Saving on More than Groceries at the Grocery Store

Early in the year I have expressed my desire to be more frugal with our income and be a good steward with the money that God provides for us. In the past few months I'm glad to say that I've become more of a saver than a spender. Every payday, I calculate how much money needs to remain in our checking account to cover the necessities such as tithe, groceries, gasoline, and any utilities that are due for that week. Once I have that figure, any excess money is immediately deposited into our savings account.

Even though I wouldn't consider myself a 'fan' of Suze Orman, I did try one of her suggestions. She suggested (I believe on a talk show) that we should without from purchasing anything for one week. I thought that was pretty easy, until I realized just how much I run out for little things here and there. Just making it through one day was sometimes a challenge. For instance, I didn't realize how much I would stop at the grocery store to pick up items that we had run out of, such as bagels. Once I realized I was doing that, I stopped. If there are no bagels, have toast. If there isn't any OJ, have water or milk. If we're out of cereal, scramble an egg. I really had to consciously not spend money. And that became my new habit.

I also wanted to share just how much our local grocery store here in New England helps me in saving money. Stop & Shop is my favorite grocery store hands down. Their shelves are always stocked and most of their sales are of the Buy One Get One (or Two) Free kind. Their store brand products are, in my opinion, comparable if not superior to many of the popular name brand products. They are currently running a promotion for free milk = buy so many gallons of milk (I think it's 5 or 6 and not all at once) and you get a coupon for a free gallon of milk or soy milk. I can't tell you how many times having that coupon for a free gallon of milk has helped us. We drink A LOT of milk - at least 4 gallons per week.

Another promotion that they are running for customers who have a store courtesy card is that you earn points whenever you shop there. A point for every dollar spent in a transaction. The points are then redeemed at their gas station for reduced price on gasoline. For example, if you have 200 points = $.20 off per gallon; 300 points = $.30 off per gallon; 500 points = $.50 off per gallon, etc. So yesterday, I had over 700 points saved on my courtesy card and I needed gas, so I only spent $1.61 per gallon for gas yesterday. I purchased 12.35 gallons for a total price of $20. My savings was $9.51. And all I needed to do was make sure my courtesy card was scanned every time I went grocery shopping. Not too bad.

Customer loyalty is certainly beneficial. I've tried shopping at other stores, such as Walmart, but the quality of food (especially the produce) just wasn't comparable. I wasn't saving money by paying a reduced price just to have to turn around and toss a loaf of bread that became moldy just after a couple of days. That's aggravating.

So my advice to you is, if you regularly shop at one grocery store, inquire about a customer courtesy card. Because you may not be receiving special offers and promotions that you could be entitled to just for being a loyal customer. And if you're trying to turn your finances around, try going day to day without buying anything. It won't be too long before you become a saver and not a spender.

Have a blessed weekend!

--Liane