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April 12, 2009 6:07 PM

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Save your money on the newspaper!
Most supermarkets have their circulars online so you don't have to buy the irrelevant at death's door print based publication.

Also, shop around. I have found that Trader Joe's actually has the best prices on a lot of stuff I buy compared to the supermarkets and that some supermarkets in the same chain change prices from store to store.

9 replies

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Todd Miller

April 15, 2009 7:19 PM

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Your advice of saving your money on the newspaper is pretty boneheaded.

The newspaper not only provides the store circulars but tons of manufacturer coupons as well.

When I can save $200 plus on a grocery bill in one trip because of coupons, it is a no brainer to spend the $1.75 to get the Sunday paper.

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fatcop

April 12, 2009 11:35 PM

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@Frank Murphy: What is this newspaper you speak of? Kansas City does not have one unless you count the Pitch.

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April 13, 2009 7:00 AM

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@fatcop: The Pitch stopped being a good paper back around 2000. It's a pathetic remnant of what it once was. Compared to the Pitch I read when I attended Jewell (the college, not the grocery store), it's barely worth the price of free.

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April 13, 2009 2:28 AM

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What happened to the Star?!?!

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calquist

April 13, 2009 1:42 PM

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@HogwartsAlum: There is still the Star. I've never heard of the Pitch.

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GiuliettaGanymede

April 12, 2009 10:44 PM

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For the moment let's forget about the fact that I purchase the newspaper to read it.

I wouldn't really save the 50 cents by not purchasing it. I would have to deduct the cost of the toner, paper and electricity that I use to print out the coupons. Added to that is my time that is used in going to the various web sites.

If I used Time Warner Cable I might have to also factor in the cost of the metered broadband. :)

Now, if I add back into the equation the fact that I read the newspaper and get enjoyment and knowledge from it, plus the fact that I might see something else beneficial to me, can you still say I am losing 50 cents?

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April 13, 2009 5:52 PM

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@GiuliettaGanymede: Wow, that's much better than what I was doing. The scicors were scratching up my monitor pretty bad...

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chiieddy

April 12, 2009 6:57 PM

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@Frank Murphy: I was very surprised to discover cereal was MUCH cheaper at Trader Joes. On the other hand, 1 gal of milk is over $1 cheaper at BJs. Same brand.

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April 12, 2009 6:46 PM

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@Frank Murphy: Yes, because spending 50 cents on a newspaper will either make you or break you. LOL.

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April 12, 2009 6:57 PM

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@mamalicious: If the point is to save money, spending 50 cents unavoidably is foolish, especially since it's not just a one-off--you're talking $26 a year if you buy it every week. The person who does that to get coupons and doesn't actually save $26 in coupons is making a financial error. You've got to consider the costs as well as the savings.

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April 12, 2009 7:05 PM

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@floraposte: I guess you're right if that is the only reason you'd buy a newspaper.

(I spend much more than $26 a year on a daily subscription to a newspaper because I actually read the darn thing, too. It may not be worth it to some, but it is to me. There's just something about reading a newspaper, magazine or book in hand that cannot compare to a computer screen.)

I also like having the Sunday circulars spread out right in front of me so that I can compare. Makes my planning much easier.

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April 12, 2009 10:50 PM

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@mamalicious: But newspaper subscriptions are expensive. Here are the local papers for daily delivery yearly costs:
Post $103.48
Daily News $117
Times $275.60

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April 13, 2009 3:39 PM

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@Frank Murphy: Yes, but I read it. The point is, it is WORTH it to me.

I'm sure there are things that you pay money for and get value from (for example buying tickets to sporting events or spending $$ on a monthly cell phone package)that I would never, ever spend my money on because I don't care for sports or use a cell phone.

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pecan 3.14159265

April 12, 2009 10:59 PM

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@Frank Murphy: Some newspapers don't offer circulars or coupons, which baffles me.

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WiglyWorm must cease and decist

April 12, 2009 6:19 PM

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My local grocery store's loyalty program rocks. They own a chain of gas stations so every $50 on your card nets you 10 cents off a gallon of gas (max of like 20 gallons or so). Also, they will automatically double any coupon you use.

PLUS there's the special savings for using the card...

We do have to get better at clipping coupons, but if there's one thing I'm good at, it's making sure that we make a shopping list and stick to it. My wife always wants to make impulse buys, but I almost never let her.

7 replies

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Guvmint_Cheese

April 13, 2009 3:35 PM

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@WiglyWorm: My local grocer (Fred Meyer) has the same, but I think it's 10 cents off per gallon for every $100, but their gas is already the lowest price around, so it's a pretty good discount. Their grocery prices aren't bad either.

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johnva

April 13, 2009 4:11 AM

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@WiglyWorm: You're really that excited by saving like $2.00 on a tank of gas, while having to shop at a specific grocery and specific gas station to get it? I mean, I guess it's money, but it seems like a fairly low-return rewards program and certainly not juicy enough to get me to change groceries or something.

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kmw2

April 13, 2009 12:39 PM

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@johnva: My local grocery store does that too. I might be offended at the brand lock-in, but since they're the only grocery store in town and consistently the cheapest gas station, it's not a big deal.

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johnva

April 13, 2009 2:03 PM

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@kmw2: Unfortunately, that particular grocery is well-known here for inflated prices, so I think I would actually lose money on it rather than just going to the cheapest gas station.

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jenn7110

April 13, 2009 2:38 AM

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@WiglyWorm: Bi-Lo in my area is running a fuel perks program as a test for others in the chain. 5 cent off at certain gas stations for every $50 spent. Love it!

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Jordan Leventhal

April 12, 2009 7:21 PM

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@WiglyWorm: Yup, and now they have a deal with every new prescription or transferred prescription they give you $1 off a gallon of gas in fuel perks.

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April 12, 2009 7:07 PM

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@WiglyWorm: Giant Eagle? I used to love FuelPerks when I lived in Pittsburgh.

