How to Save $400 a Month on Groceries

[Cali]

[robivi3]

I use Winn-Dixie and Publix specials, they bring the pricing down to less than Sam's Club levels. We have saved maybe 1-2k this year. Winn-Dixie has been running buy one get one free's on all steak, fish, etc...

[Pizza]

Coupons can help, but unless you are super-saavy when it comes to them, you aren't going to save a load of money. Most coupons I have seen in my newspaper aren't even for food anymore, they are generally for Proctor & Gamble-esque household items, and actually food coupons are worth less and more scarce.

At any rate, what I run into a lot of times is an off-brand product that costs less than the name-brand product I had a coupon for. Say, for instance, a pack of kleenexes costs $4.25, and I have a coupon "save 75 cents), then I look over the shelf at the off-brand product for $1.99... so, what am I saving really??

[BigJohn]

What helps us is that I normally cook supper on the barbecue grill. Were we live, it is hot, so cooking outside keeps the heat outside. I make my own sauce which I put on the meats and it doesn't hardly cost anything to do. I just started making white tea using the sun tea process. That is a big savings.
I buy our groceries on our way home. Thinking about getting our bikes out and make a trip once a day. The store is close enough, I could walk there.
Starting to put together an area to grow vegetables. Our climate is ideal but too hot. I have material that will cut down on the sunlight and also have material to rig together an irrigation system. I used to have a few acres that I used to grow food organically. I got to get back to doing that.

[momof5]

I have been couponing (full time!) for the past 3 years.
I have a room that the kids call 'the store'

What you do is compare store sales to coupons available. (Ebay is a great place to buy coupons) If your store doubles like they do around here you are in luck. Often times things go on sale .. use a coupon that gets doubled and the item is free or near free. Last week I had $249.18 worth of groceries..Grand total after coupons and store sales: $17.10

I have 40 boxes of eggo waffles, 14 bags of lenders bagels, 110 packets of Koolaid, 15 jars of pickles, 20 bottles of ketchup, 9 bottles of mustard, 17 cans of canned chicken, more than 50 cans of Campbells soups, 30 boxes of General Mills cereal.. all of these items were FREE by using the sale/coupon method. Plus lots more misc... items.

It takes ALOT of time to organize a good shopping trip for the week and often times I have to visit 2 or 3 different location stores. This is work but its work I love and it makes everyone in my house happy :

Also, for those with a CVS in their area. The Extra Care Bucks are awesome!!!! You have to pay money to start but after that you just keep rolling the ECB's into items that will print ECB's right back. I have NOT paid a dime for the following items in years toothpaste,deodorant,shavers,shampoo,soap,makeup,c leaning supplies, medicines, & paper products. I LOVE CVS!

[Flamingo]

My good friend volunteers at a school in our area and trades coupons with others who work there. She also trades with me cause she knows what I use. When I get the coupon circulars in the Sunday papers or listed in magazines, etc., I give her what I don't use. She passes those on to the others in the coupon group at her school. She gets coupons also for me that I use. I only use those coupons where double coupons are available and watch for them to go on sale at the several supermarkets in our area. It can be a bit time consuming but I have saved a good bit of money now and then doing that. Buy one get one free items with a coupon to use on the first item are the best and when you can work that arrangement, you really feel good! You just have to watch the supermarket circulars and weekly advertisements for the products you use and what's on sale. What is not on sale one week may be the next so you just have to plan/shop accordingly and also use the supermarket coupons that may appear in the circulars. Utilizing other coupons is possible also but if you don't use the product, to me it's a waste of time. I just pass them on to others unless the coupon is for a free item, then I utilize it.