I think it’s a bit misleading to make people get a grocery store card to “qualify” for the savings on certain products. Such food chains as Shoppers Warehouse has it right as there is no card, but everyone can get the sales. You’re also not misled into thinking since it is a bonus card savings, that it must be the best deal out there. Amazingly enough, you might just find a cheaper food product in the least likely of places.
The first thing to do is to go over the sales fliers to see what all you would like to purchase on sale. Make sure to grab a pen and paper so you can write potential items with each store so you can compare them all. If the same item is on sale, write them down on each list so you can see who is the cheapest or the better value. At the end compare the lists. Many times you might find the majority of the lists are very similar, but one has cheaper prices. This might help you figure out you really only need to hit one grocery store. After all, even if the other has strawberries for .50 cheaper than the competitor store, you might find it doesn’t pay for the gas involved to save a couple dollars overall. But you also might find each has enough to make the trip worthwhile so just compare prices on items that you need that aren’t on sale so you can get the best deal there.
Next thing to do is to have coupons in hand so you can get further savings. Sometimes you might find you can triple dip by buying items that quality you for getting a free product, a coupon, and even a mail-in rebate. This just happened on free milk if you purchase $10 from the certain dairy section. Then there was $1 off of the cheese selected, and the excitement topped off when a $5 mail-in rebate was plastered on top of the cheese. It means free milk and eventually free cheese is the result of this triple dipping! Organize the coupons into items that are for sale and you are definitely purchasing, but keep the coupons for items you may or may not be purchasing on hand too. You never know if you make a stop that there isn’t a clearance or other sale going on that product.
You can also double-dip with coupons. Use a store coupon as well as a manufacturer’s coupons to get more savings. Save money on batteries or electronics by finding coupons and additional savings. Just pay attention during check-out that both are properly allotted for. Some cashiers might try to tell you that you can not use both or try to have you buy twice as much, but stay firm and enlighten them that the coupons can be used on the same item. However, you might want to check to see if a store does honor manufactuer’s coupons before going through a lot of shopping. Sam’s Warehouse doesn’t accept manufactuer’s coupons, which is why BJ’s or Costco are the discount stores of my choice. Take advantage of the days that stores will double a manufacturer’s coupon up to .99 as that is a wonderful deal too!
If you are wondering where to get coupons, they can be found online. While Target will sometimes mail coupons to households (usually those who hold a credit card for the store), you can also go to the website and select coupons you wish to print out. Another thing to do is pick up coupons while you walk the aisles of stores. Those items are more than likely not on sale at the current time there is a coupon, but you might find the item on sale at the store before the coupon expiration date or find it at another store on sale so you can get more savings. Another great place is finding coupons on the products themselves. Carefully remove coupons from packaging if the item they are on isn’t needed at the time or on sale to also use at a later date.
If you are searching for more ways to save money, learn how to save on restaurants, online shopping, everyday items, and even at malls. The last thing to figure out is how much an item costs per unit to find the best deal. See The Penny Pincher Series: Finding the Best Price on Everyday Goods, for more information.
