How did you do it?

After Daniel's sermon on Sunday, I got stopped in the hall and emailed ever since the same question, "How did you do it?"

What he refered to is how I walked out of a store with 4 cart loads of stuff and was paid $90. This particular deal was at Walgreen's. For every 3 packages of diapers I "made" $7 toward purchases at Walgreen's. I was able to use a July monthly coupon, August monthly coupon, and pharmacy coupon. There are usually 2 days that the monthly catalogs overlap. The computer automatically applied each coupon to every pack (not just $5 off of 2 as the coupons listed.) So, I was left with a negative $2 after and had to add an item to keep the balance over $0.00. (I picked up lots of milk, paper towels, baby toothpaste, donuts...keeping the kids occupied...yes I did this mostly with all four kids in tow). Then, the computer spit out a $5 coupon toward my next Walgreen's purchase, good on any item. Picture this, running this scenario twice at the cash register, unloading the cart in the car, and repeating. When I realized how the coupons automatically worked in the computer and that taking three packs of diapers out of the store was profitable, I began picking up all sizes for other families in the church, stalking up the church plant nursery tubs, and for the pregnancy center. The cashier told me other ladies had been in doing the same thing earlier and the manager confirmed that it was okay to use three coupons each time (they were store coupons, it would be coupon fraud to use 3 manufacturer coupons on one item).

Back to saving money on groceries in general. I stumbled onto a "frugal living" website from an adoption forum. A woman claimed to spend $35/week on groceries for a family of four in California. Doubtful, I followed a link to her blog....and found this great site:

www.moneysavingmom.com

She seems to be fairly Biblical in her approach to finances, etc. She basically lists bargains for the week, internet coupons, matching coupons with sales, and so forth, on her blog daily. I read through the posts when I am planning my shopping trip and see what works for me (as far as having the right store, coupon, time that week). There are several other links you can follow from her site if you are interested in doing more research. As I helped my sister in TX get going on this, there was only so much I could do until she spent some time reading through the site and figuring out what approach she wanted to take.

I started with buying the Sunday paper, going to coupon sites and reading up on "CVS 101". CVS is definitely the most "user friendly" of the drugstores (and it is right by Five Points Washington, so I coordinate my stops with working out). Most of the items pictured below are a result of combining coupons, sales, and using the "Extra Care Bucks" I have earned on previous purchases to pay, leaving me only owing less than a $1 for several sacks of items and more Bucks to spend the next time. CVS helps greatly with grocery budget because it takes out most of the expense of cleaning items, toiletries, make-up, and a few food items that really add up. I shudder to think that I used to walk into Wal-mart and let the kids pick out a character toothpaste for $4-$5 a pop. Now they get a kick out of "shopping" for toothpaste in the linen closet. I was a dedicated generic shopper before, so I doubted the use of coupons on name brand items. But after combining a coupon with a sale and getting things for pennies or free, I have become a believer. :)

((Did you know that if you use a Buy-one-get-one-free coupon on an item that is on sale for Buy-one-get-one-free at the store, you get two items for free (manufacturer pays for one and the store for the other)! I let the kids do this on sugar free gum recently and it made their day to hand the cashier a coupon and a penny(tax on one item) and get to buy two packs of gum. They were confiscated as we left the store (by Mom) and they were encouraged to pick a friend to share a pack with. :) ))

This is such a good tool for people in all stages of life. Obviously, if you've got kids in diapers or a number of kids, totally necessary. I am thrilled to make money for our family just by not spending it and I could never have imagined being able to give away two of the biggest budget killers: diapers and laundry detergent! If you are a college student and just became a CVSer (ha) you could not only have all of your beauty items for a dollar or two a week, but you have a ministry to your entire hall in the dorm. Families with kids out of the home can bless others with their abundance and save plenty of money that can be used for giving.

Homework: If you are interested, do some research on the site and consider what is best for your family. Then call or email me if you have questions!

Where the stockpile started, I have expaned to another closet ;)

Can't seem to keep the diapers neatly staked. We hear a crashing sound every now and then in the girls room. The stacks of diapers in the garage are the ones for giving away.

I used to HATE to buy laundry detergent, now it is part of the game.

I have some cereal rules: under $1/box, not too much sugar and a decent amount of fiber. So, far, I have rarely departed from the rules and generally pay much less!

I started this way of shopping about three months ago. I think the money saving mom recommended giving yourself three months to see if it was really working for you and I can't imagine shopping any other way. As with all things, there has to be moderation. It makes no sense to drive 20 minutes into town to save an extra dollar on one item, but keep the amount of time (and money....it is tempting to get carried away with stockpiling) within reason. A sale will always cycle back around, so if you miss it, it is okay. I have also become more aware of every dollar. I am less opt to pick up a drink at the checkout or stop at McD's for lunch. Since I am devoting more time to grocery shopping (planning and stopping at more than one store) than before, I have lost a lot of desire to shop for other things, thus reducing our spending even more. I get to use some of my math background (don't worry it is not necessary... just makes that part more fun for me).

Consider the Proverbs 31 woman, who provided for her family in industrious ways . She did not fear the snow (or end of the month when grocery money runs out) and opened her hand (or closet) to those in need.