Eating Well (and Cheap) at Shaws

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to attend a media summit with other local bloggers for Shaw's. We had the ear of Shaw's Senior VP Bill Nasshan. He was a great guy and took time to explain to us some great ways to save while shopping at Shaw's. Unfortunately, I did not learn a lot since I have perfected my savings strategy having 5 mouths to feed on 1.25 incomes. (How else would make it on CNN Money?)

Just yesterday I had $144 worth of groceries at Shaw's that I paid $56 for. That's a 61% savings. And with that I got every thing from meat to fresh produce. I know there is a lot of debate over whether eating healthy can be done on a budget, and I am here to tell you: It Can! I buy fresh produce, meats, organic foods, fish... all on a very small budget and the vast majority from Shaw's.

A lot of people ask me how I do it and why don't I put it on my blog. Really, I do not want to reinvent the wheel and give you all of my shopping strategies with so many blogs out there that do it so well. But I will give you their addresses so that you can see how it's possible.

Coupon Mom has a spreadsheet out Friday morning every week which lines up the current coupons with Shaw's sale for that week.
Hot Coupon World has a great forum for Shaw's shoppers where they discuss great deals at local Shaw's.
Bargain Becky is a local mom who also lines the Shaw's deals up for you and is on a crusade to spend less than $100 per week on her groceries.
The Shaw's website is also a great way to plan your grocery list ahead since they have their own printable coupons and they have the flyer available so that you can create a shopping list right online and then print it out, take your coupons and only get the items you need.

It is seriously unnecessary these days to spend hundreds of dollars per week on groceries. I only have to commit 1-2 hours per week to planning, organizing and cutting coupons to save at least 50%. And I won't even shop at Walmart where you can save even more with groceries. I also do not shop many different grocery stores as it would take me too much time and aggravation with 3 children, but if you chose to you could save 60-70% on your grocery bill. I do also go to Hannaford since it is only across the street and they usually offset Shaw's with their produce and meat sales. But I like that I can also get money off my gas purchases when I use my Shaw's card. It is a small added bonus, but it all adds up.

It is these saving strategies that allow me to be home with my children all day and still be vigilant about eating healthy. Please, check out the sites I've listed here and you will be amazed at the savings to be had.

UPDATE: Check out the Wicked Cool Deals post about how she saves money at Shaw's, it's pretty detailed.