I work full time and I have two toddlers, a 10mnth old and a 21mnth old I am trying to cut our weekly grocery budget from 100-150 down and am hoping that one day I can get it down to 50 a week but I just feel like I never have time to do this working full time. I read these blogs and a majority of these women do not work. Does anyone here work full time? And if so, can you give me some tips on how to manage this?
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to aslinc For This Useful Post:
only chase the deals that you need. I work full time w/ a 45 min commute each way and have 2 small children (a 7 month old & 2 year old). I only do 2 grocery stores and 2 drugstores, and i try to only hit each store once a week. I also only organize Qs after the kids are in bed, and it usually only takes me about 1-2hours/week. Just admit that you will miss some deals, or accidentally let Qs expire, but as long as you are able to get what you need with a decent stockpile, then it is what it is. I would rather spend the time with my kids then trudging through all the stores!
__________________ Happy wife and mom to a crazy two year old little boy To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. and his beautiful little sister! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to crissy148 For This Useful Post:
What I did was find a site that does the match-ups for me, (Just google your favorite store, and matchup - like "Harris Teeter Coupon Matchup" and make sure it's in your area.
Then I filed inserts whole and didn't cut them until I needed a coupon - and you never cut the o ens you don't use.
This will cut your time involvement way down. The downside is you won't always know what coupons you have and it will take you more time to get ready to head to the store as you've got to cut before you go.
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Kayhold For This Useful Post:
I work fulltime w/3 little ones at home. Like someone else said, I only go for the deals that we NEED. If I was trying to chase all the deals, I'd never be home. . I do also shop at night after the kids have gone to bed. It is hard to try to find balance, but if you just stick to what you NEED then everything goes more smoothly!
__________________
Please remind me if I haven't left you feedback! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to couponlaydee For This Useful Post:
I have 4 kids from 1 to 11 years old. I work full time and go to school. I usually check my coupon blogs and get set up at night when the kids are sleep. I do my list of groceries on a spread sheet and get all the coupons I'm going to need on Fridays and on Saturday morning I go to the grocery store. As for getting deals @ Walgreens my Walgreens allows people to shop for Sunday deals on Saturday after 6pm. If you have any questions or if I can be of any assistance PM me.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to melkat28 For This Useful Post:
I work full-time and I've cut my grocery bills down to about $50/week (for a family of four, including two teenagers). I also live in an area with high sales tax on food and hba's. I totally agree with crissy148...I only chase the deals I NEED. I don't use cat food, so I would not do a cat food deal, you know?
I organize/clip coupons while watching t.v. and early Saturday morning I make my lists for the week with the early previews I find online. That's it.
__________________ Southeast Region Kroger Queen To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to steffus For This Useful Post:
Thanks everyone! I have been sticking with only two stores. Stop & Shop and BJ's Wholesale in my area so hopefully I can cut down on cost with what my family NEEDS!! & ps I love all the support here thanks again!
The Following User Says Thank You to aslinc For This Useful Post:
I work full time. Have a 1,2 and 8 yr olds. It takes longer when u just get started to clip and organize. One you have a system that work for you it will take you half the time that it takes now. What I do is this. I have a binder. I get 4-6 papers a week. When I get the inserts I rip them all down to one page and put all the like pages together and cut them all at once (I used to do one page at a time. That is very time consuming) the I put them in my binder. And that's most of the work. It takes me maybe an hour at the most. An that's done usually Sunday night. Then just use the boards here for your store (start with one. If u try to do to many at first you will get overwhelmed) ppl post deals here so take the deal see if you have the coupon and your good to go. Let the boards do the leg work finding deals until you comfortable doing your own matchups
__________________
ISO
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
25/1 sunny d, 55/1 barilla, Any Ronzoni , 40/1 wacky Mac, 75/1 Swiss tea,
Any Turkey hill (tea and ice cream), Any magnum ice cream
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to sarahnjess05 For This Useful Post:
On a side not. If you have a shoprite or acme near you I would suggest switching stores. I used to use stop n shop and I now use shoprite. The savings are night and day. I save $30-50 MORE per trip at shoprite. And the shoprite forum here is the BEST!
__________________
ISO
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
25/1 sunny d, 55/1 barilla, Any Ronzoni , 40/1 wacky Mac, 75/1 Swiss tea,
Any Turkey hill (tea and ice cream), Any magnum ice cream
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to sarahnjess05 For This Useful Post:
ugh no I don't well I am not sure if there is a shoprite def no Acme . I have stop & shop, shaws/stars, whole foods and hannafords. There's a Market Basket that everyone raves about the savings but its 1hr away from me and I don't want to waste the time, I have a gas guzzling suv and a main reason I stay and stop&shop is the gas points I usually go food shopping on sunday and then get my gas for the week.
