The Ten Commandments

I realized the other day that we have been able to save some serious cash this month on groceries simply by planning ahead and using coupons. I figure that we've saved over $200 on things we use everyday. I can't tell you all items we've paid less than a dollar for or have gotten totally FREE. Below is a picture of some of those items (and that's not all!).
Here are a few tips that I'd like to pass along to you. I didn't grow up in a house that used coupons. I didn't understand what a "10 for 10" deal was until I met my husband. (I really thought you had to buy 10 of 1 item to get a deal. I wondered how so many people could use 10 loaves of bread in a week.) So I've taught myself how to make my dollars go even further. I'm sure that not all of these tips are new to you, but for what it's worth, here they are... The Ten Commandments of Savings:

1. Don't be a brand snob. Colgate might not be my first choice, but for free, I'll learn to like it! Which leads me to tip #2...

2. Don't pay for toothpaste (or at least not very much). Toothpaste has a remarkable shelf life, so don't be afraid to stock up. You'll see several in the picture that didn't cost a dime.

3. Check out weekly ads (either from inserts in the Sunday paper or view them on-line) and maximize savings by combining coupons with sale prices.

4. Make a list! Kroger's website allows you to view the weekly ad for your area and select items to be added to a digital list. You can also add items not shown in the ad and print it off.

5. Speaking of making a list... when you make your list, group items you need based on where they are in the store so that you're not running all over the place.

6. Visit stores that double coupons and offer you an additional discount for using your own reusable bags. Target lets you combine a Target coupon and a manufacturer coupon, which can be very helpful. Senior Citizens discounts can be helpful, too.

7. Organize your coupons you think you'll need before you go. I like to keep mine in the order items are on my list.

8. Watch your checkout carefully. If something doesn't ring up as you thought, speak up. Be particularly diligent about watching the coupons scan correctly.

9. Don't shop when you don't have a lot of time. If you feel rushed, it's easy to carelessly make a mistake in calculations or walk away from a nice deal. Also, don't shop when you (or the other members of your party) are hungry or tired. Someone has learned this the hard way......

10. Be on the lookout for deals that you didn't expect. Give the clearance sections a good once over. I remembered seeing Dramamine in the clearance section at Target and later in the week I saw a coupon for $1.50 off. I went back to get a pack for a mere 38 cents.