The Number are In

About a year ago Brian wanted me to start using our credit card for grocery purchases so we could earn more airline miles. Because we live so far from our families, airline miles are essential in our life. Before that, I had been a cash-only grocery shopper. When I was out of money for the month, I was done shopping. That's not nearly as easy to see when using a credit card! So, in order for me to keep track of how much I was spending each month I started a spreadsheet. After every grocery trip I would record what I spent, what I saved, and the percentage of savings (if it was on the receipt). The numbers are in.

From March of 2012 to March of 2013 I spent $6,748.49 on groceries for our family of 4, and saved $2,214.59. In actuality, I probably "saved," or didn't spend, closer to $2,600.00 on my bill. Some stores, like Sprouts, Target and Whole Foods, don't tell you how much you've saved off of their regular prices. While I could easily track the coupon savings on the receipts at many stores, I didn't start tracking other savings from those stores until the last two months of my spreadsheet. In the stores that told me the percentage amount saved, I averaged a 50% savings. Sometimes it was only 13%, sometimes it was as high as 90%! Most of the time, it was 45-65% per grocery trip to conventional grocery stores. The average cost per month, if you like averages, was $562. Summer months were lower, under $500 each month, and the months before and after summer were high. I was probably in stock-up mode at stores that aren't close to my house. I tracked all food I purchased, even on vacations or when visiting family. I didn't track eating out or date nights, which we do about once a week (unless it's a vacation).

I am fortunate enough to get coupons from my neighbor, who gets 3 papers each weekend, but doesn't use the coupons at all. They truly are free for me. I also print coupons off the internet. I try to use the ones from the paper before printing anything, since that uses paper and ink. At Target you can stack coupons, meaning you can use a Target coupon and a manufacturer's coupon together for one item. I just bought some $3.00 eyeshadow for 45 cents.

In late April of 2012 my rheumatologist wanted me to go gluten-free for pain control. Gluten-free products are usually twice as much as the same, glutenous products on the shelves. A tiny box of crackers can be upwards of $4.00! That probably explains why in April of 2012 I spent $300 more in groceries than in March or May! I started shopping more at health food stores. I buy a lot of gluten-free products, organics, and minimally processed foods. Some of the local items I buy don't say they are organic, but I know that the farmers use organic methods. They don't certify because of the cost and required testing.

There's a huge difference in cost savings where I shop, too. I could just go to King Soopers, which has a huge selection of natural and organic foods, the best prices, sales, and doubles most coupons to $1.00. It would be my everything store if there was one close to my house. I also do a lot of my shopping at a local store called Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers. They only sell natural foods (and not the fake foods that say "all natural") and organics. I can get 2 pounds of organic flour there for $1.67 in the bulk department! Their whole milk and minimally processed yogurts are the cheapest, too, along with their refined cooking oils. I've found that Safeway is the most expensive conventional grocer around. I can get better deals at Whole Foods, and they aren't cheap, either! In the summer, when my life keeps me closer to home (and I can't justify driving 10 miles to go grocery shopping), I do most of my shopping at my local Safeway, Whole Foods, SuperTarget, and Costco (all within 2.5 miles of my house).  I can keep my bills low, but it's a lot harder.

 I follow coupon blogs for the conventional grocers, and use them judiciously. Unlike the people on the "Extreme Couponing" show, I buy real foods and produce. I buy my share of junk food, too. I like chips sometimes, and the kids like things like Cheez-It's. I don't admit to that, though, because I live in Boulder county. The fact that I don't buy organic foods 100% of the time and sometimes eat M & M's might get me shunned by the locals. I'm only partly joking.

Other facts I learned about my shopping are:

• I'm a poor trip planner. I went to the store many times a week! Mostly, I think, because I shop at a variety of stores.

• I am a stock-up shopper. If something of us really likes is on sale (and it's not a perishable food), I'll stock up.

• If I plan, I can feed 21 people dinner (8 adults and the rest kids) for $20-$25. We're talking good food, too. Lean proteins and veggies, plus a dessert!

• I rarely purchase store-brand items anymore. With coupons and sales, I get the brand name for a much cheaper price. The exception to that is at Natural Grocers, where their store-brand bulk items are usually the cheapest, and usually organic. I use to buy a lot of Safeway Select items before we moved to Colorado. We have gone through lean times, and didn't always the money to just buy whatever we wanted. Safeway has a stranglehold on California, especially northern California, and there weren't a lot of other store options with better prices unless I was willing to drive all over (which I wasn't). The store brand was almost always cheaper, and in a lot of cases, better for you. I have more choices in Colorado. If I don't like the prices at Safeway, I can go somewhere else.

• It's taken years, but I've learned to shop without Trader Joe's. We still shop there when we visit family, though. I'm glad that one will open up near us this year. There are so many unique things that I've missed. 

• How I shop and what I shop for has changed over the years. I didn't use to pay a lot of attention to ingredients, and now I read labels. My choices of products has shifted greatly towards minimally processed foods and organic foods. I do my best to avoid artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup in the processed foods that I do buy. Instead of shopping for one or two, I now shop for a family of 4 with 2 growing children. Sometimes they eat as much as I do! 

• We make most meals from scratch. I have a much easier time keeping ingredients in my house than an actual product. For example, if I make teriyaki sauce, I just measure and mix the tamari, miren, and brown sugar. Hot chocolate consists of milk, cocoa powder, sugar, and maple syrup. 

I'm pretty pleased with my numbers. According the latest USDA Cost of Food charts, we are living below the "Thrifty" plan. I'm sure if I bought all organic foods, my cost would go up, but I don't think we'd even hit the USDA low-cost plan. When friends ask me about using coupons, they assume that I spend hours and hours each day figuring out what to buy. Not at all. I use the internet to my advantage. There are so many coupon blogs out there that you don't have to do the work. Just spend an hour a week, cut out the coupons, and you're done! I just scored 5 32-oz tubs of natural yogurt (no weird ingredients) for free at the grocery store! Normal price would be $16.45! I know, 5 tubs is a lot, but we can go through yogurt pretty quick in this house when the kids are home and when it's hotter outside. I don't understand the people I run into at Safeway who have a small cart of items, and pay $100+ dollars! I guess stores rely on those people to keep their sales up. I'm not going to be one of those people, though. A little planning really does go a long way!