I am quickly coming to realize that big warehouse stores will never be a better deal than couponing done right. If you are a Sam's, Costco, or BJ's member, please hear this warning!!! Just because it is in bulk does NOT always make it a better deal! Check prices the next time you're at the grocery store and see if a bulk package (6) of Jiffy Cornbread mix for $2.99 is really a better deal than the .40 it costs at Kroger (before coupons).
That being said, there are some techniques to shopping a warehouse store. Your coupons are good here too, and many stores send out monthly booklets with house coupons. Remember, you can double up. I am a BJ's member and they send out quarterly magazines with money saving deals (buy 5 participating items, get $10 off). I go to town on these when they come around by piling house and manufacturer's coupons with them. I also recently learned that you can use a manufacturer's coupon for every item in the bulk package. For example, a 3 pack of graham crackers includes 3 regular sized boxes of graham crackers. You can use a .50 coupon for each box. But remember that most warehouse stores don't double or accept competitor's coupons.
You have to be careful. Always price check.
Showing posts with label Grocery Saving Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grocery Saving Tips. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Grocery Saving Lesson 7 - Double Up!
When I entered the coupon world I was pleased to discover that most stores will accept a manufacturer's coupon and their store brand coupon for the same item. This can really pay off when things are really on sale.
For example, Publix was selling Hillshire Farms sausage for $1.99 (on sale from $2.99). I clipped 2 coupons for $1/2 from my Sunday papers. Publix offered an in house coupon for $1/2 as well. I used both and walked out with 4 packages of sausage for $3.96! I'm using one tonight with a Zatarain's Jambalaya mix I got for .56 last week! Pair that with a corn bread mix and green beans and dinner's on the table for $2.25 (total, not per person!). The rest I will freeze and use with other ingredients I acquire to plan meals for future weeks.
*( Pssst! Some stores will even take a house coupon from another store!!!)
For example, Publix was selling Hillshire Farms sausage for $1.99 (on sale from $2.99). I clipped 2 coupons for $1/2 from my Sunday papers. Publix offered an in house coupon for $1/2 as well. I used both and walked out with 4 packages of sausage for $3.96! I'm using one tonight with a Zatarain's Jambalaya mix I got for .56 last week! Pair that with a corn bread mix and green beans and dinner's on the table for $2.25 (total, not per person!). The rest I will freeze and use with other ingredients I acquire to plan meals for future weeks.
*( Pssst! Some stores will even take a house coupon from another store!!!)
Monday, February 13, 2012
Grocery Saving Lesson 6 - Work Those BOGO's!
For those of you who don't know, a BOGO is a Buy One Get One sale and I love them. An ordinary shopper would see Krusteaz pancake mix on sale BOGO (2 for $2.19) and place 2 in the cart. You are not an ordinary shopper though. What you will do is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use a BOGO without coupons (unless it is an item you really need and absolutely can't find a coupon).
Being the Clipper Queen (or King) you are, you would put those same Krusteaz pancake mixes in your cart, but at the register you will hand the cashier 2 coupons for .50 cents off each Krusteaz mix. Why 2, because you are purchasing 2, even though you are getting one for free. Essentially, they are each half off. But we're not done yet. Most stores will double any coupon up to .50 cents. That means you just shaved a dollar off of each box! And you are only really paying for one! So the $2.19 becomes .19 cents!!!!
Only have one coupon? Never fear. Usually you can buy just one when things are BOGO (the only exception to this I know of is in Florida). Items are marketed as Buy One, Get One, but in reality, they are just both half off. So when you buy one pancake mix, you are getting it for $1.09. But you, you're getting it for .09 cents because you used your .50 coupon, right?
And just like that...you're a Clipper Queen...or King.
Being the Clipper Queen (or King) you are, you would put those same Krusteaz pancake mixes in your cart, but at the register you will hand the cashier 2 coupons for .50 cents off each Krusteaz mix. Why 2, because you are purchasing 2, even though you are getting one for free. Essentially, they are each half off. But we're not done yet. Most stores will double any coupon up to .50 cents. That means you just shaved a dollar off of each box! And you are only really paying for one! So the $2.19 becomes .19 cents!!!!
