Cutting Grocery Spending by Cutting Coupons

The current economy is causing everyone to take a second look at what they can cut from their budget. Having recently become a stay at home mom, I needed to see where I could make some cuts to my budget. So, I started researching ways to save money on groceries. I have learned so much and helped my family save a huge amount of money. I now save anywhere from 50-75% on all our groceries. All it takes is a little bit of planning and a few secrets from a pro.

1. Subscribe to the Sunday newspaper to get coupons. You can even request multiple copies of the paper, or get different subscriptions to other local papers. Just make sure the one you select offers the 3 biggest brands of coupons- Smart Source, Red Plum, and P&G Saver. The more copies you subscribe to, the more coupons you get. 
2. Find other sources for coupons- websites for printable coupons, store ads, seasonal brochures at the stores, food brand email lists, etc. My favorite sites for coupons are Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, and Coolsavings.com.
3. Make yourself some sort of coupon filing system to keep yourself organized. It can be a binder with baseball card slots, a handful of envelopes, or even Ziplock bags.
4. Become a member of your grocery stores loyalty club programs. 
5. Shop at stores that double coupons. Just call your local stores and ask their coupon policy. Most stores will double coupons up to $1.00. 
6. Get the most savings by combining an item that is on sale, a store coupon, and a manufactured coupon. Don’t forget that manufactured coupons get doubled at most stores.
7. Don’t just shop at one grocery store. Find the best deals at each local store and take the time to shop at each one to get the best prices available each week.
8. Keep your options open to brand names you have never tried before. You may find that you can get a different shampoo for half the price of what you usually use.
9. Stock up on items when they are cheap. If you have a great deal with a sale and coupon combo, go ahead and stock up! As long as it is something you will eventually use, get them while you can afford them. 
10. Join a website such as grocerygame.com that gives weekly lists of the best sales and coupon combining to get the most savings at your local stores. (If you sign up with them, it will ask who referred you. Please give them my email theuniqueone@mac.com so I get credit for the referral.)

On a recent trip to Ralph’s, I paid $17.91 for what would have been $86.13- a savings of 79%. A little planning before a shopping trip can save huge amounts of money. Give it a shot just for fun to see how much you save. If you follow my steps, you will (literally) cut your spending as you cut your coupons!