Even with a family of three, shopping can be a tedious process especially on a one income budget! I’m the couponista (Litsa) in the family—-the one that loves to save (but have it all in the process)! As I juggle time for myself, my daughter, our family, time with my husband, and time away from home visiting friends and family, I love to rely on our stockpiles! We almost never run out of items that we use on a daily basis: Windex, toilet paper, paper towels, coffee, sugar, coffee filters, tea, etc. I keep these items and many, many others stockpiled when sales collide with coupons (and especially when rebates and/or catalinas are up for grabs)!! Thus, I am able to do what I call “segment shopping“!
When a sale arises on one particular spot of products in the grocery store and/or in the local retailers’ sale paper, I am able to hone in on that area of goods to save our family more money and keep our stockpiles stocked for months in advance! For instance, the last two weeks Kroger had a mega event that included many of the cleaning supplies we use. I shopped at rock bottom prices when I combined their store promotion of buy 5 get $5 off, coupons, and Kroger Catalina Offers! I was able to stock my cleaning closets for months in advance with Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles, Pledge, Lysol, and more!
With over 8 bottles of Windex and 6 bottles of Pledge the maid (a.k.a. myself) will not need to run to the store for items we have in our stockpiles. I can move on to the next “segment” that needs attention in our house! I don’t have to worry about shampoo and conditioner for months either—even with the promise of three showers or more a day with pool time! The P&G rebate and coupons were perfect for that stockpile!
If I had to focus on one segment in our home to update with sales and coupons right now, it would be the pantry since we eat three meals a day out of our kitchen—-many times seven days a week! Thus, my end of April segment shopping will include staples for the pantry: Strawberry Preserves, tea, and a few other items. While I’m shopping for perishables, my segment shopping focus will include the pantry! This helps me feel less overwhelmed while watching sales and saving my family the most money. As I segment shop, I also enlist the help of friends and family to watch products that we use everyday. My brother was able to buy coffee for my husband from Staples in Atlanta and have it shipped to me for $51—a savings of $69 (when I consider just the sale price of what I watch for locally) and a coffee stockpile for my husband: 15 large cans of Folgers!
Do you segment shop to save more money? Start small and watch your stockpiles grow as you save more money!
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