Sunday Savings

I love saving money. I rarely pay full price for anything.
We have a philosophy in our home:
It's not how much you make, it's how much you keep.

I have really mastered online 'budget' shopping. The Christmas I was 8 months pregnant with Livi, I didn't want to brave any stores, and decided to do all my shopping online. I researched all the stores and deals, and then did all my shopping in about an hour. I didn't pay shipping for any of the items and got a better price then I could have in the stores. Everything was to my front door within a week or two. It was sweet. I was hooked from then on.

The one thing I haven't been very good at is grocery shopping on a budget. I really do hate going into stores, but especially the one store that would save me the most money- Walmart. So I've been trying to use coupons at my local store, Smiths. The thing I don't like about coupons is that they take a lot of time to find and organize if you want to save a lot of money. There are sites like the grocery game and grocery smarts that help out a lot, but they are also time consuming.

Another thing I don't like about grocery coupons is that I don't want to buy something just because it's on sale. I want a coupon for the items I already buy. I am really particular about feeding my family organic and non-processed foods; I shop mostly in the deli and produce sections, and there aren't really coupons in the paper for those items.

So I found a little tidbit that can help you if you shop at Smiths or Albertsons. I went online and registered my Fresh Value card and now they send me coupons in the mail based on my shopping habits. I just got my first set, and I'm stoked. There are about $25 of coupons- One coupon is $3.00 off of the produce section. Another was a free loaf of bread (my favorite brand).

The best part is that it only took me a few minutes online and then I shop where I would normally shop anyway. The most important thing to me is to save time AND money. In my opinion, spending four hours clipping coupons to save a few bucks, is like stepping over a dime to pick up a penny.

I went shopping today and I saved a total of $26.20 from my own coupons and an additional $24.24 from my Fresh Values card, for a total of $50.44 in savings today. Not too shabby!

I know I'm still a rookie, but hey, the tiniest savings make me all warm and fuzzy. So feel free to share your ideas too.

But...If you want any tips about online shopping- I'm your gal!