Okay, I know that sounds like one of those annoying spams you get in your email - but this is real!
As some of you may know, I started using coupons in February to see if the 'deals' folks talk about are really worth the hassle. By the first of March I was intrigued enough to start keeping track. Up until that time we bought 90% of our groceries at Costco. We filled in at our local stores when we ran out of something and for the few things we couldn't possibly use the quantity sold by Costco. Don't get me wrong, I love Costco. They have great quality and offer products that I will not buy elsewhere. However, we were spending about $400 every 2 weeks at Costco and then another couple hundred at the other stores each month. Surely, a family of three should be able to eat for less than $1000 a month, right?
So I have been tracking the time I spend each month along with the costs versus savings. Here are totals from my spreadsheet!! I average about 8 hours per month cutting, organizing and planning my trips. I hope that as I get better at this that time will go down. I have also noticed as I get my binder more organized it is taking much less time.
| Date | Store | Total Paid | Total Saved | Percent Saved | Total Value |
| 4/3/11 | Mitchells | $15.44 | $7.83 | 34% | $23.27 |
| 4/4/11 | Safeway | $25.60 | $30.31 | 54% | $55.91 |
| 4/4/11 | Cheney Trading Company | $10.38 | $6.32 | 38% | $16.70 |
| 4/5/11 | Albertsons | $10.49 | $25.30 | 71% | $35.79 |
| 4/5/11 | Albertsons | $10.14 | $15.00 | 60% | $25.14 |
| 4/5/11 | Albertsons | $4.00 | $32.21 | 89% | $36.21 |
| 4/5/11 | Cheney Trading Company | $6.98 | $6.28 | 47% | $13.26 |
| 4/12/11 | Safeway | $17.29 | $16.13 | 48% | $33.42 |
| 4/12/11 | Costco | $250.66 | $0.00 | 0% | $250.66 |
| 4/12/11 | Safeway | $17.29 | $16.13 | 48% | $33.42 |
| 4/18/11 | Safeway | $18.73 | $30.16 | 62% | $48.89 |
| 4/19/11 | Albertsons | $0.49 | $10.66 | 96% | $11.15 |
| 4/19/11 | Albertsons | $12.96 | $14.77 | 53% | $27.73 |
| 4/19/11 | Albertsons | $16.48 | $65.80 | 80% | $82.28 |
| 4/19/11 | Albertsons | $3.90 | $11.10 | 74% | $15.00 |
| 4/22/11 | Walmart | $23.88 | $3.50 | 13% | $27.38 |
|
Totals
| $444.71
|
$291.50
| 40%
|
$736.21
|
Pretty impressive, huh? So I plan on continuing with this project. I will post next months totals to see if I get any better and do it in less time!
Please check back often! My next step will be to organize this into weekly meal plans that are affordable, healthy, and easy to prepare. Please let me know what you would like to see here and I can add that information too!
Thanks for stopping by!
Julie
