store brands

12 Ways to Save on Groceries If You Don’t Plan Ahead

April 19, 2010 By Jennifer Derrick 2 Comments

You’ve arrived at the grocery store with no plan. You didn’t review the sales flyer and you don’t have any coupons. Maybe you’re on vacation in a strange place, or maybe you’re just in a hurry and you didn’t have time to prepare. You may not even have a well thought out list. Is this financial suicide? Some savvy grocery shoppers would say yes; that arriving in any grocery store without a plan is wasting money. However, even if you arrive at the grocery store without a battle plan you can still take some steps to reduce your bill.

Buy store brands: While name brands can sometimes be cheaper if you have a coupon, if you come to the store without coupons, store brands are probably going to be your best bet unless there’s a great sale going on. Wherever you can stand it, go for the store brands.

Pay attention to the sale prices: Most stores keep copies of their sale flyer at the front door or at customer service. If you didn’t check it out beforehand, take a look at it now. Also look for sale prices as you scan the shelves. Most stores mark their sale items on the shelf as well as in the flyer.

Use your loyalty card for discounts or rebates: If you don’t have a loyalty card, sign up for one at customer service before you shop. They become active immediately and can save you money on your first trip. Some stores only offer sale prices to card holders, so if you want any savings you’ll need the card.

Look for coupons along the aisles or on products: You can sometimes find useful coupons in dispensers on the aisles, or on the product you’re purchasing. Don’t buy a product just because of the coupon but if you’re buying it anyway, use whatever savings you can get.

Buy in bulk, or at least price compare the various sizes: Sometimes buying the largest size (bulk) is the cheapest alternative. However, sometimes the smaller sizes are the better value. Take a minute to figure out the cost per ounce/pound of each size so that you get the one that costs the least.

Look for BOGO offers: Many stores put staples like milk, bread, cheese and other items on a buy one get one free or half off promotion. These can save you a lot of money, particularly if you know you can use all of the product before it goes bad.

Stick to the outside aisles of the store: Do most of your shopping along the outer edges of the store where the meats, produce, and dairy are shelved. These offer the best nutritional bang for your dollar. The inner aisles of the store are filled with processed convenience foods that are expensive and lacking in nutrition.

Don’t buy more than you need for this trip: Save the big buying trip for a time when you’ve made a good list, you have your coupons, and you know you’re getting good deals. Just buy what you need to get you through and get out.

Don’t assume that, “special” means sale: Sometimes end caps and other displays are labeled “special buy” or “special price.” But these items may not be the best price or value. Check the prices in the other areas of the store to make sure there aren’t other products that are a better value.

Look for displays selling damaged or about to expire foods: Many stores have a ding and dent rack, a shelf for day old bakery items, or an area where meat and produce that is about to expire is kept. These items are usually marked down and, if you can eat them before they expire, they are a great value.

Watch for pricing mistakes: Keep an eye on the screen as the cashier rings up your order. Sometimes things don’t ring up correctly which can cost you money. For example, if the BOGO doesn’t ring up right, you’ve paid full price for the items. Some stores will even give you the items free if you catch an error.

Don’t buy more than you have to: If something is “Ten for $10,” you probably don’t have to buy ten to get the special price. Some stores will make you buy all ten, but many price each item at $1. Buy the one you’ll use and leave the other nine.

Having a plan is still the best way to cut your grocery bill but if you should find yourself in the store without a plan or without your coupon book, you don’t have to pay a fortune for your food. Shop wisely and use some of these strategies and you’ll still come out okay.

Healthy Couponing

August 12, 2009 By Jennifer Derrick 10 Comments

It’s no secret that I’m a big coupon user. When I mention this to people, I get one of three reactions:

1. “Hey, that’s great, how much do you save?”

2. “You must have a really unhealthy diet because coupons are only for junk food. It’s not worth it.”

3. “You could save so much more if you bought store brands.”

Number one makes me smile because I know I’m in the presence of someone who understands. Number three makes me sigh because I know that store brands are usually cheaper. I only use coupons when the name brand with coupon is cheaper than the store brand, or when I just cannot stand the store brand. I know the game and get a little irritated when someone assumes that I’m doing it wrong.

It’s number two that really raises my hackles. I get a little angry when people assume that, because I’m using coupons, I’m feeding my family nothing but cookies, chips, and boxed mac and cheese. While we do enjoy those things some of the time, in moderation, we actually eat very healthfully. And we still use coupons. How can that be?