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katieoh

April 12, 2009 9:33 PM

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@ekzachtly: surely you mean \"jyan igl.\" ;]

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Jessica Schwartz

April 12, 2009 6:33 PM

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I check the circulars online and make a list, stopping at up to 3 supermarkets.

I wish I were better at clipping coupons, but I don't get newspaper delivery.

4 replies

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April 12, 2009 6:48 PM

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@Jessica Schwartz: Do circular sales really outweigh the time, money, and effort spent going to three different supermarkets?

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April 12, 2009 11:17 PM

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Really not much more time. If you have 3 stores in close proximity to each other, you can get most of your stuff at one and have a list of especially good buys at the others and just make a quick run in to get them. By shopping this way I haven't spent more than $1.99 a pound for boneless skinless chicken or boneless pork loin in years. I mean I save some serious cash and I am only shopping for 2, after you have done this for a while you get an idea of what things should cost and will know instantly while shopping if something is overpriced, if you shop at one store exclusively you are not likely to know if you are overpaying for certain items.

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Jessica Schwartz

April 13, 2009 2:43 AM

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@baquwards: Exactly. :) Meat and fish sales are worth the drive on their own.

I make out my list at night and drive to the furthest supermarket the next day, stopping at the others on the way home. I buy certain products/brands and look for them on sale.

ie: Weight Watchers ice cream bars are upwards of $6 full price at Waldbaums. I'll buy em for $3 on sale wherever. Frosted Mini Wheats are over $5.60, but I buy a few boxes when they're on sale for 2/$5. Cases of water full price are over $5. On sale for $3.33-$3.99. Just saved like $10 just on these examples, all for some time at night and a couple bucks in gas (less than 1 gallon).

I wish I could combine them with coupons though.. I'm kinda disorganized for things like that though...

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huadpe

April 12, 2009 8:05 PM

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@supercereal: It really depends on what you're buying and how much of it.

If you're cooking for a large family which consumes a large quantity of staple goods, it can be quite worth it, maybe up to $30-40 per week for an hour of clipping. So $30-40 an hour might be worth it to you, or not. It's higher than most salaries, but not all, and you might be a time stressed professional who will pay for the speed of shopping without clipping.

If you're cooking for just yourself it is much less fruitful, just because there's less to save on, and because of unit-sizing problems. For many staples, a single householder probably buys them too infrequently or in too small a quantity to make the time worth it. Probably more in the $3-8/hour clipping range for a single householder.

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April 12, 2009 10:49 PM

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@huadpe: \"If you're cooking for a large family which consumes a large quantity of staple goods, it can be quite worth it...
If you're cooking for just yourself it is much less fruitful, just because there's less to save on, and because of unit-sizing problems. For many staples, a single householder probably buys them too infrequently or in too small a quantity to make the time worth it.\"

This. Saving money is great, but only if you're actually saving money. I get paid based on my productivity (transcription, paid per line typed), and there's only me and my son (and pets) in the house. My grocery bill is rarely over $200 for a month - and easily $50 of that is pet food. I tried making a detailed list, clipping coupons, and comparing circulars for a few months, and if I had spent that time typing instead, I'd have earned more than 10x the amount of money that I actually saved.

Ultimately, I compared to see which store had the consistently lowest prices overall on the items I use most, and shop there; only if there's some insanely great sale will I go elsewhere. I don't even look at the ads anymore - friends and family do the ad-comparison thing, so if there's something major, they let me know.

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orlo

April 12, 2009 7:12 PM

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@supercereal: Will save you hundreds/month. Stripping in front of a web-cam might be a better use of time, but that too has its drawbacks.

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April 12, 2009 7:22 PM

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@orlo: I don't even spend hundreds per month, so that would be welcome!

But seriously, I flat out don't believe anyone can save hundreds per month by spending an afternoon traveling from store to store. The Wegman's by me has consistently low prices (I just paid $1.69 for a gallon of milk this afternoon!), which is better that $0.60 off an item I wouldn't have bought in the first place.

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Shoelace

April 12, 2009 8:31 PM

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@supercereal: I used to go out of my way to shop at Wegman's but they have been raising their prices on things I bought regularly there; e.g., LactAid milk (now $5.99 for a 3-quart jug!), and some of their 'natural' cereal products. I can now match and sometimes beat those prices much closer to home. I find them still pretty good for produce, meats, and customer service. Wish they'd get rid of those 'Buy what you want when you want it' idiot signs though.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

April 12, 2009 8:13 PM

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@supercereal: I saved $40 (25% of total bill) in one trip to the supermarket last week by checking the circular before I went. I would have saved more, but I was too lazy to dig out my coupon file.

Proctor and Gamble products on sale AND with cash rebates for buying certain ones in combination. Checked off everything I regularly buy from P&G and bought $140 worth of stuff.

Granted, we're currently stocking up on personal care items and kitchen-type stuff for the baby's arrival (running out of deoderant on a normal day is annoying; running out of deoderant when you have a newborn in the house is an unsolveable catastrophe), but I could easily see a family of four saving \"hundreds\" a month with the circulars. I think it'd also depend on how far apart the grocery stores are. Personally, I wouldn't be willing to drive \"all over town,\" but we have two right across the street from each other in two places, and five I'm willing to patronize within about 2 or 3 miles of each other.

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taney71

April 12, 2009 6:41 PM

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What is this double coupon thing? Can you use the same type of coupon on the same product you purchase?

4 replies

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orlo

April 12, 2009 7:19 PM

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@taney71: Some stores double the value of coupons: for example, a .75 coupon takes 1.50 off your receipt. This is more prevalent in some areas than others--my local stores all stopped doubling recently (way to compete!)

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marsneedsrabbits

April 12, 2009 7:17 PM

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@taney71:
It doubles the amount of savings up to a certain point.
So, a .50 coupon off a jar of Salmonella-free peanut butter will be redeemed for $1.00 of the jar. The manufacturer pays the face value (in this case .50) plus a handling fee of a few more cents per coupon. The rest of the dollar (say... .43 cents) will be covered by the grocery store.

