I like to have a Summer project, a habit of mine that my mom gave me when I was just a little kiddo. This Summer I decided to take on couponing to try and save on our grocery budget. I bought lots and lots of papers, clipped till I had blisters on my fingers, and organized my binder till my eyes went batty. I also worked daily on a large spreadsheet full of my shopping lists, and savings. I decided I would track everything for three months, and see just how much I saved.

I think I picked the wrong months to try and save… Grocery prices are on the rise almost weekly here, and my numbers just were not  where I wanted them to be. I don’t want to get grumpy about my project though, so I am devising a brand new plan. Over the next three months I am shying away from the coupons, and focusing on frugal meals, more from scratch cooking, and more generic brand shopping.

I love numbers, so you know I will be crunching them. I want to find out which really saves my family the most on the grocery budget, coupons or frugal shopping.

Which do you think will win? Will coupons reign supreme, or will frugality and lots of home cooking win out in the end?