Free Coupons Online

I'll also add these to the sidebar. Note that these websites offer free coupons. Never, ever pay for a coupon clipping service.

• Coupons.com
• CouponNetwork.com
• SmartSource.com
• RedPlum.com

And only print what you need for this week's shopping trip. You don't want to waste money on paper and ink.

Dumpster Diving for Food

I've had friends in years past who swore by dumpster diving but never for food. This is interesting ...

Ride along on a freegan dumpster dive

That's one way to cut the grocery budget!

Buying Groceries Online

Amazon.com is having a big sale on groceries. Whoda ever thunk that Amazon would get into groceries, but hey they seem to be getting into everything else from shoes to electronics these days so why not groceries. So, go check out the 40% off sale.

Tips on Saving at the Grocery Store

In this economy it's important to keep a close eye on the food budget. I myself have recently let my food budget explode. With my move to the new house I've allowed myself to slip into my old bad habits using the excuse that I'm too busy getting settled in. It really isn't anything more than laziness on my part. But I'm recommitting myself to getting the grocery bills back under control.

If you'd like to join me, study my previous posts on saving money at the grocery store. Scroll down and start with Tip #1 (you may have to click on Older Posts) and then move your way up.

If you have any tips I missed, please leave a comment here so all of us can learn together.

Recovering the Food Budget

After going back to work part time, Margaret Mary found her grocery budget explode. Just as I suggested in my earlier post about the cost of working outside the home. Well, MM has grabbed hold of the food budget reins and she's reeling them in. See her post on recovering the food budget to hear how she's doing it and to join her in the quest.

Grocery Tip #17: Go to the Store Early Morning

If possible, I try to get to the grocery store in the early morning. One, it's not too crowded at that time. Two, often times there are loads of 40% off deals waiting for me. Produce, bakery goods, and meat close to their expiration date are marked down to sell fast and make room for the day's fresh items. This is true for discount clubs like Sam's too.

With my brood, food goes fast so if I buy something on the verge of expiration it's no big deal. If it doesn't look like it'll get eaten that day or next, there is always the freezer. And over-ripe fruit makes great fruit leather!

Grocery Tip #16: Weighing in on Produce

If you buy prebagged produce, weigh several bags and pick the one that weighs the most. The kids and I did a little experiment at our grocer's. We took several of the "10-pound" bags of potatoes to the scales and weighed them. The actual weight varied as much as one full pound.

I don't know about you, but I find that a significant difference!

Grocery Tip #15: Homemade vs. Premade

The running theme of the grocery tips has been: preplanning saves money. Just planning a menu each week (tip #4) and making list (tip #3) will provide a huge savings in your overall grocery bill.

Another big saver is to make homemade and stay away from prepackaged, prefab, prepared, premade foods. Anything that has already been cooked or put together for you is going to cost up to double, sometimes more, than the homemade version. And it doesn't really save you that much time.

For example, a four pack of Hunts pudding, already made for you, runs about $1.69. A box of Royal powdered pudding costs $0.69. Add to that 2 cups of milk, about $0.33, and you end up with a savings of $0.67. If it takes just 2 minutes to whisk together the pudding mix and the milk, then you are earning $20 an hour! (And I didn't even figure in the fact that you get more pudding making it yourself!) You can go even one step further and make it completely homemade with cornstarch!

Now, how in the world did I come up with $20 an hour. Well, if you believe that your job as SAHM is to save money, then the money that you save by your time and effort is money earned by you. If you save $0.67 in two minutes, that is $0.335 per minute. There are 60 minutes in an hour, so take 0.335 times 60. The answer is $20.10! Wouldn't you love to tell your husband that you are earning twenty dollars an hour by being a stay-at-home-mom!!!!!

Try this exercise yourself. Next time you are at the grocery store, price those premade mashed potatoes and compare to a bag of raw potatoes, a stick of butter, and a cup of milk. Take the difference, divide in the time that it takes to prepare the meal yourself (cooking time doesn't count as the oven is doing the work!), and see how much money you're earning for your household.

And don't forget eating homemade is much healthier, so you're saving on medical bills too!

Grocery Tip #14: Check Out the Thrift Markets

Once, while visiting my parents, one of my children commented that Grandma's bread tasted different from our bread. I was puzzled at first as it was the same brand that we usually purchase. And then I realized . . . Grandma's bread is fresh!