I say \"up to a certain point\" because many stores won't double above a set amount, often a dollar. So, a 40 cent coupon is worth 80 cents, and 50 cent coupon is worth a dollar, but a 55 cent coupon is worth 55 cents. Which is probably why you see so many 55 cent coupons.

Double coupons are great if you use coupons, but that non-reimbursed .43 has to come from somewhere, and it generally comes as higher prices to people who don't use coupons/loyalty cards.

And it's *really* important to know if you are getting a good deal in the first place.

A \"price book\" is a great place to start: It took me a while to do one, but sometimes the base price at one place without doubled coupons is cheaper than the reduced price with them, and that's good to know.

I started a price book after reading Amy Dacyczyn's \"Tightwad Gazette\" years ago. Here's how to do it: [organizedhome.com]

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April 13, 2009 2:30 AM

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@marsneedsrabbits:

I have a book of all her Tightwad Gazettes all together, that I found at the flea market (she would be so proud of me). It's full of great ideas.

Usually, coupons in the paper aren't for anything I buy except for the Procter and Gamble ones.

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taney71

April 12, 2009 7:34 PM

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@marsneedsrabbits:

Thanks for the great information! I never heard of a price book. Damn you consumerist from keeping that tip from me!!!

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April 12, 2009 6:41 PM

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I haven't bothered to clip coupons since my wife & I started eating healthier. It looks like 99% of the coupons in the newspaper inserts are for absolute crap packaged foods, and none of it is remotely healthy...

The only coupons I ever find useful are occasional ziplock bag offers, or cat litter.

8 replies

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johnva

April 13, 2009 4:32 AM

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@bostonguy: Yep. Most coupons are for things that I never buy, because they're processed food and such. You never see coupons for things like bulk grains/beans or fresh vegetables...probably because those things aren't a ripoff to start off like 99% of processed food products are.

Occasionally we will use a coupon if we happen to come across one for something we buy regularly, but that is so seldom that it's not worth the effort to make a special point of looking for them.

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April 12, 2009 10:48 PM

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@bostonguy: I find this too, but we still seem to find enough coupons for a family of 4 adults with a home cooked meal everyday. There are coupons for canned goods, soup etc all of which isn't too bad for you. Now if they only started offering coupons for produce! The toiletry coupons are probably the main ones that we use.

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bohemian

April 12, 2009 8:37 PM

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@bostonguy: Your right 99% of the coupons are for packaged food that is not healthy and a horrible value. Most packaged food is really expensive compared to buying the basic ingredients and making your own. Most of the products that you see coupons for are a waste of money.
There are some coupons for things like personal care products like toothpaste or deodorant that are worth looking for since most of those are harder to make your own compared to say frozen tv dinner spaghetti vs. making your own.

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April 12, 2009 11:13 PM

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@bohemian: @bostonguy: ITA, most of the coupons in the Sunday papers are for foods human beings probably shouldn't eat...unless there's a Pizza Roll Tree out there that nobody has bothered to tell me about.

I strive to eat healthily but I'm also a coupon clipper. I watch the circulars, but it seems like the best coupons for healthier foods are to be found online. I have a gmail account that I use almost exclusively for signing up for coupons, manufacturer mailing lists, etc. I've gotten coupons for things like Laura's Lean Beef, Dole boxed salads, etc. this way.

There are also certain times of year (New Year's resolution time, especially) when there are coupons for healthier foods. You've just got to keep an eye out. The Hot Coupon World forums are really helpful to me, especially when it comes to online coupons. Those people are hardcore about their coupon clipping.

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bohemian

April 13, 2009 1:24 AM

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@Juliekins: I probably take it to extremes but I don't buy bagged salad. Heads of lettuce are usually cheaper, even cheaper if you use enough to buy a pack of romaine heads at Sam's. For about $4 and change I can get a huge pack of about six heads of romaine. A smallish bag of Dole romaine mix was about $3. The biggest problem finding a low price is on spring mix. I usually just wait until spring and grow it or buy it locally. Sam's carries a variety but it is usually half composted sitting on the shelf.
My point that unprocessed lettuce is way cheaper. I bought a salad spinner. I put the chopped lettuce into a large plastic fridge container with paper towels in the bottom and the lettuce stays fresh longer than bagged salad.

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pecan 3.14159265

April 13, 2009 1:43 PM

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@bohemian: I agree, but I only buy three heads of romaine (for $4) because there's no way I can get through six heads of romaine. I can get through three or four, but six is too much. I hate that I do spend more than I would if I went to BJs for the lettuce, but it's money wasted if it all goes to waste.

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April 13, 2009 3:04 AM

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@bohemian: Sadly, I have discovered that if I try to process my own lettuce it winds up ignored in the crisper drawer until it goes bad and I throw it out. For me, boxed salads make sense, because they're convenient and I eat them. (Bagged go bad really quickly for me for some reason.) I completely agree, though--if you're not lazy about processing your veggies, whole heads of lettuce is definitely the most cost effective way to go.

The other nice thing about boxed salads is the variety of lettuces and mixed greens you can get in them. I get tired of romaine after awhile.

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April 13, 2009 2:32 AM

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Unprocessed lettuce can be a lot cheaper at some places. I still buy bagged spinach, though I get it on sale or at a local store that sells produce at ridiculously low prices.

It's not cheap if I don't eat it so I try not to buy too much at one time.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)

April 12, 2009 7:33 PM

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@bostonguy: Hey, I feed my kids that crap!

*on a side note: My parents were dirt poor and raised us on that \"crap packaged foods\" and I turned out O.K.

I'm sure there are better options, but if you are a single parent or a family of 5 just trying to get by- making sure you have enough food PERIOD is the main concern, not how healthy. I'd rather cut coupons, bargain shop, and use rewards to feed my family for a month vs. 2 weeks.

