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Still saving money during deal drought?

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I'm starting to wonder if during this deal drought if I am not saving money. I stopped buying extra newspapers each week and making less trips to the store so figuring between newspapers and gas and the extra crap I put in the cart each trip (soda, candy bar, etc) I may be breaking even. The savings obviously depends on how much you saved each time you shopped. Anyone else seeing/feeling the same effect?
 
I am spending a lot more, but I am not really trying that hard to find the deals either, cuz I don't think there are that many anymore! I did change where I shop. I used to shop at Jewel all the time, now I go to the local grocer and then augment with Walgreens/Kmart deals. And I still buy extra papers. I am afraid I might not be prepared for that "big" deal!:lol:
 
Unfortunately, the best I have done is price matching at Walmart with coupons. So no deals further more MM for me!
 
I send my husband to Aldis now for produce and milk b/c its on his way home. I used to run to walmart for stuff and get junk I didn't need. Out here, everything else is 20 min away. So its Aldis Walmart or Jewel... or a 25 min trip! I try to hit the other stores in one trip so I don't waste gas money. For the kids - a trip to the park is their entertainment and a $1 cone at McDonalds if I feel like splurging!
 
We actually are still doing pretty good because we had a GREAT stockpile. We are still at a $140 a month budget for grocery and toiletry (with extra $$ from rebates added to the total as they come in), but I guess technically we did raise our budget by 40% so that might be too good.

THANKFULLY, gas is not an issue for us because we have DH's company car. I am sure our life would be considerably different if we didnt have that.
 
I changed where I shopped but I do still buy papers for the deals that crop up. I used to shop mostly Jewel followed by Wags and CVS.

I now mainly shop Meijer (they have a nice selection of organic produce) with an occassional deal at Dominicks (also better organics offerings than others) or Walgreens. I added an organic produce/grass-fed hormone-free meat delivery weekly from Door to Door Organics. If I have to buy it without a coupon, it'd better be a superior product. With the Organics deliveries, there are often weeks that I don't shop at all.

At this point my grocery budget is about $75 a month higher than the old days when we had deals (that's a 35% increase in cost for us). I am still spending $250 less than I used to when I wasn't really couponing so I am still saving.... just not quite what I used to.
 
The other part of this that isn't reflected in "how we are doing" is that I used to drop off generous donations at the food pantries and church and the health clinic several times a month. It is more like a couple times a year now. I am taking care of my family but I no longer have extras to share with so many. That makes me sad. We are now giving cash but nothing can compete with what we were able to give in product not so long ago.
 
And pls don't get me wrong, when the deal/mm is on, there is nothing that can compare.
 
We've started eating a lot healthier, so I guess I would be spending the same now, even if the deals were on. Other than Earthbound Farms, there's no coupons for organic produce :pout:. I'm just trying to save in other areas now. Luckily spring is here and I can start getting organic produce cheaper (& fresher!) at the farmers market.
 
I'm still saving money, but only because I stopped eating anything but FARR protein bars and Stouffers from Doms. I might splurge on Jack's Pizza when Menards goes crazy. I'm thinking of getting a Costco membership just so I can take the family out to eat on weekends.
 
JRL19 said:
I'm still saving money, but only because I stopped eating anything but FARR protein bars and Stouffers from Doms. I might splurge on Jack's Pizza when Menards goes crazy. I'm thinking of getting a Costco membership just so I can take the family out to eat on weekends.
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Take the whole family to the new Pete's Market on Roosevelt in Oakbrook Terrace - you would not believe how much sampling you are forced to do. Seriously, they gave me half a container of shrimp ****tail and the same of their shrimp/crab cerviche! Apologized for not having spoons handy. Imported cheese, salami, you name it. Look at something and they're pushing you to try it.
 
I love the Costco sampling on the weekend but I pay for it every time. Even if I manage to get away from the sample lady, DH will sneak it in the cart and when we get to check out, I'm always like "Hey, how did that get in there?" And I walk out of there spending way more than I planned.

I still spend way less than I did in 2006 when I first started this style of couponing but I spend more now than I did a couple years ago when the WAGs deals were hot and I fed the four of us (and all our cats) on 30.00 a week. And we ate well too ... shrimp and steaks and lamb chops from Jewel thanks to all those MM deals at WAGs. I sure miss that.

Like someone else said, I miss having extra to make food pantry donations. I used to donate bags of stuff every month or so. Instead, I made a donation this week (Ice Mt sparkling water, Dr. Pepper, and TGIF frozen dinners - the pantry ladies were really excited to see the frozen dinners!) and hadn't made one since December and probably won't make one again until summer when DH's garden has excess and we can donate that. I used to bring in HC soups and HH all the time but when the deals for those dried up, I wouldn't buy them anymore. It's too bad really ... I liked the idea of saving my money while helping others.
 
JRL19 said:
I'm still saving money, but only because I stopped eating anything but FARR protein bars and Stouffers from Doms. I might splurge on Jack's Pizza when Menards goes crazy. I'm thinking of getting a Costco membership just so I can take the family out to eat on weekends.
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That's quite a diet ya got there! :ha:
 
My budget remains the same even if I pay for meat, produce, formula, etc mainly because I am using my stockpile of detergents, HBA, paper products. Once all those are gone in 4 years, my budget will surely zoom up to kingdom come, with currency devaluation up ahead.
 
My stockpile has been a lifesaver. I'm worried about what happens when I run out of some of those things that I had a 2 year supply of. I have learned to restock on something that I use all the time even if it's not free or super cheap the way it used to be. Paper goods and cleaning, if I can get pretty cheap, I will always get more because I'll always need it and the free and super cheap deals of the past are gone so if I can get Scrubbing Bubbles for 1.00, I'm stocking up because it won't ever be free again KWIM.
 
mrsmom said:
That's quite a diet ya got there! :ha:
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From studly to beefcake:

3beefcake.gif
 
I am spending more. But I am also becoming a *hoarder* if I can get paper goods, laundry/cleaning stuff, and HBA cheap I buy it even though I have a large stockpile. I have been shopping Meijers, Target, Aldi, Dominicks and Caputos/Valli produce stores. The summer is coming so I am looking forward to our garden and the farmwrs market.
 
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