I’m sitting here thinking to myself, “How did I learn to grocery shop?” No one took me by the hand and told me how to do it. I just watched my mother and from what I remembered she grocery shopped once per month!! Sure they still got the bread and milk during the week, but the majority of our family shopping trip was once per month.
She made her list of the things she needed and off we went to the Commissary (sometimes as far as an hour away from home) and Commissary is for the Military folks where they do their grocery shopping. Mom mostly bought A LOT of meat during those shopping trips!! She also bought the cheapest item. We were never a brand name family. That is one thing I took away from shopping.
So of course, I did the same thing! No, not shopping just once a month but I would do a grocery shopping spree every two weeks normally when I had gotten paid from the military. I would check out my fridge and cupboards and put on my list what I needed to get by for those two weeks. I would buy fruits, bread and milk weekly.
What has changed?
I use coupons and have been for the past three years going on 4 in the fall. I did get the coupon high that lasted for about 2 or 3 months and would walk my neighborhood collecting the SmartSource coupon inserts. I will never forget walking into a grocery store and walking out with 17 toothbrushes and toothpaste and all for FREE. Just because I could!! And no I didn’t clear out the shelves either.
What I’m trying now…
I’m hoping I’m getting smarter and now I’m tempted to be even smarter with my grocery shopping. I will continue to make my list BUT now I’m shopping for sale items and stocking up when those items are on sale. Just yesterday I went and got 16 boxes of cereal for $1.50 each. That is my stock up price. Every one has their own stock up price, just need to find out what yours is. Now I’m wondering how long those boxes of cereal will last. 
I make my meals from what I have on hand and if I don’t have an ingredient I will search the internet for a substitute and use that if I have it.
Now I will be searching the weekly ads for what is on sale and what I have coupons for and what my stock up price is. Like I said, I shop every two weeks for my family and hoping to build up my stock pile in the process.
What tips do you have?
Joey is a Christian, wife, and mom of two girls and one boy, ages 2 to 5 years old. She and her family lives in Dayton, OH.
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