Coupon Woes

When I began couponing in late 2009 my goal was to save more money than I spent. In order to motivate myself, I made it a game and kept my totals on excel. It also served as a great reminder of what I had saved, which confirmed that my time clipping and printing coupons was worth it!

My totals last year were:
Spent= $2,261.38
Saved= $2,502.25

I really have no idea if this is a lot to spend on groceries in a year! All I had to compare it to was my family of 5 from home and I believe we spent this much about every month!

After calculating it out, I spent an average of $43.50 a week on food! And, if any of you know my husband, you know that he eats a lot. Woah! I have to say, I was pleased with myself! You may be thinking that we ate out at restaurants a lot, but Cole and I have a rule try to only go out to eat once a week or less.

After doing some experimenting last year, I have come to realize that the best prices to be had are not at big supermarkets like Sam's and Cosco or even in buying store brand items, but in taking advantage of BOGO (Buy One, Get One) deals with brand name coupons! I am a big fan of Publix (and Harris Teeter, only when they do super double deals or I have to make a late night run). When I first started couponing, I was afraid that I would not be able to buy my favorite foods and healthy items. But, quite the opposite is true.

This was one of my biggest purchases. I spent $81.19 and saved $145.66! That means this is $226.85 worth of food for about 1/3 the cost or 75% off.

This year, I haven't been as coupon savvy. In January, I started a clean slate to document the amount I had spent and saved for 2011. This month I have crossed the line, spent more than I have saved, and my numbers after my last few grocery trips have been disappointing. I have spent $64.28 more than I have saved. The totals are still only at about $50 a week, which compared to eating out is still low. However, last year in July I had spent about $100 less overall and had saved $262.67 more than I had spent. I have some catching up to do!! I think I have summer to blame for this, although I am not complaining. Cole and I have been bopping around and enjoying friends and family. I also have been working a lot of evening shifts, which puts a kink into cooking dinner. I have been less inclined to plan out our week in food and more likely to just pop in to the store and buy cravings dinner.

If you are willing to share, how much do you spend on groceries? I always am interested to know if we are being wise with our money on everyday things like food. Any couponing tips to share?

Off to read the weekly grocery inserts, clip my coupons from Sunday, and head to Publix!