So, here’s the scenario …
- Spend an hour working your way through a LONG grocery list
- Wait in line at the checkout with a fistful of coupons, ready to save, save, save!
- Finish checking out, and see at the bottom of your receipt … You saved $4.30 today
What?? Just $4.30? Has this ever happened to you? It hardly seems worth it!
This was my typical experience with coupons. After enough hassle-filled trips resulting in paltry savings, I justified eschewing coupons with “we buy mostly fresh produce and there are no coupons for that,” or “coupons will make me buy things I don’t really want or need.” Deep down, however, I knew that there was a way to make them work. My friend Kristin saves A LOT of money using coupons, so I asked her if I could interview her! She shared some of her great techniques with me. I am SO excited, in turn, to share them with all of you!
I recently discovered a way to save on lunch meat. I have passed by the large, whole, fully-cooked, plain or maple-flavored boneless hams in the meat department many times before while shopping at our local Shur Save. It was simply too much for a meal unless extended family was coming to dinner! One time, for whatever reason, I viewed them as a significant cost savings in comparison to the deli meats. I did some quick calculations: the whole ham was priced at $2.99 per pound … the deli meat was $7.49 per pound … at two pounds of meat per week, we’d save $9 each week. That works out to $36 per month or almost $400 per year (assuming we have ham every day of course!) I wondered if I could have it sliced and freeze it. 
Okay, I admit, it’s a sensational headline, but it’s an interesting way to think about the drink that gets many of us through the day. I’ve tried many different ways of procuring this nectar of life: the neighborhood barista, free coffee from the bank, and using a coffee machine or french press at home. Of course, the first one is the only one that really adds up, but this article as much about taste as it is about cost anyway, so here goes…
