Our coupons save us money!

One area of finances that I’m getting good at reducing is my grocery budget. I’ve been diligent about making sure I have a coupon for most of the items I purchase, use my club rewards card, and purchase items on sale. Utilizing all three strategies to reduce my bill, I’ve cut my grocery bill by 1/3. I’m not one for clipping coupons, so I’ve been using eBay to purchase really large dollar off coupons and my club card coupons I receive every 3 months. Here are a few coupons I’ve purchased online that were worth the small price I paid:

• $10 off Iams coupons: I purchase a bag of cat food every three weeks for my 3 lovable furr-balls. With a $10.00 off coupon and with the cat food on sale, I purchased 5 bags of cat food for $18.00. I don’t know where these eBay sellers find these coupons, but they are great!
• $3.00 off World’s Best Cat Litter: I’m sure you see a trend here, saving money on pet items! This litter is the best, it is corn-based and completely biodegradable. On sale for $6.99 plus my $3.00 off coupon, I bought 4 bags for $16.00!
• $1.00 off any two Gatorades: My husband’s favorite drink, on sale for .89 cents plus his $1.00 off coupon, he purchased 10 Gatorades for $3.90.

The remaining coupons I use are based on my quarterly grocery purchases from my local grocery store, Ralphs. Ralphs has a great rewards program, earn $1.00 reward for every 100 points (or $100.00 spent). I also earn 5 points for every reusable bag I bring, which usually equates to 25 points. In a three month period, I usually spend between $750 – $1,000 on groceries. So, when I receive my rewards coupon there is usually a $10.00 off coupon towards any purchase. It’s a great incentive to keep me shopping at Ralphs!

It’s a good feeling to walk out of the grocery store spending less than $14.00 for 25 items, and seeing a savings of $21.88 at the bottom of a receipt. Now if only I could apply this kind of savings to my utility bills, I’d be golden!