It might take a few hours a week to clip coupons and browse supermarket aisles. But it's paying off for one woman who is feeding her family of six for less than $10 a week.
Kathy Spencer of Boxford, Mass., seeks out coupons, browses circulars and spends up to four hours a week at grocery stores. But she says she spends an average of $4 a week on groceries for a family that includes her husband, four kids, one dog, two cats and a rabbit. On a recent shopping trip, Spencer bought $279 worth of groceries for 39 cents.
"I had always used coupons for items I would buy regularly, but as I started pairing what coupons I had with what was on sale versus using a coupon for what I normally was brand loyal to, I soon discovered if I had more $1 off coupons for items that went on sale for $1, I could get a stockpile of that item and not pay a penny," Spencer told WorkItMom.com.
One of Spencer's tricks is to look for stores that double coupons' value. "We had $1 off 2 Orville [Redenbacher popcorn] coupons, but other states got 50 cents off of 1. What's the difference? Shaws [Supermarket] doubles coupons, so that made them $1 off of 1, so I get to stock up on popcorn. And, actually, it's part of a spend $25 get $10 back promo, so not only am I getting them for free I am actually going to be up money after doing this deal. This is what we call a 'money maker,'" Spencer told WorkItMom.
Stockpiling is actually another one of Spencer's strategies. If you can stockpile when products are free or almost free, you should. "Look at the expiration and figure out how much you think you will need between that time frame and stock up," she told Boston Globe Magazine.
Another trick? Modern technology. "We freeze everything," Spencer told WAPT-TV. "If taco shells are on sale, we pull out chicken from the freezer and make tacos."
Spencer is now helping other people save money through her groups on Yahoo! and on BigTent.com, both called How to Shop For Free. According to Lylah M. Alphonse who wrote the Boston Globe piece, the group on Yahoo has more than 3,800 members and the BigTent group has 1,500. Members post tips on how to save money and share inspirational stories, which Spencer said saves everyone time. And as a testament to the power of Spencer's strategies, she said members have gone from spending $300 a week on food down to $40.
"The beauty of having the How to Shop for Free site is we all work together so the sales get posted and you can see what will work out free and not even have to look at the sale paper if you are lazy that week," she said.
Last year a couple conducted an experiment to see if they could eat on a dollar a day per person for a month. One of their tricks was also to buy in bulk.
Last year USAToday challenged four dieticians to come up with meals that could feed a family of four for under $10. Among the suggestions -- make your own large sandwiches using fresh baked whole-wheat bread, sliced turkey, cheese and dark green lettuce. If you want to have a hot meal, turn it into a panini. As a side dish, serve seasonal fruit.
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