Because of health issues with one of my children, I stopped making homemade wheat bread years ago, and only purchase bread occasionally. However, when I do purchase bread it comes from the Aunt Millie Thrift store. Or as my children refer to it, "the used bread store."

I only pay thirty-nine cents for a loaf of bread or package of buns. It's a day old, but it usually gets eaten in just a day at my house anyway.

When visiting a girlfriend in another city, I always stop at the Entenmann's Thrift store. It is practically across the street from her house and I can treat myself to a yummy cake for just $1.49. That is a savings of $2.50!

And sometimes I even share my cake with the kids.

Grocery Tip #13: Checking the Unit Price

Make sure that you are checking unit prices. It is worth the cost of a little calculator. Keep in your purse so it's handy while grocery shopping. My grocery store shows the unit price on regularly priced items, but not the sales items.

I have run across, one too many times, bulk items that were actually more expensive than smaller-unit items. I have also seen, way too many times, sales items that were still costlier than off-brand items, as well as same brand but smaller size items.

So always check the unit price to see if you are really getting a deal or not.
If you haven't done this before, just take the price and divide by the number of ounces, or whatever unit of weight is used for that item.

This is a great math project for the kids to do. Assign the task to one of
your children. Or make a game of it and give calculators to several children and see who comes up with the answer first. Multi-tasking: school and shopping all in one - now that's thrifty!

Grocery Tip #12: Get to know the layout of your grocery store

Did you know that by just getting to know the layout of your grocery store will save you money? Not loads, but some. The better you know where things are, the faster you can get to the things you want, and the better you can avoid things you don't really need.

I go so far to write up my grocery list items in the order that they are laid out in the store. As I cross items off of my shopping list in order it is a neater process and I am less likely to miss items. I have been going to the same stores for many years and so have a pretty good idea of how things are arranged.

If you are in a new neighborhood, some stores have printouts of the store layout available just for the asking. And it doesn't have to be an exact science. Most stores have produce first, the dairy items altogether, paper products and cleaning supplies last.

Grocery Tip #11 - Leave the Cart at the Door

Even though you're doing a terrific job in preplanning your grocery trips, there are going to be times when you have a grocery emergency and have to run to the corner market for one or two items. It could be because you have an unexpected guest arriving or because your teenager decided to eat all of the eggs for lunch that you needed for the evening meal. Whatever the reason, don't let that little side trip turn into a shopping extravaganza.

When you walk into the market, walk right past the shopping carts. If you have to carry your groceries in your arms, you are not going to be as tempted to pick up that lovely $10 bouquet of gladiolas (my personal temptation) or that $5 bucket of ice cream that your hips don't need anyway.

Leave the cart at the door and only buy what you really need.

Grocery Tip #10: Making Use of Throw Aways

Your grocery tip for this week is to make good use of food most people throw away.

Think about all of the vegetable scraps and bones that you throw away. Now is the time to get into the mindset of always asking yourself if something can be put to good use before throwing it in the trash can.

Because of my child with severe diet limitations, I began to make homemade broth years ago. After cooking up a delicious roast chicken and serving it to my family, I take the carcass, throw it in a pot with some seasonings and vegetable scraps, cover it with water, and boil it to death. The resulting broth can be frozen if it is not needed in the near future. You can do this with beef, pork, turkey, and fish bones as well. I also make vegetable broth if I have a lot of vegetables scraps. Believe me, homemade broth is way better than a bouillon cube mixed with a cup of water. And it's so easy, if you can boil water you can make broth!

One summer, my preteen daughter pickled watermelon rinds. Of course, rinds are not something you would normally eat, but pickled they're actually pretty good. I would say that was a pretty good use of a throw away!

Another way to make use of food throwaways is to compost. Over the years the harvest from our gardens have gotten better and better. Our flowers are bright and beautiful, and our vegetables are big and delicious. I credit this to our homemade compost. In addition to raking our leaves into the compost heap each spring, we throw in vegetable scraps, egg shells, newspaper, dryer lint (from cottons), hair clippings, the rabbit's droppings, lawn clippings, coffee grounds, and a few other odds and ends. No more spending oodles of money each year on top soil, manure, and peat moss!

One more idea for you all before I close -- Leftover Soup! When I have just a wee amount of vegetable or meat leftovers from dinner, not enough for a single serving the next day, I put it in a special container in the freezer. When my container is full, I make leftover soup. I mix it together with my homemade broth, perhaps throw in some rice, and I have a delicious soup.

