How I get down...my grocery bill

Ok, in my quest to lower my grocery bill, I do certain things to try and help save.  I obviously have a bit of an advantage with 2 freezers, but anyone can adjust to what best suits them.

Now, I am by no means an expert, in fact, I'd still consider myself a novice in this.  I had to research what to do as well.  If you are just starting out on saving, you can check out Simply Frugal (http://www.simplyfrugal.ca/).  They have some good tips and also post coupons or links to coupons.

1st off, knowing what you have on hand will actually help you from buying something you don't need, which is why taking an inventory of your freezer and cupboards is beneficial.  Now, I haven't inventoried my cupboards yet, but as you know, I have done it for my freezer.  Updating those lists as things are removed is also helpful.

2nd, menu plan based on what you have at home, and what you'll need for the week, or until your next shopping trip.  In conjunction with this, make sure you write a list of what you need.  I've been making a grocery list for a while now, this helps me remember what I know I've run out of and what's needed at home, but menu planning and writing everything you'll need down, should help you stay on track so you don't end up buying a bunch of things you don't really need, or forgetting something you do.  I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of menu planning since I'm not an avid cook, but I do find it useful, not only for planning on what I'll need when shopping, but also for taking the guess work out of what I'll be making for dinner during the week.  This also helps me plan easier meals on days when we are busy or I don't have as much time to cook things. I write all the meals down on a white board I bought from the dollar store and sectioned off with electrical tape.  If I'm making something out of a cook book, I make sure to mark down which one and the page it's on.

3rd, I don't always buy name brand.  The name brand stuff is always more expensive, and for certain things, there really is no difference.  I, of course, have my exceptions.  Certain OTC meds I always buy name brand since I know it works for us.  I'm also cautious with certain things I buy since I have a child with allergies and for certain products, not all ingredients are actually listed on the package.

4th, I look for sale items, and if it's something we use often, I tend to buy a bit more of it while it's on sale.  Stocking up never hurt anyone, especially if you know it'll be used.  Now, there have been times when I've seen a name brand product on sale and thought it would be a good deal, but when you measure it against the  no name/store product, sometimes there isn't actually much of a saving.  Not sure if you are actually saving on the item? Check the price per unit (PPU) of that item.  Sometimes this is actually listed right on the shelf tag, if not, it's a fairly simple calculation.  I usually either have a calculator on me, or use the one on my cell phone.  To figure out the price per unit, divide the price of the item, by the number of units in the item.  So for example, using an item currently on sale in the No Frills flyer, they have 30 pack Cashmere toilet paper on sale for $8.97, so you divide $8.97 by 30 and that price per roll of paper is 0.299, or, if you want to take into account that this particular type of toilet paper is a double roll, you can divide that $8.97 by 60 leading to a PPU of 0.149.  Then you can compare that to the unit cost of a different brand of paper.

5th, I use coupons.  I mentioned checking Simply Frugal, but there are other coupon sites you can use.  They usually require you to register, but registration is free and it can be worth it.  Some of my most commonly used sites are websaver.ca, save.ca, and P & G Brand Sampler (www.pgbrandsampler.ca), which you can also get free samples from as well.  You can also check the web page for the company, they sometimes offer coupons directly off their web pages.  Now, most of these coupons are printable, but you'll need to check with the store what coupons they accept.  I've been to stores that don't accept certain printable coupons, while others accept all of them.  Also, some of these offer coupons that can only be mailed, so if you see a coupon you'll think you'll use, order it.  It might be a month before you receive it, but it'll be there if you need it.  Also keep an eye on your local paper, SmartSource.ca puts a coupon flyer in the paper at different times of the year and you can clip from there as well.  If you haven't received one yet, or don't get a paper, check out their website.  Now to organize my coupons, I bought a portable file folder from the Dollar Store.  That way I can organize the coupons into different categories to find what I need easier.  Just make sure that when you go to use a coupon, it hasn't expired yet.

