I just hit my local Fresh & Easy (which was next to Walgreens, where I was getting my printer ink refilled and I wanted to kill some time with the kiddos without hauling them in and out of the car) to pick up a few essentials, taking advantage of sales and a coupon I received in the mail - $5/$20.I thought this visual would be a good example of a couple of money-saving techniques and answer some "how" and "why" questions that I inevitably get.
1. Couponing allows my family to enjoy extra goodies at no extra cost. Notice the cheesecake on the right-side of the picture? It was marked down to $5 and I had a coupon for $5 off $20. Free cheesecake! And cheesecake is my husband's favorite dessert of all-time. So I snagged it as a nice little surprise for him and a way to top off an already frugal dinner or crockpot pot roast and cheddar rice (free with coupons).
2. Take advantage of seasonal produce. Bananas always seem to be a part of my shopping list, but the other produce I buy is always based on what is in season (and thus on sale). In this shopping trip I picked up oranges (under $.30/lb) and peaches ($.98/lb) as our fruit of the week. This rule also applies to vegetables. Asparagus and peppers are a few choices that I buy only when they are in season.
3. Time is money. Some of you reading this post may want to remind me that chicken breast is part of the Albertsons 8-hour sale today for cheaper than the Fresh & Easy price of $1.97/lb but with two little kids in tow is it really worth making another stop? When I did the math I would only save $.80 - and it's not worth it for $.80! A higher amount of savings might've enticed me into Albertsons tonight, but in this case I feel guilt-free passing on this deal knowing my kids are only good for a certain amount of shopping time before the meltdowns start to occur and I don't want to wear myself out getting them in and out of the car again in the heat, the traffic, the congestion at the store, etc. Don't beat yourself up moms! Sometimes that deal really isn't worth it; let it go.
1 comment:
Thank you for this post! Time and sanity really is money. I am all for saving pennies but sometimes I go a little crazy trying to save them. I turn into a monster of a mom! I need to remember that I don’t need to do every deal at every store ever week! I love your site and appreciate all your posts.
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