This last Christmas, my husband and I were at a formal dinner party where the hostess served a wonderful cheesy broccoli soup which lead to a conversation about favorite soup recipes. When my husband was asked his favorite soup, his face lit up and he exclaimed, "My wife's Leftover Soup. It's the best!" I couldn't believe it!

Grocery TIp #9 - Sharing Resources to Buy in Bulk

Grocery Tip #8 was all about warehouse clubs. There are other ways of buying in bulk. I often times buy meat in bulk. Most recently, I split half of a side of beef with my friend Dawn.

This is a great way to save money, since meat is an expensive staple. I have an extra refrigerator/freezer given to us by my sister when she bought a new house, so I have lots of room to stock up. If you don't have extra freezer space, or have a small family, do like my friend Dawn and find a friend or relative (or several if need be) willing to split the savings with you.

Look for reputable businesses that sell quantities of beef, chicken, and/or pork. There are some fly-by-night companies out there that will rip you off, so ask around and find out who provides the best product for your money.

My most recent bulk-meat purchase came out to $1.79 per pound. The meat was flash frozen and nicely wrapped. I got all the cuts, from steaks to roasts to burgers, and they were well butchered. If you like liver, you would love to know that the butcher threw in 20 pounds or so of beef liver with my purchase. He also threw in some nice soup bones, which are nearly impossible to get at the grocery store anymore. Next time, Dawn and I plan to split a full side from this butcher, so our per pound cost will be even less.

ThriftyHomeschooler list member Cheryl writes:

Our family has lived on one income most of our married lives, 18 to be exact. We found the biggest saver of money is to buy our meat in bulk. We purchased a chest freezer one year with income tax money and keep it filled with meat and veggies. Once a year my hubby let's it run low to clean it, usually in January.

We buy 60 lbs. of chicken at time (usually from a meat distributor) and repack it to family servings. We do this for hamburger, beef, and ham. Now bear in mind that my hubby is a chef and can cut meat, so we buy the beef and ham whole and he cuts it. So in the long run, the only thing we buy weekly would be milk, bread, eggs and the specials that our local grocer has on sale. This keeps our grocer bill to about $50 a week and we have 3 children and a grandfather to feed.

It takes a little initiative and a little preplanning to save money, but it is worth it if it means that you get to stay home to care for and educate your children!

Grocery Tip 8: Warehouse Clubs

Just as coupons can work against you or in your favor, depending on how you use them, so goes warehouse clubs. If you throw caution to the wind, you could really blow a wad of money at Sam's or Costco. However, with a little smarts you can save a bundle instead.

First, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions:
If I have 100 rolls of paper towels stocked in the garage, and little Johnny spills an entire glass of milk on the floor, will I do the thrifty thing and use a rag to clean it up? Or will I use an entire roll of paper towels figuring that I will still have 99 left? If you chose the latter, then stay away from warehouse clubs.

Next question:
Will you be tempted to buy the 50 gallon jug of cheesy curls figuring that you can just plop those in front of the kiddies at snacktime instead of carrot and celery sticks? If the answer is yes, stop here and never step inside of a Sam's or Costco store.

Now, if you are still with me, make sure that you are stocking up on staples. Prepared, prepackaged foods cost too much at the warehouse store just as they cost too much at the grocery store.

Next, make sure that you are following all of our grocery tips at the warehouse club as you would at the grocery store. You still need to take a list to Sam's or Costco and stick to it, you still need to go on a full tummy, you still need to keep the kids in line, and so on.

There is a cost to join these clubs. See if your employer or spouse's employer offers free memberships. My husband is self-employed, but we have a free membership though one of his clients as dh takes care of this client's purchasing.

However, if we had to pay the membership fee, we would still save $$. For example, a 2 lb. bag of popcorn on sale at my grocery store costs $1.50. A 50 lb. bag at Sam's costs $10. This is a savings of $27.50. Now 50 lbs sounds like a lot, but if you have a large family like me it is not that much, plus I split it in half with another family. And you can just imagine the savings over buying microwave popcorn! Now I don't do all of my shopping at Sam's, I stop by Sam's about once every month.

Here is an article on the topic if you would like to read more:
ConsumerWatch - NBC 5 Special Report: Buying In Bulk

Grocery Tip #7: Use Caution in Clipping Coupons

Believe or not, there are times when coupon clipping can actually cause you to spend more money, rather than save money. Coupons can be a great thing, but you use a little extra common sense in choosing which coupons to clip.

