Archives for February 2012

Welcome to a new feature here at Using Time Wisely! Periodically on Thursdays during our food edition, I will apply the tools supplied in my food cycle series to show you how to get those deep savings.

Let me begin by reminding you that I buy about 50% of my groceries at Aldi without coupons because the sale prices matched with coupons at our local grocery stores cost more than Aldi’s prices on most staples.

During busy seasons, I can confidently ditch the coupons and head to Aldi without feeling guilty that I’m going to burst our budget. Though I have taken a break from coupons, I really enjoy the game of “How low can you go.”

In this first edition of the Register Review, my out-of-pocket (oop) total spent at Bi-Lo on February 7, 2012 was $1.08 for 5 items valued at $31.59. The breakdown of this receipt is as follows:

Rain Check

During a previous sales week, Bi-Lo had the Disney Gummies vitamins on sale buy one get one free. When the store was out-of-stock, I requested a rain check for 4 bottles. The regular price is $7.25 per bottle. Since Bi-Lo rain checks do not expire, I waited to redeem it as there was no time limit.

Competitor’s Coupons

When Bi-Lo had their buy one get one free sale, Publix – a competitor – had a store coupon for $5 off 2 bottles of Disney Gummies vitamins. At the time I requested the rain check, I informed the customer service representative at Bi-Lo that my two Publix coupons would be expiring before the vitamins were back in stock.

The representative authorized the use of the expired coupons with a statement on the rain check at the time of issuance. (Not all stores will extend competitor’s coupons, but my Bi-Lo store did. Had they not, I would have tried another store.)

Manufacturer’s Coupons

Stacking a store coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon increases your savings.

TIP: The store coupon is a discount on the product, and a manufacturer’s coupon is a form of payment. Therefore, you can use both a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on each item purchased.

I waited to buy the vitamins until I had collected 4 manufacturer’s coupons. I found three $1 off coupons in the Sunday newspaper inserts and one $2 off coupon on-line (printable).

Buy One Get One Free Sale

The one package of flour tortillas was on sale that week. I snagged the last package my store had. If they had stocked more, I would have purchased more. In fact, I asked hubby to stop by another Bi-Lo on his way home to get 4 more packages. His total was $5.16 which was a fantastic 50% savings. 🙂

Combining these Strategies

When I checked out, I proceeded in this order:

1. Used Bonus Card (loyalty card for Bi-Lo)

2. Presented my reusable bags and requested credits – $.05 per bag. I received $.05 for this visit.

3. Scanned items:

4 – Disney vitamins 29.00

1 –  package of tortillas 2.59

Subtotal: 31.59

4. Used the rain checks on the vitamins – The cashier took off $15.00 – $.50 more than rain check amount. Woo Hoo! Bringing total to $16.59.

5. Redeemed store coupons – The cashier had to call a manager to authorize the over-the-limit coupon amount. This happens often when I use high-value coupons. I stayed relaxed and held my ground when the manager did not want to accept the coupons.

When my explanation did not suffice, I asked to speak with the store manager. This manager left, but returned to discount my total by $10 ($5 off for each Publix coupon). The competitor’s coupons brought the total down to $6.59.

6. Submitted manufacturer’s coupons – With the 3 coupons for $1 off and then the $2 off, I added another $5 in savings which brought my total to $1.59.

7. Calculating the Buy One Get One Free sale – The tortillas were on a half-off sale adding a $1.30 discount bringing my total to $.29.

8. Subtracting my bag credit – The $.05 discount brought my new subtotal to $.24.

With the $.84 tax (for the vitamins), my total came to $1.08 which is a savings of 96.7%.

Though my family will not survive on one package of tortillas and 4 bottles of vitamins, I purchased these items by stacking saving strategies to free-up our food budget for more expensive items like produce and meat.

If this breakdown was a bit confusing, then take a step back. If you are totally lost or confused, it’s OK. This system is natural for me because I follow the same process each week. My entire food cycle series walks you through each step. Click here to start at the beginning of the series.

The game is fun when you learn the rules. Stay tuned for more Register Reviews as I will breakdown my shopping trips to help you strategize and save money while using time wisely. Happy savings!

Question: What do you think of this new feature?