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!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Celebrate

I don't exactly understand why the Shrewsbury, MA is celebrating their Re-Grand Opening (this is the second week of celebration).  It coincides nicely with the Wegman's grand opening this Sunday.  Whatever the reason, I certainly am feeling welcomed with their "A Celebration of Savings" coupon booklet.

With a minimum purchase of $15, you can use a $1 off coupon for cookies.  The Stop and Shop brand is only $1, so they come out free.  The $1 off frozen vegetables works nicely with their boxed chopped spinach, which is only $1.09 and their bagged veggies are on sale this week for $1.25, making it only 25 cents.

There are many other coupons I used on my last order -- $1 off eggs, $1 off sugar, $1 off soda, $1 off ice cream.  This week Hood ice cream is on sale 2/$4.  With the coupon, it comes out to only a buck for a half gallon!

If you self-scan your groceries, check and see if you get additional discounts.  Last week I was given a scanned credit of $1 off Tropicana, which combined with a $1 juice coupon from the booklet making it only $1.59 (a great price for my favorite OJ--Healthy Heart with Omega 3 never from concentrate Tropicana).

Finding these coupon booklets might be a little tricky.  The Grafton store had a nice display featuring them (hence the photo), but ironically the Shrewsbury store had the booklets hidden next to a stack of Spanish brochures by a desk in front of the registers (not the customer service desk, however, they had no idea about any coupon specials when I asked).  It might not be fun hunting around, but the coupons, if you find them, can save you a lot of money.

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