Frugality Incorporated!

I just happen to be one of the most frugal people in the universe. Well, I'm not stingy. That's different. (I don't think I am, anyway.) Frugal is saving money so you don't go broke as fast in tough times, and stingy is not being willing to share with others when their times are tough, or give something to them to celebrate events. I jokingly attribute my frugality to my Scottish and Jewish blood. It's diluted, supposedly, by many other things, but in my fingertips, which are of course what handle my wallet, these two ethnicities run the strongest! It's good, too, because my husband has changed jobs many times and our heads are still above water so far. Now here's how frugal I am (or at least was, before kids!)--I used to spend about $70 per MONTH for our groceries. Okay, so we ate a lot of potatoes and split pea soup back then. Anyway, I thought I'd share about my frugality, since I find it very helpful. Here are some of my most effective ideas that you can accept or reject, but I've been applying them for years with great success, I'd say; I usually save at least 35% according to the store receipt, and that doesn't even take into account that I don't buy the more expensive brand or size. Imagine that! I always think of investments, and how people are glad to get 10% in a year on their investment. They'd be thrilled out of their gourds to get 35%! And my savings is far more sudden than over a year's time! Whaha! So here are my methods:
Check the ads if you have time. If you lost the ad, you probably can look it up online; often they have extra copies at the store, too. If you buy according to the ad, and make meals that suit what was on sale, you'll be miles ahead.
Look at unit pricing, EVERY time it's an option. (This is the part of the price label stuck to the shelf underneath that tells the price per unit, such as per pound, per ounce, per sheet, per gallon.) It really clarifies which version of what you're buying is cheapest. Usually it's the largest, or the store brand, but not always.
Buy the least expensive option at the grocery store of all that category that you're seeking. As an example, I found that the little 12 oz. chubs of (even reduced fat) Italian sausage, the store brand of the Jimmy-Dean type, are cheaper per pound not only than the store brand but also than the tray pack of similar, more fattening Italian sausage that is out in the meat department.
Also, use any coupons if you can stand that. I generally stick to store coupons because though I used the brand type for a while, they take a lot of time to manage (cutting out, tossing out expired, storing, transporting) and a lot of alertness to use in the store. I think it was the advent of kids that made me toss the brand type, for lack of time. Some swear by them, however.
Don't buy groceries that aren't on sale or cheaper at another place, unless it's absolutely necessary and urgent that you buy regular price. I'd say less than 1% of my groceries are purchased at regular price. This includes all categories!
Don't go to the grocery store too often. Buy and store--whether on shelves, in fridge, freezer, or even cooler if it's really a good deal and will last long enough! The more often you go shopping, the more you are bound to spend on each trip and on each meal.
Go with a list! It's not that I always stick to mine (especially if I happen upon a bargain), but then I don't forget some crucial item that I would have to return to the store to get. I make my lists in one of those tiny binders that you can get at the start of the school year. I list on separate pages according to store--slightly different lists for each. I may have something I'll check the price on at one, and wait for a trip to another store before I'll get it.
Buy the large packages of hamburger or ground turkey if they're cheaper per pound, and take them home, divide into freezer bags and freeze.
Find the meals you make that have the least-costly ingredients and make those your family stand-bys. For us, we have homemade pizza once in a while, and baked potatoes with chili, and taco salad, and casseroles and crock-pot meals, homemade soups, spaghetti...things that aren't a huge piece of meat as the focus.
Don't eat out--whether school lunches, dinners, or anything. It's incredible how fast the cost of this adds up! I think my homemade lunches probably cost about 35 cents to one dollar per serving. Dinners in a sit-down restaurant run ridiculously high-cost! We have gotten less and less frequent about eating out, and I've become much happier about it over time. Now when we do eat out, I'm disgusted at how long it takes to get seated and served, how much the waiter wants us to order some costly drink, and especially how much we spend including tips and taxes. Yow! It's phenomenal.
So there is a start. I could probably post 300 more ways, if I could think of them all. After a while, they become so second-nature that you don't even realize that you're doing them. Happy shopping, saving, and thinking how much more money you have as a result!