i am trying to find a way to save on groceries. i have tried many methods to do this.

1. going in the grocery store blindly. yes i have done this. i used to do this all the time. i hated making lists and if i did make one i would usually leave it at home. i'd ALWAYS overspend, impulse buy, and feel like crap when i get home.

2. buying in bulk at the beginning of the month, therefore keeping my weekly budget low. this worked, kinda. i spent a huge chunk of money at costco, which is fine considering these items will last us a long time. i spent $10 on a 10lb box of oatmeal, which is great price. so those kind of things are worth stocking up on. now keeping my weekly budget low is the issue. i am always over budget. i blame the grocery stores, they are too overpriced. either that or i just suck at grocery shopping. lets go with blaming the stores.

3. COUPONING! i love couponing. but i also hate couponing. i couponed for about a year and i will share the pros and cons in my opinion.
PROS: save tons of money. i think i spent about $40 a week for a family of 3. sometimes i made money. i think i did have one trip to the grocery store where the cashier owed me a few cents. this is RARE though.
and the rush i get when i leave the store with $75 worth of groceries that i paid $20 for. truly awesome.
CONS: time consuming. couponing is a full time job. i already have a full time job and it isn't couponing. to truly save money you have to put time into it. sorting and organizing coupons, looking a sale flyers and matching coupons up. it takes awhile sometimes.
its stressful. i feel like i have to compete with other couponers. i can't tell you how many times i worried if the shelves were going to be empty when i got to the store. it is really disappointing when the shelves ARE empty. but i am thankful for rainchecks.
when i was couponing i felt like i was bringing home lots of junk and unhealthy foods. there are coupons for healthy foods but i feel like there are more for junk foods. which sucks. but you just have to be smart about it.

and i have come to the conclusion on the method(s) i will use. a combination of bulk buying and couponing. yes i can't help it, i miss the rush i'd get from couponing. so now i wil try this method and see how it works out.

speaking of couponing, i want to say how unrealistic it is for one to go to the store, rack up $500 in groceries and only expect to pay $10. on my shopping trips i usually aim to save 50-75%. so for people who want to coupon, do not go in it expecting to get everything for free. people think this reality because of what they see on tv. you know half the crap they put on tv isn't real anyway.