Why do I clip coupons?

It may seem like a waste of time, and at first I thought maybe it was even a waste of money. But after three solid months of tracking our grocery money to the penny and clipping coupons, shopping the deals and stocking on sale items, the numbers are in! We now have an average weekly grocery bill of $60 or less for a family of 5. That means that some weeks I may spend $100 to buy on sale items that are really cheap with a coupon, like my Quaker oatmeal stockpile that netted 12 boxes of instant oatmeal for $6! And some weeks I only need to buy the basics of produce, meat and dairy items.

In my cupboards you will find canned fruit, canned green beans, soup, oatmeal, granola bars, chips, crackers, pancake mix, syrup, salad dressing, cereal, ramen noodles, etc. I won't need to buy these things for at least two more months!

Granted, it's not all the healthiest food and of course that bothers me. But for now I have to be content with feeding my family what I can afford and be grateful that we have that luxury still.

I'm really proud that I stuck with it even though people have been very negative towards me. I'm now really good at sticking to my list, going to the store only once for a big shop and once more for a small pickup during the week. My highest savings on one bill reached 73% and I almost always make a savings of more than 30%.

Remember, every penny counts!