Coupon parties becoming a staple in Portland

There is no surprise that coupons are becoming a needed staple in many families’ grocery-shopping habits. With so many unemployed, low-income families in the area, it is necessary to save money in any way possible. Coupon parties are being hosted all over the Portland and Vancouver area to teach families how to coupon in a way that will either help families receive free items or leave the grocery store with money in their pockets.

These parties give a packet that families can take with them, for a small charge, as well as letting people get together to exchange coupons with others so that everyone is getting something that they want. There are many coupon blogs such as Freebies and Cheapies, which hosts daily coupons that can be printed off from your home computer to use at stores.

Many families say that these coupon parties and coupon clipping has saved them a lot of money. When living on a fixed income or food stamps, stretching your money out until the end of the month is vital. Many families purchase multiple Sunday papers so that they can have the most coupons possible for the items that regularly use. 

I know that my family has strongly benefited from coupons, especially on those items that I always seem to be purchasing. I have attended a few coupon parties, and learning to efficiently coupon as opposed to using an occasional coupon here and there has changed many of my grocery shopping purchases. While I will never be able to coupon like some of those on Extreme Couponing, the popular TLC show, I have been actively saving myself some money to help push me toward the end of the month.

Maximizing your Grocery Shopping

Food is expensive. With bad crops and other issues that have caused the price of food to increase, many more Portland families are finding themselves needing a budget to stay on track and get the most out of their grocery shopping. There are also many families in entire neighborhoods in Portland such as the Lent neighborhoods where children living there have no idea when or where their next meal will come from and can’t eat during the weekends without going to the food banks that are located in their schools. Here are some tips I have learned that have helped maximize my grocery shopping trips.

• Never go to the store hungry. Surrounded by all the food, you will inevitably find yourself splurging on items that look good to you while you are shopping that may not get eaten once you get home. Eat a hearty meal or snack before you go to the grocery store so that you can avoid the grocery store munchies.
• Wait to go to the grocery store when you can have someone watch the kids or they are in school. If you don't have someone following you around trying to grab items off the shelf or asking you, "mom, can I have ..." every five seconds you will be less likely to impulse buy just to get the kids to be quiet. My son is an expert at burying items under things I am purchasing so I end up buying them anyway.
• Always take a list of items that you need. This will help you to remember the things you need instead of having to make another trip later in the week. Also, it gives you something to focus on while you are shopping. If you have a goal, it is easier to accomplish. Don’t deviate from the list either. If it isn’t on there, then you don’t need it.
• Shop weekly instead of trying to purchase everything you need for the month or for one meal. Plan a menu and shop for every meal you are making during that week. Keep in mind the kids’ activities for the week , so you can plan meals accordingly with quicker meals on busy days. If they are going to be at school and they eat hot lunches, there is no need to buy lunch items.
• Use coupons whenever you can. Several stores will even allow you to price match, use other store coupons, and stack coupons so you can use a manufacturer's coupon on top of a sale or in-store coupon. While you may be only saving a few cents at a time, these pennies will add up quickly.
• Purchase the store brand instead of name brand item whenever you can. Store brand items are often significantly cheaper than a national brand such as Campbell's or Kraft. Most of the time, these store brand items taste exactly the same.
• Avoid purchasing snacks while you wait in line. Many are guilty of this because they feel like it is a reward for not purchasing more than what was on their list. If you purchase now, you still didn't accomplish your goal. Also, those items waiting at the checkout line are often more expensive than if you would have purchased them in the isle because they know they are tempting and you will pay the price.
• Take reusable shopping bags with you. Most stores will give you up to an $0.08 discount for each bag you use. I bring 10 with me every time.

Saving on the Grocery Bill by Purchasing in Bulk

While my family is not big by any means, I regularly purchase items in bulk so that I can save money on future trips to the store. While my son is still little and I still need to purchase diapers and wipes, diaper wipes will still be handy after he is potty trained because of all their uses. They are perfect for cleaning hands and faces after sticky snacks or meals, and they make great makeup removers. Because there are so many uses for diaper wipes, it makes it a perfect bulk item for purchase.
When it comes to saving money on grocery bills, buying in bulk will help to lower spending costs so that you can spend your money on the things you really want. These tips will help you maximize your bulk buying so that you can shop less and save more.