Only have one coupon? Never fear. Usually you can buy just one when things are BOGO (the only exception to this I know of is in Florida). Items are marketed as Buy One, Get One, but in reality, they are just both half off. So when you buy one pancake mix, you are getting it for $1.09. But you, you're getting it for .09 cents because you used your .50 coupon, right?
And just like that...you're a Clipper Queen...or King.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Grocery Saving Lesson 5 - Plan Your Meals
As I shared with you before, I can do nothing without organization. This includes figuring out what is for dinner. Each month, I print out a blank calendar from google and plan 1 week at a time. I always plan meals from my inventory first. What's the use in having it if you're not using it, right? Then, on my grocery list I write down other ingredients and the fresh items I need for the week (milk, fresh fruit, etc.).
The key is to work from what you have so you aren't forcing yourself to pay full price for an item just because it's on your menu. After you've been hard-core couponing for a few weeks, you should have a nice stock-pile of items to plan meals from. Then, you can use your weekly grocery trips to buy only the fresh items you need, and the new things that are majorly on sale you can save for future meals. This is how my trips turn out so cheap. I am rarely buying a full price item, I am merely stocking my pantry for future meals.
Don't worry though! I absolutely LOVE to cook. I love trying new recipes, baking, and entertaining. I still do these things on a budget, with coupons. If there is a recipe I am dying to try, I check out the ingredients, see what I have on hand, and what I need to watch for on the sale front.
For example, my husband's dying for me to make King Ranch Chicken again. This recipe calls for a lot of canned goods, as well as chopped cooked chicken. This week, my local grocer had chicken breasts on sale .99/lb. I bought 5 lbs, cooked it all and froze it in meal size servings. Rotel diced tomatoes were on sale too and I had coupons so I scooped those up. Next week, King Ranch chicken!
This takes patience and practice. I have been at this 5 years and I'm still learning, but loving it. It's like a game and nothing thrills me more than feeding my family yummy, healthy meals I made from ingredients bought on a shoestring budget!
The key is to work from what you have so you aren't forcing yourself to pay full price for an item just because it's on your menu. After you've been hard-core couponing for a few weeks, you should have a nice stock-pile of items to plan meals from. Then, you can use your weekly grocery trips to buy only the fresh items you need, and the new things that are majorly on sale you can save for future meals. This is how my trips turn out so cheap. I am rarely buying a full price item, I am merely stocking my pantry for future meals.
Don't worry though! I absolutely LOVE to cook. I love trying new recipes, baking, and entertaining. I still do these things on a budget, with coupons. If there is a recipe I am dying to try, I check out the ingredients, see what I have on hand, and what I need to watch for on the sale front.
For example, my husband's dying for me to make King Ranch Chicken again. This recipe calls for a lot of canned goods, as well as chopped cooked chicken. This week, my local grocer had chicken breasts on sale .99/lb. I bought 5 lbs, cooked it all and froze it in meal size servings. Rotel diced tomatoes were on sale too and I had coupons so I scooped those up. Next week, King Ranch chicken!
This takes patience and practice. I have been at this 5 years and I'm still learning, but loving it. It's like a game and nothing thrills me more than feeding my family yummy, healthy meals I made from ingredients bought on a shoestring budget!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Grocery Saving Lesson 4 - Keep Inventory
Maybe you've been putting those coupons to good use and you've collected quite a haul of rice mixes, syrup, and pasta. How can you effectively use what you've been bringing home? The answer is the good old-fashioned inventory system. There's a reason every store in the world uses this method. It makes you use what you have because you can see it.
Before you plan another meal, go to your pantry, freezer, and fridge and write down what you have. Be specific. How many cans of diced tomatoes do you have? I know you are hating me right now and ready to give up couponing for good. Don't! Just a few minutes every week will help you keep track of what you have and plan and shop more effectively.
