Spreadsheets: Part 1 - Grocery Shopping List

I thought I'd give you a few tools that help me stay organized while trying to save money.

I use to write my grocery list down on a piece of paper, but then when I started to add coupons and e-coupons/store coupons to the mix my grocery list started looking like chicken scratch.

Over time I have tweaked different Excel spreadsheets to fit my needs. If this is at all useful to you, please feel free to edit and rearrange things as you need.

You can find my Grocery Shopping Template here, or in the side bar on the right.

Go ahead and open it, so that you can follow along as I explain.

For all learning purposes, I will be references a bottle of Softsoap hand soap as my example item to purchase.

1. GROCERY STORES
   I make sure to put the date at the top of the page, so there's no confusion after I print off the list.
   
   Each grocery store that I MIGHT go to has a section.
   
   Disclaimer: I do not go to all of these stores every week - I just like to start off seeing what deals there are at each store so that I can narrow my shopping trip down to the MOST IMPORTANT stores. You might want to change the names of the stores to the places you most frequently shop for groceries.
   
   As I scan the weekly grocery store ads, blogs and HotCouponWorld, I fill add items to my grocery list that are either a good deal or items I need. I write down ANYTHING I might want to get - this is my run through, my rough draft. After I'm convinced that I've recorded all the deals to be had for that week, I then review my list and choose which stores are worth shopping at that week.


2. QTY/UNIT/SHELF/TOTAL
   If Softsoap hand soap were on sale at Kroger, then I would record how many bottles I would want to purchase in the QTY (Quantity) column.
   
   In the UNIT column I would record the the unit size so that I make sure and get the one that's on sale. For Softsoap it would probably be a 4-6 oz bottle. Sometimes I get to the store, and items aren't clearly marked, and I end up buying the correct brand but the wrong size of an item and thereby end up paying TOO much, or more than I intended.
   
   Then, in the SHELF column, I record the original, pre-sale price. For Softsoap that would probably be $1.99.
   
   Finally, the spreadsheet automatically calculates my TOTAL (pre-sale and pre-coupons). This allows me to see how much I would be paying if I didn't shop the sales and didn't use coupons.
   
   Warning: Comparing the TOTAL column with the FINAL column might get just a little bit addicting!


3. COUPON/INSERT
   Next, as I'm perusing blogs and message boards, I record any coupons that I need to cut out before my shopping trip.
   
   I put in the value of the coupon AFTER it's been doubled/tripled. So, if I'm buying Softsoap, then I probably have a $.35 coupon, but in my COUPON column I'd type in $1.05 ($.35 x 3 = $1.05).
   
   If I'm shopping at Target or Walmart where they don't double/triple, then I'd just put in $.35 in the COUPON column.
   
   I also note which insert I can find that coupon in. For Softsoap that would probably look something like: 9/16 SS (the Smart Source insert that came out in the 9/16/09 newspaper).
   
   The coupon I need to use is a printable, I just type in PRINT. If I'm ambitious or haven't printed the coupon yet, I might even create a link to the website where I need to print the coupon from.


4. E Coupon/Website
   Sometimes, in addition to manufacturer's coupons, there might be a loadable/e-coupon/store coupon that I can load onto my Kroger or Tom Thumb frequent shopper card. These are not doubled/tripled, so I just put in the face value of the coupon in the E-COUPON column and type in the website (Shortcuts, Cellfire, etc) where I can load the coupon onto my card.
   
   I try to load any coupons onto my Kroger/TomThumb cards at least a day in advance, since sometimes it takes at least a few hours to register.


5. FINAL
   Finally, the magic happens. The spreadsheet will automatically, calculate the FINAL cost of each item for you. You can now compare your TOTAL and FINAL costs.
   
   For those interested, this is how it calculates the final cost:

(QTY x TOTAL) - (QTY x COUPON) - (E Coupon) = FINAL

This might seem a little overwhelming/involved just for a grocery list, but I'd encourage you to just start plugging in your items and play around in the spreadsheet to get the hang of it.

This is also a great way to gauge/estimate how much you're going to spend on groceries for the week in order to stay in your budget!