Finally, I price match.  Certain stores do NOT price match so make sure you know the store's policy in advance.  I know that Walmart and No Frills do, so those are 2 good places to start.  I'm in a smaller city, so the stores price match flyers from stores located in that city.  If you live in a larger city, double check with the store in advance.  The flyers have to be current or they won't be accepted.  Now, you can price match meats and fruits and veg, but I haven't been brave enough to try those unless it's a pre-packaged meat or fish.  For the price matching, the flyer price has to be cheaper then what that store is selling, and the package size have to match.  So, for example, say you want to price match a box of Cheerios.  The flyer price usually states the sizes the sale applies to, so say for example, the box of Cheerios on sale in the flyer is for the boxes from 330-505g.  Then the box you pick up has to be that exact size.  Since I tend to price match (or try to price match), more then one thing, I circle the item in the flyer and fold down the corner of that page to help find it easier when I need it (especially helpful if I'm price matching more then one thing from that flyer).  To help me find what I need easier, I actually mark on my grocery list what can be price matched.  For example, if I'm buying Cheerios, then beside that written on my list, I mark the initials for that store.  So, M=Metro, NF=No Frills, W=Walmart, ect.  I also put a C for coupon if I have one for an item and I paperclip the coupons to my list.  When I remember, I also like to highlight those initials on my list to see them easier, especially if my kids decide to draw on my grocery list.

Now, like I said, I'm still a novice at this so by all means, check out Simply Frugal and other pages to get a better idea on how to do things like price matching.  Have fun!

Aching

I would normally be posting my next cost saving post, but I'm holding off for a day or two, because tonight my heart aches for those affected by the tragedy in Boston, and out of respect for them, I will not.

As I read the reports, and see the pictures, my mind can't comprehend why someone would do something like this, hurt and kill a bunch of innocent people.  Then hearing that there was an innocent child killed, another injured, why?!

If this was a terrorist attack, then it accomplished part of it's goal, it struck terror into those involved there today, or those who had loved ones there.  But terror only works when we let it continue to take hold of us.

This isn't something I've really ever told anyone, but for years now, I've dreamed of one day competing in the Boston Marathon.  This past month as I started my first step of getting into shape, I've begun thinking about taking up running, and maybe one day, once I'm ready, running at least a half marathon.  But in the back of my mind, the Boston Marathon stands out as a goal post, something I'd like to do at least once, if even to just say I did it.  You see, I've always admired the runners who compete, they are dedicated runners who train for this historic event.  They are strong in so many ways, and I admire them for it.

What happened today will not stop me from wanting to, hopefully, one day reach that goal point.  If anything, it spurs me on more.  Now I want to run for them.  Each step a dedication to those suffering.  Each step knocking down those who placed those bombs, showing them that human nature cannot be held back, but with adversity, we grow stronger.

But for now, I'll pray.  I'll pray that those who did this cowardly act are caught and punished.  I'll pray that one day, we'll stop trying to hurt each other, and learn to accept each other.   I'll pray for those who lost their lives.  I'll pray for all involved.  I'll pray....  

Not doing too well.

Well, this past week was a bust. I was $40 over my goal. Eeep!   I know what took me over, dog treats, shoe spray, birthday gift and an item that requires upfront cost, but should save me money over the long run. 

I had mentioned that I was buying jugs of water for drinking water, but when I first started buying them, I was distracted and didn't properly calculate the costs of other options.  The jugs I buy are 1 time use, then I recycle them. Well, this past week I decided to take a closer look at some other options and decided to (slowly) switch over to refillable jugs. These jugs have a 1 time cost of $13 for the jug, but the refill on the jugs is 1/2 of what I'm currently paying.  Once I've collected all the jugs I need, hopefully this can help to lower my grocery bill, even if it's only by a few dollars, everything adds up.

This week is my meat buying week so I'm really hoping I can keep my other costs down.