Coupons have come a long way in recent years, partly because food manufacturers have also come a long way. We now have many more organic, vegetarian, natural, low sodium, and sugar-free alternatives than we used to. Many are made by national manufacturers who are willing to put out coupons for their wares. It’s not uncommon for the Sunday coupon flier to feature coupons for natural peanut butter, organic cereals, eggs, low sugar/sodium alternatives, bagged salads (not always economically sound, but certainly fast to make when you’re in a hurry), frozen and canned vegetables and fruits (which have been shown to be as healthy as fresh and without the spoilage problem), whole wheat breads, milk, yogurt, flour, and soy products. Yes, there are coupons for sugary cereals, Pop Tarts, boxed mac and cheese, high sodium dinner kits, and sodas, but there are still plenty of options for those who prefer healthier items.

I tend to score my best coupons for “healthy” products directly from the store fliers. They often have coupons for fresh meat and produce, store brand milk, eggs, and cheeses, fresh deli products, and baking products like flour and spices. Usually these work in conjunction with the store’s loyalty card. The loyalty card brings the price down a few cents and then the coupon brings it down even more. Or there are often coupons like $5 off a $50 purchase. You can use this coupon to buy anything you want, healthy items included.

Several of our stores now offer eCoupons in addition to their regular fliers. When you register at their site, they send you an email alert letting you know that there are new deals available. When you go to the website you can choose which of the “coupons” to add to your loyalty card and create a shopping list. When you get to the register with the items and swipe your loyalty card, the “coupons” are automatically deducted from your order. The stores here frequently include meats, produce, and dairy items in these deals, as well as name brand healthier products like Kashi, Stonyfield, Morningstar, Bocca, and others.

This past week I made my bi-weekly trip to the grocery store. Here are some of the “healthy” coupons that I used:

Free milk with purchase of bananas: That one was in the store’s flier.
$0.50 off five Del Monte canned vegetables. These were on sale, plus the store doubled the coupon, making the name brand cheaper than the store brand.
$1.00 off Kashi cereal
$0.75 off Egglands best eggs. Again, doubled and on sale made them cheaper than the store brand.
$1.00 off any Morningstar vegetarian item.
$1.00 off a bag of potatoes (from the store flier)
$1.00 off bagged salad
$1.00 off six cups of Stonyfield yogurt
$0.50 off 5 lbs. of flour (from the store’s flier)
$1.00 off Sara Lee whole wheat bread
$5.00 off a $50 purchase
$.50 off Smuckers Natural peanut butter
$1.00 off Tropicana low sugar orange juice
$.50 off Dole canned fruit
$1.00 off popcorn (the kind in a jar you pop in an air popper)
$0.75 off low fat cottage cheese
$1.00 off Steam Fresh vegetables
$1.00 off mixed bag of apples and oranges. From the store’s flier.
$.50 off any produce item. This was an eDeal.

Couponing no longer means that you have to choose unhealthy foods. There are many healthier alternatives available now and coupons to match. Even if you don’t want to use food coupons because you still believe you can’t eat healthfully, coupons are widely available for toiletries, paper goods, cleansers, pet products, and other household items. Those can still help you save money, even if all you ever eat is raw produce. Even if all I used on my recent trip was the $5 off $50 coupon, that would still have been well worth the time it took to clip it and stick it in my purse.

Using coupons does not automatically doom you to an unhealthy diet. Yes, sometimes there is nothing in the Sunday coupon fliers for healthy products. Look around a little more. Try your store’s flier or see if they have eCoupons. Check the next week’s paper as you might have better luck then. If your store never offers any coupons you can use, try writing to their corporate headquarters and making your needs known. If enough people complain, maybe they’ll start adding more healthful coupons and deals. Over time you can find coupons that you can use. And when you hold out to combine those coupons with sales, you can eat healthfully on a budget.

Saving Money on Groceries with the Coupon Mom Method

May 7, 2009 By Amy L. Fontinelle 8 Comments

The only thing I used to do to save money on groceries was to make a list before each shopping trip and stick to a monthly grocery budget. I didn’t use coupons because I figured I saved more money by purchasing store brands (preferably store brands on sale) and shopping at discount stores and farmers markets. I wouldn’t buy everything on my list sometimes — if something was too expensive that week, I would either do without or substitute for something cheaper. I didn’t clip coupons and I didn’t even get the weekly grocery ads in the mail because I had unsubscribed from them and every other conceivable form of junk mail.