I agree it is difficult to find deals when you work full time. I work full time with out kids. I altered my daily commute to include a morning stop at my 24 hour Walgreens and 24 hour CVS. Most days I also make another trip during my lunch break. I like to hit up the grocery store one hour before closing to avoid the crowds. I am constantly clipping and researching deals on my laptop while my husband watches TV.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Nancytt For This Useful Post:
I work 45-50 hrs per week and have a 16 month old DD. I visit this site and the Krazycouponlady to find the best deals and then shop on my days off and/or at night. This is also the times that I organize. Once you get into a groove and get better at it, you'll find you don't need as much time as u originally did. When I started couponing I was sending 20-30 hrs per week between clipping, organizing and shopping. Now (after only a few months) I spend about 5 hrs per wk total.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Harri4sl For This Useful Post:
I work full time. I am home now on maternity leave. I have MORE time to coupon at work than I do at home caring for 3 children. Much easier to clip, sort, research deals and plan trips at my desk! I also run into stores on my way home from work where now my hubby has to be home since I have yet to venture out alone with all 3. I want to know how stay at home moms manage!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Come see what's Free/Cheap at To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Last edited by missdanalu; 07-05-2011 at 07:56 PM.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to missdanalu For This Useful Post:
I work a full time job at about 45 hours a week with a 45 minute commute and then I also work a 16 hour shift every weekend at my other job, however I don't have any small children just one big 40 year old kid... I mean husband! My monthly budget for groceries was 450 and 75 for household and hygiene items. I have already cut it WAY down. I am hoping to be able to quit my second job when I get better at this whole thing. I usually get about 10 papers and like it was said before I lay all of the like pages together and staple the Q's that I want to clip. I clip them all and they go in to their respective piles to go into my binder. That takes about an hour some times more depending on what is on T.V. LOL! Then after I am all done with that I look at the weekly ads and kinda figure out in my mind what store I will be going to. We don't really have double Q's here in Florida. There are a few stores but I would have to travel about an hour and a half so it would have to be really really good to go that far. We are kinda over run in my area with different grocery stores and drug stores. So that is a good thing. Deciding what I want to get and from what store is the part that takes the longest. However once you get your groove it will go by much faster. Good luck!!!
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Mareh For This Useful Post:
I work full time. I am home now on maternity leave. I have MORE time to coupon at work than I do at home caring for 3 children. Much easier to clip, sort, research deals and plan trips at my desk! I also run into stores on my way home from work where now my hubby has to be home since I have yet to venture out alone with all 3. I want to know how stay at home moms manage!
Wish I had free time at my desk!! :-) My staff, meetings in the office and out in the field keep me runnin'!
I really like the ideas posted on this thread! Thanks everyone!
__________________ Life's too long not to enjoy it along the way To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
The Following User Says Thank You to suzanimal_fl For This Useful Post:
This is a great thread! I've tried every method of organizing available and still het behind easily. I work 10 hour days four days a week. I have an hour and 15 min. commute each way. I have three boys ages 9 10 and 11. I go to school online - only one class at a time but it takes about 10 hours a week. I also started a coupon/blog & Facebook page AND volunteered to be a forum leader for one of my local stores. Yeah - when I start a new hobby, I go in full force!!!
All that and I still need time to sort, research, clip, etc. It gets done - but I do miss a lot of deals. Even ones that I need. I saw your thread and though "oh gosh, I hope there is help here for me too!" . It is all very overwhelming at times but it's a hobby I am enjoying very much. My family is loving all the different stuff we get now that we never got to have before and I am just amazed at how much money I was wasting before coupons!
Some people have help too. Some get their spouses involved. Mine will search for some coupons - but doesn't seem to find too many. He will do a separate transaction for me at the store. Him and the kids are helpful at the store because I can send them to get things on the kist and cut time there. They also have the job of looking for blinkies and tearpads
Ultimately, I've decided that I just need about 10 more hours in every day! I agree with PP that it gets smoother as you go along and get a "rhythm" and your own system. However - my system is ever evolving .
Didn't mean to take over the thread here - but thanks for posting this!! I think there are a lot of people with the same question and some just give up! I NEVER give up
Sent from my iPhone
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Shashahx For This Useful Post:
This is a great thread! I've tried every method of organizing available and still het behind easily. I work 10 hour days four days a week. I have an hour and 15 min. commute each way. I have three boys ages 9 10 and 11. I go to school online - only one class at a time but it takes about 10 hours a week. I also started a coupon/blog & Facebook page AND volunteered to be a forum leader for one of my local stores. Yeah - when I start a new hobby, I go in full force!!!