If I see a coupon for a product that I normally buy, I clip it. Especially if it qualifies for my grocery store's double coupon special and that item is on sale! I have gotten grocery items for free this way, but that is rare.

I avoid coupons for expensive name brands or prepackaged foods like the plague. Even with a coupon, these items are usually more expensive than store-name brands and homemade meals.

So use caution in using coupons and make sure that you are actually saving money, not spending more, by clipping them.

Now lets review our grocery tips so far. In a nutshell, we can cut our grocery bill in half by preplanning:
1. preplan by making sure that you do not go to the store hungry
2. preplan in reminding children "no gimmees" before walking into the store
3. preplan by making a list - and sticking to it
4. preplan by making a menu
5. preplan by checking sales flyers for loss leaders and stock up
6. preplan for stressful days by using your crockpot or preparing a meal in advance

Grocery Tip #6 - Use Your Crockpot

Do you have one day in your week where it seems you are on the go the entire day? You get home wiped out and the last thing that you want to do is make dinner. So you throw a few frozen pizzas into the oven or have your spouse pick up Chinese on the way home. Maybe you have several days like this each week!

I solve this problem with a little preplanning and putting something in the crockpot before I leave the house. It is so nice to come home to a prepared dinner after a long day running all over town making sure that my children are well-socialized. Utilizing my crockpot saves on frustration and it saves on the wallet.

Another nice thing about crockpots -- you can make even the toughest, cheapest cut of meat tender and delicious!

I have uploaded some crockpot recipes to the files at our homepage (Yahoo! Groups: ThriftyHomeschooler).

If you really love recipes, here are a couple of links for you:
Crockpot Recipes - More than 1300 Recipes for the Crock Pot or Slow Cooker
RecipeSource: Crockpot Recipes

Grocery Tip #5 – Stock Up On Loss Leaders

If you are going through your grocery sales ads every week as you make your menu and your grocery list, you are getting a pretty decent idea of the good sale prices. Beginning this week, keep a sharp eye out for loss-leaders.

Loss-leaders are sales items that are marked down way below the store's profit margin. They do this to entice you into their store and then get you to buy those high-end items, thus making a huge profit in the end. But you won't fall for that con game because you're making a list and sticking to it!

Take advantage of those loss-leaders by stocking up on them. If your family loves pasta, and macaroni is on sale for an unbelievable 25 cents, buy enough to last several months. Take advantage of any extra freezer space for meats and vegies. My husband built extra shelves for me in the garage for my stockpile of loss-leaders.

I've actually had people make funny remarks to me when they see me and the children pushing our grocery carts through the store with cases of loss-leaders, but I'm laughing all the way to the bank ;-).

More on Making a Menu

Creating a menu plan for each week helps a great deal in reigning in grocery costs. Additionally, it makes life a little easier for you in the long run.

If you're having trouble implementing this tip, here is a website to help you: Menus4Moms.

This website is offered by a homeschooling mom (who is also a member of The Thrify Homeschooler). She gives you a menu plan plus shopping list. She also has lots of other useful pages on homeschooling and organizing, so be prepared to explore her site once you get there.

Grocery Tip #4: Make a Menu

Last week we made a list, this week we are going to expand on that concept and make a menu.

Every Monday I sit down at my dining room table with that week's grocery sales fliers, my grocery list, and my favorite cookbooks. I then make up a menu for the week based on what is on sale and what is currently in my cupboard.

Remember what I said last week about knowing what is in your cupboard? If you have dozens of hard boiled eggs in the fridge left over from Easter, then you may want to have deviled eggs for dinner one night and perhaps egg salad sandwiches for lunch. Don't buy new stuff when you have perfectly good stuff already on hand.

In fact, make sure that you set aside a day on your menu for leftover night! Never let anything go to waste. Every once in a while I go completely through my cupboards and fridge and make sure that there aren't any forgotten items in the back that I can put on that week's menu.

How does making a menu save you money?
- you buy only what you need.
- you use up what is already in your cupboards.
- you have no need to make unscheduled trips to the convenience store since you preplanned.

The first time that you make a menu, it will take some time. But trust me, once you make it a habit and do it every week, it will take no time at all. I promise.

With a little preplanning, you can save $$$.

Now lets review:
Never go to the store hungry.
No Gimmees.
Make a list.
Make a menu.