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April 12, 2009 11:22 PM

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@verucalise: Compared to that crap food, ingredients are cheap! rice, potatoes, beans, frozen veg etc... when on sale are dirt cheap, far cheaper than many prepared foods. Search the internet for skillet meals and casseroles and I bet that you can feed that family of five for $5-7 a meal. Yeah prepared foods are OK once in a while when you are just worn out, but a steady diet is doing nobody any favors.

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pecan 3.14159265

April 13, 2009 1:41 PM

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@baquwards: Wegmans always has 3-lb. bags of onions for $2, and I stock up on those every time I'm getting low. Onions and potatoes are so flexible.

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johnva

April 13, 2009 4:43 AM

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@baquwards: No kidding. It's absurd for anyone to say that processed foods are cheaper.

The cost of buying better food is not the issue here. The issue is more one of time and cooking skills. Most Americans don't have real developed cooking skills anymore, so they don't know how easy and quick it is to cook real food. It takes a little more effort and planning than buying and reheating a frozen entree, but it's definitely NOT more expensive.

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Jonbo298

April 12, 2009 8:24 PM

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@verucalise: I was raised on that crap packaged food and ended up wishing I wasn't. Yes, it's much worse financially to be totally healthy but right now, I'm self sufficient for breakfast and lunch while living with Dad through college.

90+ lbs later so far, I look back wishing I was at least taught to eat somewhat proper. Unfortunately, the fast food/bad food addiction took months to finally break. For a big family, yes, it's cheaper to make a large meal. It's all about not going overboard which too many do.

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April 12, 2009 7:24 PM

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@bostonguy: That's close to what I find; the limitations also make them less valuable (saving twenty cents on one bag of sugar isn't compensation for having to go to a different store, and I'm not allowed to get more than one). I can see that if I were buying for a lot of people it might make sense to build my shopping and eating around them, but I'd rather buy what I actually like, and it's rare enough that there's a coupon for something in that category that my outlay almost certainly exceeds the value.

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puka_pai

April 12, 2009 6:43 PM

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The Dallas paper has a special 2-pack of the Sunday edition that's a good deal. $2 for 2 vs. $1.50 for one, with double everything --including coupons. You might have something similar where you live and it's a good way to snag extra coupons.

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April 12, 2009 6:45 PM

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I'm doing a bit of a survey of my four local supermarkets to see how the prices run on my regular purchases. It's been interesting, as I've already been able to rule one store out as not worth it, while another is evenly divided between lower priced and higher priced than my usual place.

And apparently butter is priced by random number selection. The variation on the cost for the same box o' Land o' Lakes was quite astonishing.

2 replies

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bohemian

April 13, 2009 1:26 AM

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@floraposte: We buy and freeze butter when it is cheap. About the cheapest here is $1.49. But I will see it the following week for $3.69. I don't know if it has something to do with milk production or if they set the price by throwing darts at the dartboard. When butter is cheap we buy multiples, use one for the fridge the rest go in the freezer so I don't have to buy butter the week it is $3.69. I have not noticed a degredation in taste.

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johnva

April 13, 2009 4:16 AM

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@bohemian: Oddly, Whole Foods seems to have the cheapest butter I've seen in our town. $2.69/lb consistently, while the other groceries monkey with their prices constantly and sometimes price it as high as $4+/lb.

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pecan 3.14159265

April 13, 2009 1:44 PM

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@johnva: I see $2.35 a pound at my local store, but I try to only buy butter (and enough to stock up) when it's 2/$4.

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johnva

April 13, 2009 2:05 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: I should add that my town has really expensive groceries for some reason (I always notice that things are cheaper when I shop in another city).

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pecan 3.14159265

April 13, 2009 2:18 PM

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@johnva: Is there a monopoly of sorts? Maybe one company owns the chains? I have several stores and on a big shopping day I'll go specifically to one store if butter happens to be on sale. I mostly use butter for bread and baking, so it goes a long way, but when a huge batch of cookies for the office takes 2 sticks of butter, it goes faster.

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johnva

April 13, 2009 2:44 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: I think it's mainly that it's a city with a very high per-capita income. So all the groceries know that they can jack their prices up and people will pay it.

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April 12, 2009 6:45 PM

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I clip coupons and I strongly disagree that the average savings is $1 per item. That's usually only on new products that the manufacturers are trying to get you to start buying. Established brands are usually 50 cents, or a buck off if you buy two or more.

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Kevin Carlyle

April 12, 2009 6:57 PM

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They're \"gearing up to release their findings?\" I read that article over a week ago in the magazine.

My tips are built around eating what I want to eat. We topped at $60/week for the two of us and are working our way down.

Find a farmer's market but know what produce goes for normally at the grocery store. In Kansas City the river market often has produce really cheap. The place was packed yesterday. I found blackberries are a good deal there right now as they come at 2x the size for half the price. A good deal for fresh fruit. There's also spice vendors selling cheap in bulk and spices can be outrageous. I know of a similar store in St Louis so I imagine there's bulk spices sold somewhere in every big city. Consider spending $5 on gas and get spices at a fraction of the grocery cost, especially if you spice heavily.

We buy a lot of store brand items where the quality is high and look across sizes on stuff that lasts for the cheapest per ounce.

Don't do what I see so many people do. They glance at the prices and buy whatever is cheapest.
Dry goods it's easy to buy bad, like toilet paper. Without a calculator can you tell me if a 12-pack with 200 squares per roll single-ply for $8.50 a better deal than an 12 pack of 150 sheet double ply for $9? Did you even look at what you were getting beyond the price and number of rolls? I found one day the walmart brand came with less paper on an amount-of-paper cost than the name brand.

Use discount stores where it will hit your numbers the most, not for everything. We countered a year's cost at Sam's club just with allergy pills and we were already buying the off brand. 60 pills for $16 multiple times a year vs 350 pills for $16 once a year. We found their breakfast bars are cheaper in the name brand than our regular store has in their store brand and we eat these a lot. We'll save $100-150 per year just with this.

