[getforfree]

I have stockpile. It helps a lot. I buy things not when I am out and need them this week, I buy most of nonperishables when they are at a good price and I have a coupon on them. When you are out and you need it today, you are in trouble, you might overpay for it because at that specific time you might not have any coupon for it and its not on sale at your favorite store (if you shop only at one).
I look what I have and then plan menu. I might buy a couple items I need for the receipe. I usually check my stock(pile) and see what I am low on and put it on a special list where I put items that I will be out of in a month or less. Then if I get a good deal on it (the really good one only) I stock up again. I usually write dates when I bought it on food stuff, so that way I use up the oldest ones first.
We use lots of milk (about 5 gal a week) Thats bad for the budget but good for the health.
Some weeks I get by with only $20, some weeks I spend 130. On average its like $250 including diapers, clothes and toys, dishes,towels and all that. I buy clothes like a year ahead of time when they are clearance. So my kids have more clothes than they need. Because sometimes they don't use some clothes and its still new with a price tag on it and they outgrew it already, I put it in the speciall baby shower bag. I know some of my friends who have more than one kid and they would rather get clothes for the oldest one than for the baby for the baby shower.
We have 2 kids and 3 adults in the house. My dd is still in diapers, my son uses only for overnight just in case. We also get wic. Without it I would spend another $40 / month if I buy the stuff the way I buy it and substitute some(but I would still buy juice, the apple juice is usually the cheapest from all other kinds).
We almost never eat out. Once we went to mcdonalds (for my ds birthday). Ordered a kids meal, 2 cheeseburgers and some chicken nuggets. That was for 5 people. Everybody had enough. We had to refill that small cup from the kids meal like 10 times or so. We spend like $8 something and thats more than we would spend if we would eat at home, and we would eat more each, but maybe not drink soda at all, some juice, milk, tea, water instead.
Whenever I get mail, I look at every ad that I get. Sometimes they have coupons for something free just for stopping by. I shop at 7 different grossery stores and pick only the good deals. Cairo.com helps a lot to see what they have on special. When I am in the store I collect the coupons smartsorce blikies or whatever they have I might buy maybe at some other store some other time. I always carry my fat everlope of coupons with me.