~Couponing update~

I thought I'd do a little update on my continuing experience with coupons. In this post, I shared how I organized my coupons. So far it is still working very well, and even though I have read about different methods of coupon organization, I plan on keeping this method for now.

Besides getting coupons from the weekly Sunday paper, I also print coupons when I see a coupon I know I'll use. I try not to print coupons that I won't use, because it is a waste of paper and ink!

Since we don't eat a lot of prepared foods, my greatest savings is still on sales. I do try to combine coupons and sales whenever I can, and I take my coupon box into the store with me so that I can use coupons on unadvertised sales. I am still dedicated to not bringing home junk food. Free or cheap junk food is still junk food! :-) I love to find coupons for wholesome foods. They aren't as sparse as it seems when first starting out!

Overall, I am spending less on groceries than I was in my pre-coupon days. I am still shopping at only one store. Every once in a while I will hit Target or Walgreens if there are some great sales. If I need a lot of staples, I'll visit Aldi as well. But most weeks I just go to Meijer. Meijer's prices vary store by store, and ours seems to be on the lower side.

Another thing I have done is to slowly stock up on items as they go on sale. I have a lot of whole grain pasta in my cupboard, as well as spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, and mayonnaise. I don't have a lot of room, so I have to be careful not to overdo it.

I am pleased with my couponing efforts. It has been a blessing to our family for me to be able to save money each week at the grocery store!