Between the two, for most people that's 10 days working they just pulled off the food budget and that's nothing to laugh at.

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scoosdad

April 12, 2009 8:31 PM

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@Kevin Carlyle: I agree 100% about your point about pricing on paper products. It seems as if the stores go out of their way to make it hard to compare the various products from a unit-pricing standpoint.

But somehow I don't think you should be comparing unit pricing on one ply toilet paper versus two ply. It's not like they're interchangeable just by doublilng up on one-ply. To use one over the other is a personal preference :-)

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April 12, 2009 7:04 PM

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\"Look For Extended Sales: Some weekly sales now run for over a month. \"Weis Markets, for instance, dropped the price on thousands of staples for 90 days.\"

Weis gladly jacked up everything else while the prices on those few items were \"frozen\" and when the price freeze came off, jacked those items up as well (some by a significant amount).

Another tip to remember...the marketing area itself will have an effect on regular and sale prices. Areas with fewer (or no) competition will often result in sky-high prices, while areas with lots of stores will often have prices significantly lower.

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orlo

April 12, 2009 7:21 PM

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@catnapped: Those extended sales are always priced worse than weekly ones for the same product.

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April 12, 2009 7:16 PM

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I loves me some Pathmark. If only I had the time to go there.

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DerangedRoleModel

April 12, 2009 7:53 PM

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@TerribleDecade: I wasn't aware anyone could ever love Pathmark.

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TedSez

April 12, 2009 7:24 PM

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I have to disagree that supermarkets are helping shoppers with lower prices. From what I can see, prices have gone up a huge amount over the past couple of years -- and while there are often some good discounts every week, an overall shopping trip still costs quite a bit more. Ralphs, which used to have a great double-coupon program, recently capped doubling to $1 (so a 75-cent coupon is worth $1, and a $1 coupon is worth $1). Even Trader Joe's, my favorite store in the world, has (out of necessity) raised prices quite a bit. The only chain that hasn't raised prices significantly is 99 Cents Only Stores, because they didn't want to have to change their name.

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April 12, 2009 10:50 PM

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@TedSez: The 99 cent stores have also shrunk quantity significantly in order to keep up, so while the price hasn't gone up, the quantity you get has. This isn't the normal grocery shrink ray where they shave a teaspoon of peanut butter from a jar though, the shrinking is much, much greater at a dollar store.

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April 12, 2009 7:35 PM

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@TedSez: Exactly right--you need to get your head out of the sand if you think supermarkets are out to help you. They're more than happy to pick your pockets if you let them.

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April 12, 2009 7:28 PM

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You can also combine BOGO offers with coupons that require you to buy two items. Just this morning I was at CVS where they had a BOGO Free offer on Dove shampoo & conditioner, regular price $5 each. I had coupons for $1 off shampoo and $1.50 off conditioner. I bought one of each (one was free), and used the coupons. Along with the $2.50 in Extra Bucks for last quarter, I got $10 worth of stuff for free.

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coren

April 12, 2009 7:35 PM

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If them having your data bothers you, and you don't build up rewards for using the card, share cards/phone numbers. About 2 dozen people at the school I work for all use the same number - doesn't give the store a thing about purchases cuz between them they buy 80 percent of what the store carries

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johnva

April 13, 2009 4:21 AM

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@coren: Even that won't work unless you all always pay with cash. Otherwise they can easily link your individual transactions together using your credit/debit card data.

And even if they don't have your personal information they do still get useful data-mining fodder out of your purchases just based on things like how much you spent, what set of items you bought together, etc. They then use this information to figure out how to mess with prices to maximize profits. This is why I'm suspicious of groceries that constantly change their prices.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)

April 12, 2009 7:37 PM

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I shop my local Price Choppers here in NY- I stock up when things are on sale with coupons, use my rewards card, get the fuel advantage deal of 10 cents off/gallon for every $50 I spend- it helps when you have a pantry and extra freezer.

When you know how to spot the deals, you'll soon see that even Wal Mart can't beat them. Sure, you can bring circulars into Wal Mart and they can manually price adjust at the register, but that takes HOURS when you are shopping for a big family. I haven't been to a Wal Mart in a very long time, thank goodness.

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April 12, 2009 7:37 PM

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While there's always been the tip that when you see a sale such as \"4 for $5.00\", you really don't need to purchase that many as the individual item rings up at it's partial multiple price, some chains are insisting you purchase the said amount...any more or less and you'll pay way more for each of them.

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April 12, 2009 10:59 PM

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@catnapped: Walgreens does this, but in their defense, it always says so right on the \"x for $y\" sticker thingie. My mother was incensed when she bought one of a \"two-for\" item, and was charged the single-item price, and even angrier when I pointed out to her that \"It says right there on the sticker, '2 for $1.50 OR 1 for $1.39.' You've got to read the small letters too.\"

But, she also throws away coupons that require you to purchase two (or more) of anything, even if it's an item that she could reasonably purchase two (or more) of, because she's \"not going to let them tell [her] what to do.\" Okaaaay...

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April 12, 2009 8:29 PM

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Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: The larger chains have their own private label premium brands, like Safeway Select and Private Selection at Kroger-owned stores. There are several Safeway Select items that I prefer to the brand name for both taste and quality: for example their strawberry preserves don't contain HFCS.

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April 12, 2009 7:42 PM

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I'll take the King Supers brand Aspirin and oatmeal. Stay away from my Heinz ketchup and A1 steak sauce.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

April 12, 2009 8:15 PM

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I miss double coupons. We don't have them here. But the grocery store is unionized so the service is ten times as good as it was when I lived in a \"right-to-work\" state with double coupons. I suppose it's worth the trade-off; I don't have to explain to six people allegedly employed in the produce department what a \"rutabaga\" is and that, no, I'm not speaking Spanish and, yes, \"rutabaga\" IS an English word.

