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Reading through Macleans last week, I was very interested by an article on coupon clipping. In How to get groceries for (almost) free, readers are privy to the spending habits of Kathy Spencer, a stay-at-home mom who describes her economic status as follows:
“We live in a 2,800-sq.-foot colonial-style home on nearly three acres of land. We drive vehicles we paid for in cash. Our oldest is in college, and we have no credit-card debt. My husband works for the city making $45,000 a year. And yet to take a walk through our house, and sit down at our dinner table, you’d never know that, on paper, we’re considered low income. We live a life of abundance because I’ve discovered the secret to shopping for free.”
Spencer’s “free” shopping translates to $20 a month of grocery bills to feed a family of six – simply amazing! The question then becomes, how much time are you willing to spend clipping coupons to save thousands of dollars a year? According to this super-saver mom, several hours a week searching for deals and rebates is worth it.
I tend to agree with Andrew Marvell: “had we but world enough and time.” While I love the idea of saving up to $60,000 a year on food, as Spencer suggests is possible, I cannot (for the moment anyway) see myself sacrificing that much time hunting for coupons, conducting price-comparisons, and driving to several stores to gather all the items. With my two young children in tow, I choose the store that offers the lowest price on the majority of my staple items and go there.
However, there are some of her simpler tips that I already follow (plus some of my own) and would urge you to try if you want to save a few bucks:
- Consult your weekend newspaper for the bundle of glossy inserts (i.e. coupons) for saving opportunities. Do be careful, however, not to buy something simply because it is on sale. Know what you need and try to find a sale to match;
- Check for manufacturers’ coupons at the entrance of your local grocery store before you head in;
- Every day produce and bakery items are marked down 50% for quick sale. Have a look and see if there is anything you could eat. Even if you go a day over the suggested expiry date, it’s usually fine.
I certainly appreciate a deal as much as the next person (ok, probably a bit more than the next person) but I am careful not to compromise health for savings. Stay away from processed foods with nearly no nutritional value. That can of beef ravioli might be well-priced but it isn’t doing much for you. Of course, anything in moderation but avoid making non-nutritional foods the staple of your diet just to save a few dollars.
What are your tricks for saving when grocery shopping? How much time would you be willing to sacrifice to lower your monthly food bill?
MM
$60K a year!!! That’s incredible! Finding time to clip coupons to save that kind of money is a full-time job. Now, at $60K a year, that would equate to approximately $100K before tax dollars – so, it is a full-time job! I think it would be totally worth it to quit my job and clip coupons everyday if was I achieving those results. Mind you, I wouldn’t have a pension, but if my spouse was a city worker, it wouldn’t matter because he/she would have that pension and I would have to continue clipping coupons anyway. What a great story. I feel motivated! Let me at those flyers…
Stay at home moms don’t make a salary anyway, so finding stuff for free is excellent compensation! I can’t understand anyone who says they don’t have time to find savings, yet they may be complaining about not having enough $ for other things. I just let it go though. If we all got stuff for free, the big companies wouldn’t make it. I quietly smile to myself about full price paying customers…they are the ones buying my free stuff
Valid point JRock. Perhaps we should keep the saving secrets to ourselves!
Thanks for the blog post!
Here is the link to my new book that holds all the secrets
“How to Shop for Free “on Amazon
How to Shop for Free: Shopping Secrets for Smart Women Who Love to Get Something for Nothing
Thank you for the link Kathy. As a miser, I am simply in awe of your saving abilities.
I am a mother of 4 teenagers, all with huge appetites. I pride myself on being able to feed them on $700.00 a month (family of 6 plus 3 dogs & 2 cats) I pack lunches and cook almost every meal. I do use coupons only on the items that I use. I feel this new “coupon clipping phase” is causing us to stock pile stuff we don’t use or stuff that is not even good for us . I think getting that deal is like a “gambling high” for some people and can be obssessive. I work full time too and time is an issue for me also. I recommend shopping at one store, learning that store, cut coupons (not obsessively), cook more (better for you, less sugar, less sodium, etc…) buy generic, and shop once a month. I love the Great Value products at Walmart. I find that shopping once a month helps me because you know you are stretching it until the end of the month.
Impressive Theresa. Good for you for being able to feed your family healthy meals on such a reasonable budget.
How often do you shop for produce? Obviously not once a month. What are the staples you stock up on during your monthly shopping trips?
I do shop for produce once a month plus I have a garden in the summer. I freeze a lot of food. I even freeze milk. With the four teenagers, 3-boys & 1 girl, we go thru a lot of milk and eggs. Once you do it a couple of times, you become better at it. When I do shop, it takes me two baskets and I usually have between 30 and 40 dollars in coupons. I do hide their lunch food or they will eat it ! I pack four lunches every morning. Also, I have to say that we don’t eat a lot of junk or prepared packaged food. I buy frozen juice and no soda. One big thing that really helps out is having food cooked and ready for when they are hungry or they start grabbing everything ! It is a lot of work, but when your on a budget, you do what you have to do.
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