The Grocery Price Book can also include the prices of anything you purchase on a regular basis, not just groceries. You may need to figure out what is essential and what is optional. That's where "need" and "want" fight it out. It's sometimes difficult to draw the line between essential and optional (need and want) because we all have a different value system and different needs. Perhaps you can begin by deciding what is essential and what is optional in order to bring your spending in these areas under control. In the pet division, I'm probably in a somewhat extreme position - we don't have a pet because we have a financial retirement goal that we're trying to reach that doesn't have room for pets and their expensive up-keep in the budget. It's not that we don't love pets, they are just unnecessary at this point in time in order for us to achieve our financial goals. I can love-to-death the neighbors pooches...for free. That's extreme, I admit. You need to decide, for you, what is essential in this area. As an example: are 5 cats and 3 dogs essential? Probably not if they bust your budget. My SIL made her own dog food and used inexpensive rice, and I don't know what else, in the recipe. It was a vet. approved recipe. It not only was good for their dog, but it was very cheap. Other friends learned how to groom their cats/dogs to save money. Soap products. Once again, it's price for me. My husband likes to use bar bath soap and one that suits our budget is available at a low price from Aldi's (similar to Dove). It also doesn't leave a soap scum in the tub (a secondary benefit). I like liquid soap, so I take the small ends of the bars and make my own homemade liquid soap and reuse a decorative pump dispenser. Soft Soap: 1/4 c. soap flakes OR 2 oz. soap ends, shredded 1 cup water Simmer in pan, stirring, until the soap has melted. You can add some scented oil or your favorite perfume, if you like. I've gotten triple value from one small container of very expensive body powder by mixing it with 3 boxes of inexpensive cornstarch (now I have a life-time supply). It smells the same, and cornstarch is a good/natural body powder. My only "beauty supplies" are 2 containers of translucent face powder a year (Dollar General Store) and I make my own lip balm for pennies instead of purchasing the expensive stuff I used to use. I use coconut oil (LouAna brand from Wal-Mart - next to the Crisco) for a body/hand lotion or face moisturizer. Most expensive commercial products do more damage and are more drying, from what I've researched. I've eliminated everything else because I really didn't look all that much different with or without it, as long as I dust my face with loose face powder (blessed with nice skin and long eyelashes). I don't even bother with mascara anymore (that was the last thing to go). I purchased a package of 12 inexpensive white face cloths at the Dollar General store for face care. A dermotologist suggested using them along with a bar of unscented Dove soap as a good cleanser and exfoliant (the cheap face cloths are kinda' rough), and this is also suggested for anyone with mild acne. Works like a charm, although I use my homemade soft soap with some tea tree oil in it. The liquid form of the sweetener stevia is one of the best things on an occasional zit - they heal very quickly using stevia on them. A small travel-size of stevia (found at the health food store) will last a long time. Once again in the extreme side of things... I cut my own hair. I wouldn't dream of wasting money on things like highlights or color. Everyone loves my "natural" silver highlights. I budget money for a hair cut each month, but I deposit it into the savings account. I get as many compliments on my hair as when I used to get it cut by the top per$on in town. I just observed how he cut it and did it myself after he moved from the area - and my hair is a short precision cut. Not everyone can do this, I realize, but perhaps they could reduce the high-maintance, high-cost, options. It's all about need, not want. I've switched laundry detergent to ALL small & mighty which is 3X concentrated and was cheaper per load when I did the math, than nearly everything that was on the market. When I found it on sale as a promotional product at Wal-Mart this summer, I purchased a year's worth of it. I also use homemade detergent which is easy to make and inexpensive. A safe option for most of our laundry. Whatever kind of laundry product you use, make sure you measure it and try reducing the amount you normally use. I use white vinegar instead of softener in the rinse (least expensive vinegar is Sam's Club). I hang clothes on the clothes line as much as possible. When I use the dryer, I've added a pair of dryer balls to reduce the static. They also reduce drying time by 25-50 percent. After some testing, I found they work better than tennis balls. For general household cleaning: I use bleach/water as a kitchen disinfectant when mixed 1 quart water and 1 t. bleach - I keep it in a spritz bottle. Or I could use expensive pop-up Clorox wipes. Alcohol/water -50/50 and use it daily on my bathroom counters/faucets, and general floor cleaning in the bathroom - mixture in a spritz bottle. Vinegar - good cleaner for no-wax floors, and Borax and/or soda (an endless list cleaning uses). I wash windows with water/cornstarch solution. I've used a container of Simple Green for several years because I measure it carefully, since it's concentrated. I'm a clean freak, but I pass up the expensive, highly advertised, stuff. This is a very low-budget area for me, so if you have some specific needs I haven't thought of, fire away and perhaps someone will contribute a frugal answer or substitute. -Grainlady

I don't know the answer to your question...but i've been more then FUMING all day...I keep my coupons in my car...in a walmart sack...i go thru them before I go into the store, tear out what i need, toss the expired...I took the bag outta my car before driving to Bumpkins last Thursday...I was headed to the grocery store this morning..DH cleaned the garage and threw my coupons away...MSATAS... Most of our stores have the scanner at the self check out...try scanning it...if you've bought the item and they take it, it'll go thru with no probs!

There might be, or might be able to find out some things for you, if you gave some idea what you wanted to know. If it's just a survey, I guess I know some things about some coupons and codes, but much comes to how you define "knowledgeable".

I've never used a delivery service -- thankfully haven't needed to. But I did just look at the web page of a locally owned grocery store that advertises delivery service. They have a $30 minimum order, plus $6.95 to take it to you. (I didn't look at the delivery area, probably it's within a certain mile radius?) You have to choose a two-hour window to receive the delivery, and a responsible party has to be there to accept it or they take it back and there's a $20 restocking fee. There's other fine print about final cost may differ due to substitutions, etc. So, my advice -- take it easy, take advantage of it, but see if you can find your store on line and read the fine print. Hope your recovery goes well :-)