I've been hearing a lot about this Grocery Smarts/Pinching your Pennies craze as of late, but always thought it sounded like too much work. But then I thought, "wouldn't my dear hubby be so proud if I saved some extra money?" - goodness knows I've already perfected the art of spending it!
So, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to go for it. A friend of mine taught a group of us the ropes (thanks, Nicki), and I took my first shot at it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture from my maiden voyage, but I did manage to save some money. I ended up spending $52 and saving $56. Not bad for the first trip, I thought.
The next week I headed to Albertsons, armed with coupons from multiple papers (one of the GOLDEN rules), my sale ad and a personalized spreadsheet. Yes, I even made a spreadsheet so I wouldn't crack under the "money saving" pressure!! I didn't want to look like a "newbie" in front of the hard-core shoppers. (You know who you are...)
Well, I did pretty good - better than the week before. I took a picture, but instead of spreading everything out like the pros do, I stacked it all, so the picture doesn't display the full savings that I partook of. (Dang novices and their stupid mistakes...) But, I have to admit, I have saved more money than I thought I would, and I imagine it will only get better. I actually found the adrenaline rush to be quite invigorating. Now if I can just keep from running directly to the nearest mall, I will be in good shape!
Coupons: $23.00
Preferred Savings: $72.72
Preferred Savings: $72.72
Bonus Buy Savings: $8.84
Total Spent: $78.75
Total Savings: $104.56
Total Spent: $78.75
Total Savings: $104.56
