On Groceries: I planned my food menu around what was on sale and items for which I had coupons or other discounts. Today coupons and other money saving tricks are also available on the Internet for those of you who are technologically advanced.
I start in the paper and ad flyers looking for good deals on items I will use over the month or put up for storage. We live in California, so I include boxed drinks, bottled water, and other earthquake preparedness food along with my storage items. I have a freezer in the garage, which we picked up second hand for $75 several years ago. This allows me to stock up on frozen foods. Remember to rotate your stockpiled food, so it's always fresh.
By Growing A Garden: If you don't have the black thumb I was born with, a recent article suggests another idea..."While many gardeners today cite great taste and avoiding chemicals as reasons to grow their own food, there is another important reason: It's cheaper. Even with the toil and time spent, typically five or six hours a week after the garden is planted--gardeners say they are genuinely saving money when they grow it themselves. Keeping costs down in the garden, resulting in cheaper food than can be bought at the grocery store, is not difficult, they say."12 In the long run, your family will be healthier and you'll all spend less time in the doctor's office. Besides, a garden can be used as an opportunity to teach science lessons.
By Stocking Up: I used to stock up on cosmetics, shampoos, and over the counter medicines when they were on sale. It is wise to try to set some extra money aside, so you can take advantage of bargain prices or great coupons to stock up for the future. Be careful, however, not to purchase more medications than you can use before their expiration dates.
In Other Ways at the Grocery Store – Plan ahead. Organize your menus to make your shopping list. Stick to the list and keep a running total as you shop. Never shop when you are hungry. Leave impulse buyers at home (sometimes this is Dad!) It’s great to pay with cash. Avoid junk food. Go to the back of products on grocery shelves to get the farthest out dates for the freshest items.
Interesting fact my mother once taught me if you are a cheese lover. If the label says “cheese food”, it may look like real cheese, but it’s not!
Periodically check your pantry for main dishes and be creative. Think eggs for dinner once in a while. They are less expensive than cuts of meat. Order groceries online to avoid impulse buying. Check out apps on your phone and shop the perimeter of the store to avoid costly processed foods.
I used to save even more on groceries through rebates: This involved getting a few dollars back and sometimes free merchandise or additional coupons simply by purchasing an item and then sending in a refund form with the required packaging. As a refunder, I also searched the papers for sale prices on items I might need to complete a refund deal. This has changed considerably since I raised our kids.
Today, try Googling Krazy Coupon Lady and other rebate apps.
Back in the day I used to take refunding even further by saving all the packages from name brand items for the next refund offer that presented itself. To store these I bought an old file cabinet for $5.00 at a school district auction. My cabinet was in a shed in the back yard, but it could also go in a garage, an attic or a basement. Several members of my refunding club (yes, there are other compulsive savers out there!) used free orange and apple packing boxes from the produce department. I arranged my packaging files by product categories the same way I arranged my coupons. The entire box or package should be saved, so you can send in exactly what the manufacturer requires. They keep refunders (that's us) hopping by requiring different portions for different refund offers. Sometimes it is the "Proof of Purchase" or the UPC (that funny looking computer gobbledygook). It might be an entire side panel or something else. They always seem to want us to work for whatever we get back!
I also kept all my grocery receipts, filed by date, in a plastic bag. Most manufacturers require a dated receipt. The family was trained to save all brand name packages by putting them on the counter instead of throwing them away. When the kids were little, I used to trade the packaging, grocery receipts, and forms with others in the refunding club. One gal was so organized that she had computerized all her packaging and would bring a printed list to our monthly meetings. We could check our needs against her list and then trade with her.
I know this seems like a very time consuming venture, but you'd be surprised at how much we all saved on our groceries. Besides, we all brought our kids so they had a little monthly play group while we saved our families money. One member set aside the one and two dollar refunds she received for her baby's education. The baby was three, when I left the club and she had already purchased several thousand dollars in savings bonds for him. She had made refunding a career and it was working! I used to put the money I saved on my grocery receipts by using coupons (the red part of the receipt) directly into the bank. I did this because I remembered a comment made by my 8th grade math teacher, Mrs. Bentley. She said you really never "saved" money, unless you put the savings into a bank account. Thank-you, Mrs. Bentley. Over the years those savings have come in handy!
By Saving With Neighborhood Food Co-ops: Many young families are now involved with food co-ops. Though we never joined one, mothers who participated seemed very pleased by their savings. I recently spoke with one mother from Maine who is thinking of making her participation into a business. She's discovered that some mothers don't like taking time to go to the warehouse and order their own products. She's been doing it for them and taking a percentage off the top. Her sixteen year old son sometimes helped her. Perhaps a young entrepreneur is about to be born!?!
