Comments on The Sharp Scissors Lady: Thought Provoking Thursday

Monroe- Thank you for that link. I looked at it, ...

2010-03-12T09:17:22.676-05:00

Monroe-
Thank you for that link. I looked at it, and was amazed that the average for my household should be $350 (it's just me and my husband). In no way do we spend that much, and it's great to see how far below we are.

If you want to get a realistic idea on how good yo...

2010-03-12T08:06:54.561-05:00

If you want to get a realistic idea on how good your grocery shopping skills are, regardless of the tactics, then compare your grocery budget to the Cost of Food study at the USDA site. You can look up your size family and demographics on the charts. Set your goal to put your grocery expenses at or near the "thrifty" range for your size family. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodCost-Home.htm

Thanks Christine! Keep up the great shopping!

2010-03-11T22:14:50.576-05:00

Thanks Christine! Keep up the great shopping!

Before deciding to stay at home with my girls I wa...

2010-03-11T15:49:14.785-05:00

Before deciding to stay at home with my girls I was a Budgeter for a large corporation. I love crunching numbers and finding creative spending solutions. Couponing is right up my alley! It is kind of a game for me but also FUN! I have been able to share tips with family and friends and I also find that very rewarding.

I have only been couponing since Thanksgiving and there was a huge learning curve. For the first two months I was driving around like a mad woman finding every deal I could even if it was a product I did not need or would never use. I feel like I am in my groove now and know how to maximize my time and purchases.

I do not get sad when I see other's spending is less than mine. Every family has different needs and what they purchase might not work for my family. I am thrilled with what I am now able to accomplish with our household budget.

I have to say one of the best tips that has saved us the most money was from you! I now primarily shop manager specials for bakery items, produce and meats. It has saved us so much and no coupon required :) Love this blog!

Danielle, Julie and Ellen, Yep! You ladies are do...

2010-03-11T15:48:23.371-05:00

Danielle, Julie and Ellen,
Yep! You ladies are doing a great job caring for your family and keeping a cool head about saving! Keep up the good work!

Good post. We are a large family and have a fairl...

2010-03-11T15:35:21.074-05:00

Good post. We are a large family and have a fairly large budget for food/cleaning/toiletries/otc meds all wrapped into 1 bigger category. We also have some dietary restrictions and some personal preferences (not too many of those though!) so our budget may include some things that other people's do not & vice versa. I can ALWAYS work on and want to improve our budget - lowering our monthly amount is a goal. Sometimes I read about a family paying only $25.00/week on food (just as an example) & get discouraged but then need to step back and ask...hmmm? How long have they been stockpiling? How much time do they have available to them? How many people & what ages are in their family? Etc.

I appreciate your thoughts - thank you.

I think of managing the grocery budget as more of ...

2010-03-11T15:27:12.751-05:00

I think of managing the grocery budget as more of a challenge than a game. I used to get discouraged when I'd hear about someone saving some huge percentage. After I reflected, though, I realized that I shop at some places that don't do "sales" or coupons, places like a farmer's market where the price is the price.
Instead of focusing on my percentage, I now focus on how far under my budget I can get each month.

Hi Laura, I agree that everyone has their own spen...

2010-03-11T14:10:49.747-05:00

Hi Laura,
I agree that everyone has their own spending style and value of time spent verses hitting every deal at different stores to use a coupon. If I plan well and go to a few different stores then I will in the end save more money. However, sometimes with a husband and three kids that just is not possible therefore once in a while I spend more than I would like. I do find that I will get a little discouraged at first when I see how others saved but I quickly look at what I have done for my family as well as helping our budget and I feel that I did what I was capable of doing at that time. I really enjoyed reading this blog from you today because it helped to put it all in perspective. It is nice to know there are others out there who understand what it means to be a mother and wife running a household and helping others. Keep up the good work!