Saving money on groceries can be a family affair. Whether it's enlisting your 5-year-old to clip coupons from the Sunday paper or your 10-year-old to load the cart and calculate the savings, there's something for everyone. Here are some simple money-saving strategies that have worked for our family of five.
* Teach 4- and 5-year-olds how to clip and sort coupons for foods and products your family uses. Set out several business-size envelopes and label each one with the various categories of products such as soup, yogurt or juice. Then glue a picture next to the word to help your child identify the category. For example, glue a picture of a dog or cat next to "pet food." Your child can enjoy sorting the coupons and placing them in the appropriate envelopes.
* Before your shopping trip, pull together the coupons you need for the week's groceries and sort them according to the layout of the store. Taking a few minutes to sort the coupons beforehand saves time while shopping. Include coupons for extra food your family may wish to give to a food shelf. The savings often allow you to buy more to give more.