On 47.50$ budget a week and need some help (More misc. ?'s from a newbie)

[jblhopper]

I am trying to learn all that I can about q's so that we can start saving asap. I got my first set of inserts for free at a local gas station ( about 12, not a bad start) and looked through them, I didn't find many that I would use ( I know this is comon) and needed to get some personal items. I got a printable for Tp and headed to the dollar store. I found out after I got to the register that printables were not excepted( I know I know I should have checked first) so I was stuck paying 2.47 for a pack of 4. Even if I would have gone to Walmart and used the q, it would've been around 2.00 still. My hubby and I are on a budget of 47.50$ a week for food and non food( personals and household) So I have a few ?'s to ask.....

1. How do some of you pay less than a dollar for tp and other personal items, always?!? ( even if you don't have a stockpile)

2. How much do some of you spend oop a week in groceries and non food items? ( I know it varies, just need something to go off of)

3. How much do some of you spend oop on stockpiling in a week?

4. Do you wait to start using your stockpile until it's a certain size?

5. What about organics? are they hard to get q's for? Do any of you know of sites for organics?

Any advice that you would like to give would be most helpful!

[seedlady]

Originally Posted by jblhopper I 1. How do some of you pay less than a dollar for tp and other personal items, always?!? ( even if you don't have a stockpile) 2. How much do some of you spend oop a week in groceries and non food items? ( I know it varies, just need something to go off of) 3. How much do some of you spend oop on stockpiling in a week? 4. Do you wait to start using your stockpile until it's a certain size? 5. What about organics? are they hard to get q's for? Do any of you know of sites for organics?

1. i buy it at cvs, and pay with coupons and extracare bucks,

2. 5 dollars

3. i stockpile the things i get free.

4. no

5. coupons for organics are rare, and mostly found at the grocery store. i trade stockpile items at the farmers market for mine. try hcw's sister site, www.organicgrocerydeals.

[jblhopper]

Thanks! I would love to hear from other's too that have a strict budget like me. One more question: When you get your groceries and pay oop, does that include meat, dairy, and perishables(fruit and veggies)?

[tmsmalley]

Here's my system. Write down what you absolutely HAVE to get. Get those items first (milk, tp, etc.). Do the best you can on those items with sales, generics, etc. even if you don't have coupons for them. Write down as you go how much that's adding up to. When you've got those items, the difference between what those cost and your $47.50 is what you can spend on stockpile items. Have a list ready of things that look like good picks for stockpiles based on the coupons you have and the weekly flyer for your store. If you've got $3 left to work with and you can get 8 cans of corn (and you'd actually eat corn at some point), then that's what you get. If you've got $5 and cereal is on a sale/coupon combo for $.75 a box, that's what you get. But first you have to take care of the things that you really need to have.

You're not working with a lot of cash so it is going to take a while to stockpile and you're going to have to do it in little bits. Don't expect to get 50 boxes of cereal in your closet this month. And you use your stockpile as you need it. Since you're going to be building it slowly, it may take several months before you see it really grow, but every bit is going to be helping towards the bigger picture.

Tess

[mom23teens]

I am basically new also (a few months) and for my family of five i try to live on $75.00 a week I also get alot of things for almost free using cvs eb program and a lot of q's.
I do a lot of rebates as well to bring the cost down even further.
When there is a great sale i stock up. you can really get things for merely pennies that way. good luck
Question how many ppl are u feeding for $47.50?

[extechy]

Just a heads up.

Some of the qs you don't have a use for can actually help you the most. Save all your coupons. At places like CVS and Walgreens, you can combine those coupons with their store coupons. Many times an item will give Extra Care Bucks or Register Rewards. When combining the coupons, you actually make money and get a product that you may not have an immediate use for and sometimes you get it free.

For instance, Product XYZ sells for $4. CVS has a sale where you get $2 ECBs for buying this product. They also have a coupon (or CRT) for $2 off this product. Your inserts has a coupon for $2 off this product.

You just made $2 for taking Product XYZ off the shelf.

[jblhopper]

We are just 4 at this time, me, my hubby( who works construction and eats like a horse but is skinny as a rail) and our two boys, both under 4. My hubby is going to school for Paramedic and that is why we are so tight. He had some problems with his Pel grant so we will be on this budget until he starts working as a EMT after he gets his certicate in December. His mother has health problems and may be living with us in the next year, and we may also have more children in the near future(if possible financially) I really want to make this a life habit and stop giving the store so much of our very limited income. Thanks for all the advice!! I'd love to get more, I'm writting it all down:0

[jblhopper]

Can anyone give me a round about figure of how much they spend a week? With and w/o q's? I am just trying to figure out the best way to start my couponing adventure.

[stacyloucks]

My goal is to not ever have to buy anything except parishables. I buy the peanut butter because it's free/cheap, not because we are out and I then have to pay whatever price the product is at that time. I made a list of the things we eat/use a lot. I watch for a great deal on them and then I buy or trade for coupons for the product and then I buy a ton! For example, Hefty bags went on sale for $1. I had enough coupons to get 60 boxes and then sent 40 to my mom to do the same. Before I started paying attention to my budget, coupons, etc. if we need bags, I would put it on the list and then probably pay $3 or 4 for them.

I've also noticed that when a new product comes out, the coupon values are higher and a sale usually comes a long to match up with it. So, if a new product comes out that I know we can use, I buy/trade for coupons, so that when the sale comes, I am ready. I've used this strategy to buy tons of pasta, chicken broth, etc.

HBA stuff - I usually won't buy it unless it's free or better. There are a few exceptions, but I never have to buy toothpaste or a razor. For things like paper towels and TP, I have a price that I am willing to pay for different items. When there is a deal with that price, I buy a bunch.

As for how much I spend, I really have no idea. I know for sure that I spend significantly less than before AND I have a huge (IMO) stock pile after 1 year.

The biggest thing that has helped me is reading this board. I've learned so much here and also having a heads up on what sales are coming give you time to plan what you are going to buy (get for free).

I know someone else mentioned it, but I also keep every coupon. I also pick-up every blinkie, tear pad, etc that I see. It may be a product that I will never use, but I may be able to make a few bucks "buying" it. I may not keep it in my binder, but I'll hang on to it just in case.

For me it was also worth buying a large upright freezer, so that I could stock up on meat and also "teenager food".

Good luck!

[momtocj7mea]

We are a family of four and we spend around $75-85 a week on groceries/toiletries/cleaning supplies, but I am trying to build up my stockpile rather quickly because DH's work load will go down in the winter months and we just started stockpiling two months ago. However, on average, I think I could get away with spending $50-$60 a week easily once my stockpile is where it needs to be and some weeks I could probably go even less. It may be a little harder if you are trying to eat all organic foods though. Have you thought about growing your own vegetables? I know it is a little late for this year, but something to consider in the future. My neighbor replaced her flower garden with a vegetable garden this year (right in the front of her home and it looked beautiful!!). My DH and I plan to do this next year. We got some very good tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers from her this year.


Also, the tip to keep every coupon is a good one because just because you won't use it doesn't matter, someone else may want it and you can trade for coupons you will use. You can also join some coupon trains to get coupons regularly in the mail as well. I have gotten some awesome coupons from my coupon train envies. So you will need a good variety of coupons if you want to join a train as well.