Jackson Free Press

On my journey to frugality, I've discovered a myriad of blogs and books that describe all sorts of strategies for saving money. Some strategies I find extremely helpful, and others are simply extreme. While exploring ways to save money on groceries, I am also pursuing a balanced life. As I evaluate cost-cutting ideas, I want them to enrich my life and give me a better perspective on the future. Frugality is only helpful as long as it makes my life better.

Coupons are an obvious way to save money on groceries, and I've looked into ways that they can help reduce our costs. I found that for my husband and me, coupons are a way to save an occasional buck, but they don't have a big impact on our food budget. Using coupons as a significant money-saver requires a good bit of time and research, and they can sometimes create temptations to buy things that aren't necessary.

At this point in our lives, it's not worth the commitment. We make an effort to eat healthy food, and I cook real food from raw ingredients most of the time. I have typically found coupons for processed food and household items, not fresh produce or baking supplies. For me, it's best to shop for the best price and wait for items to go on sale, rather than utilizing a coupon.

I have found that it is more effective for me to cook from scratch than to search for prepared food coupons. For example, I have taken to using my bread machine. It produces delicious, healthy bread with minimal effort. If my alternative is cheap store-bought bread filled with lots of preservatives and unnecessary sugar, I'll choose homemade every time.

As I've experimented and done research on budget shopping, it has become increasingly clear that moderation is key. Coupons are not the primary way I save money, but they may work perfectly for someone else. Others may not have time or energy to cook with fresh ingredients all the time, but it works for me. At a different stage of life, my best strategy could change. While we budget our money and time, we have to set goals we can reasonably accomplish.

Our budget works best when we have a specific goal in mind. Our short-term goal may be to spend $100 or less on groceries this month, but that goal needs to be applied to a long-term goal for it to be effective. Is your goal paying off debt? Saving for a trip? Putting away enough money to cope with unexpected costs? Whatever the priority, small choices can add up to big results, and we're much more motivated to live simply, without waste, when we have the big picture in mind.