Shopping the Sales

I have been a couponer for awhile, but lately, the coupons have been smaller than normal since it seems that everyone as taken up couponing. I feel that overuse, and abuse, of coupons, has spoiled it for most other couponers. I still do cut coupons but only use them for items that I already purchase or was planning to purchase.

What I do instead now, is to shop the sales. This isn't a new concept- this is a concept that has been used by our mothers and grandmothers for generations to save money for their families. However, thanks to modern technology, it's so much easier now!  Above you'll see all the grocery shopping I did today for only $65. I went to two stores and I did about an hour's worth of research before I went, and it was so worth it.

I'm going to share with you a few tips to learn how to shop sales- and once you start, it will be hard to stop!

#1. Do Your Research.
 In my town, I primarily shop at Wal-Mart, and a local Country Mart. Wal-Mart's prices usually are low, and you can price match to other stores in the area. While I was preparing my shopping list, I looked at the other stores in the area for what was on sale.

I found that Aldi had strawberries for 1.29/lb. I don't usually shop at Aldi, but I pricematched to Wal-Mart for that, and got the strawberries that they usually have for 1.98/lb!

You can do this with any store within 50 miles around your town (We dont have a Target or a Hyvee, but you can price match to them) and you can see these deals in the Sunday paper, but also check out the store's websites- this will show you their weekly ad and their midweek ad.

WAIT- MIDWEEK AD? WHAT? WHAT?
Oh yes. This, is probably the best tip I will give you. Most stores have midweek ads and 2 day sales that have super low prices- and since you can price match, that may be the best way to snag your super great deal!

My CountryMart usually starts their sales on Wednesday, and they are very good about keeping their sales stocked. This week, the ad had frozen vegetables on sale for .98 apeice- so I got four bags of different veggies. They also had fresh Dole salads for 2 for $5, so I picked up 2, as well as fresh vegetables such as broccoli for .98/lb.

#2: Clip your coupons!
If you're a couponer, the best way to do it is to use coupon websites for weekly matchups, and then make your grocery list from that. For fresh food, couponing is not a great way to get the deal- there are rarely coupons for produce. But for things such as cheese, refrigerated or packaged foods to supplement your fresh food, keep an eye out for coupons!

#3: Make your List! I make my list in an Excel spreadsheet so that I can see how much is going to cost me, and keep everything organized with what I need to purchase from each store and what's on sale.

This is what my list looked like for Country Mart this week:

Product	Price	Store	Date Expire
Fresh Green Beans	.98/lb	Bi-Lo	27-Mar
Broccoli Crowns	.98/lb	Bi-Lo	27-Mar
Dole Salad Blends 9-12 oz	2/$5	Bi-Lo	27-Mar
YoPlait Greek Yogurt 6 oz	0.98	Bi-Lo	27-Mar
Kraft Dressing	0.98	Bi-Lo	27-Mar
PictSweet Vegetables 10-16 oz	0.98	Bi-Lo	27-Mar

By knowing what is on sale in the store before I walk in, I won't miss any of the sales, and I can ensure that I get the best deal!

#4: Keep your eyes out for unadvertised deals!
I picked up several items that were on sale today that I had not accounted for:
Wal-Mart had cantaloupes on sale for 1.00 apiece, so I got 2. Also- clementines for 3.75!
Country Mart had asparagus for $1.97 a bunch, so I picked some up...

And my favorite way to save is in the meat department. Country Mart marks down their meat every week, so I picked up some "Managers Special chicken" which was tenderloins on sale for 2.54. Last week I did this with pork steaks that were on sale- 4 steaks for 4.96!

Wal-Mart doesn't have meat sales like that, so it's better to shop locally when you can.

Altogether: I got the following items for $65.00:

2 lbs chicken--3 crowns broccoli --Sara Lee 100% Whole wheat --Yukon potatoes --
2 packages of Jello* --Cheddar snacks--2 cantaloupes--Fresh asparagus -Creamy ranch dip
Smoked turkey sausages --2 lb baby carrots --3 pink lady apples --Garlic salt --Strawberries
I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter*--Mild Salsa--6 Whiskas*--4 frozen PictSweet veggie bags
WholeWheat linguine--WholeWheat rotini--Milk Bite Granola Bars*--2 bags romaine
1 bag of cuties--Fresh Takes*  --3 greek yogurts--1 dozen eggs --bananas

The items marked with an asterisk (*), I used a coupon when I purchased it.

As you can see, with a little bit of research from the comfort of your couch, you can save a lot of money!

Useful websites:
The Krazy Coupon Lady
My Country Mart
Price Chopper