Plan Your Shopping Trip

One frugal tip that seems second nature to me because I have been doing it for about three years now--plan your shopping trip to get the best deals.  However I still run into people all the time who do not do this.

One example--as a teacher in a preschool that encourages family involvement I build relationships with my families so that by this time of year we are visiting at conferences/home visits like old friends.  One mom mentioned that she would like to serve more fresh fruits and vegetables, but they are so expensive.  They certainly can be, but as we continued the conversation I discovered that she did her grocery shopping at Walmart and she had just bought a big bag of apples there that were just on sale at Fareway the week before.

I always keep a decent amount of apples in our fridge, but I am not terribly picky about the variety of apple that we get.  I choose the variety that is on sale and there seems to be one on sale every week.  I also check the ads in our weekly Advertiser, compare them to Sara's match-ups at Learning the Frugal Life (she has these up by Wednesday each week), and plan my trip accordingly.  I always have fresh produce on my list, but the actual items vary with the deals that are going on.  I buy carrots when they are on sale.  I buy lettuce when it is on sale and so on.

I stock up on items that will keep when I find them on sale and especially if I can stack advertised sales with coupons.  Peanut butter and ketchup are hot items right now and we seem to go through a lot of these.  I would rather buy them now for a fraction of the price, than buy them for full price later.  Hot Coupon World has a list of sales cycles that helps new deal hunters to know when it is the best time to shop for various items.  They also have a coupon database where you can search for available coupons for the items on your list.

Don't be brand loyal.  Know your sales cycles.  Plan your trip to purchase items on sale.  Stack sales and coupons when possible.  Stock up on non-perishables when you get a deal.  Make one trip to the store per week to save on gas.  Pinch those pennies and make them count.

Using Coupons

I often hear people wondering if the time spent clipping coupons is worth the little bit of money the coupon saves you.  My answer is it is, if you can use the coupon in the most effective way.

I don't clip my coupons right away.  I save them in the inserts and write the date of the insert on the front in a black sharpie marker.  (The date is found on the spine of the insert.)

The website www.HotCouponWorld.com has a coupon database that I refer to as I make up my grocery list.

If you can match coupons to the store ads you get twice the benefit.  I also follow the blog Learning the Frugal Life as she works hard to match coupons to the HyVee and Fareway ads each week.  There are a lot of websites that will match coupons to ads, but I have found that I have to wade through the CVS, Walgreens, and Target match-ups.  I don't have any of those stores in town.

I stock up on deals when I can and have a shelving unit in the basement to store some of my deals.  I know I could do better if I worked harder at it.  But I find that I don't have the time to do much more than I am.  I'm glad to do something and I always strive to do more with coupons.  They can be worth much more than some change, if you use them to your advantage.

Grocery Deals for today

HyVees in Osceola, Creston, and Washington are holding a Crazy 8 Sale today from 8 to 4 pm.  I know our local Fareway also matches those ads, if they carry comparable items.  Hint, if a store is limiting your purchase, these are good deals.  Also if you do not need the canned goods for yourself, consider taking advantage of the deal and donating your purchase to the food pantry.  Here is what it included:

HyVee Milk, half gallon... 88 cents, limit 2 (cheaper than buying a gallon)
Midwest Country Fare Tuna, 5 oz... 28 cents, limit 2
HyVee Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup, 10.5 oz... 28 cents, limit 2
Midwest Country Fare Mushrooms, 4 oz... 28 cents, limit 2
HyVee White Bread... 68 cents
Bakery Fresh Italian Bread... 88 cents
HyVee's Kitchen 12 piece Chicken Pack... $8.88
Amana NY Strip Steak, 8 oz... $3.88

Also this is the third day of the 3-Day sale at HyVee.  Here is what is included in that sale:

HyVee Yogurt 10 for $3
Country Pride Chicken Breast, 2.5 lb... $3.99, limit 2
Banquet Frozen Meals... 59 cents, limit 12
Hormel Always Tender Port Spare Ribs... $1.29 lb
HyVee Russet Potatoes, 5 lb... 88 cents
Midwest Country Fare Ice Cream, 4 qt pail... $3.88
VO5 Shampoo/Conditioner, 15 oz... 69 cents (food pantry will take these as well)
Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter, three jars for $2.98
Jack's Original or Half & Half Pizza... $1.88

And in HyVee's weekly ad, butter is under $2.  That's a good price.

Fareway has three kinds of whole wheat bread priced under $2 a loaf.
Also I don't have the coupon in front of me, but it appears you can get free Tones Spices...Mini Spices are on sale 2 for a dollar.  There is a coupon for one dollar off any Tones Spices in the 11-14 SmartSource coupon insert.  Woo Hoo!

It's been a busy week and I didn't get a chance to look at the ads until now.  I'll try to do it sooner next time.  Our budget is tight this week, but Ron is off to buy some cheap milk.  And if I can get those darn Tones coupons found, we'll pick up some free spices too.