I keep a running inventory for my freezer inside my recipe binder in the kitchen. When meal planning, all I have to do is check the list to see if I have any ground beef in the freezer, rather than run over and rummage through the cold. I also have an inventory list for dry goods I store in my basement pantry (my stockpile). There will be more to come on the stockpile method.
And if you're really good, I'll load my inventory template for you once I figure out how!
Before you plan another meal, go to your pantry, freezer, and fridge and write down what you have. Be specific. How many cans of diced tomatoes do you have? I know you are hating me right now and ready to give up couponing for good. Don't! Just a few minutes every week will help you keep track of what you have and plan and shop more effectively.
I keep a running inventory for my freezer inside my recipe binder in the kitchen. When meal planning, all I have to do is check the list to see if I have any ground beef in the freezer, rather than run over and rummage through the cold. I also have an inventory list for dry goods I store in my basement pantry (my stockpile). There will be more to come on the stockpile method.
And if you're really good, I'll load my inventory template for you once I figure out how!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Grocery Saving Lesson 3 - Ecoupons
I hope you've been following the weekly couponing tips. It is a fabulous and easy way to save big!
We touched on this briefly in Lesson 1, but it deserves its own section. This is a huge, and often untapped, resource for coupons. If your store uses a rewards card, go to the following sites and register your card. Every month you can load new coupons to it. When the cashier scans your card, the coupons take effect like magic!
http://www.cellfire.com/
http://www.pgesaver.com/
http://www.ecoupons.com/
Remember, many ecoupons also have paper coupons to go with them. At some stores, you can use 1 ecoupon and 1 paper coupon on the same item. Who doesn't love that?! Unfortunately, my store stopped allowing this, so if yours only takes one of the other, make sure you hand the cashier your paper coupons BEFORE you scan your savings card, or you won't be able to use your higher dollar paper coupon. However, if you'd rather use the ecoupon, scan away!
We touched on this briefly in Lesson 1, but it deserves its own section. This is a huge, and often untapped, resource for coupons. If your store uses a rewards card, go to the following sites and register your card. Every month you can load new coupons to it. When the cashier scans your card, the coupons take effect like magic!
http://www.cellfire.com/
http://www.pgesaver.com/
http://www.ecoupons.com/
Remember, many ecoupons also have paper coupons to go with them. At some stores, you can use 1 ecoupon and 1 paper coupon on the same item. Who doesn't love that?! Unfortunately, my store stopped allowing this, so if yours only takes one of the other, make sure you hand the cashier your paper coupons BEFORE you scan your savings card, or you won't be able to use your higher dollar paper coupon. However, if you'd rather use the ecoupon, scan away!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Grocery Saving Lesson 2 - Organize those Q's!
We started last week with the first installment of couponing tips. You can see that post here. I hope you bought your Sunday paper yesterday! If not, you can probably still catch one today.
Now if you know me, you know I can do nothing until I am organized, and in the coupon world, organization is key! Here are a few ideas and tips on how to keep up with all of the coupons you will be accumulating.
* Tip #1 - Envelopes - I started 6 years ago with envelopes labeled for each month. In the envelope I put coupons expiring within the labeled month. Before you head out to the store, check through your coupons and take out those you need. You can also see if you want to use any that may expire that week. This is a great way to get your feet wet.
* Tip #2 - Accordion File - This was my next stage of organization. I kept a 13 pocket file in my purse, labeled with common grocery categories (cans, breakfast, baby, frozen , etc.). This was nice because I always had all my coupons with me.
* Tip #3 - Binder - I have graduated to a Big Mama Binder now, due to the abundance of coupons I collect.
-I bought a zippered binder with pockets on the inside to hold little scissors, a calculator, and a pen. The outside has a small accordion section I use to hold store fliers, meal planning calendars, etc. (we'll get to that fun later!). This was $10 at Target.
-Next, you get a bundle of baseball card holder pages in the sporting good section (also Target for $10).
