Stockpiling Saturday - Reader Question

I had a reader e-mail me a couple weeks ago to ask me, "How?"  Just how exactly did I get started stockpiling?  With money already tight (long-time readers know this blog was born during a financially difficult time we were having a few years ago) how did I find the funds to "buy extra?"


Here is my response to her:

The very first thing I did when I decided to start couponing was to "clean out".  I took inventory of everything I had in my pantry, fridge and freezer and planned meals around what I had.  For two weeks I only bought milk, fresh fruits and vegetables and spent about $25 on meat.  That money I save in those two weeks helped give a little "cushion" in my grocery budget - a little extra to get me started on the deals.

I was spending between $600-$700 a month on groceries (this included diapers and formula at the time).  In the first three months, I whittled it down to $450 a month.  Then eventually $400.  And now, I'm between $300 and $350 each month - but it's been an 18 month journey.  It doesn't happen overnight.

When you tell people to "stockpile" they immediately think it costs a lot of extra money to do that.  For example, to stockpile cereal at $4-$5 a box is crazy!  So you wouldn't walk into a store tomorrow and buy 4 boxes - that would be $20!  But say that next week, Winn-Dixie had it on sale and after discounts and coupons it was $1.50 a box - you WOULD buy 4 boxes and it would cost you $6.  Which isn't much more than what ONE costs at regular price.  Guess what?  You just stockpiled!  :)

Stockpiling with coupons is buying the MOST you can get at the LOWEST price possible.  You'll find that you can go in a store and spend as much as you used to but leave with MORE stuff!  Now, this means you will have to plan your meals around what's on sale. My husband has adapted very well.  He knows that he'll get a steak when I can get NY Strips for $5.99/lb.  If we haven't had steak in a while he knows it's because it hasn't been on sale and I won't pay $9.99/lb for it.  Same goes for snacks - when I can get a good deal on Pringles, he can eat all the Pringles he wants.  But if the most recent deal was on Doritos, well, he'll eat those too, until I can get cheap Pringles again.  I never pay full price for anything.  Sales are cyclical - they always come back around.  So when something is at it's lowest price buy enough to last you until the next sale comes around (this is why it's important to get multiple copies of the Sunday paper - so you have enough coupons to get several of an item when it goes on sale.)

Stockpiling is hard a first.  And you may find there are just some things you must get to get you by until you build up your stockpile.  But if you take inventory of what you have and then start watching the sales and utilizing your coupons you begin to see a difference.

I'm always here to answer questions, so ask away!  (If you ever leave me a question in the comments section, be sure to leave your e-mail so I can e-mail you my answer!)

How much do I spend/save on an average grocery shopping trip?

This question was asked to me by a reader who also happens to be my cousin.  I thought it was a fabulous question!  (Thanks Tess!)

She actually asked me on Facebook, but since it was on my personal page and not the blog page, all my wonderful followers didn't get to read the conversation.

So, here is the Facebook conversation we had:

Tess:  I went grocery shopping today. Armed with tons of coupons, lol. The only thing better than coupons is doubling coupons, hehe. Anyway. I don't know why I haven't asked this before, but how much do you usually spend at the grocery store?

Me: My monthly budget is $300. That includes groceries and anything I buy at CVS or Walgreens (diapers, shampoo etc...) I go to Winn-Dixie just about every Saturday. An average trip is $50. If it's a really good sale week, I might spend close to $70. If it's an off week, I may only spend $30

Tess: So about how much money's worth of groceries do you get with the $50?

Me:  I've been averaging a 50-65% savings at Winn-Dixie lately. So for $50, I can get $100 to $120 worth of stuff. The goal is for the amount under "You Saved" to be higher than what you actually spent. :)))

Tess:  Wow. That's awesome. I do pretty good, but I haven't gotten that good yet.

Me:  My personal best was a small trip I made on Christmas eve. I spent $23 and SAVED $65! (So, $88 worth of stuff $23!) That includes sale prices, not just coupons. (Like if something is BOGO, then the cost of one of the items is factored into the savings amount.)

If you ever have any questions, the Facebook page is a GREAT place to ask them!  Just post your question, comment, idea, bargain brag or great find right on $aving Toward A Better Life's Facebook wall!

See the Savings - Reader Feedback

I love hearing from my readers!  It's so great to know that what I'm doing is helping you!

I've had several comments from readers on my Facebook page and I just wanted to share them with you!




From Reader Tesla:

I used to think 30 bucks wasn't a lot of money... Made a quick trip to WD to get some meats and small stuff for the week. Spent 64.12, used my WD customer reward's card and two 1.00 coupons, and SAVED 33.13. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much $30 really is. Now, with the remaining $30, we can pay... the water bill. Proud of my second WD trip.

From Reader Amber:

I went to Winn Dixie today and saved $112.65!! And that was using NO coupons b/c none of the ones I have applied. Oh, and I got a $3.00 off my next purchase register coupon! Thanks!

Thanks for sharing ladies!  :)))

A Reader's Trip to Winn-Dixie

I love when you guys share your bargain successes with me!  Reader Tesla shared this on the Facebook page a couple weeks ago!

This is what she had to say about her very first trip to Winn-Dixie:

I bought groceries for our house for the first time today. I decided on Winn-Dixie, and got their Customer Reward's Card in the store today, so I could take advantage of all the deals in the ad. I had a great experience, the store is very clean and they are very nice. I took all my notes from the $TABL blog, and bought the items in this picture as well as about 16 other items for a total of 76 items. I paid $130.85 for $208.65 worth of groceries, which is $78.30 I SAVED!!! If you haven't read the blog, you need to, take notes, ask questions, plan your meals, and go!! See how much you can save for your family as well! [note, there are 20 cans of green beans and corn.]

Thanks Tesla!

Daily Inspiration

It's hard to pick any one or two (or ten) verses that are my favorite. At any given time in my life, different verses mean different things to me.

The verse I posted yesterday:

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130:5

means a lot to me right now.

For today's daily inspiration, I'd like to know what verse inspires you? Please share in the comments below!

100 READERS! :)

I was SO excited to log on today and see that I have reached the 100 reader mark! :) I promised a giveaway when I reached 100 readers and I have at least 3 that I plan to do in the very near future so please stay tuned for those!

If you are reading this right now, I would just like to say that you are awesome! When I started this blog back in July I wondered if anyone would actually read it! Now 8 months and 580 posts later, I have 100 people reading it! That just boggles my mind! So thanks for tuning in! I hope that you have found something helpful in these posts!