I use coupons to shop. I LOVE coupon shopping. I stock up when I can on what I know I will use, and I fill in the rest every week when I grocery shop.
When I am creating my weekly menu plan, I rely heavily on what I know I need to use up. Some things, like pasta (that will keep forever) won’t go on my plan more than once or twice. More perishable items like salad will be on the menu for several days so that we can try to eat it before it goes bad. (A bag of salad can take too long to consume with just the two of us!) I also rely on the grocery sales for that week to determine what I will focus on cooking.
After my menu plan is in place, I pull together my grocery list. In order to make sure that I’m not running to the store all week, I gather my grocery store matchups, my list from the fridge where I jot down items that are running low or gone, and my menu plan for the upcoming week. I start to condense all of this onto the shopping list printable that I like to use. (I do usually take my list of grocery store matchups shopping with me, because I don’t want to write down all of my little coupon notes on my grocery list- it takes up too much space!) Once I have everything written down, I evaluate whether or not anything can be removed. Do I really need everything on here? Did I forget that I already have some of these items in my stockpile? Sometimes I need more than I had realized, and I reevaluate my menu plan to use up something that I already have or make something that costs a little less. Just a note here: in my binder, I have my menu plan and grocery shopping combined. I like to alternate the pages in this section, placing a grocery shopping list behind each menu plan. At the beginning of each week, I do post the menu plan on our fridge so the husband can see what he is in for each day! :) I usually toss the grocery list when I’m done shopping, but I like to hang onto my old menu plans for inspiration when I can’t think of meals to make!
Something I feel is important to note here is that you can’t buy everything with coupons. I think that sometimes people are discouraged from shopping frugally when they have a certain way they want or need to eat. For example, I strive to cook with whole foods. This isn’t always easy, or feasible, or even affordable, but every small choice makes a difference. I struggle with food allergies, and a lot of what I can’t have is processed food. This has been a blessing in disguise! I have to cook real, actual food, as we all should! Yes, it increases the grocery bill when I choose a smaller whole grain loaf of bread over a loaf of processed white bread that costs 70 cents, but it is worth it to me. And take heart! You can build things into your stockpile that will help you out as you try to be frugal and healthy. There are even coupons out there for organic products! Natural food stores and distributors have to stay competitive just like everyone else. For example, I get Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes for cheap or free all the time! I am steadily building up my stock of these whenever they go on sale, and they are a staple in many recipes. Every little bit of bad food that you eliminate is a good step for your family. Don’t feel like you have to get everything on your list at Trader Joe’s, especially when you are on a budget. Slowly replace your staples, and you will see your grocery bill decreasing, like every other couponer!
Like I have talked about before, lowering my grocery budget is a goal that I have this year. So is increasing the health factor in our food, although we do pretty well right now! I’ll keep sharing some of the good deals I find on products that are good for you! You don’t have to eat boxed macaroni and cheese to be an extreme couponer! Yay!
How do you complete your grocery shopping each week? I hope you enjoyed these tips, and got some encouragement to be frugal and still eat well!
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