-Organize your coupons into categories (like Tip #2) and use binder dividers to label them and pop those coupons into baseball card slots.
**Endurance my friends! Getting this set up is a bit of a chore, but I promise, once it is done, you will be a happy clipper!
* Tip #4 - Before you head out to the store, choose which coupons you will use and pull them out. I transfer coupons I plan to use to an envelope. You can also bring your extra labeled envelopes, file, or binder if you want, just in case!
* Tip #5 - I have recently reorganized my coupon organizing...again. I still use the big binder, but I found the baseball card slots a bit time consuming for the amout of coupons I clip. Instead, I have a clear, plastic paper sleeve for each category. I just pile those q's in as I clip the. For me, this is easier and takes way less time. After I make my grocery list for the week, I pull out the coupons I need and slip them into an accordion file I keep in my purse. This file is labeled by store "Target", "Kroger", etc. I put the shopping list and coupons for each store I'm headed to in the appropriate file and I'm off! This method has saved me tons of time tracking down coupons in the store.
As I've said before, I'm not expert! So please, if you have another method you love, share! Happy clipping!
Now if you know me, you know I can do nothing until I am organized, and in the coupon world, organization is key! Here are a few ideas and tips on how to keep up with all of the coupons you will be accumulating.
* Tip #1 - Envelopes - I started 6 years ago with envelopes labeled for each month. In the envelope I put coupons expiring within the labeled month. Before you head out to the store, check through your coupons and take out those you need. You can also see if you want to use any that may expire that week. This is a great way to get your feet wet.
* Tip #2 - Accordion File - This was my next stage of organization. I kept a 13 pocket file in my purse, labeled with common grocery categories (cans, breakfast, baby, frozen , etc.). This was nice because I always had all my coupons with me.
* Tip #3 - Binder - I have graduated to a Big Mama Binder now, due to the abundance of coupons I collect.
-I bought a zippered binder with pockets on the inside to hold little scissors, a calculator, and a pen. The outside has a small accordion section I use to hold store fliers, meal planning calendars, etc. (we'll get to that fun later!). This was $10 at Target.
-Next, you get a bundle of baseball card holder pages in the sporting good section (also Target for $10).
-Organize your coupons into categories (like Tip #2) and use binder dividers to label them and pop those coupons into baseball card slots.
**Endurance my friends! Getting this set up is a bit of a chore, but I promise, once it is done, you will be a happy clipper!
* Tip #4 - Before you head out to the store, choose which coupons you will use and pull them out. I transfer coupons I plan to use to an envelope. You can also bring your extra labeled envelopes, file, or binder if you want, just in case!
* Tip #5 - I have recently reorganized my coupon organizing...again. I still use the big binder, but I found the baseball card slots a bit time consuming for the amout of coupons I clip. Instead, I have a clear, plastic paper sleeve for each category. I just pile those q's in as I clip the. For me, this is easier and takes way less time. After I make my grocery list for the week, I pull out the coupons I need and slip them into an accordion file I keep in my purse. This file is labeled by store "Target", "Kroger", etc. I put the shopping list and coupons for each store I'm headed to in the appropriate file and I'm off! This method has saved me tons of time tracking down coupons in the store.
As I've said before, I'm not expert! So please, if you have another method you love, share! Happy clipping!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Grocery Saving Lesson 1 - Collect Those Q's!
I'm a mad couponer! Don't get me wrong, I'm not a shelf-clearing, food hoarding type of couponer. However, I do enjoy a great deal and feeding my family on a budget. Let's say you budget $400 a month for groceries and can save 70% with coupons, you just pocketed $280! That looks like shoe buying money to me y'all...or project money...or vacation money. You get the idea.
So, without further ado, here is the first installment of my coupon tips. I'm no expert, but I keep to a pretty tight budget and I'm more than happy to help you do the same!
* Tip #1 - ALWAYS buy the Sunday paper (except for the 2-3 times a year when no coupons are included).
