Teaching Tuesday: Avoiding Supermarket Gimmicks!

We all know the advice about not to go shopping when you're hungry because you buy a lot more, and we've heard about trying to shop alone (like that happens!), but to be perfectly honest, any place that you choose to shop is a "for profit" establishment.  That means they want your money!


Everything about your shopping experience at most major grocery chains is designed to entice you to spend.  Yes, designed!  Everything from the shiny packaging of new products, to their strategic placement on the shelves, to the delectable aromas emanating from the bakery and deli departments.  It's all meant to be one huge consumer temptation!

How can you avoid falling into these traps?

1. If you have the option, shop at a no frills store, such as Aldi.  You don't have all the conveniences you would at a large chain, but you do pay for those conveniences!
2. Stick to the "loss leaders".   These are those items that are deeply discounted each week.  They usually appear on the front page near the top of a store's ad.  They are so cheap, in fact, that the stores may actually be selling them at a loss instead of a profit, but that is a gimmick they use to get you into the store.  They hope that once you are in, you will purchase a lot more, preferably buying everything you need for the week while you are there.  Don't!
3. If the bakery smells tempt you, don't shop early in the morning.  If you can't resist the smells of the deli, don't shop at lunch or dinner time.
4. Don't grab the first thing you see!  Items marked "on sale" and placed on endcaps are not necessarily "on sale".  Manufacturers pay the stores for those product locations in order to get more sales.  Instead, go down the aisles.   Once you are down the aisle, don't grab the things at eye level.  Those are the most popular, most pricey brands.  Look low and look high to find better deals.
5. Mind your unit prices.  You may see two packages side by side that are the same price.  Before you make a decision, check the package sizes.  One may contain more than the other, making it the better value.

Do you have any more advice?  Please share a comment below!

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Teaching Tuesday: Be Flexible!

Welcome back to Teaching Tuesdays!  I hope you've been enjoying them!

So far, we've learned how to save money by knowing the best prices, being organized, matching coupons to lowest sale prices, and slowly building up a small stockpile of items.

As you continue to shop in this way, you will be able to pick out the best of the best deal each week to stockpile, and you will find your list of "needed items" slowly shrinking.

But, there are always going to be a few items on that "needs" list.  Ideally, those items will be on sale at the precise moment when you run out, and you will also have a coupon for them!  Ideally....but we don't live in an ideal world, and sometimes...every so often...you're going to have to buy something without a coupon.   

*GASP*  

I know!  I shudder at the thought, too!  But, there is an easy way to save on that item...just be flexible as to which brand you buy.  If your favorite brand name item is at an all time high price, but another leading brand right next to it on the shelf is on sale, and you have a coupon for it....give it a try!  Maybe it's a new laundry detergent that you've never tried, and you are nervous about it.  That's understandable!  But even if you don't like it, you've not lost anything.  You've saved, and learned.

What if none of the name brands are on sale, and you don't have a coupon for any of them?  Try a store brand!  I've bought generics for many items in my life, and I've rarely been able to tell a difference between them and the national brands!  In fact, many of the same companies that manufacture national brands also make the generic brands, they are just packaged differently.   I once even saw a Borden truck pulling away from Aldi, and Aldi doesn't even sell name brands.  Period.   Plus, many store brand items are labeled with "satisfaction guaranteed", which means that if you don't like it, they will give you a refund!

I'm certainly not saying that a generic version is always going to be the cheapest option.  I've never gotten a generic item for free, but I've gotten many name brand items for free, or very close to it, by using coupons.  I'm just saying that when the prices are high, and you have run low...consider it!  Also, consider it for pantry staples that rarely have coupons available.  There isn't much variation between brands of sugar, flour, beans, rice, salt and things of that nature.

You could also be flexible in the form of an item you buy.  Perhaps you've run out of bottled juice.   This week your usual bottle is $4, while the frozen juice concentrates are on sale for $0.89!  It may not be your favorite option, but you could save a little bit, just for this week, by purchasing the frozen canister.

