75% Savings…What Does it Get You?

The past couple of weeks I’ve managed to get both my menu planning AND my grocery shopping done by Sunday. This has made a huge difference in my weekly activity with the kids….as I’m moving less and less as the weeks go on (32 and counting!) the pre-planning is an added bonus.

My shopping trip to Dillon’s today ended in me paying $55 and saving $135. That is a 75% savings!! I get asked quite often what I buy..how I make these deals work. First it takes practice…I’ve been couponing for over a year now…and it takes patience…I spend about 3 or 4 hours a week searching deals and cutting coupons…and third it takes persistence!

I also hear all the time how the coupons in the paper are for “junk I don’t buy” … or that a $0.50/1 coupon “Isn’t worth my time”. I used to think that too..until I cut our family of 4 ’s grocery bill from $900/mo to $300. $0.50 at a time adds up!! We actually have MORE groceries and food storage than we used to.

I plan my menus for the week around what I have…and I buy at the grocery store based on what the deals are.

I’m not going to share my shopping trip purchase for purchase with coupon match ups….I used to do that and it takes WAY too much of my time!! I WILL share with you what I bought…and what our menu looks like this week. You can SEE that my family eats a healthy, balanced diet on this super budget!

Today I purchased:

Grapes, Apples, Bananas, Green Onions

Sandwich bread and deli meat

Quorn Chicken Tenders (soy/meat alternative)**

Amy’s frozen soy mac and cheese**

Keebler Cookies **

Artichokes, pizza sauce

Toilet Paper

Tide Stain Booster, Cascade Dishwasher Soap

Oil of Olay face wipes

baby wipes

cereal, milk, half and half

baking powder

fish sticks

**These items were “splurges”

So what does our meal plan look like?

Weekly Menu

Tilapia w/ mustard cream sauce, green beans from garden, dinner rolls

Homemade pizza (artichokes, tomatoes (garden), soy crumbles, olives, mushrooms)

General Tsao’s Chicken w/brown rice (quorn chick/soy alternative, veggies), cooked carrots

Hot Dogs/Veggie Dogs in a blanket, home fries (Hubby’s request for “comfort food” LOL), tomato/cucumber salad from garden

Pork or Venison Roast (wild pig or deer harvested by my husband), red potatoes, bisquits, corn (frozen from last years garden)

Chicken Enchiladas, green beans from the garden

Leftovers

We have fruit for snacks…and snack treats around the house. We do sandwiches, leftovers, quesidillas, fish sticks or chicken nuggets (once a week)…for our lunches.

Want ideas on how to get started with coupons? You can read The Frugal Mindset, The Coup of Coupon Gathering, and So You Have Some Coupons…Now What?

This post is included in Real Life’s: Your Life, Your Blog.