Everyone needs to eat. It's a fact. But I don't know about you but food gets expensive (at least in my house). So what to do, what to do?
I have found a few ways to help my family of 4 eat well
1. Join your local supermarkets reward program.
I have been a member of Smith's reward card for more than 3 years but I just recently realized that I was missing out on awesome online deals, e-coupons! Once you are signed up with your store of choice do not just stop there, sign up for email alerts, register your card online and let the savings begin!
But if you are still not sold on the idea of setting up an online account let me share with you one of the best reasons to join Smith's in particular, "Free Friday Download." Yes I said free! Each Friday they put up a new e-coupon to get a product completely free! Just last week I was able to get a free full size bottle of Clear shampoo (I have been wanting to try this shampoo out for a while but didn't have the extra cash) and as if that wasn't good enough I was also able to upload another Smith's coupon for $2 off of the conditioner. Now I know that shampoo and conditioner are not food but hey if its free?!
2. Sign up to SavingStar.com
I have also stumbled upon SavingStar.com not to long ago. SavingStar is a site for e-coupons but the difference is that you do not see your savings immediately at checkout. It works by registering your store reward card onto the site and then you are able to activate the coupons and once you make your purchases then your SavingStar account is credited. You will need a paypal account and once you reach $5 you are eligible for payout. Pretty snazzy...lol... The downside to this site is that it may take a while for your account to be credited and they do not offer very many coupons.
3. Use Coupons
Do not throw those coupons away! Coupons are one of the best (and most obvious) ways I have found to stay within my tight budget but still get all the food that I want and then some. Redplum is a great source for coupons. I get my Redplum weekly in the mail but if you do not you can go to save.com for more info.
Also if there is a particular brand that you love do not be afraid to contact them. Simply state to them that you love their product and wish to stay a loyal customer but you cannot afford it, more likely than not the company will send you a coupon.
Another way to get coupons is to print them yourself. Sites like Groupon are great but I prefer to use Inbox Dollars.
InboxDollars is a great resource for coupons (as well as a great way to make a little pocket money but I will elaborate on that in another post). The extra incentive for using InboxDollars for printing coupons is that you earn $.10 for each redeemed coupon. That's a win-win if you ask me!
4. Buy in bulk
Buy in bulk whenever you can on stable items when they are at there lowest cost and freeze everything else. Stores like Costco and Sam's Club are great for buying in bulk. One of the great benefits to buying in bulk other than the obvious lower prices is that you will potentially save money on gas because you are making less trips to the store. (I will do a post on freezing food another day).
5. Plan Ahead
And lastly plan ahead! Try to get most if not all of your shopping done in one trip with the help of store circulars. Checking for items that are on sale and combining those sales with your coupons can and will add up to major savings.
Happy Shopping and Enjoy Your Savings!
My daughter helping me put the rest of the groceries away and sneaking into the photo (This is less than half of my groceries)
http://www.inboxdollars.com/?r=ref13108477
