How I Saved Week 9

Each week I share how I saved money, hoping that some of these frugal ideas could be helpful to you.

Check out the Resources Page for tons of other money saving resources!

If you’ve read other How I Saved posts, feel free to skip down to the deals.

If you’re new, here’s a little background about why I share my savings…

You’d be surprised how much money you can save when you really put your mind to it. It’s the accumulation of lots of small choices and habits that dictate the path your finances take.

The money that you save might seem meaningless in small amounts, but it truly adds up. It leaves more money in your bank account that you can use to pay off debt, save for the future, or do more of what you enjoy.

I absolutely love saving money and wanted to start sharing how I save each week. Not to show off, but to hopefully demonstrate different ways to save and maybe inspire you to want to do the same.

I strive to save on groceries, eating out, clothes, gifts, gasoline, etc. You name it, and I want to save money on it.

My main motivation for saving money is to pay off our mortgage in the next 2-3 years. Every dollar saved is in honor of that goal.

We’ve paid off thousands of dollars in debt over the past couple years. Wouldn’t it feel so awesome to be completely debt free? And get to keep most of your paycheck instead of immediately sending it away to pay bills? I think so.

I thought I’d share how much I save each week by using my favorite savings formula: combining sales and coupons. Or whatever other ways I come up with to be frugal. Hopefully some of these methods can be applied to your life.

You can get caught up and read the rest of the How I Saved posts here.

Related: Flat out broke? Try these 5 tips.

Here are my savings for Week 9 – February 26 – March 4

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Grocery Savings:

This is the easiest way to save money. Each week, plan your shopping trip(s) based on what’s on sale. Then combine those sales with matching coupons to get the most bang for your buck. I always aim for at least 50% savings.

Related: Use one of these 5 easy meal planning strategies to make the most of your grocery budget.

I use coupon matchup sites to plan my deals. My favorites are Kroger Krazy, Meijer Madness, and Bargains to Bounty. They make it so easy by spelling out exactly what the sale items are, and which coupons to use. Such a couponing time saver!

The absolute best place to print coupons is coupons.com. It’s where I get all my printable coupons.

Here are the deals!

I wasn’t feeling well this week, so I only made it to Aldi. One of the many things I love about Aldi is that it’s always a quick trip. The Kroger and Meijer stores in my area are massive, but Aldi is small and predictable.

Aldi Shopping Trip:

Aldi is one of the most effortless ways to save money on groceries. You’re going to save 20-50% on most items there, compared to other stores. You don’t have to wait for sales at Aldi. Some items are a little cheaper during certain seasons, but everything is always affordable.

I buy many staple items there, or whatever else I need/want that I can’t get cheaper elsewhere. For the purpose of these How I Saved posts, I’m going to estimate a 30% savings (and I think that’s being conservative). I am saving money by shopping at Aldi, so it totally counts.

Related: Here are the 70 best things to buy at Aldi.

My favorite Aldi is currently closed for a month for remodeling. Before they closed, they gave me three $5 off $30 coupons for the other two Aldi stores in the area.

I went to one of the other Aldi stores, and picked up almond milk, eggs (for 48 cents!), turkey lunchmeat, and other staples. I also grabbed their ‘hummus quartet,’ which is 4 different flavors of hummus in one divided container. All 4 flavors are delicious, but the cilantro jalapeño flavor is my favorite. Aldi used to just carry the quartet around the holidays, but now they always have it. Yum!

Want some basic grocery savings ideas? Try these 5 tips.

Amount Spent: $26.47

Amount Saved (30% savings + $5 coupon): $12.94

I use a collapsible shopping basket like this one for my Aldi shopping. It holds a ton!

Gasoline Savings: $3.12

The gas station that is usually the cheapest in our area had spiked their price over 20 cents a gallon one day. As I was driving home, I came across a station that hadn’t raised their price yet, so I filled up there. I still had a quarter tank, but didn’t want to have to pay a couple extra dollars for stupid gas.

Miscellaneous Savings:

I’m signed up to receive text messages for a variety stores and restaurants that send coupons. It pays off occasionally, and it did come in handy this week. I got a 15% off coupon via text for a restaurant we were planning to go to with my dad.

Total Miscellaneous Savings: $3.40

Grand Total Savings for Week 9: $19.46

Not as meaningful a savings amount this week, but I was happy to save in small ways. I didn’t spend much this week either, so the savings is relative.

Total Saved Year-to-Date: $772.67

March Mortgage Principal Paid $2400.26

You can get caught up and read the rest of the How I Saved posts here.

Don’t forget to check out the Resources Page for tons of other money saving resources!

What are your tricks for saving money? How did you save this week?