This is one of the most common email questions we get. We all seem to be struggling with the economy, and trying to make ends meet. At the same time we all seem to be focusing on our family and trying to do the best for our families. Below is an email we got last night, and our response:
Hey there. I am hoping that maybe you can help me. I have been working for 7 years at the same job and I just had a new baby on the first of March. Our family is now a family of 5 with 2 dogs. I am trying to help my husband since he is now the only income and he doesn’t want me going back to work. I am trying to start coupon again…..I have tried but failed horribly in the past. How do I get deals on the items that I use the most? Like meats and milk? I don’t want my home to be like the people on extreme couponing I just want to be able to save on our trips to the store.
Certain everyday items like milk, eggs, and butcher cut meat (or non-brand meat) normally do not have “coupons” for them. They are usually a bonus or grouped with other promotions or deals that enable you to get them cheap or free. Recently there have been “free milk promos” with cereal. When you bought a certain brand cereal, you got back a catalina for free milk. So you use coupons to get the cereal and with that you got free milk.
Currently at my local store there is a promo if you buy from 12 selected items then you get free eggs. And with the coupons you can use to get those selected items discounted and add that to the free eggs you get, it’s a Thrifty Deal!
Meat is sporadic. Every now and then there is coupons for brand name meat, or there is in-store deals on butcher cut meat. Like last spring there was a deal like buy 2 bottles of salad dressing and get $2 off on meat from the butcher department. And in addition to that there was a manufacture coupon on the dressings, so it essentially worked out to be that you bought 2 salad dressing bottles for 50 cents and got $2 off on meat. So at that time we stocked up on salad dressing and meat.
Having an additional fridge/freezer is a great plus in these scenarios. But it seems like Milk and Meat always seem to be the focus from questions we get from followers on ways to save money. I think where the focus should really be is where else can I save. What I mean by that is if I can save 90% on all of my “other” shopping, then paying normal price on meat and milk will be offset by the savings I get on everything else.
See not everything we want or need will have a coupon. But if we can save cumulatively on everything then the one or two products we need and have to pay full price for wont be as bad to purchase when we have already saved 90% or more off everything else.
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