• Only buy items you use frequently in bulk. If you have no need for a five-pound jar of mayonnaise, it is not worth buying in bulk because it will go bad before you can use it all. Items like rice, canned foods, and boxed meals will save you a tremendous amount of money when they are on sale. We eat a lot of rice in our home; therefore, purchasing it in bulk is optimal for us because it is not always cheap. We save money by purchasing it in ten-pound amounts so that we do not have to pay for it when it is more expensive.
• Shop for bulk items when your local grocery store is having a sale day. Every couple of months, the Albertsons, and Fred Meyer stores will have 10 for $10 days. If you have coupons that you can use on the items that you want to bulk up on, then you can often times get them for close to free. The last time I visited Albertsons on a 10 for $10 sale day, I picked up 20 cans of Green Giant Green Beans for $0.25 a can, a $0.75 savings per can.
• Look at stores like Grocery Outlet and Winco for bulk items that you need for special events, parties or an occasional use. These stores are cheaper on a daily basis; therefore, items that you do not usually purchase can be picked up for a fraction of the cost you can get them for at stores like Safeway, Fred Meyer, or Albertsons.
• If there is an item that you feel like you are constantly purchasing, put in a standing order with your grocery for those items. For instance, my entire family is huge water drinkers. I refuse to drink tap water because of all the gross things that get into it that I cannot rightfully name; therefore, I purchase bottled water and we keep a case in the car, a case in the kitchen, extra in the pantry, a case for trips, and so on. Each week we go through 10-12 cases of water because I also use it to cook with. Asking the grocery store you frequent to hold this many for you each week can often times save you money because they will give you a discounted price on a huge order.
• Ask the store you are shopping at if they give discounts for purchasing in bulk. Some stores such as the Costco and Winco will not offer discounts for clearing the shelf, however, I have gotten my local Safeway to give discounts for purchasing their whole stock because it was nearly expired or it may have been dented.
• Plan meals by cooking from scratch. Most often times, purchasing individual items for a whole meal such as tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes and other ingredients will make a cheaper spaghetti sauce than purchasing all the jars of spaghetti sauce you would have used anyway. Boxed meals are often more expensive and have things that you cannot readily identify that are not good for you. If you can make a healthier and cheaper meal from scratch, then why not do it, even if it takes up a little more time.
• Consider starting a garden. Many people don't feel that this is a bulk savings, however, when you consider the cost of seeds to plant a whole garden versus purchasing these items in a store, you will get a lot more items for your money. If you can the fruits and veggies at the end of the season, you can use them with meals as well instead of wasting them.
• If you go through a lot of meat, something I am not concerned with, talk to local farmers that will allow you to purchase a whole cow, turkey, hog, or other animal you consume most. If you have other families that would also be interested in this, you can save more by sharing. The farmer will raise the whole animal for you then butcher it and give you the cuts that you want most. This is also true for eggs, milk, and butter if the farm you go to offers these items on location.

Why Extreme Couponing Does NOT Work Like the Show

Most everyone loves coupons when they can save them a couple dollars on things that they buy all the time. Unfortunately, TLC’s show Extreme Couponing has glamorized couponing and most think they can get a whole grocery cart full of food for free. It doesn’t work that way in most every store. Here are some of the reasons why.

If you never noticed, many of the couponers on the show casually mention that most of them spend 25-30 hours a week couponing. If you already have a full time job, you are adding another to your schedule but committing to that kind of coupon clipping each week. On top of this, they spend a lot of time traveling back and forth to various grocery stores because they cannot use all their coupons at one store for everything on their list. If you are a parent, you already have a very important full time job.

Most grocery stores have a policy about how many items can be purchased in a single transaction. Unless you are grocery shopping in the wee hours of the morning when there are fewer people and multiple transactions are possible without causing a disturbance, you are going to make many people very angry. Many stores will even limit how many sale items a person can have per day, or per group if you are shopping with a spouse or friend. Most stores in the Portland area and all throughout the country also have a policy on how many coupons you can use in any given transaction as well.

Many extreme coupon clippers will try to use combined coupons on items to get the maximum amount of savings when possible. They will load coupons onto their loyalty cards that often times give a discount on a product already. Many chain stores such as Fred Meyer have figured out this extreme savings that people have earned and now state that coupons cannot be combined with sales prices or other coupons.

There are many other reasons that extreme couponing does not work out for the average grocery shopper. One of the biggest reasons is that grocery stores only carry so much of a specific product. Often times there are limited quantities to begin with and large ticket items such as sports drinks, laundry soap, and soda go quickly when they are on sale. What the show does not show you on camera is that many people take advantage of rain checks for not having specific items that they use later when shopping. Combine this with other savings such as a certificate for spending so much in one trip and you are making severe earnings that most people do not have the opportunity to make. Also, many of these sale items are limited to a specific number before you have to pay full price for them. This allows more people to receive the savings over one person purchasing them all at once.

Overall, there are many reasons that extreme couponing is not feasible for the average person. Not only does it take a lot of time to do, but consider the gas and mileage you are adding to your car and the irritation you are causing by limiting your time with your friends and family to clip coupons. When you spend so much in gas going from grocery store to grocery store, in the long run, you really aren’t saving much of anything.