By Trying A Cooking Co-op: An interesting twist on food co-ops is a cooking co-op. An article I found, "How to Start a Cooking Co-op" described neighbors who got together to create a cooking co-op in their neighborhood. This saved money for each household, because they cooked in quantity. The result was a money saver, a time saver and each family was treated to a wide variety of great home cooked food. This could easily be duplicated within a church.
Are You Pregnant Or Have A Baby? Nursing your baby is much less expensive in addition to being healthier for the baby. I just priced baby formula at Walmart for $35.98 for a 28.3 oz “value can.” Dr. Hugh Stallworth's "To Your Health" column in the Orange County Register indicates that, "many women find breast feeding actually takes less time and allows them to rest more." He continues, "Breast milk requires no preparation; it is always at the right temperature and pure. A mother gets to sit and rest when she nurses. Parents who use artificial baby milk must shop for supplies, prepare formulas in bottles, store everything correctly and clean up. Human milk is easily digested, contains antibodies that help fight infection, and has all the nutrients required for growth and development."
Another article "A Gift From Mothers, to Mothers" indicates, "Breast milk has been called nature's most perfect food. Medical knowledge on exactly how it helps infants develop is still emerging, but doctors know that human milk is more easily digested than formula by some babies with fragile gastrointestinal systems. Human milk also contains some proteins, which cannot be artificially produced, to help prevent infection. 'Human milk is the best choice,' says Nitin Mehta, a neonatologist at Georgetown. Whenever possible I try to use human milk, especially for premature infants...We try to get mothers to pump their own milk. If that's not possible, we have donor milk.'"
Clearly, your milk is God's perfect food for your little baby. He created it just for your baby. Working moms can express their own milk for the baby, but it can become a very tiresome activity unless you can afford a breast pump. Is this another good incentive to be home with your own little baby?
If you do choose to express your milk, another article suggests that you make the appropriate arrangements at your workplace. "Ask other mothers if they pumped at your workplace and what facilities they were able to use. If you're comfortable raising the issue with your boss, ask him or her for help. Otherwise, inquire at the personnel office." Be sure to refrigerate the expressed milk, so it will remain the best possible quality food for your little one.
For further information about breast feeding, please contact your local La Leche League. Your doctor or hospital should be able to provide you with information.
Saving at Wholesale Stores: Wholesale stores like Costco or Sam's Club in our area, offer things at substantially less cost, but there is also a science to shopping wholesale stores. Never buy more than you can use, especially in perishable goods. Consider going in together with a friend to split the cost (and the savings). It's like an informal food co-op. I still remember a mass purchase made by my husband, Cal on some kind of hair stuff he loved. His hairstyle went out of fashion way before he used it all up! Even things like canned foods don't last forever, especially if you have hot spells in your area.
Warehouse stores sell larger quantities of things you might use every day for less money per item, but wasting food never saves you money...so be cautious!
Overcoming Storage Problems: Storage of bulk purchases of even nonperishable foods may appear to be a problem at first glance, until you consider every unused space in your home. I still use the top shelf of my linen closet for canned goods, cereals, packaged items, shampoos, etc. Don't forget shelves in kids' closets and the space under everyone's bed. It might even make cleaning your kids' rooms easier. That sounds like a plan to me! Clutter need not be a problem in your quest to save every last penny! Pasta, rice and flour can be stored in your freezer, which also helps prevent those pesky little black bugs. I guess they don't like the cold.
Always Price Compare: Check prices, even at wholesale outlets. Check unit pricing to be sure buying in bulk makes sense.
Buying at Outlet Stores: Look into outlet stores. Generally located in outlying areas, the drive can be worth it. Take some friends and make a day of it. Avoid spending a lot on lunch, though. Why not plan to brown-bag it, since the real purpose is saving money? You never know what you'll find, so do your market research shopping before venturing out. Get an idea of the prices on similar brand name items in department stores or check prices on your phone. Be an informed shopper at all times! Some of the merchandise may not be first quality and your purchases might not be returnable. Ask lots of questions, until you are satisfied that you know what you are buying. Try everything on. Be sure gifts won't pose a problem for the recipient, because they can't be returned or exchanged. Be careful not to go hog wild just because everything is discounted. Go through Cal's Bargain Hunting Secrets in Chapter 10 before you make a final purchase. I've found that if you appreciate name brand items (I don't!), you can actually obtain substantial savings if you go in as an informed consumer.
