Since I'm trying to beef the savings account, we decided to cut our weekly budget for groceries, gasoline, and entertainment to this man:
Former President Ulysses S. Grant, or our weekly 50-spot. Speaking of Presidents, I have been uplifted as an American, as a human, and as a worker bee by the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I hope you all were able to enjoy it.
But back to Ulysses...some of you have asked how it's been going?
A) I have a lot of food storage: frozen beef, frozen chicken, wheat, flour, sugar etc. That helps! I haven't had to purchase any of these since I started.
B) Having Christmas (including specific food assignments for parties) have loosened the strict budget some weeks. My latest distraction? An indian cooking class last week. I just had to invest in some extra spices and ingredients. All in all, we've stayed pretty close to our budget.
C) Gas is cheap. Limiting driving is essential i.e. when Rainbow Girl has to get into town for choir, we try to get groceries, deliver eggs, at the same time. There has been at least a couple weeks when I said: Sheesh, I'm keeping my fifty for food, and giving myself a free fill-up. I also have tried to cut my ignition in the school pickup lane, or even if I'm at a red light for more than 15 seconds.
D) I'm completely annoyed with coupon-heads. Coupon-heads, defend yourself! I really thought this exercise would force me to be the primo bargain shopper, and have followed lead to the big sales....only to find it's like Black Friday all over again. Sorry, everything on sale disappeared by 8 a.m. At some point, I got a package of thank you coupons from Smith's Marketplace and I got to get 4 things, no strings, for FREE. Those were 1) E.L. Fudge Cookies 2) Twenty-Four Pack of Coca Cola 3) Nature Valley Granola Bars 4) Ritz Crackers. Which tells you something.
Coupons lead you to buy processed sugary foods that make you fat.
Hello? Of course I love E.L. Fudge Cookies. And okay, okay, crackers and granola bars aren't sooo bad....but I prefer to delight when apples are 99cents a pound.For instance, I overhead one Coupon-Head talking about how much her kids wanted cottage cheese to go on sale, because they liked it so much. Okay my sweets! I'll look for a coupon! We shall eat some cottage cheese by this summer I promise! And although I want to save $45 per transaction, is this really the culture I need to be successful? Can you really not buy your kids a calcium-rich, low-fat, proteined-packed snack because it's not on sale?
Okay, I still love you. Keep saving money and once in a while I'll remember to buy Life Cereal at a buck-fifty before the sale ends...but sometimes I wonder.
and lastly...E) Thus far, we have saved a Grover Cleveland...almost. So something's working.
Posts
5 comments:
Way to go! That is a lot of money saved...and didn't you just start this a few months ago. I'm impressed! And yes, I'm a coupon head. I'll come of out and admit it. I do (or did - now on hold since new baby) go to the stores very early to get the deals at Albertsons each week.
i am a coupon head also, but fortunately don't live in the land of stay at home moms, so our albertson's is always in supply even at the end of the week. And i still buy nutritious food for my kids, because I can afford it since I saved on cereal etc. I have to admit, people can get a little crazy by not buying it without a coupon, but if you are saving on things you would buy anyway. . . do it.
Self proclaimed Coupon Head here also. As you know I have even dedicated a blog to my couponing adventures.
I agree with Danielle. By saving money couponing, I am able to get those added luxuries that I wouldn't otherwise normally buy.
Anything to save a buck, right.
Good job, Mrs. Olsen. I think if anything good will come out of economic hard times, it's that we are re-evaluating the things we buy and trying to tone it down a little. Thanks for setting a good example. Love ya!
Love your posts! Truly. I'm a bit of a coupon-head, but only marginally. Although Smith's Marketplace is probably more on the pricey side, by being a loyal shopper, they do send me some sweet coupons and not just for the sugary, fattening stuff. For, like, the normal stuff I buy. Or sometimes it's just coupons for $10 off my next purchase over $100. I likey those.
Post a Comment