Didn't mean to take over the thread here - but thanks for posting this!! I think there are a lot of people with the same question and some just give up! I NEVER give up
Sent from my iPhone
I have put a pause on my online MBA classes, so I totally know how that goes. Finished my BSM online and I never felt caught up in any area of my life. LOL.
Yes, there are deals that I miss as well and my DD is now getting involved with the coupons and helping around the house. I sure wish I could get 10 hrs more per week, too!
And I agree...most people give up before they give themselves enough time to succeed. And I dont give up, either! Not when it's something important.
Good luck with school!!!!
__________________ Life's too long not to enjoy it along the way To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
The Following User Says Thank You to suzanimal_fl For This Useful Post:
I used to work 12 hour my first break was lunch my 30 mIntue lunch break and last 20 mintue break was for clipping coupons and match-up deals. On my way home I hit stores for deal and I will leave early from home to hit deals LOL. i had a system which way I go home which deals would I hit. Now that I AM NOT WORKING I hate to spend money on gas so my deals are few.
__________________
Lost the best part of me 6/26/2010
There are many forms of death - you can die physically, you can die mentally and you can sadly die from loneliness.
I have put a pause on my online MBA classes, so I totally know how that goes. Finished my BSM online and I never felt caught up in any area of my life. LOL.
Yes, there are deals that I miss as well and my DD is now getting involved with the coupons and helping around the house. I sure wish I could get 10 hrs more per week, too!
And I agree...most people give up before they give themselves enough time to succeed. And I dont give up, either! Not when it's something important.
Good luck with school!!!!
Thank you!! I have thought about taking a semester off but I'm sure if I do that - my "pause" would never end!! I want to keep up the momentum on it - it's only one class every 8 weeks so not bad. But it will take me so ling to finish this way too. Another reason I can't put a hold on it - I really need the completed degree for my career. Didn't exactly pick the best time to finally find a hobby - but at least it's a good one!
Sent from my iPhone
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Shashahx For This Useful Post:
I work full time and we keep a n on going list of what we need. Luckily we get WAGS flyers & most of the grocery stores flyers on Thursday's, so that helps in planning. The rest is checking database against my list with the flyers and when Sun. comes it's all done.
I work full time midnights and am the primary caregiver for my disabled husband. While he's an adult, not a child, he needs a lot of help and it's a big job in itself.
I use couponing as 'my' time. While I know it's working on saving money, I use the time I would have spend just dubbing online and playing games.
Before work every night, I make sure I have a list of what I want to buy at the store and have the coupons lined up for the trip. I hit the store after work, right when they open so don't have trouble with big lines and unless it's the two days of the week that the truck comes in, the shelves have been restocked overnight and I usually don't have trouble getting the deals. I concentrate on stocking up on things I know we will use, don't worry about things I don't normally buy, just b/c it's free or a MM.
It's work, but it's worth it to see how much I save. I know if I don't coupon, I am wasting the money I worked my butt off to get so I'm not about to let that happen!
Ditto everything that has already been said! DD is 16 months old and I work well over 40 hours a week ( I'm a home health nurse) but the way I squeeze it in is I don't clip and organize and death for deals until she us in bed. This may leave me out of some deals but after I am away from my angel all day I'm dying to some time with her.....no coupon or deal is that good to take that time away from her.
When u first start out it will take u more time to get organized and search for deals and get ur routine going. But I used to send gosh...two hours at night doing all this now its about 30 minutes at night and I only shop Sundays unless I run across a killer deal with a coupon expiring pk an odd day or something.....then DD and I go shopping .
U will.figure out ur flow and it won't be so time consuming.
I have to say that at this point in your life, it is the toughest to juggle it all. Your children are both young and you have your hands full being mommy. I remember when my kids were small and how exhausting it is to come home from work, spend time with kids and hubby, make dinner, clean-up, and then bedtime! By the time I got my two little ones to sleep.....I wanted to sleep! I can tell you from experience, it gets easier to manage couponing/shopping when the kids get older. Mine are now 12 (DD) and 15 (DS) and although they are active and on the go, I can manage better, because there is no more bedtime routine, no more bath time, and they help clean-up.
So, hang in there and realize any savings is a step in the right direction!
The Following User Says Thank You to vannah8882 For This Useful Post:
07-05-2011, 11:35 AM
How do people with full time jobs find the time? 
. I do also shop at night after the kids have gone to bed. It is hard to try to find balance, but if you just stick to what you NEED then everything goes more smoothly!
. I have stop & shop, shaws/stars, whole foods and hannafords. There's a Market Basket that everyone raves about the savings but its 1hr away from me and I don't want to waste the time, I have a gas guzzling suv and a main reason I stay and stop&shop is the gas points I usually go food shopping on sunday and then get my gas for the week.
Linear Mode
