Groceries are a Bummer

Groceries are a bummer!  If you want to think of them that way.  Sometimes I do...I look at the receipt and think, that could have been a new pair of shoes or that pair of jeans I have been lusting over.

That said, I have put a lot of effort to getting the grocery bill down over the last two years, so I wanted to share my "system" with my friends and family. :)

1. I make a list of everything that I keep in my house on a regular basis divided into categories...i.e. milk, eggs, cheese in the refrigerator category, rice, pasta in the pantry category, etc.  Before I go to the store, I use my list to identify the things that I am out of.

2. Never stray from the list!  (Except for specific recipes).  This also trims my waistline as extra junk food never ends up in my apartment.  I say extra because I consider microwave popcorn and a Hershey's bar as "things I keep in my house" but psychologically I know they're all I have so I eat them less often.

3. Get the Sunday paper and clip the coupons.  Ok...this one needs some justification.  Extreme Couponing has ruined doubling coupons forever because all the checkers are extra diligent now and don't allow doubling, so you won't save as much as that show might tell you.  However, by clipping coupons for only the things on my list, I save on average $5.00 every time I go to the grocery store.  I go to the store 2-3 times per week, and the weekly paper costs me $2.00 so I am saving $32.00-$52.00 each month.  I am a math nerd...I know.

4. Don't clip coupons for things that aren't on your list!  You'll just ended up buying more than you need to.  And don't get attached to your coupon.  Check the other brands to see if you are actually saving or if you have fallen into a trap to get you to buy a new product.  Sometimes I'll go to the store with 10 coupons and only use 5 because the store was running a promotion on a different brand.

5. Stock your house with stuff you'll actually like to eat.  Otherwise you'll eat out, and it may look like your grocery bill is smaller, but you're spending more on food in general.

6. My last two suggestions may not apply, but take them for what they're worth.  I use my Fred Meyer club card and I end up getting 10% back of all my purchases every three months in the form of a gift card.  I also use my Discover card only for groceries and pay it off each month so I get 5%-ish (I'm pretty sure this is a nominal rate so what I'm actually getting is much less) cash back there as well.

Phew!  So there it is.  I promise I'm not making a habit of instructional/suggestion-making posts.  I just thought I would pass on how I save all that dough!