If you are *really* flexible, and want to save BIG bucks, it seems that recipes to make your own household cleaning products (you know, those things that are REALLY expensive) abound on the internet.  It seems to be all the rage!  ;)  A simple google search will yield plenty of options if you'd rather make your own than pay store prices!  One commenter on my blog has said that she spent $24 and made enough laundry soap to last her the whole year. Not a bad deal, I'd say!  If you aren't sure how well it would work, you could always test out a small batch!

When you are flexible, you'll find you have many more options for savings than you ever thought possible!

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Teaching Tuesday: How Do You Begin A Stockpile?

For today's Teaching Tuesday post, I'm going to discuss how to begin building a stockpile.  We've already learned about how to organize coupons and how to match coupons to sale prices (and we know if it's a good sale price because we know our prices!)

When we put all of this information into practice, we're going to see significant savings!  However, all of that goes to waste if we do not buy enough of an item to last us until it goes on sale again  (typically 4-8 weeks) and we have to run out and buy the item at full price.

Over the summer, I wrote a post that was all about stockpiles (literally, that was the title!  Go read it if you'd like to learn more!)  I've also posted about how stockpiles do not need to be extreme, but no matter if they are large or small, they've got to start somewhere!

Ideally, the best way to begin a stockpile is "buying" several of an item that is FREE after coupons during a given sale, but lately those have been few and far between!  The next best thing is buying several of an item when it is at it's lowest sale price and you have a coupon for that item.

When the items you wish to stockpile aren't free, you have to be careful not to overdo it, and risk going over budget buying things that you don't immediately need.  It's a tricky situation to be in, because you are having to spend extra money now in order to get future savings!

Since we're saving so much on our grocery bill, we can dedicate some of that savings to beginning a stockpile.

Let's say, for example, that before using coupons you were spending $150/week on groceries.  By using coupons, you find you're able to save nearly half, spending only $80/week.  Your instinct is to lower your budget and allocate all of that savings into another budget category.  Great idea!  But leave yourself a bit of wiggle room!  Set your budget at say $100/week.  You'll still have an extra $50 to shift into another budget category, and you'll give yourself an extra $20 to "play" with at the store.  Also, you never know when there will be a bad sale week (or a really good one) and you need a little more than that $80!

Then, when you see a great sale on something, you'll know you can afford to buy a few extra.  Let's say you see juice on sale for $2 when it's usually $4.  That's already half off, but you happen to have a few $1 coupons, so you can get them for just $1.  That's a savings of 75% and a great time to stockpile.

If you buy 4 bottles for $4, you've gotten 4 times as much for the same price you would have paid without a sale or a coupon  (the price you'll pay next week if you only get one bottle when the sale is over and your coupon has perhaps expired).

If you normally buy 1 bottle of juice each week, you've just stocked up for the whole month for no more out of your pocket than a normal weekly purchase, and that item gets taken off of your "needed item" list for at least three weeks..freeing up more money that you can use to focus on stocking up on another item.

I love how savings has a snowball effect!

Next week we'll be discussing how you can save more by not being so loyal. ;)

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Teaching Tuesday: How To Match Coupons To Sale Items

I'm going to let you in on a little secret:  Even though you are using a coupon, you might not actually be saving money!  If you buy items just because you have a coupon for them, you could be paying much more than you need to if the item is not on sale at the time you purchase it!

The most effective way to coupon is to hold onto your coupons until there is a sale, and then buy as many as you have coupons for.  Ideally, that should be enough to last your family until the next time the item goes on sale.

If you are using the whole insert method, like we discussed last week, the coupon databases available now make it super easy to find the coupon you are looking for to go along with an item on sale.


Here's how they work:

I'll use an example from this week's Kroger sales ad:

Grands Biscuits are part of the Mega Sale.  $0.99 is about the lowest price I see these for, so this is the perfect time to stock up (You don't want to have used all your biscuit coupons last week when they were "on sale" for $1.79).

