You’d probably like to reduce your grocery spending, wouldn’t you? You’re in the right place!
The idea behind strategic shopping is this: you’ll save the most with coupons when you wait for a good sale price. Combining both coupon and advertised sale price discounts can create some noteworthy deals, allowing you to purchase name brand items at prices below what you’d pay for the same store brand item.
Interested in learning more? Let’s start with the 5 basic steps.
1. Collect Coupons
You can’t shop using coupons until you’ve built up a stash to work from. Here are a few resources to get you started:
2. Organize Coupons
There are a number of different ways you can organize your coupon collection. They range from serious and time-consuming to simple and low maintenance. You’ll want to find the method that works best for you. Common organizing tactics include:
✔ A Filing System—Accordion file, index card box, coupon box, envelopes, etc.
✔ A Coupon Binder—A zippered binder filled with plastic page organizers
✔ Whole Coupon Inserts—Each week’s group of inserts filed by date
✔ Combination Approach—One or more of the above methods
You can read additional details about each coupon organization method here.
3. Prepare Your Shopping List
Bargains to Bounty researches the weekly advertised prices at metro Detroit grocery stores, then pairs them with coupons and other discounts to help you save as much as possible on your grocery bill. Each sale + coupon scenario is called a “matchup.” Here’s an example of a typical 3-line matchup scenario [with explanation in brackets]:
-$1.00/1 Garden Delight coupon (from 5-15 SS) [coupon amount & insert date; 5-15 SS = May 15 SmartSource insert]
after coupon [final price after discounts]Learn about more of the coupon abbrevations and terms you may see in matchups and reader comments.
Take some time to prepare your list before heading out to shop.
- Begin with ONE STORE from the store matchup list (preferably a store you already shop and know well).
- Look at the best deals for the week and select a few items with coupons to add to your list of items you need.
- Find the coupons you’ll need for your trip (they should be all organized now!)
- Study your store’s coupon policy (you’ll find the policy listed at the end of each matchup post).
- Keep your order small and calculate a close estimate of your final price to avoid surprises at the register. Watch each item scan and each coupon deduct, if possible, to ensure that your transaction is going as planned.
4. Stock Up on the Best Deals
When you find the lowest prices on your favorite items, be sure to purchase extra to stock your pantry. (You’ll the best prices each week color-coded in green to make it easy!) Consider how many your family would reasonably use before the product expires (or before it goes on sale again in 2-3 months) and purchase to meet your anticipated needs.
5. Connect with Bargains to Bounty
Stay updated on the latest deals:
✔ Sign up for the email newsletter—Receive an email once each day with the newest posts and deals.
✔ Join the B2B reader community on Facebook—It’s a great place to ask questions, share deals and learn from other money-savers.
✔ Follow Bargains to Bounty on Twitter—Read all the latest tweets.
