coupon mom

i've recently rediscovered my love for coupons. i have a coupon organizer but sometimes i get really lazy and don't always file them right or just don't bother looking in there and forget about them. but, i caught a little bit of doctor phil - i think it was on monday - and they had a lady on there talking about how she cuts her grocery bill in half by using coupons. so, i was reminded of the power of coupons and now i'm on a mission - to see how low i can get our grocery bill and still live well.

the lady they had on there was frugalcouponmom. i went to her website and found out about The Coupon Clippers. has anyone else heard about this or tried it? i am so curious. i think i will try it next week before i go shopping. you think i'm a dork don't you? well, wait until you hear just how dorky/nerdy i've become about grocery shopping. you would be too, if you had to buy diapers and baby food and you and your husband were unemployed for several months.

a few months ago, i had just gotten back into making my weekly menus and doing my shopping list from that. let me tell you - this may sound crazy at first and so not fun, but it is so worth it! before i would always be thinking throughout the day - okay, what are we gonna have for dinner? what am i gonna do? but, now with the menu, half the work is already done. and i don't end up throwing a lot of food away that i forgot to use. that's just throwing away cash, my friends!!!

first, i look at my kroger ad and circle the things i need that are on sale. i plan my meals according to what i have and what's on sale for the most part. i make my grocery list in categories - produce first - dairy last. i pull out all of my coupons i'm going to use and put it with my grocery list. then i head for the store.

are you laughing now?

it seems highly anal, but i am so easily distracted, esp. in a store and this helps me tremendously. saves a lot of time too, and when you have an infant, time is PRECIOUS!

ready for the really nerdy part?

i now am putting together a spreadsheet of what grocery items i purchase most often and the best deals i can get them for per ounce or lb. or whatever. muhahahaha. does anybody else do this who is reading this? i would love to know - you would be my hero.

i hope this has not scared you, but rather inspired you to save money on your grocery bill. think of what you could do with the extra cash! not to mention, you are being more environmentally friendly, efficient, and a better steward of the money God has given you. yes, God gave you that paycheck, now be smart with it. :0)

go ye therefore and clip coupons!