Then I learned about the Coupon Mom, Stephanie Nelson. Through her website, www.couponmom.com, she teaches people how to save 50-75% on their grocery bills by using a combination of sales and coupons. I’ve had incredible success following her advice. Here are some items I’ve purchased recently and how much I saved:

Item	Regular Price	Sale Price	Coupon	Paid	Percent Off
Quaker Chewy Bars	$2.50	$0.99	$0.50	$0.49	80.40%
Starburst Jellybeans	$3.50	$0.99	$0.50	$0.49	86.00%
Herbal Essences Shampoo	$4.99	$2.99	$1.50	$1.49	70.14%
Crest Toothpaste	$2.50	$1.00	$1.00	$0.00	100.00%
5 oz. Mahatma Saffron Rice	$0.99	$0.99	$0.38	$0.62	37.88%
Prego Tomato Sauce	$3.59	$2.50	$0.40	$2.10	41.50%
Nestle Chocolate Chips	$4.19	$2.00	$0.75	$1.25	70.17%
French's Honey Mustard	$4.19	$0.00	$1.00	-$1.00	123.87%
French's Honey Dijon Mustard	$4.19	$2.00	$1.00	$1.00	76.13%
Barilla Pasta Sauce	$3.59	$2.50	$1.00	$1.50	58.22%
Butter 16 oz.	$3.99	$2.49	$1.50	$0.99	75.19%
Hand Soap 7.5 oz.	$2.39	$1.00	$0.70	$0.30	87.45%
Dole Superfruit	$2.50	$1.50	$1.00	$0.50	80.00%
Cap'n Crunch 16 oz.	$3.99	$2.29	$1.30	$0.99	75.19%
Bottled water 24×12 oz.	$5.49	$3.33	$0.56	$2.77	49.54%
Life Cereal 15 oz.	$3.99	$2.29	$1.30	$0.99	75.19%
TOTALS	$56.58			$14.48	74.42%

The percentage savings may seem a bit inflated to you. The reason the percentage savings are so high is because many chain grocery stores have high regular prices compared to what you might spend for the same item at a discount mass retailer like Target or Walmart. However, because many chain grocery stores double coupons (or partially “double” them-for example, giving you $1.00 off for a 55-cent coupon), you can still come out ahead at the grocery store if you use the sale/coupon method of shopping. Also, no matter where you shop, free is a good price for a full-sized tube of toothpaste.

You may have noticed that one of the items listed above, French’s honey mustard, was free, and I
had a coupon for it, so I actually made $1 on the transaction. This happened because I was overcharged for the item and brought it to a manager’s attention. He refunded the full price of the item and let me keep it, too. Paying attention during checkout and reviewing your receipt carefully before you leave the store are important components of getting the full savings you should on your groceries.

I almost never buy anything at the major chain grocery stores anymore unless the item is on sale and I have a coupon for it. I plan my shopping in advance by looking through the weekly ads and using the Coupon Mom website, which has a database of the unadvertised deals at grocery stores across the country (updated weekly) and even tells you which sale items have coupons and where you can find those coupons. I usually only buy about 10-20 items per week that represent the best deals on the types of products I would buy anyway. And if there’s an item that’s still not a good price even with a sale and a coupon, or if it’s something I don’t need no matter how good of a deal it is, I generally don’t buy it. However, I have bought a few things I’m not sure I’ll use because they were so cheap ($1 or less) and I can always donate them to charity if I end up not using them after a few months.

Finally, this shopping method has allowed me to start accumulating a stash of emergency food and water for both my home and my car. I’ve always put off doing this in the past because I couldn’t see spending $100 or so on food that was just going to sit around. Now that I am regularly getting grocery items for 50 cents or $1 each week, I am able to inexpensively accumulate emergency items.

It’s also important to note that some sale prices are better than others. One week pizzas may be on sale for $4.50, while another week the exact same pizzas may be on sale for $3.50. Once you start paying closer attention to sale prices (and perhaps even keeping a grocery price list), you’ll know then the best time to buy is. The best prices usually roll around every few weeks, and you should stock up and use your coupons then.

If you’ve been looking for a way to cut down on your grocery bill, I highly recommend trying the Coupon Mom’s method. Once you get the hang of the system, you won’t be spending much time clipping coupons or planning your shopping trips, and you’ll be amazed by how much money you’ll save.