How to do the Grocery Shopping

(My husband has been encouraging me to write a book for Allyson, and other young people, describing how to do lots of important things in the home. Today, I'll share how I tackle the huge task of grocery shopping.)

Step 1: Determine your needs: How many people are you buying for? What special needs do they have? The Bible teaches us to "look every man on the things of others..." and this is especially true as a mother and as a parent. Be honest and reasonable as you determine both how often you should do the shopping and how much to budget. If your family has $3000 in monthly obligations and $3500 in income, budgeting $500 a month for groceries is not only foolish but unrealistic. Work within your means.

Step 2: Get the Sunday paper: Every weekend, the major paper in your area contains advertisements and coupon bundles that will soon become very valuable to you as you learn how to use these together to save quite a lot of money on the things you need.

Step 3: Make your list: I write my list in sections titled: Produce, Dairy/Frozen Foods, Grocery, Meat, Non-foods, and HBA (Health/Beauty Aids). I make one list for each store I plan on going to that week. Some weeks, I go to one store, some weeks, three. I decide how many stores to go to by determining if the cost to me in gas and extra time merits an additional store added to the trip.

When making the list, consult the advertisements. Look at the sales taking place for the current week at each grocery in your area. I make my main list based on the sale that week that benefits my family's needs the most. Pork chops might be dirt cheap at Kroger, but if that is the only good deal there, I won't be doing my big shopping trip at Kroger that week. I have found I use grocery store/superstore for my main shopping, and a drug store for almost all of my HBA needs.

Many moms plan the menu they will use for the month, and then go shopping for those items they will need. Instead, try making the menu based on what is on sale that week. As you begin shopping by utilizing what is on sale, you will build up a surplus of items and your menu choices will grow.

Example List:

This week, my grocery store has the following on sale:

Philly cream cheese: 4 for $5
Campbell's Cream Soups : 4 for $3
Sarah Lee pies: 1/2 price
10 lbs russet potatoes: 2.88
Land o'Lakes Butter: 2 for $4
Hilshire Farm smoked sausage: 2 for $4
Suave Body wash: $1.77
Loreal Bare Naturale makup: b1g1free

(Not an exhaustive list, but you get the picture)

My drug store also has:

Maxwell House coffee: b1g1free
Revlon lip color or nail color: b1g1free
colgate: b1g1 free

Step Four: Clip Coupons: One my list is complete, I pull out my coupon booklets. I keep them in their original booklets form, not cutting them until I use a particular coupon. I store them in a drawer, oldest on bottom. Going through each booklet, I search for coupons that I can use this week. I can generally find coupons for almost every national brand item I have on my list.

Check the coupon policy for your grocery store. Many stores will double coupons up to $.50, some even to $1. Most drug stores only give face value for coupons used.

I will use the Revlon deal as an example of how one can save:

This coupon gives $1 off any Revlon product.

The sale at my drug store is "Buy one get one free" I will bring two coupons-I will get two items. Lets say I choose two nail polishes. They are generally about $4.50 regular price, but I am getting one free, so that is $2.25 each. When my coupons are credited, I will save another two dollars, making each $4.50 nail polish a steal at $1.25 each, a savings of $3.25 each! Nail polishes and lip glosses are great stocking stuffers, and I also like to donate some to our churches mission store.

Step Five: Shop! Once I have all of my coupons for that trip, and then add any items our family needs that are not on sale that week, I head to the store. I like to go in the evenings, and I like to go alone. Going in the evenings (during the week) means less crowds in my area, and going alone means I can keep to my list without having sweet little hands wanting to add more cocoa puffs into the basket.

I start in the produce section, because produce is essential, and there are never coupons for produce. I determine a set amount for produce each week, and shop according to the sale-if broccoli is on sale, this week, we are eating broccoli!

Next, I go through each aisle of the main grocery section, sticking firmly to my list. Never stray from your list! As I shop, I remove the coupons from the envelope I carry them in, and place them in the back of the envelope. After I have finsished the grocery section, I move on to HBA and non-foods, saving refrigerated items, frozen foods, and meat for last (this keeps the perishables as cold as possible until I get them home.)

When I check out, I try and keep things organixed on the belt-cold stuff together, non-foods and cleaners together, etc. This helps the checker if she has to go back through the receipt to find a price to credit me for on a coupon. It also helps her if a coupons says "buy 2 of..." and she needs to verify that I bought two. Have your coupons ready for the checker-in a neat stack, not a wad of crumpled up papers. I remember being checker. It is not easy to stand on your feet for hours on end. If you give a coupon that is expired or can not be redeemed for some other valid reason, be polite and civil. I have seen people wig out over a $.30 coupon.

I carry my coupons in an envelope, using index cards as dividers labelled the same way my grocery list is catagorized. Read each coupon carefully, and buy the correct number of items the coupon dictates. One is generally allowed to use two coupons for b1g1free sales, and some stores will allow you to use two b1g1free coupons to purchase items essentially for free. Choose the smallest size allowed by the coupon and the sale for the most savings. You will find as you continue to shop in this way, a surplus of items will develop.

In my basement, I have several shelves of groceries, along with extra laundry items, and cleaners. The top shelf of my linen closet has enough hair care products to last our family at least a year, plus extra personal care items of every sort and lots of new make-up that I haven't opened yet!

Shopping this way has taken more effort in planning menus and making lists, but in the end, I save between 25-50% a week on groceries and household items and our family has never been in the position of having to run out for toothpaste or Cascade. I am able to donate items to the church's mission store without increasing my budget at all, and I can use some of the savings on more costly fresh fruits and vegetables for our family. I have actually reduced the amount I spend while increasing the amount of things I purchase.

Give it a try for a month and see how much you can save! Any family size, any place in the country can benefit from using coupons and consulting the ads from your local stores!

There are several websites that do the comparing of ads and coupons for you-check the web! Some sites require a fee, others are free.

Happy Shopping!