You will be horrified....

[alissa103]

Welcome!!! I agree that this site ROCKS! And the fact that it's FREE... oh I just love that

Yup, been there done that on the grocery spending And I used to throw my coupon inserts into our recycling bins every week Now I'm scrambling to get all I can!!!

Someone on here gave me the advice to never pay for toothpaste or toothbrushes because you'll get them free. At first I was hesitant to pass up the .25 toothpaste or the .50 brushes. But it wasn't long before I got my first free tube and that sealed the deal for me! I've only been doing this since March and I already have a stockpile of 3 free tubes of paste and 4 brushes. The best was when we ran out of toothpaste last week and I pulled out the FREE tube

We don't have CVS here (UGH!) but I've been able to get free or nearly free health & beauty products at the grocery, too. And I've been doing WAGS RR and that has gotten me some free or nearly free goods, too.

[JustCallMeJune]

Hi Katie and Welcome from another Michigander! Sounds like you're doing great already, and it will only get better!

[Sylvia]

....at what I spent on groceries in the past! I'm Katie - and new to the board (although I have been lurking for a while!)

Earlier this year I started to wonder where all of our money was going and decided to track our grocery spending for the last six months of 2008. We do all of our grocery shopping on credit cards that we pay in full, so tracking is simple. I discovered we were spending (for two adults, and two todders, food, H&B, Diapers) $1200 a month.

When I found this site I was amazed at the stories of real people spending $300 a MONTH (not a week) on groceries. You're all inspiring!

I'm not down where you all are yet, but The first month my grocery bill dropped by $200, the second month $200 - so I'm down to $800 and I hope to cut that in half. I think in my enthusiam for $1 toothpaste, cheap shampoo etc I bought too much initially. Now that I have enough toothpaste and cleaning supplies to last for a while, I'm sure it will drop more.

Just wanted to say 'hello' from Michigan and thanks to Stephanie for all she does and for everyone on board who shares tips and hints. It's addicting!

It will take a bit before it really sinks in... and starts working... but you are well on your way!

I think... perhaps another Michiganer can verify... But I think your state has a "scanner accuracy law" which requires them to pay you a reward if their price doesn't come up correctly. Seems to me it was like $5 plus you get the product for free... does that sound right?? Anyway... that's another tool in your arsenal.

Several of the SuzieQ's and SammyQ's on here are really good at rolling ECBs and RRs.

S

[Katie]

Thanks for all the messages - really, you're all just inspiring! Who knew that cutting coupons could be so much fun??? I got my first 'free' stuff at Kroger last week - Angel Soft TP and it was such a thrill! ha!

[Oceanstar1974]

Welcome! I was spending 1200.00 a month about 2 years ago when I was working. It was my whole monthly check! Then I got to about 800-900 then my husband got laid off in January so now Im about at 580-680 and just started in February. I have a huge stock pile , still spending more then I want in a month but we have 10 animals so that accounts for alot of it. Welcome again!

[Lauzoka]

Hi Katie and welcome to the forums! I just started couponing in Feb of this year and last week I finally decided to look back at my expenses over the last 6 months (excluding April) and I found that I had an average spending of $1300/mth (I am also a family of 4).

I knew it would be high but that figure blew me away! This month I'm proud to say that I am down to $650 and I KNOW that amount can come down a lot further because I am done with all the stockpiling. It has been really liberating to discover the whole coupon world and I am very thankful for all the great members here who have helped me along the way!

You're going to love this new approach to living better and I know you'll be very successful, as well! Keep tracking expenses because seeing the numbers come down is what makes it so easy to keep on treking on....

Good luck!
Kathy

[PattyCake]

Hi Katie and welcome to the forums from Indiana.

[NiftyThrifty]

Welcome!
I'm from MI too, although I'm a couple hrs north of you

[momto3kittiess]

....at what I spent on groceries in the past! I'm Katie - and new to the board (although I have been lurking for a while!)

Earlier this year I started to wonder where all of our money was going and decided to track our grocery spending for the last six months of 2008. We do all of our grocery shopping on credit cards that we pay in full, so tracking is simple. I discovered we were spending (for two adults, and two todders, food, H&B, Diapers) $1200 a month.

When I found this site I was amazed at the stories of real people spending $300 a MONTH (not a week) on groceries. You're all inspiring!

I'm not down where you all are yet, but The first month my grocery bill dropped by $200, the second month $200 - so I'm down to $800 and I hope to cut that in half. I think in my enthusiam for $1 toothpaste, cheap shampoo etc I bought too much initially. Now that I have enough toothpaste and cleaning supplies to last for a while, I'm sure it will drop more.

Just wanted to say 'hello' from Michigan and thanks to Stephanie for all she does and for everyone on board who shares tips and hints. It's addicting!

Welcome! You can do it!!! Ask as many questions as you need to. I babysit 3 kids. 10 month old, 2 1/2 yr old, and an 8 yr old 10-12 hours a day so I feed them all meals. Then its me and DH. We spend around $300 a month on groceries. Sometimes more, sometimes less. So you CAN do it!

[Live4Coupons]

I think... perhaps another Michiganer can verify... But I think your state has a "scanner accuracy law" which requires them to pay you a reward if their price doesn't come up correctly. Seems to me it was like $5 plus you get the product for free... does that sound right?? Anyway... that's another tool in your arsenal. S

Yes, we do have a scanner law! The scanner law has been on the books for 30+ years. I diligently check all my receipts. You must complete the transaction to be entitled to the award.

In a nutshell, if the item you're purchasing is clearly marked with a price, and the item scans at a higher price, you're entitled to the difference in price, plus 10 times the difference in price (up to a max. of $5). Last week I purchased an item that had a price sticker clearly indicating the item was 50 cents. There were at least 20 of these items on the shelf, all labeled at 50 cents. The item scanned at $1.99. After completing the transaction, I checked my receipt and noted the error. Take the item to the CS desk and get it resolved. I was given the difference in price ($1.49 plus tax, so $1.58), and then also entitled to the award, which was an add'l $5 (difference of $1.49 x 10 is greater than the $5 award limit, so I received $5). Total back in my pocket was $6.58.

You have 30 days to claim the award - I prefer to take care of it at the time I am at the store so I don't need to make an extra trip back.

Best thing you can do is make yourself familiar with the language of the award, and what the consumer is entitled to. You'd be surprised at how many store personnel will tell you that there is no such law, or give you a variety of reasons why you're not entitled to the award. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the same error at the same store never get corrected on the remaining shelf items, even though I've brought it to their attention.
IMHO, Meijer is probably the best store for knowing the law, and also going back to the sales floor to correct the pricing error.

Here are some links to the Attorney General website:
AG - Item Pricing (Scanner Law) Frequently Asked Question 3/2008

This wallet card is handy to print out and keep with you:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/It...d_131589_7.pdf

Welcome aboard!