Ahhh coupons. Either you love them or you hate them. I used to love them. Now not so much.
I know you're shocked, the Bargain Mom doesn't love coupons anymore? Let's just say that I don't use coupons like I once did. The mass stockpiling, purchasing multiple Sunday papers, clipping and printing and organizing got real old, real quick.
However what made me make the switch from extreme couponing to minimalist couponing was a change in our diets.
While there are coupons available for produce, organic products, meats and dairy the values and availability aren't consistent. If such savings becomes available I will use them but what am I going to do on the shopping trips without coupons?
Well I follow these rules:
1. Produce is cheaper in season -- Go here to check out in season charts and links to local farmers. Sometimes buying in bulk directly from a farmer or from a produce stand can be significantly cheaper than from a grocery store. Know your prices though and don't be duped.
2. Don't pay for convenience -- This applies to both meats and produce. If you're paying for processed, cooked, sliced or chopped versions of the item then you're paying a built in handling fee. Do it yourself and save.
3. Organic produce versus non-organic produce -- If purchasing organic produce is getting too costly, don't skip purchasing fruit and veggies all together. Instead you can settle for the non-organic produce, just simply thoroughly clean the produce to remove chemicals. The benefit of produce in your diet is better than not having it at all. Go here for information on cleaning produce from the Federal Drug Administration.
4. Meats -- Watch grocery stores for bulk meat sales, buy one get one free sales or truck load sales. When the price point is right, stock up and freeze. Get enough to last through a 6 week period if you have room in your freezer. Go here to see my post about freezing food properly.
5. Shop at discount no-frills stores -- Aldi, Save-A-Lot or warehouse shopping -- You can find deals on milk, produce and even meats at these stores more often than at other grocery stores. The no frills shopping eliminates some of the overhead cost.
6. Family owned stores can have benefits --
Special orders can be a way to save. If you develop a relationship with owner or manager and need to purchase items in bulk, they could cut you a cost per unit deal by placing a special order. Family owned stores can also have great local produce deals.
7. Shop for groceries online --
Target, Amazon, health food e-retailers, Walmart all offer grocery items. Target allows you to use coupons online and they offer free shipping to the store or to the home with a $50 purchase.
Amazon - If you trade-in books, video games, DVDs or electronics and save up your trade-in credits you can use that money to purchase groceries. Join Amazon Prime and you'll get free second day shipping on any order.
8. Calculator -- Make sure you always have a calculator with you when shopping. Why? Because you can calculate unit price. This will reveal what's the best deal or not a deal at all.
9. Clearance -- Look for clearance throughout the grocery section. You never know when a product is going to be discontinued or go through a product redesign. When that happens stores move items to clearance. Look for clearance on end caps or special clearance sections. Don't forget to know your prices though to decide if the clearance price is a deal.
10. Stockpile -- While extreme stockpiling is a byproduct of extreme couponing, stockpiling does have it's benefits. If you purchase items on a regular basis start paying attention to the average price. If you see a significant dip in price purchase as many as you can at the low price so you can avoid the retail price.
11. Use the scales -- Learn to use the scales in the produce department. This simple step will reveal if you are actually getting 3 pounds of apples in that 3 pound bag or if it's less.
How do you save money on groceries without using coupons?