<\/p>\n
Shopping Tips & Coupons<\/b><\/p>\n
One of the first things I do when it comes to Menu Planning is check my local grocery ads.\u00a0 I have two grocery stores here in my hometown, and two Walmart stores within 15 miles of where I live.\u00a0 I also have two other grocery stores I shop that are about 30 miles from where I live.\u00a0 Which store I shop at depends on which store has the best deals.<\/p>\n
At first, when I started shopping this way, I thought it was nuts to drive 30 miles out of the way to buy just a few items on sale.\u00a0 But let me say this first.\u00a0 I don\u2019t drive out of my way unless it is a REALLY good sale! \u00a0Why do I do it this way?\u00a0 One reason is because I am married to a penny-pincher husband. \u00a0I say that with much love!! \ud83d\ude42 He will shop for weeks on end before he will purchase something.\u00a0 He has turned me into a penny-pincher, too!\u00a0 But, I also recognize that my time is valuable, too! \u00a0So if I\u2019m only going to save 15-cents on one item, I refuse to drive 30 miles out of my way to save just 15-cents!\u00a0 To do that, makes no sense at all.\u00a0 So it has to be one really good sale<\/strong><\/em> before I will drive out of my way.<\/p>\n When I grocery shop, I will always shop the outer edge of the grocery store first.\u00a0 That is where you will find the best foods for you and your family; vegetables, fruits, grains, and etc.\u00a0 The inside aisles of the grocery stores are more for canned goods, and processed foods.<\/p>\n I have learned over the years that most times it makes more sense to cook from scratch.\u00a0 It is definitely healthier for you and your family.\u00a0 Processed foods were created to help you save time in the kitchen, yes.\u00a0 But, when you really truly look at it, processed foods are not good for you, if you truly knew what was being used in those foods!\u00a0 So, another tip I can give you is to cook from scratch when possible!\u00a0 Make the time to cook this way<\/strong><\/em>, to offer healthier meals for your family.\u00a0 Most times, cooking from scratch doesn\u2019t take any longer than cooking from a box of processed food!\u00a0 You will love it because you know you are taking good care of your family!<\/p>\n Another tip when grocery shopping is to look at the price per unit.\u00a0 You will be amazed at how much money you can save if you compare unit prices!!\u00a0 This is something I learned from my husband.\u00a0 I used to be the one that would go in the grocery store, and just grab and run.\u00a0 I was always in a hurry!\u00a0 I just wanted to get in and out of the store, get home, get it cooked, and get it on the table.\u00a0 I was not price-conscious in any way!\u00a0 But, after I learned how to do this, and began to see just how much money I was saving by doing this, I don\u2019t shop any other way now!<\/p>\n The next tip I will share is the benefit of using coupons.\u00a0 Coupons can save you tons of money, and you don\u2019t have to be a Coupon Queen to make that happen!<\/p>\n I am the first to admit that I am not a Coupon Queen.\u00a0 I find them time consuming, and I always seem to forget them when I head to the store!\u00a0 BUT, what I mean by this statement is that I am not a Coupon Queen like you see on the reality shows!\u00a0 I just do not have the time to put into couponing like these ladies do.\u00a0 But, I DO<\/i><\/b> use coupons.<\/p>\n When I clip coupons, I only clip ones that I know I will use<\/i><\/b>.\u00a0 I don\u2019t stockpile grocery items in my garage or in closets in my home!\u00a0 I use the coupons for food, or items that I know I will use within the next couple of weeks.<\/p>\n There is a lot to learn about using coupons.\u00a0 Much of it can be found on the Internet if you do a search for Coupon 101.<\/p>\n Here are some tips that I have learned along the way:<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Next, I want to take you through the steps of using a Shopping List.<\/b><\/p>\n A shopping list is a must<\/i><\/b> if you want to save money with Meal Planning!\u00a0 There is no way around this!\u00a0 A list is your lifesaver when shopping.\u00a0 Never leave home without it!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n How many times have you gone to the grocery store to buy a gallon of milk, only to come home with over $100 in groceries?!?!\u00a0 It used to happen to me all the time!\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because I didn\u2019t plan ahead!\u00a0 My lack of planning cost me extra money every time I go to the store without a list!\u00a0 So the BEST<\/b> advice I can give you is to never ever<\/i><\/b> shop without a list and to STICK TO YOUR LIST!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n As we learned last week, we must first plan out our meals; checking food pantry and freezer to see what you have on hand first.\u00a0 This is a definite must before going grocery shopping.\u00a0 I used to always go to the grocery store, without my list, and pick up things that I just knew I was out of, only to find that I had that exact item on hand once I arrived home!\u00a0 Grrrr!!\u00a0 More money that I did not need to spend on that trip!<\/p>\n God calls us to be good stewards of what He has provided for us, and each time we shop without planning ahead, we are disobeying God\u2019s command to be good stewards of His provisions.<\/i><\/p>\n So here is my first rule:\u00a0 ALWAYS SHOP WITH A LIST & STICK TO THE LIST!<\/b><\/p>\n First check your pantry and freezer.\u00a0 Next plan your meals for the month, and then break it down to a weekly menu.\u00a0 Then decide what groceries you need to prepare the meals on your Menu Planner for that week.\u00a0 What you don\u2019t have on hand is what will go on your list.<\/p>\n I have some favorite grocery lists that I have found on the Internet.\u00a0 I would like to share those links with you, so you can choose which one works best for you.\u00a0 These sites offer FREE printables. \u00a0Remember, just a simple piece of notebook paper will work, too!<\/p>\n This will give you a good start.\u00a0 You can find more by doing an Internet search.<\/p>\n I will conclude this week\u2019s blog here.\u00a0 Just remember \u2026. TIME IS MONEY<\/i><\/b>!\u00a0 Make time to save money<\/em>!\u00a0 Plan ahead to save money<\/em>!\u00a0 Use coupons<\/em> to save money!\u00a0 Never shop without a list<\/em>!<\/p>\n Next week, we will talk about food preparation.\u00a0 I will share some tips for preparing your meals ahead of time to save time, and money!\u00a0 I hope you are enjoying this series, so far!\u00a0 If you have questions, please feel free to post them below.\u00a0 I will be happy to answer them myself, or find the answer for you!<\/p>\n Until next week,<\/strong><\/p>\n Christi<\/p>\n A Virtuous Woman plans ahead before making purchases and spends money wisely. She is careful to purchase quality items which her family needs. (Proverbs 31: 14, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 18, 1 Timothy 6: 10, Ephesians 5: 23, Deuteronomy 14: 22, Numbers 18: 26)<\/em><\/p>\n If you would like to send Christi a personal email in regards to this blog, please email her at: Christi@girlfriendscoffeehour.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Shopping Tips & Coupons One of the first things I do when it comes to Menu Planning is check my local grocery ads.\u00a0 I have two grocery stores here in my hometown, and two Walmart stores within 15 miles of where I live.\u00a0 I also have two other grocery stores I shop that are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15],"tags":[9296,209,1189,425,1205,1214,1216,1436,1435],"class_list":["post-7387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-at-home-with-gch","tag-at-home-with-gch","tag-christi-wilson","tag-coupons","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-grocery-lists","tag-meal-planning","tag-menu-planners","tag-money-saving-grocery-tips","tag-shopping-tips","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-1V9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7387"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7392,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7387\/revisions\/7392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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