Most products that you find inside your nearby supermarket will have some sort of discount available via grocery coupons. From the consumer perspective, they are intended to be utilized by customers who are seeking to save as much cash as possible every time they go to the grocery store. From a corporate perspective, they are used to incentivize customers to buy their goods rather than the competitors, attempt new goods that have lately been released, and give people the idea to purchase a product that they had been not originally intending to purchase. There are tremendous opportunities for both customers and businesses to engage in this type of advertising and savings strategy.
Figure out your "buy price" for items which you buy on a normal basis and stockpile them when they are able to be bought at or below that price.
Here are my grocery shopping rules:
Know your prices
The first step is to educate your self about prices. If you buy the 31 load box of Tide detergent every month, make sure you know the everyday cost for Tide at your local Safeway, Walmart, Walgreens, and so on. Now, keep in mind the time you got a really good deal on that box of Tide? That's your purchase cost. The store makes their cash whenever you purchase Tide at the everyday cost, but you should wait to purchase Tide until you can get it for your price.
It will take some time to obtain up to speed on costs. Attempt keeping a cost book until you can identify a good price on demand. Following you have been performing this a while, you'll have your own set of purchase costs like paper towels rolls for 50 cents, canned tomatoes for 16 cents, a box mac & cheese for 33 cents, etc.
Shop at the right shops
Did you know that a grocery chain might have different costs for the same item at different shops? I had always bought groceries at the nearest supermarket (6 miles from home). That particular store had no local competition, so there was small incentive for them to have lower prices. 1 time I happened to be shopping at a different store in that chain (11 miles from home) and was surprised to see that the everyday prices for many of the items that I bought on a normal basis (milk, bread, steak, produce, chips) had been lower than what I had been paying at the store closest to home.
What was the difference? COMPETITION! The store with the lower costs had a competing grocery chain a couple of hundred yards away. However, things got even better for customers when a Super Walmart opened down the street. Traditional grocery stores are terrified of Walmart! Once Walmart came to town, the flood of cost cuts, coupons, promotions, and generous sales really started to take off.
I have shopped at these two grocery stores for three years now and take advantage of the deals that each offer each and every week. I also pick up items at CVS or Walgreens when they have a great deal (which can be often) and even spend some money at Walmart each and every couple of weeks.
Stockpile items when the price is right
We've established that you ought to buy in quantity when you discover an item at your buy cost. This is called stockpiling. The beauty of a stockpile is that when you have a bunch of paper towels that cost you 50 cents per roll, you have a supply to last you until you can buy much more at 50 cents per roll. The less informed shoppers can continue pay the normal cost of one dollar per roll.
When building your stockpile, consider that some types of goods generally go on sale at certain times of the year. For example, things like soda, ketchup, hot dogs, and chips are on sale quite often during the warmer months when everyone is cooking on the barbeque. Similarly, things like baking ingredients, canned goods, and spaghetti sauce are on sale during the Fall and Winter. Also, do not be alarmed if you grocery spending temporarily increases when you start building your stockpile. Once your stockpile is built, you'll see your spending decrease since you've started shopping smarter.
It's also important to maintain in mind that you will have to store all this stuff somewhere. Basically, do not buy 50 multi packs of toilet paper in the event you have no where to put it. I keep my stockpile in the basement: a stand up freezer and a shelving unit from Home Depot have done the trick for me.
Identify good offers in the sales circular prior to shopping
You should spend a little time performing your homework before you head out to the store. Look for items that you can buy at your purchase cost taking into account sales, coupons, and promotions.
Remember to pack your own lunch snacks. Buying pre-made snacks is convenient, but a large waste of money. Purchase little baggies and buy the snacks in bulk, then it will take just a few minutes to pack some snacks for lunch each day. Use Coupons to Save Big Money Always !!
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