It's so easy to watch TLC's Extreme Couponing and feel like you have to be getting everything for free or 10 cents or you suck at using coupons. It's hard to keep in mind that those trips are staged and that the 100 bottles of hot sauce they just bought might look impressive, but sure isn't going to keep their families fed. So how much can you realistically expect to save?
Groceries: I typically save between 22 and 40 percent, with a typical savings of about 30%. If you're saving 85% on your grocery bill, you are probably eating crap food. I don't do this to see how cheap I can stuff pop tarts down my kids. I do this to provide them the highest quality foods we can reasonably afford. I've also started taking 15% from our 30% average savings and plowing it right back into the grocery budget to afford more organic items.
Toiletries: Ok, this is where I save the big bucks. You can realistically expect a minimum savings of 60% in this category. I shoot for 75%- sometimes I do better than that and sometimes not. I have a 6 month toiletry stockpile in our bathroom, which I'll show you later.
Bear in mind that I stay home with the kiddos, so finding the deals is my part-time job. The bottom line- don't make yourself nuts. If you save even 2 bucks on your groceries a week, that's $104 dollars a year. Do what you can, when you can :)
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