I AM THE COUPON MOMMA
I go in with a plan. We are a one income family with 2 small children and one BIG appetite. I first sit down and plan every meal for a 2 week period (that is our pay period) and I only shop twice a month. First comes the meal plan. I start by listing day of the week and the date for that day. I am also sure to note any special ocassions like going out of town, hosting someone for dinner or eating over at someones house. Then I go through my pantry and see what I have that I can make into a meal for those 2 weeks. Usually I can scrounge up 3-4 meals this way...leaving me with 10 dinners instead of 14. I plan for leftover lunches and cheap lunches for me and the girls. Then I go through the HEB ad. I look at the... combo locos meal deals sale items etc. [ps. I usually get my sodas at Brookshires because they more than usually run the 4 for $10 deal] I can usually fill in a few meals from the ad and then comes the fun part--THE COUPON BOOK! I have a 3 ring binder full of baseball card pro...