Family of 6 on $4 a week?

[Ldychef2k]

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1009/673101.html?ref=tw#

Scroll down to the link for this video. I was impressed and jealous. We don't get those kinds of coupons here, the free stuff or even half off. But if I could, I would be doing this.

ETA: She has a web site. https://www.bigtent.com/groups/htsff

 

[Dace]

I would like to see some proof that she can feed a family of 6 on $4 per week for one thing.

For two, you CAN have significant savings when combining coupons with the best deals.

I used to play the Grocery Game and got my freezer and pantry absolutely stuffed with months worth of food for pretty cheap. Then our local stores put a limit on doubling Qs (coupons), that combined with our shrinking budget...well I lost interest in the game. Sort of.

The key is to clip multiples of Q, so i have a family of 6, I would buy 6 sunday papers and clip all the Qs. Weekly I would get a list of what was a good rock bottom sale price on things and told me when to play my Q.....kinda like poker, you gotta know when to hold em. So say shampoo went on sale buy one get one free. And I had 6 coupons 'buy one get one free' I would literally get 12 bottles of shampoo for free.

The trouble with couponing (outside of toiletries and a few other things) is that it is mostly garbage processed crap.

 

[Ldychef2k]

Wow, that's a wonderful system. Do you still do it? I haven't got the patience...

Her web site, or at least one associated with the search that I did, discussed the quality of the food, and indeed there is a preponderance of what some would consider junk food, but there are also a lot of good things to be had. I personally am not overly concerned with processed foods, so it's not that important to me. But it is vital to many.

I think there are some videos you can watch of this lady going shopping with news reporters. She actually did get like $267 worth of groceries for one penny. But it looks like it is almost her job...she spends many hours doing it. But hey, it works !

 

[Dace]

I have had those kinds of check outs...or at least pretty darn close. Just know that that kind of check out is your big win, your bragging rights, but not your regular check out and that is certainly not a weeks worth of meals. It is called a stockpile shop.

I still do it to a much smaller degree. I log in and see what produce and essentials are good deals. I still clip my Qs but I don't get the big scores anymore. The idea of buying a lot when it is a good deal is a good one, but I am also the type who gets excited and buys stuff because it is almost free or helped me get something free....and then I have so much stuff it is crazy. I still have cleaning supplies from a great winter promo in 2007.

You should check out the website if you are interested. The hard part is making the time to clip and sort your Qs. Get on the website, print out the list and hit the stores between Sunday-Tuesday (at least for me) then the new sale begins on Wed, the new list comes out after the Sunday Qs and again shop Sun-Tues. Most of my stores will only double 1 like Q. So I have to make 6 trips to get my best deals....but I drive right past my store 2 times a day just taking my kids to and from school...or I give them all a handful of Qs and we hit the store once together.

I am one of those who is trying to limit processed food, but if you are don't stress about that then it is a good way to stock up of stuff. Right now baking stuff is going on sale so I am keeping my eye open. Year before last I bought enough choc chips to last 1 1/2 yrs....for dirt cheap!

If you have any other questions, let me know

 

[Ldychef2k]

I am SO interested in doing this. #1 priority will be to get ink for the printer ! LOL (Bet there is an online coupon somewhere....just my luck !)

 

[DianeB]

I saw a similiar story on Good Morning America. The big issue I have with this way of shopping is nutrition. This person's pantry and refrigerator was filled with processed junk. There was no whole foods whatsoever. Feeding a family on next to nothing is nice but not at the expense of their health.

 

[Beekissed]

I would have to agree with this. No sense in getting cheap foods if they aren't anything you would feed your family....or even your dog.

Our church gave us some food once...I guess they thought we needed it at the time....that was left over from their Angel Food Ministry. It was a nice thought, but it wasn't anything we would normally ever eat, nor could one make multiple meals from it. It was frozen and highly processed, the chicken nuggets made us instantly sick with severe intestinal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea.

Never again!

Now...if they had coupons on bags of rice, beans, spices, oils, etc. That I could get excited about!

 

[FarmerChick]

there is ALOT of time and energy spent using these systems.

you have to track by internet coupons, write for manufacturer coupons, hit the papers, hit store sale papers, watch expire times, stores have to take multiple coupons, along with more than one coupon per item, etc. etc. Your stores do need to cooperate--mine don't on alot of things.

It is work truly doing this.

I don't have the time...LOL

it can be done but most don't want to spend the time to this level.

And when she showed her pantry---boxed junk and pre-packaged everything. Open and nuke. Does she cook from scratch ever?
LOL

 

[Dace]

That is the problem you end up lured into buying junk because it is so cheap!

BUT....the other side of this is there are many other things to be purchased that can be got for dirt cheap....make up, toiletries, cleaning supplies, gifty items. The system shows you what meats and produce are good deals too.

You can also take advantage of some foods that you may not normally eat, processed crackers etc, to have on hand for unexpected drop in friends, or in my case, when kids come over...they can plow through a
bag of doritos in nothing flat....once in a while I don't mind that, I just don't want my kids sitting down to a feed bag full of that crap on a regular basis.

Lady......let me know if you have questions. There is a big learnign curve, but I know how you tackle things so you should catch on pretty quick go to www.thegrocerygame.com you can sign up for a free 1 month trial.

 

[Dace]

there is ALOT of time and energy spent using these systems.

you have to track by internet coupons, write for manufacturer coupons, hit the papers, hit store sale papers, watch expire times, stores have to take multiple coupons, along with more than one coupon per item, etc. etc. Your stores do need to cooperate--mine don't on alot of things.

It is work truly doing this.

I don't have the time...LOL

it can be done but most don't want to spend the time to this level.

And when she showed her pantry---boxed junk and pre-packaged everything. Open and nuke. Does she cook from scratch ever?
LOL

When I did it heavy duty, I did spend a few hours a week on it, but it sounds much more complicated than it really is. I never looked at ads....I just logged into my web site, read thru the list, clicked the items I planned to buy, printed it off and hit the stores. I also had more time than I did money, so it was very worth it to me.

Trying to do it without the list is much more time consuming.

And realy....besides oddballs like us, who cooks from scratch?
Open & Nuke seems to be the mentality of our society