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Grocery Store Sales Dates

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One way to save money on your grocery budget is to shop the sales at your local grocery store(s). I typically shop at 2 to 3 stores; although some weeks I shop at all 3, other weeks 1 or 2, and busy weeks possibly none.

The key is to know your stores’ sales dates. Some stores run their sales Sunday to Saturday, others Wednesday to Tuesday, and I’ve also seen Thursday to Wednesday. In my area of the southeast, the grocery stores run their weekly sales Wednesday to Tuesday with additional 3-day sales, running concurrently with the weekly sales, Sunday through Tuesday.

Since I know my stores’ sales schedule, I know that shopping Monday or Tuesday is my best option. By shopping on these two days, I can take advantage of all the store sales and have all the coupons from the Sunday paper to help lower my out-of-pocket costs.

A great day for me at the grocery store is viewing my receipt to find that I saved more than I spent. I will continue to share how I strive to feed my family of 5 without breaking the bank.

My Savings on Vegetables and Mentos

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After sharing last week about Knowing your Grocery Store’s Sales Dates, I followed my usual pattern and hit the stores on Tuesday morning. In my area, our sales run from Wednesday to Tuesday, so I was shopping on the last day of the sale. The following deals are no longer available in my area, but I want to share how I scored lots of vegetables for my family without breaking the bank.

Yesterday when I went shopping, here is what I had in my PUBLIX envelope:

  • GROCERY LIST:
    • 8 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables 11-12oz. at $2.39 on sale Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF), so $1.19 each.
    • 3 Mentos at 50₵
    • 1 Huggies Diapers, 48-96ct. at $19.99
  • COUPONS:
    • 4 printable – 50₵ off 2 bags of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables
    • 3 – 50₵ off any one Mentos products from the Smart Source insert in the 2/6/11 newspaper
    • 1 – $3.00 off Huggies diapers (Publix coupon from weekly ad)
    • 1 – $3.50 off Huggies manufacturer coupon

*NOTE ABOUT COUPONS: At Publix, you can use one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon per item. Also, Publix doubles coupons up to 50₵.

At the store with my children, I stopped by the bakery for the kids’ free cookies. (They like the treat, and I enjoy some quiet while they’re eating them.) Then I discovered that our Publix was out of Huggies diapers. Not a big deal, I made a note on my grocery list. Then to the frozen foods section where I chose 4 bags of corn, 2 bags of broccoli, and 2 bags of snow peas. Then up to the checkout lanes to find the Mentos. After procuring my items, I checked out with my coupons.

  • 4 bags of vegetables – $1.20 each
  • 4 bags of vegetables – $1.19 each
  • 3 Mentos – 50₵ each

SUBTOTAL: 11.06

  • Minus 4 – 50₵ vegetable coupons that doubled = $4.00
  • Minus 3 – 50₵ Mentos coupons that doubled = $3.00 (Yeah, I made $1.50 by purchasing these items with coupons.)

TOTAL: $4.06

After paying my $4.06, I went to customer service where I received a rain check for the Huggies diapers. So, to recap, I spent $4.06 and saved $17.39 with sales prices and coupons resulting in a savings of 81%.

There are so many deals to be had. One of the keys to saving big is knowing how to match coupons with store sales. It took me some time to distinguish a good sale from a great store sale. During the great store sale, I try to stock up and use all the coupons I have for that product. It takes time and lots of trial and error. Even in my mistakes, I always know I am saving money. I’m here to keep on saving with you!

