The food budget's a tricky place to cut. For one thing, these kids insist on eating, demanding bugers that they are. And for another, you could really cut things to decrease the budget but then you're eating a lot of junk. Let's face it, fresh fruit and veggies can be expensive. Throw in some organic milk and you've blown your budget before you've even bought very much. But lately something has caught my attention: coupons.
I've never been a big fan of coupons. I used to clip them years ago, file them in a cute little pouch and never use them. For one thing, they were often for things I never used. Even when I used that $.25 coupon for Gillette shaving cream, buying the generic brand was still cheaper. What was the point?
But Brandy from I'm Not Your Average Soccer Mom has got me interested in them again, and not just coupons. There's a whole different outlook in shopping. Brandy has another blog, Craving Savings, and she blogs about what she saves and how she saves. One of her favorite places to shop is CVS Pharmacy. Who knew? This year alone she has spent $39.88 at CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens. Big deal you say? But she's saved $1911.35. Yeah, you read that right. She's bought over $2000 worth of items at CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens and only spent a little less than $40. How can that be? I admit, I'm still learning and I haven't tried it yet but you have to start somewhere. I am her eager pupil.
A couple of weeks ago I was at the grocery store and realized that I left my meager pile of coupons at home again. And then I saw something spectacular. There was a display of Kellogg's cereal with a $1.00 coupon attached to the boxes if you bought 2 boxes AND the cereal was on sale! I ended up buying 2 boxes of Kellogg's cereal for about $3.00. Let me tell you, I was excited! I was so proud of myself that once I left the store I decided that my little over $1 savings deserved a reward. I was going to Starbucks! Saved $1.00/ spent $3.50. Okay, so maybe I need to give this savings idea a little more thought.
