Couponing the lazy way

Hi again folks! I wanted to share with you some tips that should really be obvious but a lot of people actually don't use/do. I saw this picture on a friends Facebook page yesterday and it made me giggle for a second.

I couldn't help it, at that exact moment I had .20 in my bank account. Yes, you read that right 20 cents. See why I call this blog Broke Single Mama? As the younger generation says "The struggle is real". This morning I woke up and found myself saying TGIP (Thank God it's payday). I know we've all been there. Struggling college student, fresh graduate who can't get a job, in between jobs, laid off, hours reduced, whatever the story may be we have all had that "Hallelujah!" moment when for about 10 minutes you have money. Then it's bills, groceries, gas for the car and if you're anything like me you are left with just about enough left over to make sure you have gas to get back and forth to work.

Here's how I make the little bit I make stretch a bit further. Most grocery stores have a rewards program right? No matter where you live anymore it seems they all have those membership cards that "save " you so much per visit. Of course it's really just that if you don't use it you pay the inflated price of the food rather than the typical price you would normally pay. Now, don't get me wrong, there are always sales and we all know sales are awesome, especially if you can be savvy enough to pair it with a good coupon. I'm not one of those crazy coupon ladies. Ain't nobody got time for that! Kudos to you folks who can pull that off! I just wind up getting frustrated and bored! That's not to say I don't enjoy a good deal and don't know how to make one. 

 Let's talk about my trip to the grocery store today. I typically shop between two grocery stores. Food Lion and Save-A-Lot. We are currently in the process of getting an Aldis which my mother and I are super excited for. So, Food Lion has a members rewards card program, the MVP card. They have a coupon program that is connected to it. You can print coupons at home, add them to your card directly from the website plus the kiosk that prints off coupons located at the front of the store. The wonderful thing about this is that you can use a manufacturers coupon along with the store coupon and save even more. I don't use manufacturer coupons that often because I don't see the point in paying for a newspaper and probably getting maybe 5 coupons to use out of it. But, that's just me! I typically buy store brand products anyway. 

Today I knew I NEEDED certain things. We all know how it can go : Needs, don't need but might as well be a need, wants and oh look! shiny! That last one's the dangerous one and needs to be avoided as much as possible! So, today I needed to get paper towels and laundry detergent. I also really wanted (might as well be a need) some lunch meat and other "fixins" for lunches for me and the kiddo. I had a break between clients so I ate my lunch and then logged onto FoodLion.com and looked through their coupon page  real fast. I was able to add both a coupon for paper towels and a coupon for Tide pods. Yes,these are two items I am actually brand specific to. I think that's a different blog post though. :) Off I went to the store where I was able to print off multiple other coupons including one for a free sample. Who doesn't love free?! Coupons in hand I saw I also had one for soda, which was on my want list. It's my one vice in life. I usually buy the store brand 2 litres for about 88 cents each but with this coupon I could get the name brand for about the same price so I went for it. There were some "shiny!" items that were added into the cart as well. I didn't really know what I was doing for dinner since the kiddo and the Grammy were on a field trip and I wasn't sure when they would be home or if they would be hungry when they arrived home. So, I opted for a small roasted chicken. $4.99 and it will last at least two meals. Also, hostess donuts were BOGO so  splurged and bought a couple bags of those. 

So, I'm going through the checkout lane and I have my coupons and my MVP card with me. The cashier starts scanning and I always watch when they do this. So I know they're not double scanning and also so I can watch the screen to have a general idea of what I'm being charged. Everything was scanned and he pressed the total button and it came up to $93.48 which I will freely admit made my stomach threaten to drop into my shoes. Then he scanned my card and started the coupons, pressed total and bam! $69.80! My math is super crummy but the receipt told me my total savings and saved me having to use the calculator. $23.68 was saved just by using in store promotions, printed coupons from the in store kiosk, and two coupons added to my card before I left. That's it folks. No clipping, no comparing prices between stores. How cool is that?! Even the cashier said "That's impressive! I love seeing it drop that much!" All in all I'm a happy shopper. It's still a bit more then I should have spent but that's one of the problems with the rising food costs. 

I truly hope this at least inspired one or two of you to look more into your local grocery reward programs. It can be super helpful! See ya'all next time!