Challenge: To trim down the grocery bills by at least 33%

According to the US Department of Labor, the average American family of four spends $8,513 per year on groceries. This statistic breaks down to $177 per person a month. My family is not the traditional nuclear family. In addition to me and my husband, we have four children -- three teenagers, a two-year-old, and a mother-in-law. Applying the above figures, our grocery bill for a family of seven should approximate to $1239 per month. And astonishingly, it has regularly fluctuated in the range of $1000- $1300. My goal is to trim this monthly pile of receipts down to $830,(including diapers, wipes, hygiene products, and restaurant bills) if not less. Being able to frugally feed my nutrition-conscious husband and appease the voracious appetites of my teenagers will be my main challenge!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A Bright Idea


When I showed one of my sons how this lightbulb, which normally costs around eight or nine dollars, was free, he asked, "you mean you can double up on coupons?"  It was an aha moment for him.  Since the grocery store ran a special on these energy efficient bulbs -- handing out store coupons to sell them at 99 cents each, I had easily pulled out my manufacturer's coupon for $1 off the product. 

Similarly, a recent special at CVS last week was even more titillating -- Allegra allergy tablets were on sale for $6.99, with a $6.99 rewards coupon awarded after the purchase.  After applying my $2 coupon off the product, I paid only $4.99 and received $6.99 back.  These were the same OTC medication tablets I had recently purchased for my mom.  They were on sale back then and I used a coupon, but I certainly did not earn $2 during the transaction as I had with this one.

So, don't forget to stock up on your coupons.  Although I sometimes never envision myself using some of these products (for example, I would have never bought such an expensive lightbulb and I personally do not have allergies), I certainly would try them if they were free.  And if I don't end up trying them, I could give them to someone who could.

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