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wardawg

April 12, 2009 8:20 PM

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Membership at bulk warehouses are worth it if you make a point of going there for the majority of your non-perishables. I have a Costco membership and the only thing I don't buy there on a regular basis is milk and fruits/vegetables (though I get them when I'm there, I only go there once a month or so).

Buying bulk pasta and freezing my own meat in ziplock bags saves me around $40/month vs buying at the grocery store, and I only have to make trips to the grocery store twice a month or so for milk and eggs and such.

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Corporate-Shill

April 12, 2009 9:32 PM

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Buying in bulk is a good thing even when you don't want the big quantity, but can justify the purchase anyway..

I grabbed a box of granola bar thingies from Sams. Big monster sized box of 72 units for $8. The normal store boxes are 12 units for $4.50.

Even if I don't want/need 72, buying the bulk box is a better deal than buying two normal store boxes and once you hit the 3rd normal store box the bulk box becomes a great purchase. Sure, sure, I threw out the last dozen or so bars because they got too old. So what.

Same with iced tea. I bought a case of the big brew bags at Sams for $5 or so. Damn cheap. One bag makes a gallon of tea and there was 24 or 48 bags in the case. The normal store packaging is nearly the same price and has enough bags for maybe 1 gallon of tea. Once I hit my second gallon I was on a $ saving roll.

My Aunt came over and say all the tea bags. I ended up giving her half the bags. She is a big tea drinker and there was no way I was going to drink that much tea. She joined Sams just to partake in the cheap tea bags.

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April 12, 2009 10:54 PM

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@Corporate-Shill: Buying in bulk is a very good idea even if you are single and living alone, provided you have a place to store the stuff. You just have to be a little smarter with what you buy in bulk, don't buy anything you won't use in the length of time its good for.

Things like TP go and buy in bulk, it doesn't matter if you live alone or not but you will always need TP and having a big ol package of it will stop you from making an extra trip to the store when you need TP, saving you time and gasoline.

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Jessica Schwartz

April 13, 2009 3:09 AM

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@Outrun1986: We have a Costco membership but only buy paper products (for the most part): TP, paper plates, paper towels, etc. My fiance gets it free under his boss's account, if we paid for it ourselves it wouldn't be worth it.

Also, I find the meat and produce prices aren't worth it. I wish I could buy bulk chicken cutlets, but supermarket sales prices are cheaper. :-/

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pecan 3.14159265

April 13, 2009 1:47 PM

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@Jessica Schwartz: One bizarre thing is that at BJs, the chicken is sold in bulk and the pieces are wrapped individually. This isn't the case at my local market, and I find myself having to handle chicken (which I hate) to separate them into bags. I guess the plastic baggie tax is worth the extra $3 I pay.

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April 12, 2009 8:32 PM

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@wardawg: especially cost effective is when you go halfsies on a membership with a relative or friend who shops at the same time you do. Or just tag along with a friend, and pay them for your food when you get to the checkout. I do that when I know my mom is going to costco. Sure, they may think she is getting an awful lot of food for one person, but you give em a dirty look and say \"I have a high metabolism!\"

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Yoko Broke Up The Beatles

April 12, 2009 8:20 PM

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Store brands are a great deal, and to most people, a big secret. I buy store brands all the time. The point of the store brands being the same as the national brands, however, I personally take issue with.

I've found that store brand substitutes are good for some products, but not for others. For example, you can't really go wrong with store brand paper plates or sandwich bags. However, I have found a large gap in quality between store brands and national brands for things like Mac & Cheese and taco seasoning mix.

It may seem that the 4 products I listed are pretty random - and they are - but I have done a lot of personal research (i.e. taste testing, etc.) for store brands vs. national brands. Suffice to say, at the supermarket, I ususally buy a mix of both.

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johnva

April 13, 2009 4:28 AM

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@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: I agree. Some generic products are really good, and some are total crap. You just have to experiment, and find what tradeoffs work for you. I'm with you on the stuff like paper products; that doesn't matter at all. But I'm very picky about the quality of the food I eat (I'm one of those people who checks the ingredients of everything I buy) and I won't tolerate it if it's clear that a generic brand is cheap because they cut corners to save money.

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Jessica Schwartz

April 13, 2009 3:22 AM

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@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: I totally agree. I usually go generic, but have found certain products really aren't the same.

The biggest disparity I've found is between Frosted Mini Wheats and the store brand. They're completely different! Also, Weight Watchers mozz sticks are delish (and only 50 calories!). Usually skim mozz tastes like crap. It's worth bucking up for the brand name stuff (when it's on sale).

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April 12, 2009 11:34 PM

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@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: I find much less difference in \"ingredients\" than prepared foods. There are certain things like Ice cream that can taste way different, but other things can be too similar to tell apart. I know that many store brand cannned vegetables are made by Delmonte, at least in my store they are, so I will always choose the store brand canned tomato products and have yet to be disappointed, sometimes I will break down and buy a fancy brand of tomatoes and end up tasting no difference in the finished sauce.

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Corporate-Shill

April 12, 2009 9:37 PM

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@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles:

Some store brand stuff is made on the same line as the major brand. Some is contracted to the lowest bidder with product concessions to achieve a low price.

I agree about the paper plates etc, but disagree about the food products.

Krogers use to sell a house brand of cookies which were half to 2/3 the price of the major brand and a hell of lot better tasting as well. Found out one of the big boy bakeries was making the store brand for Kroger just to keep their production line rolling during slow times and hadn't changed to HFCS for the Kroger receipe.... instead was using real sugar for the creame filling.

Don't discount all store brand products... some are actually better products.

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CapHwys

April 12, 2009 8:44 PM

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We have a subscription to just the Sunday and Holiday paper.
My wife and I mainly got it just for the Sunday Coupons and Ads.
However, I also read the paper, so it isn't like we just get it for the coupons.

We shop at several stores depending on the deals and what we need.
We shop at Aldi, Wegmans, Walmart, Tops, Sam's, BJ's and others.