* Tip #2 - Buy the biggest paper you can find. I always buy a double copy for the same price as a single. This way you are getting twice the coupons and this will pay off when there are BOGO (Buy One, Get One) sales.
* Tip #3 - Remember those blinky devices in the grocery aisles? They have coupons in them. Grab one, no grab 10 and save them for later! Chances are that item will be on sale in a few weeks.
* Tip #4 - At the front of many grocery stores there are store promotion fliers. Grab a few and keep them in your stash. At most stores you can use 1 store coupon and 1 manufacturers coupon per item.
* Tip #5 - Look online! Coupons abound online and with a little searching you can turn up some great deals. SmartSource, Red Plum, and Proctor and Gamble are great sites to hunt.
* Tip #6 - Sign up for products you like online. My family happens to love Blue Bell ice cream so I went to their website and signed up. I was able to print out 2 $1 off coupons, which I then used at Kroger, yielding 2 gallons for $3.98!!!! This is a $6.38/gallon ice cream! Sometimes the brands/products you sign up for will send you coupons periodically as well.
* Tip #7 - Load electronic coupons. Many stores that offer rewards cards will let you load coupons directly onto your card from your computer. The great news is, you can use one paper coupon and one e-coupon for the same item! I just got a box of Cocoa Puffs for .40 cents doing this!
* Tip #8 - Tell everyone you know you are a Clipper Queen (or King)! You'll be surprised at how many people will save them for you. Ask your relatives for their Sunday coupons if they don't use them.
* Tip #9 - Save Catalina coupons. These are the money off coupons that come out with your receipt. They are mostly triggered by buying a participating item. Don't just throw your receipt away! Check and make sure the clerk didn't fold up a Catalina in there. It's as good as money!
* Tip #10 - Magazines have gotten in on the coupon biz too. One of the best is All You. They have over $70 in savings every month and there is a nifty coupon table of contents (TOC) in the front. I save mine in their entirety and always check the TOC before heading out.
* Tip #2 - Buy the biggest paper you can find. I always buy a double copy for the same price as a single. This way you are getting twice the coupons and this will pay off when there are BOGO (Buy One, Get One) sales.
* Tip #3 - Remember those blinky devices in the grocery aisles? They have coupons in them. Grab one, no grab 10 and save them for later! Chances are that item will be on sale in a few weeks.
* Tip #4 - At the front of many grocery stores there are store promotion fliers. Grab a few and keep them in your stash. At most stores you can use 1 store coupon and 1 manufacturers coupon per item.
* Tip #5 - Look online! Coupons abound online and with a little searching you can turn up some great deals. SmartSource, Red Plum, and Proctor and Gamble are great sites to hunt.
* Tip #6 - Sign up for products you like online. My family happens to love Blue Bell ice cream so I went to their website and signed up. I was able to print out 2 $1 off coupons, which I then used at Kroger, yielding 2 gallons for $3.98!!!! This is a $6.38/gallon ice cream! Sometimes the brands/products you sign up for will send you coupons periodically as well.
* Tip #7 - Load electronic coupons. Many stores that offer rewards cards will let you load coupons directly onto your card from your computer. The great news is, you can use one paper coupon and one e-coupon for the same item! I just got a box of Cocoa Puffs for .40 cents doing this!
* Tip #8 - Tell everyone you know you are a Clipper Queen (or King)! You'll be surprised at how many people will save them for you. Ask your relatives for their Sunday coupons if they don't use them.
* Tip #9 - Save Catalina coupons. These are the money off coupons that come out with your receipt. They are mostly triggered by buying a participating item. Don't just throw your receipt away! Check and make sure the clerk didn't fold up a Catalina in there. It's as good as money!
* Tip #10 - Magazines have gotten in on the coupon biz too. One of the best is All You. They have over $70 in savings every month and there is a nifty coupon table of contents (TOC) in the front. I save mine in their entirety and always check the TOC before heading out.
Anyone have any other fav spots you pick up coups? Please share!
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