy.

There are many ways to set up a pricebook:

• Keep it in your head - many people just know when a price is great and how much they would normally pay at the stores they frequent (you may already do this)


• Use a notebook - a simple wire-bound notebook can be used, just list 1 item at the top of each new page (for example: hamburger, flour, toilet paper, deodorant etc.) and list info on each line following.


• Use a binder - this is a little easier to add to and organize how you want (alphabetical or by product family) you can also print forms from places like this and this or create your own in Word or Excel. This is my very first pricebook I didn't use it as well as I could have and I abandoned it for a more high-tech option.



• Use a spreadsheet - I'm currently keeping track of prices in a spreadsheet (you know me I love spreadsheets!) the downside to this method is that it is not very portable, unlike the other methods I can't take it with me to the store to compare items.

Whatever you choose to keep track of prices you'll want to be sure to record a couple of important items.

Date. Sale prices are often on cycles. By recording the date you'll be able to get a good idea of how often the item goes on sale and you'll be able to judge how much you'll need to buy to get you to the next sale.

Store. I'm always asked which store has the cheapest prices and honestly it depends on the week and the product. You can keep track of all that here.

Brand. It's nice to know which brand is at which price. Also nice to know if you find a brand you'd like to stay away from.

Size. Like I mentioned here different sizes are different prices and it is an important factor if figuring out what is the best deal.

Unit. How much are you getting for this price? Important for figuring out the unit price.

Price. The most important feature of a pricebook!

Unit Price. Figure this out by taking the price and dividing by the units. This is the most fair way of comparing two different brands/sizes.

So, you've figured out which method you want to use and you know what things you need to keep track of, now what? How do you find information for your book?

Here's what I suggest. First make a list of 10 items you always need to buy (i.e. Toilet Paper, Hand Soap, Bread, Milk, you get the idea). Add them to your pricebook, one item per page. Then, the next time you are in a grocery store find those items and write down all the products available in that category. Keep doing this until you've covered all grocery stores in your area. You can make this fun by taking a spouse/older child/friend/family member and turning it into a race with prizes, or mommies night out with a stop at the ice cream parlor. Once those 10 items are done, you'll move onto another ten.

You'll also note in your book whenever your item goes on sale so you can track the sale cycle. Eventually you won't have to write down sales as often because you'll know the cycles.

Sound like a lot of work? It is to begin with, but with age your pricebook will be a great resource and will help you save a lot of money. To read more about pricebooks check out these great articles:

Make A Price Book: Power Tool for Supermarket Savings
A Grocery Pricebook

Pricebook 101

Developing a Pricebook

This post originally ran November 11, 2008.

Tip Tuesday: The Stockpile

Stockpile, Food Storage, Year Supply, The Store (as my kids call my corner of the basement) whichever term you use this idea is key to saving your family money. Essentially what the stockpile is is a collection of items your family uses on a regular basis.

What makes this idea work is the principle that you get to choose how much you pay for items instead of need deciding what you pay. For instance, in the very near future we are going to have nothing left on the toilet paper roll. Since I was aware and prepared for this I have toilet paper in my stockpile that I paid about $.05 a roll for. If I were to run to the store right now I would probably have to pay $.55 a roll for the exact same kind of toilet paper (not to mention the cost of gas and impulse buys for this emergency trip). The numbers will vary, but the idea is the same.

When you find a great deal on an item your family uses stock your personal store. Buy as much as is feasible in order to get you to the next great deal on that item. Most products and stores are on a regular sale schedule. For example Macey's has their case lot sale every 6 months. As you become familiar with sale & coupon cycles as well as what your family actually uses predicting how much you need to buy will become easier.

As your stockpile grows so will your flexibility. Want or need to spend your grocery money on other things this week? A well supplied stockpile will feed and care for your family without much disruption to what you are used to. You'll be able to eliminate mid-week "emergency" trips to the store for something you've run out of. And, you'll be able to choose just how much you are willing to pay for items.

Start your stockpile today and start saving your family money.

This post first ran September 23, 2008.

Tip Tuesday: Eat what's on sale

I've decided there are a couple of different types of Grocery-Coupon-Savers.  Those who plan their meals around what is on sale that week, and those who eat what they like from their pantries.  I'm one of the latter.

When you have to eat the things that are on sale that week, I think it is an inefficient use of your time and money.  First, what if nothing your family likes is on sale?  What do you eat?  (spend more than you have to get something they will eat?) Second, what happens when a need such as a doctor visit, emergency out to eat desire etc. comes up and you could really use your grocery money for that instead of food?  What do you do?  (go into credit card debt and hope you can pay for it later?)  Third, what happens when you desperately need toilet paper and nothing is on sale?  (pay more?) 

