As part of being a frugal shopper and ‘coupon queen’, saving money goes beyond the grocery store transaction. There are at least two other very important aspects that go hand in hand and that help me to be a good steward of what God has entrusted to me.
Simply put, they’re stocking and menu planning.
First, the backlog occurs when I find a sale item at a low price, combine it with a coupon, and buy the item in bulk (as many coupons as I have on hand for that item). For example, Ragu pasta sauce recently went on sale at Walgreens. In combination with the sale, if you bought 8, you also received a Sign Up Reward. I pulled out 8 coupons for Ragu and bought them, getting the sauce for around $ .38 a jar. At the same time, I noticed that another store had pasta for sale, for which it also had a lot of coupons. I was able to stock up on pasta for only $ .50 a box.
Now, there are some needs when it comes to stockpiling. The first would be coupons. Second, there would be space. You will be amazed at how much space you have, when organized. Third, you need to know the prices. For beginners, this may require keeping a price book. Or for others, you are seasoned veterans here and can easily recognize many things. And finally, there is the financial aspect. My advice for beginners is to start slow, possibly accumulating just one or two items per week. It is a construction process. Don’t hit your budget (or wallet) by trying to do too much too fast. Know that sales are cyclical, which means that the item will be on sale again. Stay tuned next time, have your coupons ready, and then buy them at a fraction of the cost.
Now for menu planning. Some may think that these are two unrelated issues. But actually, they work together. I believe menu planning is vital for the frugal shopper. It is important that you know what you need to provide meals for your family. To get started, make a list of the foods your family likes. Then make another list of the ingredients needed to prepare these meals. Now you know what to look for in the sales brochures for the next few weeks.
I always print a blank monthly calendar from my computer. As I sit down to decide what meals to prepare for the next week, I always draw on my stock pile. For example, if I know I have pasta and sauce (which you know I do!), Then rest assured that at least one night we will have spaghetti, ziti, lasagna, etc … together. I know what I have on hand, I know what is on sale and I know what meals will be served for this week.
I know this may seem time consuming. Not really, since he works from week to week. There is some extra time to prepare your lists at first, but it will be worth the money you save. Again, none of this happens overnight. It took me 3 days to get all my coupons in my wallet in the summer! So go at your own pace as time allows and you will reap the benefits.