One place that will save you money is a bakery outlet.
Rochester has one in Henrietta, the Freihofer's Bakery Outlet.
We save tons of money buying all of our bread, rolls, bagels and other baked goods there. We freeze everything as well so it stays.

As for the Store/Generic brands vs. Name/National Brands.
It really depends on what you value more, money or quality.
While they say that the store brands may be the same, they can taste different due to a slightly altered recipe or ingredient.

For example, my wife has to have Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream whenever she wants it. However, with me, the store brand ice cream does it for me.

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bohemian

April 12, 2009 8:44 PM

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The best tactics to get more for your money that I have found are these. Use a price book, knowing who charges more or what the going rate is helps know if your getting ripped off or where to buy certain items. I look up store flyers the day I make my list and figure out what I want to buy due to it being on sale. I also buy non-perishables to stock up if the sale is good enough. Some stores put coupons in their flyers for things like veggies, bread, sugar. Instead of getting the paper I just pick up a copy of the flyer as I walk in the door and yank the coupons out. I shop at 3-5 stores to get groceries and household things. I do them in a loop from the house and back. That saves time and I can stop other places in between if I need to. I keep a cooler in the trunk if I think something needs to be kept cold in route. I buy very few processed products and instead buy raw ingredients like beans, flour, meat, veggies. Things we use large quantities of or don't go bad like flour or oats I buy huge bags at the food coop. Way better quality than the grocery store variety and quite a bit cheaper.

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Andi Lee

April 12, 2009 9:33 PM

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All fair. Been doing that kind of stuff for years now. I just mainly keep note of the \"normal\" prices for stuff at each store and their policies. I especially like to take advantage of buy one get one free sales at stores that don't make you buy 2 to get the discounted price especially if it's on something I really don't need 2 of at the time.

And yeah, I am picky and choosy when it comes to storebrand stuff. For things like personal products that I expect a certain performance, I keep an eye out for when my fav national brand goes on sale and stock up so I'm never without something I know I'm gonna need so I can get near-storebrand price. Other things, depends on price and quality... and which store's storebrand too.

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DePaulBlueDemon

April 12, 2009 10:15 PM

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You can add effective meal planning to the top of the list. This way you can save on certain things. I use the sales to help me plan my meals as well. Is the ground beef on sale? Oh, I'll probably make chili, tacos, and burgers that week. :)

Those recipes share similar ingredients as well, which cuts down on waste.

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johnva

April 13, 2009 3:18 PM

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@DePaulBlueDemon: This is a better tip than any in the list above, in my opinion. Meal planning and cooking for yourself are where the real savings are, but meal planning in particular requires that you have the knowledge to know how to do it effectively and to adapt to what's on sale or whatever. Tons of Americans have lost or never acquired these skills.

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April 12, 2009 10:55 PM

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Generic brands are very different from brand-name ones! Coupon clipping is too much work. Extended sales make your food go nasty. Shopping lists are stupid

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Jennifer Duquette

April 13, 2009 12:04 AM

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@mini schnauzer: well that was ever so helpful...why even bother commenting?
1-depends on the generic, and depends on the item
2-some people clip coupons casually, some are pretty religious about it...don't do it if you don't like it
3-depends on the food-for instance, canned foods and things that do well with freezing do not \"go nasty\", as you so eloquently put it
4-shopping lists help you avoid buying things on impulse that you don't actually need
5-think before you post...seriously

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April 12, 2009 10:59 PM

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I do use coupons, mostly on soap, shampoo, and stuff like that. Saving money on toilet paper means more cash for better quality food.

However, if you are part of a large family and you're struggling to make ends meet you should check out Hill Billy House Wife. I don't share ideologies with the author, but the money saving tips and recipies are great. Not to mention all the nutritional info for the recipies is broken down.

There is a lot of money to be saved in cooking from scratch. Bread made at home cost cents per loaf instead of dollars. I know cooking from scratch takes a lot of time and when you are busy it's hard, but setting aside a couple of hours once a week for it will really help save money.

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April 12, 2009 11:05 PM

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I suspect that grocery prices will get lower in my area as a super Walmart is going to open here in the coming months. Since the only thing people around here buy is groceries there will still be plenty of people shopping to keep all the stores we have here afloat. There is plenty of grocery store competition here in my area.

With that being said I don't think the supermarket is out to save you any money. Their job is to get you in the store and get you to buy as much as possible while there in order to increase profits. When a supermarket puts something on sale they often raise prices on other goods to make up for it. When Wegmans announced they were dropping the prices on tons of items throughout the store like magic all the store brand items that we were used to buying suddenly went up in price 20-30 cents an item. Really aggravating IMO. So yes you are saving on some items but you will be paying higher prices for other items. This is particularly true if you are trying to eat healthy.

You can shop smart but you have to be willing to buy things only when they are on sale (buying only the loss leaders), and most people cannot do that because you need certain things that never go on sale like milk, bread and eggs. Also harder if you are trying to eat healthy and avoid processed and pre-packaged foods. Coupon items (food) are often sold out and unavailable here when you go to get them, although most of the time my family does do well with coupons. Walmart is a great place to use food coupons, since most people shopping at Walmart here do not use coupons. Not so great for toiletries though, as their prices on those are more expensive than other stores, but we don't usually have an issue with stores running out of toiletries so those coupons can be used wherever.

We have also been doing many of the things discussed here for years, instead of just doing them as a recession trend like many others. I am sure many others on this site are the same. We have always price shopped, always clipped coupons etc..

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April 12, 2009 11:45 PM

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Publix deodorant made my underarms break out, The old spice that it was ment to copy does not. So the first one is untrue.

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ICherub

April 13, 2009 2:06 AM

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While it's not available to everyone (limited for now to the upper 2/3's of the east coast), the Scan It system is great for shopping wisely. Not only does it give extra discounts, but more importantly it gives a running total so you know just how much you're spending during a shopping trip. Also, it's great for double checking prices when items are unmarked and not near their shelf tags, or when they are on unadvertised clearance (which seems to happen a lot lately where I shop).