You're pretty sure you have a coupon for this item, but you don't want to flip through every insert you have, so you turn to a coupon database (most will ask you to register, but they are free to use).  My favorite is AFullCup.com, and I'll be using it in my examples.

You type in the product you are looking for in the search box, and any coupons that exist will show up below:

You can see that I typed in "Grands Biscuits", and several options appeared.  On the right hand side, it gives you the date and abbreviation, which tells you which insert to look in.  RP=Redplum, SS=Smartsource, GM=General Mills, and PG=Proctor & Gamble.

Once you know which insert(s) to check, you can quickly find the right one and flip through it and clip the coupons you need.

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Teaching Tuesday: Lesson 3-- Organizing Your Coupons

Now that you know the prices you normally pay for things and know your stores coupon policies, it's time to really start saving!

But you can't save with coupon if you can't FIND your coupons!


Finding the right way to organize your coupons can be confusing because there are probably as many methods as there are couponers!   (In fact, if you google "coupon organization" you will likely be overwhelmed with what you find--I just did it, and I certainly was!  Although Pinterest may be a better option for those of us--like me--who need visuals!)

The method you choose to organize your coupons is going to depend a great deal on the type of shopper you are and the stores available to you.  (Read an older in-depth article I wrote on coupon organization.--I'll sum this article up below)

There are 3 major methods of coupon organization that I'd like to tell you about, and then I'll tell you how I incorporate them all!


First off, there is the accordion folder method.  Many people begin couponing using one of these.  It is small enough to stash in your purse, and you can separate coupons by category so that you can find them easily.  The major drawback to this method is that you cannot hold many coupons in it.  If you are very brand loyal, and only use coupons for a few items, this option may work well for you!

Many people eventually graduate from the accordion folder--because they amass too many coupons in most cases-- to the binder method.  This method involves a large binder, and usually baseball card or other clear inserts to hold the coupons.  This method is great for being able to see many coupons all at once.  The major drawback to this method is that it takes the most time BY FAR!  If you have plenty of time to devote to couponing, this method will definitely allow for the most savings!  If you tend to buy extra things just because you see a sale and have a coupon, this method may also lead to the most overspending, so beware!  If you wish to use the binder method, my friend MS. Do has some great info on how to set one up!

Busy people tend to prefer the whole insert method.  For this method, when you get new coupon inserts--you don't clip the coupons!  Instead, you write the date on the front of the insert and store them someplace.  Then when you want to know if there is a coupon for a particular item, you look it up in an online database (more on these next week).  This will tell you what insert the coupon was in, and you can quickly find that insert, flip through it, and clip the coupon.  The major drawback to this method is that you miss out on unexpected deals, like clearance finds, because you will not have all of your coupons with you.  If you are a very organized shopper, and like to go in with a pre-planned list, you will probably like this method a lot!


Personally, none of these methods by itself works for me.  I've tried them all at different seasons of my life.  When I was in college, and would take a few coupon inserts from home when I visited on the weekend, I used an accordion file.

When I was first married, and working part time and had no children yet, I assembled a binder for myself.  I really loved it, but when I had toddlers and diaper bags to drag into the store also, it just wasn't the practical choice.

When I began working full time teaching, I nearly stopped couponing altogether because I didn't have time to clip and stuff by binder, and by the time I got around to it, they were all expired.

Then, I became a stay at home mom.  I knew I needed to get back to saving some money!  That's when I discovered online databases and began shopping grocery store sales instead of just Wal-mart.  I would often take advantage of my husbands evening off to go out shopping ALONE, so I would usually go to more than one store.

I would use the database and clip coupons to match with several store's sales, so I needed a place to store them.  That's when I brought my accordion folder back into my life!  Only, I don't organize it by coupon category, I organize it by store!   I have a section in mine for each store I shop at, so when I'm planning my trips, I can place my list and any coupons I"ll be needing where I can easily find them at the store.  (You can read about how I plan my trips here.)  I have a couple extra files in here, so in the front I keep any high value or free product coupons that I know I will be using.  I will also bring along several coupons that may be a good deal after they double, just to see.  The rest of my coupons stay home.

I still keep my binder around to store my printed coupons and any that I get in the mail.

I've purchased a small file box for my whole inserts, and it is working very nicely for me.

This method works very well for me, and I've been using it for nearly about 2 years now.  I used to keep my inserts in a box, so the grey file box is a recent addition that I am loving (though it was too heavy, and the handle broke off!)

I'd love to know about how you organize your coupons, so leave a comment below!  If you blog and have a post about it, leave a link in the comments so we can all check it out.

If you'd like to see another version that is VERY similar to my method, only it uses different physical objects to put them in (and much more stylish, I might add!), my friend Cricket at Thrifty Texas Penny has made a short video showing how her method works!

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Teaching Tuesday: Lesson 2--Know The Policies

In last week's lesson, we discussed the importance of knowing prices so we can be sure if we are getting a deal.

So, you find an item on sale at a store you do not normally shop at.  You also have a coupon for that item, so you think you can save even more using the coupon, but can you?

It's very important to know the coupon acceptance policies of any store you plan to shop at, so you can know exactly what you can expect to pay for an item.  Some items are only a good price if you are able to use a coupon, or sometimes only if that coupon will double.  If the store will not double your coupon, or will not accept your coupon at all, you could end up paying more than you normally would for that item, and that would not be a good deal for you.

Today, I'd like to go over the coupon policies of the major grocery chains in my area that I cover match-ups for on this page:  Kroger, Albertson's, and Tom Thumb.  These are the policies as of right now, and could change at any time.

First off, Kroger used to double coupons in this area, but as of November, they stopped.  They still accept paper and internet coupons at face value.  They also allow e-coupons to be loaded onto your shopper card.


Albertsons is quickly becoming my favorite store to shop at (since Kroger stopped doubling).  They are a bit higher priced that the others on their everyday items, but will double coupons without limit (check your individual stores, though).  Coupon values up to $0.39 will triple.  That means that if you redeem a $0.25 coupon, the register will deduct $0.75  (triple the value).  If you have three of them, all three will triple.  Coupon values $0.40-$0.50 will double.  That means a $0.50 coupon will deduct $1.00 at the register.  Coupon values over $0.50 will be redeemed at value value.  Albertsons no longer uses shopper cards, so none of the e-coupons are available there.

Tom Thumb follows the same rules/values for doubling that Albertsons does, only they limit doubled coupons to one per transaction.  That means that if you have 3 $0.25/1 coupons to use, the first will deduct $0.75 (triple), while the remaining two will be redeemed at face value.  E-coupons may be loaded to cards as well.

Those are the basics for the main stores I shop at.  Store policies can vary from state to state, region to region, and even manager to manager, so be sure to double check at your store, especially for limits!


Homework:
Familiarize yourself with your local store's coupon policy if you have not already done so!

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Teaching Tuesday: Lesson 1--Know Your Costs And Shop Around

Welcome to Teaching Tuesdays!  In this series, I intend to lay out some of the basic rules and how-to's to help you save the most money!

Today's lesson I intended to be two separate lessons but no matter how I thought it through and tried to write it out, they were intertwined!  Today I'm going to be talking about knowing how much you usually pay for an item so you can know if you are getting a better deal elsewhere.

I think that most people, whether they use coupons or not, have a go to store that they imagine has the lowest prices.  There's nothing wrong with that!  In fact, its a great thing!  The problem comes when people get so used to shopping the same store, buying the same items that they need, that they don't even pay attention to the prices anymore.

One day they happen into another store, and they see what they *think* is a good price on an item they use, but they aren't really sure.

You can't know if you are getting a good deal on something if you don't know the price you usually pay for that item.

