How do you save without the coupons? s/o of extreme... - Page 2

[frugalmum]

I hate coupons!  They are never for anything I buy.  I think if I worked around coupons i would actually end up spending more.  I do take advantage as much as I can of discounts the grocery gives--- like spend XXX in a certain amount of time, get 5% off your next order. 

I buy generic.  I have no brand loyalty.  I don't buy organic.  I buy the cheapest produce available (apples and carrots are cheap, avocados and tomatoes are not).  I buy canned and frozen produce if it is cheaper.  I limit meat to once or twice a week.  I cook a lot from scratch.  I buy what's on sale that particular week.  I don't buy any packaged/ prepared/ semi-prepared foods. 

I also buy at the cheaper grocery stores even if they are not glamorous places to shop.

[madskye]

I think I still spend too much on groceries, but mealplanning has been the biggest help.  If I have meal makings on hand and I don't have to run out to the store, I'm not tempted to pick up xyx extra thing.  I'm also not tempted to just go out or order pizza.

Also, my supermarket does have a great loyalty program.  I just got a free ham for easter, which really helps as we will have 12 people here on Sunday. 

I definitely shop my store circular, and then I seek out coupons if things are on sale.  Easy ways to do this is if pasta sauce is on sale and you go to the makers site, sometimes they'll have a downloadable coupon.  I don't kill myself, but that's an easy little saving without much work.

I identified the things that are the most "budget busting" like coffee and meat and I stock up on those for sales.  We're only a family of 3 and I don't have tons of storage, so stockpiling grains and cans doesn't work as well for me, plus here it seems like those items are on sale fairly regularly.

[marimara]

I don't coupon either unless I happen to see a coupon somewhere for something that I use.  I know what I like and won't buy just anything just because it's on sale.

Food:

#1 by far.  We shop at the commissary.  This only applies because we are military but I thought I'm mention it because I know there are some more military families here at MDC.

2.  For fruits/veggies, I will get what is on sale, if it's something I ordinarily will get.  If it's not on sale, I might skip it that week.  For example, avocadoes, I only buy on sale, they are too expensive lately $1.50/ea.  I'm waiting till my tree starts producing :)

3.  Shop roadside stands/farmers markets for local stuff and its usually cheaper.  

4.  I cook the basic kind of stuff.  Rice, meat, veggies.  I usually don't buy prepackaged foods at all.  I don't buy cookies.  If my dd wants them, we make them from scratch.  Same for muffins/cupcakes, etc.  

5.  I try to cook meatless/vegetarian meals at least 2x a week.  It's healthy ( I do know that's up for debate here at MDC but I believe it's healthy so that's why we do it).  I can't afford high quality organic free range meats to eat on a daily basis and I won't eat tons of conventional meat.  I don't think it's right environmentally, socially, financially, etc.  So we eat meat less. Instead I use free range eggs from the farmers market, tofu, beans, perhaps seafood sometimes.  Oh, also for protein-canned sardines are so cheap and they are really healthy for you.  I make a fish spread (sardines and olive oil and mustard and pepper) and spread on crackers...mmm.

6.  Drinks.  Water, sometimes juice, teas, coffees.  I don't buy sodas or prepacked drinks.  We carry reuseable water bottles for on the go.

Home use:

1.  I make some of my own stuff:

• vinegar=fabric softener
• borax+baking soda+washing soda + a little bit of conventional laundry detergent=cheap, makes it last so much longer
• i make my own lip balm

2.  Dr. Bronners gets a lot use around here: foaming hand soap, face wash, body wash, shave gel, dish soap in a pinch.

3.  Resuseables/cloth:   We don't buy paper towels.  We use cloth napkins and towels for the kitchen.  I use cloth mama pads and the diva cup.  We use family cloth for #1.  I reuse ziploc bags (TIP: they dry so much faster if you drape them over a potted plant!!!! it's like the plant breathes the liquid!) I reuse a lot of packaging stuff that may come in the mail.  I save boxes, packing peanuts, and other packaging materials so that when I sell my excess stuff (*see below) on Ebay or Etsy I don't have to buy packaging materials.  I reuse gift bags that may have been given to me.  I get creative when wrapping gifts (google: Furoshiki), old paper bags that dd may have decorated, etc.  I save jars and lids that food comes in, I use them for dry food storage (beans, rice) or for leftovers in the fridge after I sanitize them.

4.  I cut up junk mail and save the blank spaces for scrap paper so we don't buy pads of paper for jotting down notes or sketching.

5.  Turn off home electronics when not in use.

6.  I've learned to live in a warmer home so we don't use a lot of electricity.  I only run the a/c when it's above 80 in the house. Use those ceiling fans. Oh and change filters regularly and vacuum regularly so your filters stays cleaner longer.  

7.  I do wait for sales/coupons for oil changes or car stuff.

8.  I combine my shopping trips so that I don't use a lot of gas. I walk if I can.  I turn the car off if I'm going to be idling for longer than a minute or two. DH drives a motorcycle.

9.  I thin out the conditioner bottles with water, especially as it gets to the bottom of the bottle, to make it last longer.

10.  The library is my best friend.  I check out books and make sure I want them before I buy, if I ever do buy a book, its a rarity.  

11.  We look for free entertainment,  outdoor concerts, community events, biking, hiking, library,etc.

12.  We don't have cable tv, only netflix and internet. You can just about watch anything you want on the internet nowadays.

13.  I use a prepaid cell phone without a monthly commitment.  

14.  I shop at discount stores and look for things I like and get them super cheap.  (big lots, tj maxx, ross, marshalls, aldis)

15.  I sew and mend our own stuff to make it last longer. I can alter clothes too.  

16.  I shop second hand,  I almost forgot that one.  That's important.  I buy all books for dd homeschool second hand, from thrifts, yard sales, homeschool book sales, ebay, amazon used.  I buy dd high quality shoes (keen, merrell, new balance) on ebay for fraction of the cost. Then I resell them when I'm done.  Sometimes I consign her really nice stuff, not that she has that much.  

** I sell our stuff we no longer need on Ebay and Etsy for extra cash.