Supermarket Secrets: Part One

This is an overview of how to get the best deals when you're grocery shopping, no matter which store you choose.

The heart of the matter is this: No matter which store you're shopping at, the products that you often like to buy will be rock bottom price (as cheap as you can possibly get them) every 6-12 weeks or so. At all other times, the prices will fluctuate up and down. Sometimes, the store might "put them on sale," but you have to learn what a true deal is. People think they are getting a great buy all the time, when in reality it is not a good deal in the slightest.

It does take some time to learn what a true deal really is. You really just learn from experience. How do you gain experience? Follow sales, collect coupons, read blogs and websites that keep you up to date on great buys, and go shopping! You will make some mistakes along the way, which is great learning experience (such as buying an item one week thinking it's a great buy, only to find it 50 % cheaper the following week).

A great deal can vary from item to item:

• For example, I know that my target price for cereal is $1 or less (most cereals are normally priced at around $4 or $5 a box). I absolutely will not buy a box of cereal if it costs more than a dollar. Actually, most of the time, I pass up the $1 deals, because I can often get cereal boxes for 50 cents or less, sometimes even free!
• Doritos chips (something my husband loves), on the other hand, are very hard to find coupons for. Most of the time, therefore, the best buy on these is when they go bogo (buy one get one free). So in this case, my target price for doritos is about $2 a bag. (They are normally $3.99 at my grocery store, so bogo makes them $2 each).

So how do you go about buying an item at the lowest price possible? It's very simple, actually: ***Use coupons for items that are on sale***

That's the secret! That's how you save 100's of dollars a week, as opposed to $5 here and there using a few coupons on items you buy regularly. If you are currently receiving your coupon inserts on Sunday, clipping out the coupons you want, and then using them when you impulsively go to the store for an item you need...you will never save very much money.

For starters, you are probably using that coupon on a full-priced item, since you aren't waiting for the sale price. Also, you are throwing away valuable deals and freebies when you toss the remainder of that coupon insert in the recyclable bin, thinking you won't use the rest of the coupons.

On a side note, go here to see how I organize my coupons. It saves time, and allows you to always have coupons on hand in case a great deal comes up for an item you never thought you'd buy! It might not be for everybody, but it sure does work wonders for me.

So let's use the cereal example above to demonstrate just how much money you can save if you wait to use your coupons when the cereal is at the best sale price:

Let's suppose that the cereal you like goes on sale bogo every 6 weeks at your grocery store. Let's also suppose that you go through one box of that cereal every week. And finally, let's say that the normal price of that cereal box is $5.

• Buying 1 box of cereal every week when you run out and need it: $5 x 6 weeks = $30 spent on cereal

• Buying 6 boxes of cereal during a week when the grocery store has it bogo: This automatically cuts the price to $15 for 6 boxes, since they are bogo. Then, on top of that, you have (6) $1/1 manufacturer's coupons ($6 total) which brings the total down to $15 - $6 = $9. But we're not through. On top of that, you have (6) store coupons for $1/2 boxes to stack with the manufacturer's coupons, which is a total of $3 in store coupons. Your new and final total for the 6 boxes of cereal is $9 - $3 = $6.

In the end, when you buy the cereal at rock bottom price, when it is on sale bogo, when you have manufacturer's coupons, and when you have store coupons...you only pay $6 for 6 boxes of cereal. This is a $24 savings on cereal alone! Think that's an exaggerated example? Think again! I buy cereal for this price, or much cheaper, all the time. In fact, I just bought 5 boxes of Kashi cereal for 96 cents today!

What's all this talk about stacking coupons? Every store has a different coupon policy, but the general coupon policy at most stores is that you are allowed to use 1 manufacturer's coupon and 1 store coupon per item purchased. Other stores, such as Publix, also accept competitor's coupons. So you might have a Target coupon for the cereal, and be able to use that at Publix! It definitely gives you more options! (This is why I'm such an advocate for Publix! They make it so easy to save money!)

So let's review:

• Buy items at the lowest price possible.

• Only use coupons when the item you want is the lowest price possible, to maximize savings.

• On top of that, be sure to use store and/or competitor's coupons to walk away with many items for pennies or for free!

Now on to Supermarket Secrets: Part Two...