I used to be a one stop shopper.  Back when I was working and had one child who was an infant.  I didn't even pay attention to sales flyers from other stores because I was sure they were more expensive, and equally sure I didn't have the time to go from store to store chasing deals.  I still attempted to use coupons, but my savings were very slim at that time.

When my husband and I decided that I would begin staying home, and I found myself pregnant with baby number 2 a few months later, I knew I had to start spending less money.  I had a pretty good head for numbers back then, and could usually spout off the prices I paid for any item in my pantry.  I knew the prices I normally paid!

One day, I decided to open up a grocery flyer just to see, and I noticed that some things were on sale for LESS than I usually got them for.  I also noticed that the flyer said that they would double couples.

Now, I had to stop and blink a few times.  This "expensive" store had an item I liked on sale for less money than I had been paying for it, AND they would deduct double the value of my coupons?   At the time I had just printed a $0.50 coupon for this item, that just so happened to be on sale for $1.   It didn't take very hard calculations to realize that I could get that item for FREE that week at that store with my coupon.  

It wasn't hard to figure out that FREE was a good deal, but I still thought that this was only one item that would be on sale for one week.  It was a fluke.  Nothing more.

I was wrong.

I started paying more attention to the flyers from the three grocery stores that doubled coupons in my area each week (note that Kroger no longer doubles).  I started to find that the "every day low prices" I was used to paying, were usually beat each week in at least one of those three store's flyers.

So I started shopping around.  I would make my lists (I'll be talking more about how to do that later on), gather up the coupons I had for the sale items, and go to each of these stores to get the best deals.  I was prepared before entering the store, so shopping didn't take very long!

Once I had grabbed all the grocery store deals, I would shop my usual store to get what remained on my list.  By this time Aldi had just opened, and it quickly became my usual store.  I was incredibly surprised when my shopping lists of items that I needed started becoming smaller and smaller.  I was beginning to build a small stockpile of items in my pantry, and I was spending less than ever on food. (That was about the same time I was inspired to begin this blog).

Now, that's a long story of how I personally came to figure these things out.  What I want you to take away from it is that because I knew how much I normally paid for things, I was able to realize that I could get things for less by shopping someplace other than my normal store.

I kind of went a bit overboard when I first began, and I think that is just normal to do.  You naturally want to snatch up every deal you find.  But in order to know if you are getting a deal, you must know your prices!

These days, with two kids...one in school with homework to do and the other all over the place...its harder to keep track of prices I'm accustomed to paying.  I'm also a little more selective about if a trip to a particular store is worth the effort (how many things I can get cheaper there is important!  I don't make a special trip for just one or two items....I'm conserving gas, too!)

I'm planning on doing something that everyone suggests, and I've always thought it was a great idea, but never got around to doing:  I'm going to make myself a price list!

That's right!  I admit it.  I've never made one for myself before.  *hangs head in shame*  I've always had a good head for numbers, and I can still often tell you how much I paid for items after coupons, but there are a lot of things flying around in my head these days, so I think it would save me a lot of stress and wondering if I wrote these things down.

I intend to base it off of Aldi's prices, and I'm not going to do it all at once.  I'm just going to jot down a few items that I routinely buy there the next time I go.  I'm sure I'll leave things off, so I'll slowly make a more complete list.  Then I can compare other store's sale prices to my Aldi prices, and if an item is less at another store (and I'm going there for other things....no extra trips for me!) I can pick it up elsewhere while I'm out.  I'm going to also calculate a second column that is 30%-50% lower than Aldi's prices, depending on the item.  That will be my stockpile price, and when I am able to get items for that price after coupons, I will stock up, sensibly. ;)

If you'd like to have a look at an example, my friend Cricket at Thrifty Texas Penny (she lives in the Tyler, TX area) put together this very detailed comparison chart listing Wal-Mart prices next to the price she normally pays after coupons in her area.

She also has a blank one listed that you can start with if you'd like, or there is a selection of printable price list forms here.

