Flyers and Conscious Shopping

20 Grocery Store Savings Ideas: Grocery Coupon Savings Tips For Those Grocery Shopping On A Budget

I have never been someone who coupon clipped, flyer perused or even looked at the prices of the stuff I was buying when I grocery shopped, so I completely understand unconscious shopping and how easy it is to do. I'm turning over a new leaf now, however, (thanks in no small part to Dave) and am on the path to shopping enlightenment.

Now, I also believe in moderation in all things, so I will not ever become someone who will drive all over town just to use all the coupons I've clipped or to save $0.10 on a head of lettuce. It doesn't make sense to spend that much more on gas and your valuable time to save a few cents on groceries. There are some simple things you can do, however, that can lead to significant savings when you're shopping.

First, decide what is a priority to you. Do you value quality in your food or clothes, toys or entertainment? When you know what you're not willing to compromise on, you have a realistic foundation on which to build your new shopping practices. For Dave and I, food is fundamental. We love to eat and to eat well. Spending a lot of money on or having an excess of clothes and electronics, however, is not so much a priority. So now we know where we can scale back and where we want to maintain a certain level of quality.

Second, know where you like to shop. Some people are loyal to certain stores/brands, and that is fine, but if you're not willing to shop around and buy where the best deal is, learn how to take advantage of your favourite store or brands incentives. For example, if you are loyal to Future Shop, make sure you check the prices of all their competitors and take advantage of their price beat policy. Also, search their flyers and hard copy and online coupons regularly; join any membership clubs to receive notices of sales and promotions and sign up for the card to collect points for special rewards.

Third, scan the flyers before you shop. This is actually well worth doing. As an example, Dave and I check out the flyers every week for the grocery stores. While doing this, we find the best deals on meats, fruits and vegetables, and other household staples like toilet paper and detergents. This process can also be great for helping you plan your meals for the week. Picking up the things that are the best deal each week can often mean you get a variety and affords you the opportunity to try new things and get creative. Unconscious shoppers not only don't pay attention to how much their spending, but often just buy the same things over and over as well.

Fourth, when you are actually in the store, compare prices. If you're looking at tins of corn niblets, is it really worth spending $1.19 for a brand name, when the generic is $0.69? Sure, there are some things you won't want to buy the generic or no name version of because the quality is significantly different and it's important to you. I remember buying a really inexpensive brand of toilet paper at Costco once and swore never to buy it again. I didn't know I could hate a toilet paper that much. But I discovered from that experience that I have a certain standard that is worth the extra couple of dollars to me! In many cases, however, the less expensive item is a great value.

Fifth, have a list of things you want to purchase that are not regular items (make a note of their regular retail price as well) and check the flyers regularly for sales or price reductions. (Of course, always check out Craig's List, Kijiji, and other local online sites for used or free items, and check out your local garage sales and estate or repo auctions.) Dave has needed a ladder for a while and recently noticed that Home Depot had reduced the price on a ladder he'd been looking at from $156 to $99! That's a significant reduction, so he went and picked up the ladder.

So, the basic message is "wake up". Become a little more conscious of how you shop, where you shop, and how you might be able to do it in a way that could save you significant money. A word of caution, though; just because something is on sale, doesn't mean you have to buy it! Conscious shopping also means buying with intention, only purchasing what you need and will use.

Until next time, folks! Happy shopping :)

-Erin and Dave

I'm in Love with Gail Vaz- Oxlade

Gail Vaz-Oxlade, for those of you who don't know, is the personal finance genius who stars in Til Debt Do U$ Part on Slice. I started watching this show a couple of months ago when Dave and I first started talking about how to get our finances under control. (I was just looking for something to watch in the middle of the afternoon while spending time with the baby.) I fell in love with the show and with Gail for two reasons; first, the show highlighted real people who were courageous enough to face up to and seek help for them debt issues, and second, Gail helped people deal with these issues in practical, doable and realistic ways...her approach is no-nonsense, but she has a soft touch at the same time.

I don't know what took me so long to Google her and see what was online, but I only did that this week and discovered her blog . Gail's blog is not only interesting and easy to read, but she also provides a WONDERFUL array of resources, tips, tools and articles for people to download and put to use to help them get on the road to debt freedom and financial health. For example, I downloaded the budget spreadsheet that has all the fields and formulas set up, so all you do is punch in your numbers and it does all sorts of great calculations for you. It tells you what percentage of your income is spent on what parts of you life (housing, transportation, etc) and what percentage it should be; it shows you how much money should be allocated to the "money jars", if you are implementing this neat tool of hers to monitor and control your spending; it also allows you to develop a balanced budget that accounts for things like an emergency fund and savings. Just this tool and the article on setting up the Budget Binder are worth the price of admission (which, btw, is $0)!

I highly recommend Gail, her show, her blog, her tools and everything else related to Gail Vaz-Oxlade! I'll be referring to her again and updating you all on how the use of her tools is working for us.

Cheers!

-Erin and Dave

Budget Update - Month 1 Lessons Learned

Hello Y'all,

So April ended and we added up the  receipts from the groceries and incidentals (remember, we had budgeted $300 for groceries and $400 for incidentals) and we were pretty much spot on with our budgeting. We spent $298 on food and actually closer to $450 for incidentals, but there were a few unexpected things that came up in there, so a $50 surplus wasn't actually too bad. It was the first month doing this and our goal was to practice and just begin setting up good habits around our spending.

Things we observed;

• it was easier to remember to keep the grocery receipts than the incidentals
• you have to remember to actually keep cash on you when you go out, so that you don't end up using your debit card
• don't take too much cash with you, so you are able to stick to your budget
• you definitely become more conscious of your spending and start to question every purchase
• you need to write down all the money you take from each box and change you put back in with the receipts

We want to do this the same way for two more months to be able to average it out and see what our spending trends look like. We also thought that for this month, it would be a good idea to think about and write down the things we know will be coming from the incidentals, like a hair cut or getting the oil changed in the car...that kind of stuff. Then you can deduct those things and see what you are really left with for "other" stuff. It can help set you up to balance your spending for the month.

So, now we're off to the races for May and we'll update you again in the beginning of June!

Thanks for watching!

-E & D

Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties