Frugal Fridays!

With increasing food prices, I am always on the lookout for a deal at the grocery store. I have found four key ways to cut down our grocery bills.

Buying the Generic Brand
Although there are a few items that I consistently buy name-brand, most of what you will find in our cabinets and refrigerator is store brand products. For the most part, I have found them to be the same quality and significantly cheaper than their name-brand counterparts. Although, sometimes between coupons and store promotions I can splurge and buy the name-brands!

Coupons
It is best to find a store that will double your coupons. One grocery store I use is Kroger, and they double coupons up to $.65! Sometimes I can even combine a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon to get a great deal on an item!

Store Promotions
Every Tuesday I run to the mailbox to discover what great deals are in this week's grocery add. Then I look to see what coupons I have. With luck my coupons will match some of what is in the store add! This means great savings for me and my family. Also, if a store is having a great deal on a staple item, I stock up. For example, if toothpaste has recently been 10 for $10, you will find a closet full of toothpaste in the Pohlmeier house!

Manager's Special
Our grocery store has special price tags that identify when an item is on manager's special. I particularly like to look at the meat that is marked down. Often our store will significantly mark down meat that needs to be sold in the next day or two. This is how I buy our meat. I can stock up when it is on sale or on special and then just put it into the deep freeze until I am ready to use it. I have also found items like mouthwash, face-wash, socks, and cereal on special. Usually, they are discontinued or poorly selling items that the store wants to discard, so they are marked down for quick sale.

With a little planning you can get some great deals at the grocery store. If you combine store promotions, coupons, and items on manager's clearance you can stock up your kitchen for significantly less money, and sometimes you might even end up paying nothing for an item. This, combined with menu-planning, can really help you stretch a food budget.

Here is an example of a recent trip to Kroger where I combined coupons, store promotions, and items on manager's clearance!

What I bought for $17.29!

2 loaves of Wonder Bread (These were actually free after I combined coupons and store promotions.)
2 large boxes of Hefty quart size one-zip bags (These, too, were free after coupons and promotions.)
1 package of hot dogs
2 package of pop-tarts
2 packages of deli-fresh cinnamon rolls
3 pounds of marinated turkey tenderloin
10 Lunchables
1 gallon of milk
3 packages of sandwich cheese
1 package of Banana Popsicles