The holidays are some of my favorite times. It use to be that just after Thanksgiving, the lights would start going up and the stores would start hanging the tinsel and playing the much loved tunes. It seems that with every year, the shopping season gets earlier and earlier. Although I don’t like having to listen to “Jingle Bells” for three months (I feel so sorry for the employees), I do agree that shopping early will make your holidays brighter.
Waiting until the last minute to do your holiday shopping will guarantee you just two things: One - you are definitely going to spend more than you planned to spend. Two - you will not get the perfect gift you hoped to buy for the ones you love.
Learning to shop ahead means you can take your time finding something that will be loved and used by the recipient. It also means that you can check out several stores to find the best price. The early bird can also shop online (often saving loads of money) and won’t have to spend a fortune on shipping because there is no rush.
Another great thing about shopping for the rush (especially if you are looking for toys for the kids) is that you have time to get something that the store might be out of at the time. Waiting until the last minute means if it isn’t on the shelf then you don’t get to buy it.
Don’t wait another minute. Start your holiday shopping now and use the savings to take the whole family on a great holiday trip.
Grocery shopping is a like a game for me. I spend time prepping for the game, drawing my lists and cutting out my coupons. Menus and quick fixes are planned and arranged by aisle on my list. There are even asterisks next to the items that correspond to the stash of coupons I have filed in my mine expandable folder. There are many twists, tricks, and turns I take to prepare for my grocery shopping adventure.
It’s not really so much a game as it is a hunt. Every time I head out to the grocery store, I am determined to save money. I think that is one of the main reasons I don’t like to send my husband out to do the shopping. He just doesn’t get the same rush over a couple of dollars as I do, so he doesn’t shop with the same care.
I’m always looking for the next great tip on how to save money at the grocery store. So far, my big savings was 25% - a far cry from some of these “coupon queens” that are every where. I blame my lack of savings on the rural area that I live. It can’t be my lack of preparations or my shopping skills - I have honed both with patience and practice. Still, it would be nice to stand at the check out aisle and watch the total due amount plummet with each card until it neared zero. Even better would be to find a way to make the grocery store pay me for doing my grocery shopping at their store.
Until that day comes, I will continue to clip my coupons because I know that I save about $10 a week when I do. I will continue to buy items just at the sale by date because the store gives me great discounts (this is especially great with meat and veggies that can be taken home and frozen). Nothing is going to stop me from getting more bangs for my buck at the grocery store.
The hunt is on.
Women are better - at least at food shopping. It’s true that men tend to be more capable of most spatial activities, but they can’t hold a candle to women when it comes to groceries.
Any women that has ever asked her husband or significant other to do the grocery shopping knows how true this concept is. Most women can go into the grocery store, find exactly what is on the list, and even save a few dollars, all in under an hour. Most men go in, having completely forgotten the list back at home, and just start buying. The costs aren’t important. The entire month’s budget can be blown with just won man-spree. The scariest part is seeing the groceries unloaded and realizing that you are just going to have to go back yourself and get what you REALLY needed.
I think the problems that men have in the grocery store are directly related to the fact that most of them won’t stop and ask for directions. The list isn’t forgotten so much as it is subconsciously left because “I don’t need help.”
If you haven’t run into this problem yet, then you aren’t a woman or else you haven’t asked a man to do your grocery shopping. Believe me; it’s not worth the “convenience.” I had surgery a couple of weeks ago, instead of having my husband do the shopping I just made due as long as I could. Grocery shopping was the first thing I did after coming home - AND I managed to save 15% of the total bill and bring home just what was on the list.
I’d like to see the average man beat that.
