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Trying to save money on groceries? Try clipping coupons

The Associated Press released an article this week detailing the rising food prices.

According to the story, which you can find here, food costs are rising at the fastest rate in 17 years, and it could get worse.

The cost of eggs is up 25 percent from last years, while the price of milk and other dairy products has gone up 13 percent. Chicken and other poultry is up 7 percent.

“How can people deal with these rapidly increasing prices,” I wondered. Then, I thought about my mother.

I can remember Sunday mornings as a child. My mom would sit on the family room floor, drinking her tea, coupon cutter in hand and pages of advertisements spread out before her.

She always had a nice stack of coupons by the end of the clipping. She kept them in a coupon holder I made in second grade as a Mother’s Day project. It was quite possibly the ugliest thing I created in my years of school-made arts and crafts, but being a good mom, she used it for years.

Flash forward a couple of decades … As an adult, I don’t clip coupons. For years I’ve gone to the store and gotten what I needed or wanted without a thought about coupons or looking for store specials.

I decided this rather frivolous way of shopping has got to stop. With the increasing cost of groceries, gas and utilities, we can’t afford to spend more than necessary.

I have a plan to reduce my grocery costs based on research I’ve done and information and tips from our counselors and educators here at Advantage. 

Here’s my plan:

·        Take the time to clip coupons or find coupons online. I’ve found good coupons on www.coupons.com. I also discovered many companies actually put coupons on their web sites.  It’s worth it to take the time to visit web sites for products that you buy frequently.

·        Actually look at the store fliers that come in the mail. I plan to see what products are on sale that week and plan my meals according to the specials.

·        Try to let go of my brand loyalty and try something different if it is on sale or a less expensive store brand.

·        Buy extra meat or poultry when it’s on sale and freeze it for future use.

·        Cook a little extra so there is a meal or two left for lunches throughout the week.

I’ve heard stories about people who will go to several different stores to buy sale items and get the best price. The only thing I would caution is to plan your trips carefully and make sure you are not spending more money on gas than you are actually saving.

None of these steps are difficult. They just require time and planning, something that can seem daunting because so many of us find that our time is at a premium.

I’ll keep you posted of my progress.

Please feel free to share any tips you have for cutting grocery costs or successes you’ve had with coupon clipping or finding grocery store bargains.

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