Frugal Friday

With the cost of fuel increasing rather than decreasing, we have had no choice but to lower costs in other areas. Rather than it be getting my nails done or hair done (which are the first things many websites say cut out first) I have decided to try to cut grocery expenses. For the last month I have been reading this blog and have gotten SO many tips on coupon clipping, ad watching, and CVS. More on CVS later, let's start with coupons and ads. And to add, the lady that writes Money Saving Mom spends only $35-40/week on groceries. OMG!! Last month we averaged $150 grocery trips at Wal-Mart A WEEK!!

There are TONS of sites to find coupons to print, not to mention the ones in the Sunday paper. Don't forget to ask friends, family or neighbors for theirs if they don't clip 'em. Now I will be the first to say there can be alot of coupons in the paper that you don't use, but I clip every one of them. You never know when you will come across something on sale and want to try it or someone you know could use it. Oh, and it seems to me that 2-4 weeks after the coupon comes out, you will start seeing it on sale. Now this may not be everytime, but I am just using coupons that I clipped from the 3/30 paper.

The next thing I did was find an organizer (happened to come across one in the Target $1 aisle). I organzied it in sections that would be easy to follow in the store.

Last but not least, the weekly ads for grocery stores come out in the Wednesday papers and the sales will run through the next Tuesday. CVS, Rite-Aid, Target, Etc. comes out on Sundays.

One vow I have made to myself is not to shop at Wal-Mart. I know, you are probably thinking what I did...Wal-Mart matches any stores prices. Right? But, how many of you can honestly say you were able to walk out of Wal-Mart without buying something that you didn't go into the store to get? I know I can never do it! So I have decided to not do grocery shopping at Wal-Mart UNLESS I know its cheaper and I have a coupon for something.

Kroger has been my store for the past month. There have been so many 10/$10 deals and I have been able to stock up on frozen veggies, canned veggies, cereals, and so much more!

So you wanna know how I did this month? I have not spent more than $100/week. Usually before coupons and Kroger sales, my totals have been about what we normally spend, $150. It's such a great feeling to watch that total steadily decrease when the cashier scans your Kroger card and coupons!!

My best week yet was this past week. I only spent $85!! Now I am nowhere near money saving mom, but I am getting there!

And the 2nd best thing about shopping at Kroger? For every $1 you spend, you get 1 point towards gas purchases. Earn 100 points and you will get $.10 off per gallon!!!

CVS 101:

(I am still learning CVS shopping and still have so much more to learn!!)

I have been researching CVS shopping through money saving mom and have learned that this is the best place to buy shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and so on. From the paper you can find deals and which items will generate ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) that you can use towards future purchases. For more info on learning the CVS game, read here. It can seem complicated at first, but once you get it down, you can save LOTS of money!

I made my first trip tonight and this is what I came out with:

1st purchase:

2 Colgate 360 toothbrushes: $3.99 each and $3.99 ECB each
Total OOP (Out of Pocket): $8.54
Total ECB: $ 7.98

2nd purchase:

2 Airwick Oils refills: $2.99 each and Coupon for free plugin (.99 value) with purchase:
Herbal Essance Shampoo/Conditioner: $3.99 each and B1G1 Free and $3 off 2 Coupon
2 Oral B Power Toothbrushes: $5.99 each and $1 ECB each and 2/$1 off Coupons
2 Crest Toothpastes: $1.88 each and $1 off 2 Coupon
$7.98 ECB from 1st purchase
$2 ECB from old purchase during winter season
$3 off $15 purchase (this printed out when I bought milk a couple of weeks ago)
$4 off $20 purchase (signed up online to receive ads via email)
Total OOP: $2.92
Total ECB: $2.00

So I basically got about $45 worth of stuff for only $12!!! And we wont have to buy toothbrushes for the rest of the year! And maybe toothpaste too! Along with air fresheners that smell so good!! PLUS I got $2 in ECB to use next time!!! This bargain shopping is so much fun!!! You should try it!! Good Luck! Let me know how you do!