Your Homework  (Now what kind of teacher would I be without homework!)  ;)

I challenge you to make a list of about 20-30 items you regularly buy, and write down their prices next time you go to your regular store.  You can even just use your current shopping list, and add on to it the next time you shop.  

Then, when you get home, open up a sales flyer from a store that you do not normally shop at, and see if anything is on sale for less than the prices you wrote down.

If you take this challenge, come back and leave a comment if you find something cheaper.

Next week I will talk about the importance of knowing your store's coupon policies, and I will give you the details of my local Dallas Area Stores.

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Taking Requests For Teaching Tuesdays

 Due to the dishwasher fiasco today, I am postponing the beginning of Teaching Tuesdays for one more week.

In the meantime, I am going to be planning out the order of the lessons so that they tie in together logically instead of random snippets here and there  (blame the former teacher in me...).  

I would love some input from all of you.  What are the questions you have about couponing, or anything to do with saving money.

Here are a few ideas I have planned for these posts in no particular order:

Store coupon policies:
Using Coupon Databases
How to do match-ups
How to plan meals around sales
Frugal entertainment
Supermarket gimmicks

How to save money using:
· Stockpiles
· Organizing
· Menu planning
· Freezer cooking
· Shopping multiple stores *if* they are nearby
· Buying store brands

These are just several things I'd like to cover, and I will reiterate and expand on my getting started with coupons series.

If there's someone you'd like to know about that you don't see listed, please leave a comment and I will add it to the list!

Thanks!

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Teaching Tuesday: Guest Post--Guaranteed Grocery Savings

My Teaching Tuesdays series is set to begin today, but I am still working out the order of my posts. I think there must be a reason for that though, because this past week I was contacted by a blogger, Katie, with a fabulous guest post that is actually something our family has tried in the past. We found that it truly did work, but have since reverted back to our old ways. =( We will be beginning doing this again *very* soon! Enjoy!

Guaranteed Grocery Savings

A sure fire way to reduce you grocery bill is paying with cash. Paying cash ensures that you will not go over budget. Implementing a cash only grocery system will force you to shop wisely. You can follow these three rules to guarantee your savings:

1. Only bring the cash that you budgeted for groceries with you. Do not bring any extra cash or credit cards to cover you in case you go over budget. Bringing only the cash that you set aside for groceries ensures that you will stick to your budget. After all, no body wants to be stuck at check out with not enough money to cover the bill.
2. Make a list. By creating a list and sticking to it, you won’t be tempted to buy items on impulse. The list should also give you a ballpark number of the amount of money you will need. Once you have your list and budget, try finding the best deals possible and see if you can beat your estimated budget.
3. Start Small. It is not a wise idea to try and cut your grocery budget in half the first week. Either you will go over budget and will be stuck at the cash register with not enough money to pay, or you won’t have bought enough food to feed your family. Instead, slightly lower your budget each week. With time you will get better at budgeting.

Make sure to keep your budget and grocery list realistic. Aim to purchase all of the food your family normally eats; just skip out on impulse buys. With time and practice you will see major savings on your groceries.




Author Bio: Katie is a wife and a mother to two beautiful girls. She works part time as an Office Manager at a Department Store and goes to school full time pursuing an Accounting Degree. In her spare time she enjoys blogging at Highland County Blog.

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Introducing Teaching Tuesdays

I mentioned in my post about my new blog schedule that Tuesdays were going to be "teaching Tuesdays" for a while. I'm going to be kicking this series off *next* week, but I wanted to give you guys a brief introduction of what to expect, and also ask for some input from you!

I'm going to keep these very brief, and tackle a single topic each week.  I'll tell you whatever I know about the topic, and give you some helpful links, too!

I have a small list of topics already in mind, but I would love to hear from you.  If there is any sort of question related to couponing/saving money/freezer cooking/anything else that I talk about here on this blog, feel free to ask.  I will add it to my list.

If you have an idea you would like to have answered, you may leave a comment below, or if you would rather do so, you may email me at savingmyselfsilly@gmail.com.

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