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Anonymous

April 13, 2009 4:39 AM

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Stores with loyalty cards are rarely the best deal. In New England, Market Basket, a bare-bones, sawdust on the floor, 1970s decor establishment, regularly has prices 20% below stores like Stop & Shop. They have weekly sales that need no loyalty card, and have a good selection of food and produce (and will order any produce item they don't have for you with a few days notice.) They can offer such low prices because they are non-union (they treat their employees just well enough to not want to unionized- I know from experience as both my brotehrs worked as grocery clerks there in highschool), and they own all their plazas rather than paying rent like most Shaws do.

So, anyays, this isn't an ad for Market Bucket, but rather the moral of my story is: Explore all your local food shopping oportunities. Likely there is a store with better deals all the time than the store that has double coupons and a 'loyalty' card.

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Carlos Alberto Garcia

April 13, 2009 6:40 AM

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There is one tip not listed:
Eat before you go shopping. No matter how good you list is, if you are hungry when you go get your groceries, you are far more likely to get something you really don't need to fill that moment of hunger.

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April 13, 2009 12:18 PM

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Annoyingly, my local supermarket won't accept any \"Internet coupons,\" meaning nothing I print out, even if it has a bar code on it.

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April 13, 2009 1:24 PM

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1. sorry. i don't do 'shopper cards'. let them get the personal information out of my 'cold dead hands'....

tell the cashier you 'forgot' yours.... they give you the discounts anyways.

2. i know a number of people who knew nothing about the \"UNIT PRICE\" when shopping. FIRST i look at unit prices across a given product, then consider the brand.

3.

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lastingsmilledge

April 13, 2009 3:28 PM

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i work part time in produce. we really can't do any sort of volume markdowns at my store, but if you're having a barbecue or something and need a lot of corn on the cob - just let us know.

instead of you emptying our entire display on the floor, we'll just go in the back and get you a whole crate. since we sell corn by quantity, as long as you're nice i'll tell the cashiers that there are only 25 ears in the box (it's more like 45). it helps out both of us!

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SugarMag

April 13, 2009 4:37 PM

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I have noticed for months that the big stores are making groceries more affordable with their sales and coupon allowances and even regular prices on many items is improved. I find the store brands only about 10% less though on average by item, but 10% is still less.

I think it's cool the stores are willing to extend a helping hand in essence.

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johnva

April 13, 2009 6:43 PM

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@SugarMag: It's not so much that they are willing to extend a helping hand so much as that the market won't bear prices as high they were right now.

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JuliB

April 13, 2009 5:03 PM

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I hope Consumerists don't throw out food items they can no longer us. Most churches have food collections for non-perishable items. I'm Catholic, and we all give to the St. Vincent DePaul food collections or even to those poor families in our own parishes - you can stop by any Catholic Church and leave your food inside. Just make sure it isn't expiring within a few days.

I'll bet that non-Catholic churches have the same sort of food distribution set-up.

No need to be a believer to help out your fellow man as you save money on food!

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Michael Yockey

April 13, 2009 5:49 PM

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Use sights like Slickdeals.net and hotcouponworld.com to help you out. Specifically check out the grocery and drug store discussion forums.

This week I got a 3 pack of Brita Filters and a 40 pack of Claritin for $3.

Claritin 40pk, $19.99 sale
Brita 3pack filters, $14.99 sale
$34.99 subtotal

-$5/25 Rite aid coupon
-$1 off any Brita Filter (printable from filterforgood.com)
-$4 off of any Claritin 30 count of higher, SS (smart source coupon) from 4/3 inserts
-$5 SCR (Rite Aid Single Check Rebate) for the Claritin
-$3 SCR for the Brita Filters
-$5 giftcard (RiteAid giftcard promotion on alergy medication)
-$10 gift of savings from previuos RA promotion
=$3.00 plus sales tax

See sometimes you actually can get good deals from RA, CVS and Wags. I am part of the reason why RA is probably doing badly lol.

Stack, double stack and stack-forward your discounts. Stack forward is to use extra case bucks or Register Rewards on items that generate a rebate or other offer. For example I bought $8 of items from Walgreens last week which generated $8 in Register rewards. Then I took those RRs and used them to pay for a bottle of shampoo which had a rebate to refund the bottle of shampoo. I just got $16 of crap for $1.40 or so (sales tax + postage for the rebate).

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rlee

April 14, 2009 2:28 AM

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\"Choose Store Brands: Look, it's the same as the name brand stuff, only 25% cheaper on average.\"

Probably true most of the time, but not always true. Definitely not the same when it comes to Cheerios/ToastyOs, ice cream, or soda.

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Anonymous

April 14, 2009 11:09 PM

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A few years ago the Wall Street journal did a nationwide study in five or six cities, shopping an identical grocery list at a supermarket with a \"loyalty card\" in each city and a supermarket that did not offer it. In EVERY case, doing most of your grocery shopping in a card store was more expensive than in the matching non-card store, despite the supposed \"good deals\" on the card.They are sucker bait.MikeLM

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly

April 15, 2009 2:59 AM

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[www.seriouseats.com] says the comments on this post are better than the article. niiiiice:

\"The Consumerist shares some tips from Consumer Reports for how to save money at the supermarket-such as choose store brands, use a bonus card, and clip coupons-but the comments from readers on how they save money are more informative and detailed than the post itself. Readers discuss their favorite stores, best store brand items, checking circulars in print and online, and more.\"

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Anonymous

April 23, 2009 4:28 PM

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Two hints:

1. Aldi! I was a brand name snob, but Aldi changed me. Their food is just as good, if not BETTER than supermarkets. $0.69 avocados? Sign me up!

2. I keep a list of things I buy on an app for the iPhone called GroceryIQ. It organizes things by aisle so shopping goes faster, and it has a notes section for each item, so I can record prices from different stores.

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