I get asked about grocery savings a LOT! As funny as it sounds to us die-hard couponers who don’t ever want to pay much for our overly inflated groceries, there are still people who either don’t want to use coupons or don’t believe in them, no matter how much proof you give them. I honestly think that some people would believe in the Tooth Fairy before they would admit that couponing is real.
Because most people can’t always buy every item they need with a coupon, this post is intended to show you ways to save without touching a coupon. If you’re a couponer, still read through this, as you will save even more when you combine these tips with couponing!
Grocery stores are considered to have some of the most intelligent marketing practices of any business. Did you know that even the music they play is scientifically proven to slow your heart rate so that you spend more time in the store?
- Planning your meals and shopping with a list can save a fortune! Impulse purchases will be reduced to a bare minimum and you won’t be walking around basing meals off of what looks good.
- Make your menu plan off of the sale ad. Remember that the items listed at drastic discounts are actually priced at a loss for the store (except in OK and MN). This is intended to take advantage of those looking to save time by shopping at one store. They want to get you in the door so that you’ll spend more on everything else.
- Pricematch sale items at Walmart or Target. Walmart is by far the easiest. Take in your ad and show the sale items you would like to pricematch to the cashier. Most stores offer this for a 50 mile radius. They will NOT pm BOGO or % off sales, but will match generic items, meat, and produce (check your Aldi ads!)
- Shop when you have limited time. Again, this will hurry you through the store. The more you meander, the more you buy. Try shopping on your lunch hour or before church.
- Cook from your pantry for one week each month. Limit your shopping that week to perishables only and get creative. Check out websites such as www.stockpilecooking.com to learn different ways to use basic ingredients. Cutting out one week of shopping can save $1200 per year (with a $100 per week budget) and will save even more by using up those items you might eventually throw out.
- Avoid ‘Speed Traps’. These are the big sale displays located in the aisles that stop you from using them as a cut-through. If you stop, you look around and end up purchasing something. Don’t assume the sale prices on the displays are the best available. These items are typicallycoded with a unique barcode that may even make them ring up at a higher price than those on the shelf.
- If an item might be considered seasonal, check in the seasonal and regular section for this item. Again, they are coded with unique barcodes that have different prices. A perfect example is tape- it’s always cheaper in the Christmas section than the giftwrap section or office supply section.
- Know your prices- can’t stress that enough! Many times a sale price really isn’t a sale price. If you see a huge yellow sign that says ‘New Lower Price’, lift it up to see what the regular price is. It just might be cheaper when it’s not on sale- or at a store like Walmart or Target.
- At most grocers, you don’t have to buy 10 items to take advantage of a 10/$10 sale (you DO have to at Walgreens or CVS). Many don’t even make you buy 2 items in a BOGO sale- each item rings up half price.
- Don’t strictly shop generic. This can cause you to spend more money than if you were to shop the sale ads. Name brand items go on sale, may have coupons attached, and participate in store promotions more frequently than their generic counterparts. Identical lists fulfilled by shopping strictly generic and again by looking at prices can cost up to 34% more by purchasing strictly generic.
- If you find a great sale price on an item you use frequently, buy enough to last you a while. If you use 2 cans of tomato sauce per week ($1.19 regular price) and it goes on sale for 20¢ per can, but several. When you get 6 for the price of 1, it will save you a fortune.
- Assess your spending!! Write out what you buy on a regular basis and what you spend on it. Calculate your yearly costs with that item to see what you spend yearly. This will AMAZE you! When we shopped locally (before I started couponing), we bought 2 lbs of bacon a week at $7 per package. I stocked up on it for 50¢ per package with coupons- I bought all I could! It saved us $624 per year- just on bacon! We went to Florida for the weekend, (I got a super hot deal on flight, meals, and 5 star hotel) for less than what we spent on bacon. We sacrificed nothing, still had our bacon, went to Florida, and had a couple hundred to boot. The tomato sauce deal listed above would save you $114.40 per year.
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Good tips! I will definitely be paying more attention when I shop now!
The tip regarding Tape in the Christmas section was very interesting..These stores are sneaky!!
Yes, they are! Much sneakier than you would ever dream of. I like to call it marketing mind-control.
TY for the awesome tips! I coupon so these will help even more!!