I choose to eat and live from my pantry, not from what's on sale.  In my pantry and storage I have many months worth of non-perishable food and household goods.  When we need toilet paper the four-year old runs down and gets some.

Everything in my home "store" is on sale because I buy everything on sale and/or with coupons.  I stock up when the price is low.  When I notice another great price on toilet paper and we have room (in the budget and the store room) I buy more.

We are able to eat the meals we like and are used to.  I watch for good deals on the ingredients I use for our favorite meals, then I stock up.

When a small emergency comes up and we need money for doctor visits, medicine, etc. I can use my grocery money for those things and simply skip grocery shopping for the week.  I will occasionally grab a few perishables like fresh fruit/veggies or milk and cheese, but we could get along without it.  It is also great for those weeks when mom just doesn't feel like shopping or there aren't any really great deals I want to stock up on.  Then I have extra cash to play with!

The idea of the pantry or food storage is, in my opinion, the best way to save money on your grocery bill.  When you are just starting out with building your storage you won't see a huge savings because you still need to buy those necessities you haven't found great deals on yet.  But, once established the amount of money you'll have to pay for groceries will drop. 

Tip Tuesday: Online Clothing Deals

The best way I have found to get good deals online is to first start at a marketplace. A marketplace is simply a collection of online stores like Old Navy, Target, Kohl's and others. They will generally give you a rebate for the amount of money you spend at the stores they represent. A few I've used are ebates, Box Tops 4 Education, Inbox Dollars and Discover Card.

Ebates has a ton of retailers who offer 1% to 20% cash back rebates. They also offer lots of coupon offers to further lower your cost (more on that later). New members will also receive a $10 gift certificate for signing up, and by clicking my special referral link here you will start out with an additional $5 cash in your account. Who couldn't use a couple extra bucks for Christmas shopping? Heather over at Freebies4Mom was able to buy a sweater at Victoria Secret for Free using ebates, coupon codes, and her $10 bonus read all about it here.

Box Tops 4 Education uses the same idea, but instead of giving you the percent rebate they give it to your school. This is a great way to give money to your school from a purchase you'd make anyway. Free money for our schools is always a great idea. For more ideas on supporting your schools check here.

Inbox Dollars has a marketplace as well (I told you all about this website here).  The money you earn from shopping here is credited to your account with them.

My husband and I use our Discover Card for some of our household bills because of the cash back bonus, but Discover Card also has a marketplace for up to 25% cashback bonus on online purchases. I need to insert here a note that you should never charge anything unless you have the money in your budget to pay for it right now. It's just a good idea.

After starting at at marketplace I search for online discount codes (my favorites are percent off and free shipping).  I will generally use these coupon codes on sale or clearance items for great deals.  

This holiday Old Navy sent me a 30% off your order coupon and happened to be having a free shipping event.  I went online through ebates and found some great clearance clothes for my kids ($7 for jeans, $5 for shirts) used my 30% off code got free shipping and a 6% rebate from ebates.  I was on the computer for maybe 20 minutes, I didn't use any gas money, I didn't have to fight my kids at the store, and I got some christmas shopping done.  What could be better than that? 

Tip Tuesday: Great Deals on Clothing

Keeping my family in clothes that fit and look good is a huge task.  It can also be a huge expense.  I've figured out a couple of "levels" for my shopping habits.

The first level is the bottom of the pile, and one I use for most of my kids play clothes.  I define play clothes as those that I'm not concerned about how messy they get.  I don't try very hard to get stains out and once they are unwearable they go in the rag bag.  Generally I find these clothes at second hand stores like Deseret Industries, Kid to Kid, Garage Sales and through hand me downs.  I refuse to spend more than a couple of dollars per clothing item.  Each of my kids has 5 or six outfits worth of these clothes.

The second level contains clothes that I consider "nice."  These are outfits that are acceptable for parties or special outings.  My school age child wears these clothes to school and comes home to change into playclothes.  She also has more of these than playclothes.  The toddler and the baby only have 2-3 outfits each.

The third level is sunday clothes.  Each of my children has 3-4 very nice dresses or shirt & ties to wear to church.  We try to make these the very best that we can.

The nice clothes and the sunday clothes I will buy on clearance or at outlet stores.  I like shopping at Ross and Kohl's Clearance racks.  I've also found a lot of great deals at online clearance sales.  My price point is around $6 for shirts and no more than $10 for pants or $15 for a set or dress.  I have conditioned myself to almost always head right to the clearance rack in almost every store I enter (no matter what I am actually there to get).

I'm also on the look out for percent off coupons.  Unless prohibited in the small print of the coupon, I will use these on clearance or sale items for even better deals.  Coupons can be found in mailers and through online newsletters or in the Happenings Books every school age child sells at the beginning of the school year.  If you have stores near you check online and get on their mailers and sale notifications.  Everyone wants you to shop at their store.

