Discouraged over setbacks to my attempts at "frugal" grocery shopping

[DJ1972]

Just an added thought on the running around part.....On our local news tonight they interviewed a guy who drove 10 miles out of his way to get gas 25cents cheaper per gallon, they figured it up for him and on top of wasting an extra half hour, he only saved a few pennies. I never really did the math before, always just thought about saving those pennies. When I was watching that it was like.........."DUH!" I sometimes get too caught up in the savings game and forget about the cost to me.

[lukesmama]

Hi.

I also wrote a post will try to link it to you about the basics of grocery shopping...hope it helps skill starter- The Art of Grocery Shopping
Leahmom

Thank you, this is good reading!

I have been trying to do my grocery list on an envelope, and it does help (keeping coupons inside of it). I just wind up with trouble because I put more coupons in the envelope than I wind up using. So then I have to try to separate the coupons in the store....like you said, with small children crying and reaching for things on the shelf (have to go straight down the middle of the aisle, so sorry for those unfortunate souls who try to pass me). So no matter what, it still winds up being a challenge, it seems.

I'll keep on trying! Today's shopping trip went MUCH better than last week's! I actually used all the coupons I had for the items I purchased.

[attorneymom]

You're not alone! I can totally identify with your post. Last week I got really "motivated" and used a bunch of coupons and went to 3 different stores to redeem them all. While I definitely saved a lot of money on a bunch of different items, it was a LOT of work, and I also had a couple of "mistakes." I also definitely bought some stuff I didn't really, truly need, simply because it was such a good deal. For me it wasn't Lysol wipes, but baby wash. I got 8 bottles of Huggies baby wash at Walgreen's for $1.00 each. Like your counters, my dd will be the cleanest little one on the block, even if we are eating Ramen noodles because there's no money left in the food budget! lol!

I personally am starting to realize that the way for me to really stay on budget (which for us is a more important goal right now than getting the best possible price on stuff) is to make a list, go to the store, stick to the list, then get out of the store!!! Last week taught me that, while I can definitely get things cheap with coupons, I know I can also stay on budget without all all the hassle and aggravation just by planning ahead and being disciplined.

About the formula - just FYI, Babies R Us (if you're near one), WM and Super Target all allowed me to exchange formula for formula, even without a receipt. As long as the can is unopened, they should give you a credit to use toward other formula without any problem. My dd had reflux as well, and we tried just about every formula on the market till we finally settled on one, so I know all about exchanging the stuff. Every store was really, really good about it. Good luck!

[Lorelei]

Just another thought - try separating out the HBAs from groceries. I know a lot of people put them together, but I find that it is easier to pinpoint problem areas if they're separate.

I've also found that you can break your budget with "good deals". The months I go overbudget are consistently because the deals were too good to pass up. I only shop 2 stores. I can't imagine how rough it would be keeping up with 5 or more. Maybe you should be happy you aren't even more overbudget? Then start, like you said, shopping at fewer stores.

[staceyy]

I've found that quite a few times when I've tried to master a new frugality tip, its cost me more money and time than I've saved. Some of these tips I've had to abandon and some I've had to refine in order to make them work. Over time I've gotten much better across the board. I don't think there's anyone out there that doesn't occasionally forget to use a coupon, no matter how experienced they are.

[lukesmama]

You're not alone! I can totally identify with your post. Last week I got really "motivated" and used a bunch of coupons and went to 3 different stores to redeem them all. While I definitely saved a lot of money on a bunch of different items, it was a LOT of work, and I also had a couple of "mistakes." I also definitely bought some stuff I didn't really, truly need, simply because it was such a good deal. For me it wasn't Lysol wipes, but baby wash. I got 8 bottles of Huggies baby wash at Walgreen's for $1.00 each. Like your counters, my dd will be the cleanest little one on the block, even if we are eating Ramen noodles because there's no money left in the food budget! lol!

That is too funny about the Huggies baby wash, because I did the same thing about a year ago, for about the same price! Guess what happened? It broke my son out in a rash. I took my son to the doctor and he said to use a hypoallergenic baby wash on him (Huggies wash wasn't at that time, but I think they may have changed the formula since then). His skin is much better since I went back to Johnson's head to toe wash and Gerber Grins & Giggles. So much for my "good deal". I gave it all to my sister's friend! She probably thought I was nuts!

[Lori Biever-Launder]

Unless you got the Lysol wipes for free, don't bother buying them. They aren't a good deal either environmentally or monetarily. Just go get a rag out and a handy dandy bottle of vinegar and water. Vinegar is a natural antiseptic and works great to clean things! If you need really tough cleaner to kill the "big bugs" use bleach and water. You can make gallons of vinegar and water for the cost of a couple of wipes!

[melissa&austin]

I stopped couponing all together. My local store does not double and there prices have been getting higher and higher. I would stock up on there "deals" but wasn't saving much. I finally started going to Save-A-Lot and save 40% each week consistantly..no coupons needed, though they do accept them!