Using the Sales to Create a Grocery List

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Last week I shared how I saved 81% on vegetables and Mentos at Publix. This scenario was possible because I knew where to find the grocery store ad, the coupons, and the prices. Now I will share my secrets on how I create my grocery list. For this example, I chose to make out a PUBLIX list. I probably start where you start by:

  • Scanning the sales flyer from the Tuesday and Sunday newspapers. Sometimes these flyers have store or manufacturer coupons within.
  • Visiting www.southernsavers.com. I love Jenny Martin’s website. If you live in the southeast, Jenny covers all the major grocery and drugstore deals. She posts each deal and lists the coupons available with those deals.
    • When I go to her home page, I hover over “Publix” under the grocery store deals bar.
    • Then a drop-down list shows “Weekly Ad.”
    • I double-click on that post title.
    • Then click on the top post title – Weekly Ad.
    • Now the entire sales flyer loads in a list-format.
    • To the left side of each item is a box. If I am considering purchasing that item, then I click the box. If not, then I proceed to the next item until I reach the end of the list.
    • At the end of the post, I can click “Create list.” I also choose to show coupon matchups. The list is then created in another document.
    • You can also add items to your list. Then print your list.
  • With my list in hand, I then begin looking through my coupon files for any matchups. I rarely find all the coupons Jenny lists on her site, but I find many of them.
  • I then make the decision of how many I need to purchase of each item. I write these numbers next to the items on my grocery list.
  • All my coupons are then placed in an envelope with PUBLIX written on the outside. Now I have my grocery list and all coupons to be used in one place. I find that shopping with this system keeps me organized and makes checking out very simple.
  • Then I go shopping.

This list covers the basics of how I create my shopping lists based on what the store has on sale for the week. I will continue to share how I save while keeping my family fed.

Checking the Receipt

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After shopping, do you review your receipt? I try to review it immediately after my purchase, but sometimes, I wait until I’m home to check the receipt.

Over the weekend, I went to Bi-Lo to stock up on the chicken deal, eggs, sausage, and bread. The Arnold bread was on sale for $1.99 per loaf, and I printed 2 coupons for $.55 off each. Since Bi-Lo doubles coupons up to $.60, the coupon would double to $1.10 off. The price of each loaf is $.89. Spending less than $1 on bread is definitely a rock bottom price for me.

When I went to Bi-Lo on Saturday morning with my oldest daughter, we got her a cookie, shopped, and checked out. I did not review my receipt until Saturday evening. I then noticed that only one of my $.55 coupons for the Arnold bread was scanned.

WHAT DID TRACY DO?

A. Ignore it.

B. Return the bread.

C. Ask for the $1.10 back.

Can you guess what I did? Yes, I’m a penny pincher, and I refuse to pay more than I need to pay. If you guessed that I ignored it, then spend some more time getting to know me. I will not ignore saving money in any amount.

On Monday morning while I was running errands near Bi-Lo, I stopped by the customer service desk. I had the loaf of Arnold bread in a bag with my Bi-Lo envelope housing my receipt and my grocery list. When the representative assisted me, I explained that I had shopped on Saturday morning. I had purchased a number of items including two loaves of bread and had handed the cashier my coupons with two $.55 off coupons for the bread. I showed the representative my grocery list with the coupons listed, and the receipt showing only one coupon had been scanned. The representative offered to reimburse me the $1.10 for the missed scanned coupon. I agreed to her resolution.

Would you have returned to the store? If so, would you have addressed the issue with customer service? I know some people think, “It’s only $1.” You’re right! It is $1, but it is $1 more that can be used wisely to help someone else.

Grocery Store Customer Surveys

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Last week I shared how I review each receipt after purchase to be sure I was charged correctly for the items I purchased. Another reason I review my receipts is to locate points, surveys, and sweepstakes.

Periodically on the bottom of my grocery store receipt, I will find a survey opportunity for a chance to win $250 in free groceries. Each time I receive an invitation for a survey, I act upon it. The survey usually takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Upon completing last week’s survey at Bi-Lo, I found a coupon for a free bag of Southern Home pretzel twists. (Southern Home is the Bi-Lo brand.) After printing my coupon, I placed it in my Bi-Lo envelope. When I shopped the sales this week at Bi-Lo, I cashed in my coupon for the free bag of pretzels valued at $1.25.

You may or may or not receive a coupon for your participation, but giving the store feedback will help improve your shopping experience. I’m willing to spend a little time to help the store and am thankful for the coupon which helped me save another $1.25.

Do you take advantage of the survey opportunities, or do you pass them by? I hope to report to you one day that I won free groceries. In the meantime, I will take the surveys and look closely for extra coupons.