Next week I'll share a couple of my favorite tips for getting great deals online.  You don't have to spend a lot of money to clothe and care for your family, but you do have to keep your eyes open and learn a few tricks.  Happy Shopping.

Tip Tuesday: The Pricebook

How do you possibly keep track of all the items and prices of things you need and use?  And decide what sale prices are the best deals?  The pricebook is the answer.  A pricebook is simply a place you keep a record of prices, stores and brands so you know when a sale is truly "stock-up" worthy.

There are many ways to set up a pricebook:

• Keep it in your head - many people just know when a price is great and how much they would normally pay at the stores they frequent (you may already do this)


• Use a notebook - a simple wire-bound notebook can be used, just list 1 item at the top of each new page (for example:  hamburger, flour, toilet paper, deodorant etc.) and list info on each line following.


• Use a binder - this is a little easier to add to and organize how you want (alphabetical or by product family) you can also print forms from places like this and this or create your own in Word or Excel.  This is my very first pricebook I didn't use it as well as I could have and I abandoned it for a more high-tech option.



• Use a spreadsheet - I'm currently keeping track of prices in a spreadsheet (you know me I love spreadsheets!) the downside to this method is that it is not very portable, unlike the other methods I can't take it with me to the store to compare items.

Whatever you choose to keep track of prices you'll want to be sure to record a couple of important items.

Date.  Sale prices are often on cycles.  By recording the date you'll be able to get a good idea of how often the item goes on sale and you'll be able to judge how much you'll need to buy to get you to the next sale.

Store.  I'm always asked which store has the cheapest prices and honestly it depends on the week and the product.  You can keep track of all that here.

Brand.  It's nice to know which brand is at which price.  Also nice to know if you find a brand you'd like to stay away from.

Size.  Like I mentioned here different sizes are different prices and it is an important factor if figuring out what is the best deal.

Unit.  How much are you getting for this price?  Important for figuring out the unit price.

Price.  The most important feature of a pricebook!

Unit Price.  Figure this out by taking the price and dividing by the units.  This is the most fair way of comparing two different brands/sizes.

So, you've figured out which method you want to use and you know what things you need to keep track of, now what?  How do you find information for your book?

Here's what I suggest.  First make a list of 10 items you always need to buy (i.e. Toilet Paper, Hand Soap, Bread, Milk, you get the idea).  Add them to your pricebook, one item per page.  Then, the next time you are in a grocery store find those items and write down all the products available in that category.  Keep doing this until you've covered all grocery stores in your area.  You can make this fun by taking a spouse/older child/friend/family member and turning it into a race with prizes, or mommies night out with a stop at the ice cream parlor.  Once those 10 items are done, you'll move onto another ten.

You'll also note in your book whenever your item goes on sale so you can track the sale cycle.  Eventually you won't have to write down sales as often because you'll know the cycles.  

Sound like a lot of work?  It is to begin with, but with age your pricebook will be a great resource and will help you save a lot of money.  To read more about pricebooks check out these great articles:

Make A Price Book:  Power Tool for Supermarket Savings
A Grocery Pricebook

Pricebook 101

Developing a Pricebook

Tip Tuesday: Never shop hungry

Simple and oh so true.  Grocery shopping when hungry is a bad idea.

Eat a nice meal before you go shopping.  You'll get a burst of energy and you'll curb those impulse treat buys.  Your pocketbook (and waistline) will thank you.

Tip Tuesday: Clearance section

The Clearance section is a great place to find good deals, especially at stores like Walgreens.  They don't have huge turnover like bigger stores.

When things get close to their expiration date, they are out of season, or they've been around too long the store will put them on clearance.  Stores cannot, by law, sell food items that have expired so the items they put on clearance will generally be good for several days or months.  So, be aware of what you're buying and wether you can use it relatively soon.

You can also generally use a coupon with clearance items for an even better deal.  I have regularly seen chocolate, diapers, formula, and snack food on clearance at 50% off that I could pair a coupon with and end up paying pennies for.

Clearance sections are generally found towards the back of the store (out of sight) and there may be multiple locations.  Get in the habit of checking them every time you are in the store as the good deals change rapidly.  

You also may want to check with your grocery store's butcher and find out when they mark down their meats.  Most of the meat I buy goes straight to my freezer anyway so if the meat is expiring soon it doesn't really matter.

Buying next years kid's clothing at end of season clearance sales is also a great way to save money.  Just keep your eyes open and get a good idea of sizes and what you're willing to spend.

Clearance items are hard to plan for and you generally have to jump on the deal when you find it, but they are a great way to save money.