Combining Coupons with Supermarket Sales
How to Save the Most Money at the Grocery Store
Feb 22, 2009
Using coupons is one thing. But if you can combine them with other discounts, you could save yourself a bundle.
Heading to the grocery store armed with coupons? You're on the right track to saving money. But you need to do one more thing. Check for supermarket sales before ever leaving the house. For instance, what if that coupon for Campbell's soup is good for another week, and your local store happens to put the cans on sale in two days? You might want to hold on to that coupon for 48 hours, and really save.
How to Combine Coupons with Supermarket Sales
- Check the web site of each grocery store within a 10 mile radius. Each should have their sale flyers posted. Find out what products are on sale that week. Then do a coupon search for the items that you see are discounted. Try to match the coupons with the sale prices, and plan meals around those items. If you see that a grocery store which is a little farther away has a sale on chicken leg quarters, bring the ad into the closer store, and see if the manager will give you the competition's price. In these economic times, retailers are eager to hold on to your business.
- Remember, grocery store sales are cyclical. If you pay attention, you'll notice a pattern. Your supermarket might put frozen vegetables on sale every three to four weeks. As you get to know the store's schedule of sales, you can start planning accordingly. And when you do a coupon search on the web, or start clipping them in the newspaper, don't ignore the valuable ones. Even if you don't need baby formula, someone else will. So hold on to it, and trade that coupon for one you can use.
- Find a grocery store that doubles coupons. Some supermarkets are getting away from this practice. Or they only double coupons on certain days of the week. Make sure you know what that day is and get to the store early! A lot of people are planning to stock up on the same items you are.
- Invest in a second freezer. That way, you can take advantage of sale items and coupon specials. And you don't have to limit your purchase to just one. But remember, even if the store advertises, "Buy 2 for $10" you really don't have to buy two. Nine times out of 10, you'll get the discount, even if you only purchase one item.
Finally, don't be afraid of store brands. You can save a bundle, and they tend to go on sale a lot!
The copyright of the article Combining Coupons with Supermarket Sales in Consumer Education is owned by L. Marie Dubuque. Permission to republish Combining Coupons with Supermarket Sales in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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