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Using coupons can save your family money on your monthly grocery costs. While it takes a little time and planning to use coupons to the full potential, the savings are well worth the time you invest. Even if you don't fully commit to using coupons every time you shop, even using coupons occasionally can result in big savings on your grocery bill.
Where to find coupons
The easiest way to find coupons is to buy the Sunday paper. The schedule of coupons included in each Sunday paper varies, so get in the habit of buying the paper each week. Also consider registering on the websites of products you use regularly. Many companies email coupons to registered customers. If you're worried about spam, create a separate email account that is just for your coupon subscriptions. Many websites also offer printable coupons. If you're looking to buy a certain product, type the product's name and "coupon" into a search engine to search for coupons for that product.
Get organized
Develop a system to organize your coupons. You can buy an organizer designed for coupons, use a file box, or even use a shoe box. Whatever system you decide to use, organize your coupons so it makes sense to you and so that you can find a specific coupon. You can't use a coupon to save money if you can't find it. Once a month, go through and throw away the expired coupons.
Cruise the grocery store weekly ads
Most grocery store chains print circulars advertising the weekly sales. Use the circular from your regular grocery store to plan your meals and plan your shopping. If you really want to save money, get the circulars from other stores and search for the best deals, but consider the cost of gas and don't drive across town to save one dollar. Keep in mind the return on your time investment and that spending hours pouring over circulars to save $2 might not be the most cost effective way to spend your time.
Stock up during sales
If an item your family uses on a regular basis goes on sale, stock up. Stocking up also helps keep your pantry full, meaning you have more ingredients on hand and are less likely to go out to eat. Extra freezer space can help you store frozen products so you don't miss out on a deal because you don't have space to store the food. Buying a product on sale doesn't save you money if the product spoils before you can eat it, so consider use-by dates and only buy what your family will use before it expires.
Consider signing up for help
A great way to cut down the time you spend comparing prices and looking for deals is to sign up for a website that helps you track grocery sales and plan your savings. I recommend The Grocery Game. The Grocery Game tracks pricing trends for each item at the grocery store and tells you when that item is a bargain. The website then tells you what coupons to use to maximize your savings. .
Comments
Where to find coupons? clipper magazine has great local coupons. Couponclipper.com for online coupons.
I love coupons! I have several online sites that offer big savings on the overall cost of purchase. I'm proud to save $ 42.00 with just ONE COUPON from one of the sites! Yeah me. :-)
Melissa,
We created a free grocery price book website that helps users track grocery unit prices paid by item and also shows which items have increased in unit price and units purchased. The website handles all the math and grocery item organization. Among the features of the website are:
1). A grocery list that shows the lowest unit price paid to facilitate comparison between the current store unit price and previous unit prices paid. Very helpful at the store!
2). Analysis on spending trends to provide a list of grocery items where unit prices have increased and total units purchased have increased, among other areas. Helpful at home for figuring out where to cut costs and why the bill is increasing.
3). Item detail and trend analysis for additional detail.
The site is groceryhop.com
We also have our grocery price book online for all to see. Please let us know what you think!
Bistrosets coupons are very similar to regular clipping coupons – they allow you to save extra money. The difference is that instead of clipping coupons you need to click on Bistrosets.com coupon link. These coupons are applied automatically, but for some Bistrosets.com coupons, in order to get the discount you will have to enter coupon code during the check out process at
I *heart* The Grocery Game! :)
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