Food and other necessities like cleaning materials have to be bought, and the grocery bills can stack up when you are looking after a family. But there are ways that you can buy the same cart full of items and spend a lot less money. It takes a little work and a little determination.
Read the Local Circulars
Once a week, you probably receive a stack of supermarket circulars in your mailbox. If you are like many people, they probably travel directly from your mailbox to your recycle bin. This is a mistake, because you are holding the key to saving money in the palm of your hand.
The advertising from some stores will be of no use to you. If you don’t have pets, you won’t need the pet store circular, so you can throw that one away. The circulars from stores that you do shop at, or that sell items you need, are the ones you need to keep. Look through them carefully for special offers and sale items that may offer you a saving.
So that you don’t spend money on things you don’t need, write out a shopping list. You will do this by combining items that you know you must buy this week and the things that are on sale at the market. If an item is not vital, wait until you can find it on sale, or shop around for the best price.
Start Clipping Coupons Now
Although newspaper subscriptions are slipping, the one great gift that comes in every Sunday paper is a stack of coupons. Coupons go hand-in-hand with your circular review. Although it may seem that saving a dollar on a bag of rice is not going to contribute much to the bills, consider how much that will be over a year. savings from coupons and special offers can add up quickly and help pay other bills.
Keep your coupons organized. You can buy coupon folders or, for the super serious coupon junkie, you may need a full size binder with a mound of plastic pockets. Another method is to use envelops. You’ll need four envelops, but they don’t have to be new – recycle the envelops used for junk mail.
Separate all of your coupons into three distinct piles. Use one envelope for food. Use a second for household cleaning, paper, and plastic products. The third is for personal care products like shampoo, shaving cream, and toothpaste. Keep your shopping list for the week, as well as the coupons you will use, in the fourth envelop. This will help you find the coupons and the list when you get to the store. Being organized and planning your shopping will prevent you from spending money needlessly. It will also help to make sure you get to the store with your list – and stick to it.
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