Top ways to save money at the grocery store
1. Look at the grocery ads! I plan my meals for the week based on what is on sale that week. Also plan to stock up on items that are on sale.
2. Clip coupons for the items that you know you will use and for items that are new in the stores. An item will most likely be introduced at a great discount.
3. Don’t be brand loyal. Generic or non-name brand items are usually the same quality.
4. Look at shelf tags and compare prices carefully. Sometimes you have to buy multiple items to get the sale price.
5. Ask for a rain check if an item is out of stock.
6. Sign up for savings cards at your local stores
7. Keep an eye out for stores that you may not usually shop at like Dollar Tree, and ethnic stores.
My Favorite Stores
King county WA area
King county WA area
Safeway and Albertsons-I only buy the sale items at these stores. I will buy my milk at Safeway most often because the everyday price is cheaper there.
Sunset Market-(on Sunset between Goodwill and Rite Aid) The produce here is very good and the meat is extremely fresh. They make fresh tortillas and tortilla chips here daily.
WinCo- I only go here once in a while. They have a great bulk foods section with lots of rice, pasta, beans, and baking ingredients. It is the cheapest place for flax seed.
Goodwill-I like to run in here every few weeks, the one on Sunset receives a lot of merchandise from
Target. They always have a lot of new items to check out. It is a great place to buy books, paperbacks are only .69.
Half Price Books-The best selection of used books in town!
Target-This store has a lot of great health and beauty deals, always check the back of the aisles for clearance merchandise.
Dollar Tree-this place is great for cards, holiday items, coloring books, toiletries, candy, and the occasional surprise item.Rite-Aid and Walgreens-Both of these stores have great Free after Rebate items, usually every week. The programs are all online, and are very easy to participate in.
Viet-Wah-This store is also on Sunset neat Dollar Tree. They have a great fresh meat department and all the asian ingredients.
Coupon process-
I gather 2-4 papers every weekend depending on what I will use. You can ask friends and neighbors to save insert coupons for you.I collate my copies of the paper and clip only the coupons that I will use, the ones I can trade for more that I will use, and also for new products. After I am done clipping I store the inserts by date for later use. Sometimes deals will come up later after you have clipped.I use a zippered binder with baseball card pages in it to store my coupons. I divide mine into categories.
Some people like to organize by aisles, or alphabetical.
My categories are:
Baking
Baby and kids
Candy and gum
Canned goods
Cereal and Bread-I divide it between manufacturers
Cleaning products-I include laundry soap here
Cosmetics and body care-make-up, deodorants, body soap and lotions,
Dairy-milk, yogurt, cheese, butter
Frozen
Hair care-shampoo and conditioner,
Juice and sodaMeatMedicine- also put first aid items here
Mexican and Ethnic
Pasta-rice, packaged meals,
Plastic and paper goods- bags, paper towels, toilet paper,
Produce
Refridgerated Non dairy- cookie dough, biscuits, pudding,
Sauces and dressings-pasta sauce, salad dressing, bbq sauce
Snacks and chips
Razors and shaving
Restaurants
Store coupons-Each store has a page Target, Safeway, Albertsons
Misc.
My favorite clubs, memberships, and online shopping places
Costco- my parents and I share a membership here. It is a great place to save money on items as long as you can resist the temptation of things you don’t need, and also if you can manage the bulk items well.
Famous Footwear rewards-you can sign up at http://www.famousfootwear.com/. I watch for the buy 1 get ½ off sale. They will send you reward coupons usually every quarter, and on your birthday.
Bath and Body works- sign up at http://www.bathandbody.com/ to receive emails that will include coupons and upcoming sales.
Pinching your Pennies- This is the ultimate place for all shopping deals around town and online!Register at http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/
JC Penney rewards earn rewards coupons from every purchase http://www.jcpenney.com/
Swagbucks This one is new for me sign up at http://www.swagbucks.com/. You can earn rewards cards to online retailers like Amazon just for searching the net!
http://www.paperbackswap.com/ is a great place to exchange all of the books you don't read for the ones you want to read! Join today, it is simple and very fun!
I am a book junkie, but as a busy mom I don't often have time to sit and read. I rely on overdrive media for Ipod compatible books. Check online at your local library to see if this free service is available for you. You can download audio versions of your favorite books directly to your ipod and mp3 players!
